parabéns
/pa.ɾaˈbẽj̃s/
The Portuguese phrase for "good job" is parabéns.
parabéns is used more broadly than the English "congratulations" to mean "good job" when someone has successfully completed a task or reached a milestone.
Meaning: a phrase used to praise for a good job or efforts (intj)
Which one should you use?
While parabéns is the standard way to say 'congratulations' or 'good job' to celebrate an achievement, bom trabalho is a more literal translation of "good work" used to describe the quality of the task itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word parabéns is always used in its plural form, even when addressing a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /pa.ɾaˈbẽj̃s/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'congratulations' for a birthday, you use the exact same word parabéns as you would for a promotion.
- Using parabéns sarcastically is a common way to tell someone they have made a mistake, similar to saying 'nice one' in English when someone drops something.
- The word parabéns is a cognate of the Spanish parabienes, showing a shared linguistic root for praising 'good' outcomes across the Iberian Peninsula.
Examples in context
- Parabéns pelo excelente trabalho!Congratulations on the excellent work!
- Seu desempenho foi excepcional!Your performance was exceptional!
- Mandou bem!You did great!
- Arrasou!You rocked it!
- Tá de parabéns!You deserve congratulations!
- Bom trabalho!Good work!
- Ótimo trabalho!Great work!
- Você tirou uma nota ótima, parabéns.You got a great grade, well done.
- Parabéns por terminar o projeto!Good job on finishing the project!
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz are at a small office celebrating a completed task.
- FelipeBeatriz, parabéns pelo relatório!Beatriz, good job on the report!
- BeatrizObrigada, Felipe! Deu muito trabalho.Thank you, Felipe! It was a lot of work.
- FelipeO resultado ficou excelente.The result turned out excellent.
- BeatrizFico feliz em saber.I am happy to know that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry parabéns, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries parabéns, CC BY-SA 4.0.
