held og lykke
held og lykke is the Danish way to say good luck.
held og lykke is a common way to wish fortune on someone or to provide encouragement. You may also use the related noun held to refer to positive fortune.
Meaning: used to wish fortune on someone or as encouragement (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase held og lykke literally translates to luck and fortune.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you wish someone good luck with a specific task, use the preposition med after the phrase, creating the construction held og lykke med.
Did you know?
- While held og lykke is the standard phrase, Danes may use the word pøj pøj to wish luck in a theatrical or performance context. This is the Danish equivalent of saying 'break a leg'.
- In Danish, the concept of lykke can refer to both 'luck' and 'happiness'. This creates a linguistic overlap where wishing someone 'good luck' also carries the sentiment of wishing them 'happiness'.
- While we use 'luck' to mean chance, the root of the Danish lykke might actually come from a verb meaning 'to close'.
Examples in context
- Sami ønskede Layla held og lykke.Sami wished Layla good luck.This sentence shows someone wishing held og lykke to another.Tatoeba #10717346 by SeaLiteral, translation #7141049 by OsoHombre
- Stjerneskud bringer held og lykke.It's good luck to see a shooting star.This sentence uses held og lykke to describe a lucky event.Tatoeba #7234220 by danepo, translation #6945972 by Hybrid
- Held og lykke med at overbevise hende!Good luck convincing her.This sentence shows how to use held og lykke when wishing someone luck with a specific task.Tatoeba #3235193 by danepo, translation #1740681 by Spamster
- Held og lykke med koncerten i aften!Good luck with the concert tonight!
- Knæk og bræk til fodboldkampen i morgen!Break a leg in tomorrow's soccer match!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mads and Freja are saying goodbye before Freja's job interview.
- MadsHeld og lykke med samtalen, Freja!Good luck with the interview, Freja!
- FrejaMange tak, Mads!Thanks a lot, Mads!
- MadsDu gør det sikkert rigtig godt.I am sure you will do really well.
- FrejaDet håber jeg.I hope so.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good luck” translations and entries held og lykke, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries held, lykke, og, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
