buena suerte en tus exámenes
/bwena sweɾte en tus eɡsamenes/from spelling rules
The phrase "good luck in your exams" in Spanish is buena suerte en tus exámenes.
This phrase is used to wish someone success before they take their tests.
What does it mean word for word?
The component buena suerte means "good luck", which is composed of the adjective buena (good) and the noun suerte (luck).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, if you are wishing good luck to a group of people you address informally, you should use buena suerte en vuestros exámenes.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the phrase from the informal "your" to the formal "your", use sus instead of tus.
Did you know?
- While buena suerte is standard, some students in Spain use the phrase mucha mierda to wish luck. This is a tradition borrowed from the theater, where wishing for 'lots of dirt' is meant to avoid jinxing the performance.
- The word suerte is a cognate of the English word 'sort', as both derive from the Latin 'sortem'. This reveals that 'luck' and 'type' or 'kind' share a common ancestor in the idea of things being 'allotted' or 'distributed'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, instead of just saying buena suerte, people might say ¡que te vaya bien! This translates to 'may it go well for you' and focuses on the experience of the event rather than the luck itself.
Examples in context
- ¡Buena suerte en tus exámenes! ¡Vas a arrasar!Good luck in your exams! You're going to ace it!
- ¡Éxito en tus exámenes! Sabes que confío en ti, ¿verdad?Success in your exams! You know I believe in you, right?
- ¡Buena suerte en tus exámenes, Ana! ¡Estoy seguro de que te irá genial!Good luck in your exams, Ana! I'm sure you'll do great!
- Espero que tengas buena suerte en tus exámenes finales.I hope you have good luck in your final exams.
Example conversation
A student is studying at a cafe and a friend stops by to say goodbye.
- DanielHola Sofía, ¿estás estudiando mucho?Hi Sofía, are you studying a lot?
- SofíaSí, estoy muy nerviosa por la semana que viene.Yes, I am very nervous about next week.
- DanielNo te preocupes, ¡buena suerte en tus exámenes!Don't worry, good luck in your exams!
- SofíaMuchas gracias, Daniel.Thank you very much, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, suerte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
