buena suerte en tu examen
/bwena sweɾte en tu eɡsamen/from spelling rules
The English phrase "good luck on your test" is translated into Spanish as buena suerte en tu examen.
This phrase is used to wish someone success before they take an examination. You can also use the phrase ¡Mucho éxito en tu examen! to wish someone "much success on your exam!", which is a common alternative to wishing them luck.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase translates literally as "good luck in your exam" because Spanish uses the preposition en (in) rather than "on".
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase formal or polite, you can replace the possessive adjective tu with su, resulting in buena suerte en su examen. This is appropriate when addressing someone you do not know well or someone of higher status. In casual settings, you might also say Que te vaya bien en el examen to express luck in a friendly way.
When do people say it?
When someone wishes you luck, the standard response is to say ¡Gracias! (Thank you!) or ¡Muchas gracias! (Thank you very much!).
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, instead of just wishing luck, people might say ¡Mucha mierda! to someone facing a performance or an exam.
- The Spanish word examen is a direct borrowing from the Latin exāmen, which originally referred to the tongue of a balance scale used for weighing.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, students avoid saying buena suerte before a test because it is seen as a jinx, preferring the more neutral que te vaya bien.
Examples in context
- Buena suerte en tu examen de matemáticas.Good luck on your math test.
- ¡Buena suerte en tu examen de conducir!Good luck on your driving test!
Example conversation
Lucía is seeing Javier off before he goes to the university.
- Lucía¡Buena suerte en tu examen, Javier!Good luck on your test, Javier!
- JavierMuchas gracias, Lucía.Thank you very much, Lucía.
- LucíaTú puedes con esto.You can do this.
- JavierEspero que sí.I hope so.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, examen, suerte, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
