bonne chance pour ce soir
To say 'good luck tonight' in French, you say bonne chance pour ce soir.
The phrase bonne chance pour ce soir is used to wish someone success for an event or situation occurring later in the same day. You may also see the shorter version Bonne chance ce soir used to mean 'good luck tonight'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bonne (good), chance (luck), pour (for) and ce soir (this evening).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the expression bonne chance, the adjective bonne is in the feminine form to agree with the feminine noun chance.
When do people say it?
In certain theatrical contexts, French speakers may use the expression Merde pour ce soir! as a superstitious way to wish someone good luck.
Did you know?
- In French, one does not usually say bonne chance for a competitive sports match, but rather bon courage to emphasize the effort needed.
- The word chance is a linguistic relative of the English word 'cadence'. Both descend from the Latin word for 'falling'.
- In French, chance can mean both 'luck' and 'opportunity'. A person might say C'est une chance to mean 'it is a lucky break'.
Examples in context
- Bonne chance ce soir pour ta présentation !Good luck tonight for your presentation!
- Je te souhaite bonne chance ce soir pour ton match de football !I wish you good luck tonight for your football game!
- Bonne chance ce soir dans ton entretien d'embauche !Good luck tonight in your job interview!
- Bonne chance pour ce soir, mon amour.Good luck tonight, my love.
- Je te souhaite bonne chance pour ce soir.I wish you good luck tonight.
- Bonne chance pour ce soir, tu vas réussir !Good luck tonight, you are going to succeed!
Example conversation
Emma is seeing Lucas off before his concert.
- EmmaBonne chance pour ce soir, Lucas !Good luck tonight, Lucas!
- LucasMerci beaucoup, Emma.Thank you very much, Emma.
- EmmaTu vas être génial.You are going to be great.
- LucasC'est très gentil, à tout à l'heure.That is very kind, see you later.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ce, chance, pour, soir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
