buen trabajo
/bwen tɾabaxo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "good work" is translated into Spanish as buen trabajo.
The phrase buen trabajo is used to praise someone for performing a task well. You can use the exclamation ¡Buen trabajo! to express this praise directly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use ¡Buena chamba! to say "Good work". In Spain, the phrase ¡Bien hecho! is often used to mean "well done!"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase buen trabajo, the adjective bueno is shortened to buen because it is placed before a masculine singular noun.
Did you know?
- In Mexico, the slang term chamba is used instead of trabajo to refer to a job. This is likely derived from the English word 'chamber', referring to the rooms where laborers worked during the colonial era.
- The word trabajar is a cognate with the French word travailler. Both languages share this evolution from the Latin root describing hardship and labor.
- If a Spanish speaker says ¡Qué buen trabajo! with a specific tone, it can be used sarcastically to mean the opposite. This is common in both Spain and Latin America to point out a mistake.
Examples in context
- ¡Prosigue con el buen trabajo!Keep up the good work!This sentence is useful for learning how to say 'Keep up the good work!' using buen trabajo.Tatoeba #1239383 by marcelostockle, translation #567757 by Eldad
- Buen trabajo, Tom.Good work, Tom.This sentence shows how to address someone directly with buen trabajo.Tatoeba #4372415 by pchamorro, translation #3000903 by Hybrid
- Si quieres hacer un buen trabajo, debes usar las herramientas justas.If you want to do good work, you should use the proper tools.This sentence demonstrates the use of buen trabajo when discussing the quality of work being done.Tatoeba #1556801 by marcelostockle, translation #30076 by CK
- ¡Buen trabajo en el informe!Good work on the report!
- ¡Felicitaciones por tu excelente trabajo en el proyecto!Congratulations on your excellent work on the project!
- ¡Buen trabajo en el juego!Good work in the game!
- ¡Genial! Lo has hecho muy bien en el examen.Great! You did very well on the exam.
- ¡Bien hecho en la presentación!Well done on the presentation!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At the office after a successful project launch.
- Alejandro¡Buen trabajo hoy, Lucía!Good work today, Lucía!
- LucíaGracias, Alejandro, fue muy intenso.Thanks, Alejandro, it was very intense.
- AlejandroTu esfuerzo valió la pena.Your effort was worth it.
- LucíaTú también lo hiciste genial.You did great too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
