bon travail
In French, "great job" is translated as bon travail.
While bon travail is a direct way to say "good work," if you want to offer a quick exclamation of praise to someone, the single word Bravo is often more idiomatic.
Meaning: well done, congrats! (intj)
Which one should you use?
Bon travail refers to the quality of the work performed. This is distinct from beaucoup de travail, which refers to a high quantity or volume of work. To emphasize that the quality of work was exceptional, you can use Excellent travail.
When do people say it?
When praising someone's achievements, Bravo serves as a concise and widely used compliment. If you are looking to emphasize that the work was of exceptional quality, use Excellent travail.
Did you know?
- The word travail has a dark history, originating from the Latin word tripālium, which referred to a torture device made of three stakes.
- In a professional French environment, praising a superior with bon travail can sometimes be perceived as condescending, as it implies the speaker is evaluating the other person's performance.
- Depending on the region, a French speaker might use bien joué instead of bon travail to say 'great job', especially if the achievement involved skill or strategy.
Examples in context
- J'ai un très bon travail.I have a great job.This sentence illustrates using bon travail to describe a job one possesses.Tatoeba #7774337 by Rockaround, translation #2358733 by CK
- Tom a un très bon travail.Tom has a great job.This sentence shows how to use bon travail when describing someone else's job.Tatoeba #10957180 by GuiFFI, translation #10956348 by CK
- Félicitations pour ce bon travail !Congratulations on the good job!
- Ton rapport est d'une qualité excellente !Your report is of excellent quality!
- Félicitations pour avoir mené à bien cet important projet !Congratulations on successfully completing this significant project!
- T'as fait un super boulot sur cette présentation !You did a great job on this presentation!
- Bravo pour ta performance exceptionnelle !Bravo for your outstanding performance!
- C'est génial ce que tu as accompli !It's great what you have accomplished!
- Bon travail sur ce projet, Chloé !Great job on this project, Chloé!
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are finishing a presentation at work.
- ChloéOn a terminé la présentation.We finished the presentation.
- GabrielBon travail, Chloé, tu as été super.Great job, Chloé, you were super.
- ChloéMerci Gabriel, c'était difficile.Thanks Gabriel, it was difficult.
- GabrielMais tu as réussi !But you succeeded!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, travail, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
