bom trabalho
/ˈbõ tɾaˈba.ʎu/word by word
In Portuguese, "great job" is said as bom trabalho.
bom trabalho can be used in two ways: to refer to a person's employment (a good job) or to praise someone for a specific task they have performed (well done).
Meaning: well done, congrats! (intj)
Which one should you use?
While bom trabalho can mean both a good employment position and the act of doing well, other expressions like Excelente trabalho are used specifically to convey "excellent job".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazil, you can use Sensacional to mean "sensational" when praising a performance or work. In Portugal, the phrase Trabalho fabuloso means "fabulous job" and Estás de parabéns is used to say "you deserve congratulations".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈbõ tɾaˈba.ʎu/. It has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word trabalho is etymologically linked to the idea of physical pain or suffering. It stems from the Old Galician-Portuguese word traballo, which originally referred to 'pain', 'effort', or 'labor'.
- In Brazil, saying bom trabalho to someone who is currently working is often a wish for them to have a productive session, similar to 'have a good shift'.
- While bom trabalho praises the effort, Portuguese speakers often use parabéns to celebrate the result, even if the person did not actually 'win' a competition.
Examples in context
- O Tom tem um bom trabalho.Tom has a great job.This sentence shows how to use bom trabalho to describe someone's employment.Tatoeba #10957181 by GuiFFI, translation #10956348 by CK
- Está fazendo um bom trabalho aqui.You're doing a great job here.This sentence demonstrates using bom trabalho to praise someone's current work.Tatoeba #9847184 by lucasmg123, translation #3434391 by CK
- Eu achei que você estava fazendo um bom trabalho.I thought you were doing a great job.This sentence illustrates using bom trabalho to express a past opinion of someone's work.Tatoeba #6475683 by heo598, translation #3732223 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Beatriz are talking in the office after a presentation.
- GabrielBeatriz, você fez um bom trabalho na reunião.Beatriz, you did a good job in the meeting.
- BeatrizMuito obrigada, Gabriel!Thank you so much, Gabriel!
- GabrielSua apresentação foi excelente.Your presentation was excellent.
- BeatrizFico feliz que tenha gostado.I am happy that you liked it.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (bom, trabalho) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bom, trabalho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
