gute Arbeit
In German, 'great work' is expressed as gute Arbeit.
The phrase gute Arbeit is used to praise someone for performing a task well. It is typically used as an exclamation to congratulate someone on their performance or a completed task. While it literally translates to 'good work', it serves as the standard way to express 'great work' in a congratulatory sense.
Which one should you use?
While gute Arbeit is a standard way to express 'great work', you might use Gut gemacht to say 'Well done' or 'Great job' when reacting to a specific action.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the feminine singular adjective ending -e because Arbeit is a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- The word Arbeit shares a common ancestor with the English word 'orphan'.
- While gute Arbeit focuses on the result, Germans often use Fleiß to praise the diligence and hard work put into a task. There is no single English word that captures the specific cultural value of Fleiß as a moral virtue.
- The phrase gute Arbeit can be used ironically in German to describe a disaster, similar to how an English speaker might say 'nice job' after someone drops a tray of glasses.
Examples in context
- Gute Arbeit, Jungs!Great work, guys.This sentence shows how to use gute Arbeit when addressing a group of males.Tatoeba #4121450 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4121203 by Hybrid
- Gute Arbeit, Mädchen!Great work, girls.This sentence shows how to use gute Arbeit when addressing a group of females.Tatoeba #4121449 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4121202 by Hybrid
- Frau Schmidt, ich möchte Ihre hervorragende Arbeit an diesem Projekt anerkennen.Mrs. Schmidt, I'd like to acknowledge your great work on this project.
- Herr Müller, Ihre großartige Leistung hat maßgeblich zu unserem Erfolg beigetragen.Mr. Müller, your great work has significantly contributed to our success.
- Frau Wagner, ich möchte Ihre ausgezeichnete Arbeit bei der Kundenzufriedenheit loben.Mrs. Wagner, I would like to commend your excellent work on customer satisfaction.
- Klasse, Peter! Super Arbeit am neuen Projekt!Great job, Peter! Great work on the new project!
- Wow, das hast du wirklich klasse gemacht! Spitze!Wow, you did an amazing job with that! Excellent!
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Abschluss des Projekts. Ein wirklich tolles Ergebnis!Congratulations on completing the project. A truly great outcome!
- Das war wirklich gute Arbeit.That was really great work.
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are in an office after finishing a project.
- JulianWir sind endlich fertig mit dem Projekt.We are finally finished with the project.
- JuliaJa, das war wirklich gute Arbeit von uns.Yes, that was really great work from us.
- JulianDu hast sehr viel geholfen, Julia.You helped a lot, Julia.
- JuliaDanke, Julian! Es hat Spaß gemacht.Thanks, Julian! It was fun.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Arbeit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
