bien joué
/bjɛ̃ ʒwe/
The French phrase for "nice one" is bien joué.
bien joué is used to praise someone for doing something well or for making a clever move. It is the informal equivalent of saying "Well done" or "Nice one."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bien joué literally translates to "well played".
Which one should you use?
While it is a compliment, bien joué can be used sarcastically to mean "nice one" when someone makes a mistake, just as in English.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjɛ̃ ʒwe/
Did you know?
- While bien joué is common, a more slangy way to say 'nice one' when someone does something cool is to say propre, which literally means 'clean'.
- While bien joué is used for a clever move, the phrase bien vu is used specifically when someone notices a detail that others missed.
- The word bien in bien joué shares the same Latin root, bene, as the English word 'benefit'.
Examples in context
- Tu as remporté la compétition de natation ? Bien joué, mec !You won the swimming competition? Nice one, dude!
- Bien joué !Nice one!
- C'était un bon coup, bien joué.That was a good move, nice one.
- Tu as gagné la partie, bien joué.You won the game, nice one.
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are playing a board game.
- ManonTu as pris toutes mes pièces !You took all my pieces!
- HugoMerci, c'était stratégique.Thanks, it was strategic.
- ManonBien joué, Hugo.Nice one, Hugo.
- HugoOn recommence une partie ?Shall we play another round?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bien joué, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
