How to Say "Nice Try" in French

bien essayé

/bjɛ̃.n‿e.sɛ.je/

The English phrase "nice try" is translated into French as bien essayé.

Meaning: Translations (intj)

How do you pronounce it?

The pronunciation is /bjɛ̃.n‿e.sɛ.je/. It has 4 syllables.

If you want to be more sarcastic, much like the English 'nice try' can be used to mock someone, a Frenchman might simply use the word bravo with a specific tone.
The word essayé comes from the verb essayer, which is a close linguistic relative to the English verb 'essay', meaning to attempt or test.
In a competitive sports context, using bien essayé can sometimes sound overly formal or even slightly condescending, as if a teacher were praising a child.

Bien essayé, mais pas de chocolat.
Nice try, but no cigar.
This sentence is useful for showing how to express that an attempt was unsuccessful.
Tatoeba #800854 by sacredceltic, translation #729936 by darinmex
Bien essayé ! Votre analyse était très perspicace.
Well tried! Your analysis was very insightful.
Bien essayé, mais tu as perdu.
Nice try, but you lost.

Manon and Lucas are playing a game.

Sources

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