bon travail
The English phrase "nice work" is translated into French as bon travail.
bon travail is an expression used to praise someone for doing a task well. Other ways to express praise include Excellent travail to convey that work was excellent, or Beau travail which translates to "beautiful work". If you want to say "well played", you can use Bien joué. To congratulate someone on their accomplishments, you can use the popular term Bravo.
Which one should you use?
You might also use Super as a simple and casual way to say "great" or "awesome".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In France, you can use the metaphorical expression Chapeau to mean "hats off" or "well done" in a casual way. Also in France, Très bien is used to translate to "very well".
Did you know?
- The word travail originally had a much darker meaning than just 'work'. It stems from a Late Latin word for a 'torture device', originally referring to the intense 'suffering' or 'pain' one endured while performing a task.
- The term Bravo is widely used in France to congratulate someone, though it is an Italian loanword that entered the French language.
- While 'bon travail' is grammatically correct, it can sometimes sound slightly robotic or translated from English. To sound more like a native speaker, you might simply say Beau boulot, which uses a more common, colloquial term for 'job'.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are in an office after a presentation.
- LucasEmma, tu as fait du bon travail aujourd'hui.Emma, you did nice work today.
- EmmaMerci Lucas, c'est très gentil de ta part.Thank you Lucas, that is very kind of you.
- LucasTon rapport était vraiment excellent.Your report was truly excellent.
- EmmaJe suis ravie que tu sois content.I am delighted that you are happy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bon, travail, CC BY-SA 4.0.
