muy buen trabajo
/mui bwen tɾabaxo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "very good work" is expressed as muy buen trabajo.
This phrase is used to praise someone for the high quality of a task they have completed.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of muy (very), buen (good) and trabajo (work).
Which one should you use?
While muy buen trabajo focuses on the completed output or the specific job, the alternative muy buena labor is often used to praise the effort or the nature of a service or task. You can also omit muy to say buen trabajo, which simply means "good work".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bueno is shortened to buen because it precedes a masculine singular noun.
Did you know?
- The word trabajo is related to the Latin word for 'three-fold', which originally referred to a specific type of heavy labor or torture.
- In some Latin American countries, using the word trabajo can refer to a 'hassle' or a 'difficulty' rather than just a professional task.
- The phrase muy buen trabajo is often replaced by the shorter bien hecho (well done) in casual settings, despite muy buen trabajo being the literal translation of 'very good work'.
Examples in context
- ¡Muy buen trabajo, equipo!Very good work, team!
- ¡Muy buen trabajo con el informe!Very good work with the report!
Example conversation
Mateo is reviewing a report written by María.
- MateoMaría, ya terminé de leer tu reporte.María, I have finished reading your report.
- María¿Te parece que está todo correcto?Do you think everything is correct?
- MateoSí, muy buen trabajo con los datos.Yes, very good work with the data.
- MaríaMuchas gracias, Mateo.Thank you very much, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, muy, trabajo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
