أَحْسَنْتَ
ʔaḥsantaaddressee masculine
The English phrase well done is expressed in Arabic using أَحْسَنْتَ (ʔaḥsanta). Wiktionary also lists عَفَارِم (ʕafārim) and أَحْسَنْتِ (ʔaḥsanti).
Meaning: exclamation of praise (intj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أَحْسَنْتَ | ʔaḥsanta | addressee masculine |
| عَفَارِم | ʕafārim | |
| أَحْسَنْتِ | ʔaḥsanti | addressee masculine |
These terms are used as exclamations of praise. You might also use the adjective رائع to mean excellent or مُمْتَاز to mean outstanding.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase أَحْسَنْتَ is literally composed of the verb 'to do/act well' and the second-person singular subject pronoun.
Which one should you use?
The form of the phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing: use أَحْسَنْتَ for a male and أَحْسَنْتِ for a female.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ensure grammatical correctness, use أَحْسَنْتَ when addressing a male and أَحْسَنْتِ when addressing a female. If you are addressing a group of people, you can use the plural form أَحْسَنْتُمْ to say well done.
How do you pronounce it?
ʔaḥsanta
Did you know?
- The root of أَحْسَنْتَ is ح-س-ن, which relates to beauty and goodness. In Arabic, doing something 'well' is linguistically linked to making it 'beautiful'.
- When praising a child, parents often use برافو which is borrowed from the Italian 'bravo'. It is frequently used interchangeably with أَحْسَنْتَ in urban centers.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, a verbal 'well done' is often accompanied by a thumbs-up, but in some traditional contexts, this gesture was historically viewed as offensive.
Examples in context
- أحسنتَ العَمَلَ! مُبَارَكْ!Well done on your work! Congratulations!
- لَقَدْ قَمْتَ بِعَمَلٍ رَائِعٍ في هذَا الاخْتِصَاصِ!You have done a great job in this area of expertise!
- مَا شَاءَ الله! عَمَلٌ جَيِّدٌ حَقاً!Well done! A truly good job!
- مَا شَاءَ الله! عَمَلٌ مُمْتَاز!Well done! An excellent job!
- رائع يا سعودي! شغل ممتاز!Well done, Saudi! Excellent job!
- أَحْسَنْتَ، لقد حَلَلْتَ المسألة.ahsanta, laqad halalta al-mas'ala.Well done, you solved the problem.
- أَحْسَنْتَ في عملك اليوم.ahsanta fi 'amalika al-yawm.You did well in your work today.
- أَحْسَنْتَ، هذا فوز رائع!ahsanta, hadha fawzun ra'i'!Well done, this is a wonderful victory!
Example conversation
Omar finishes reading a poem to Maryam.
- عمر Omarلقد انتهيت من القراءة.Laqad antahaytu min al-qira'a.I have finished reading.
- مريم Maryamأَحْسَنْتَ يا عمر! قراءتك رائعة.Ahsanta ya Omar! Qira'atuka ra'i'a.Well done, Omar! Your reading is wonderful.
- عمر Omarشكراً جزيلاً لكِ يا مريم.Shukran jazilan laki ya Maryam.Thank you very much, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamأنت مجتهد جداً.Anta mujtahid jiddan.You are very hardworking.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “well done” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
