bien joué
/bjɛ̃ ʒwe/
The English phrase "well played" is translated into French as bien joué.
Bien joué is a common and straightforward way to express that someone has performed a skillful move or a clever action in French.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adverb bien (well) and the past participle joué (played).
How does it change in a sentence?
If the phrase is used as an adjective to describe a feminine noun, the past participle must agree and become bien jouée.
How do you pronounce it?
/bjɛ̃ ʒwe/
Did you know?
- While bien joué is the standard translation, French speakers often use the slang bien vu to praise a clever observation or a move that spotted a hidden opportunity.
- While bien joué is a standard compliment, if you use it sarcastically to react to someone's mistake, it can sound much more biting and condescending in French than the English 'well played' often does.
- The word bien in bien joué shares the same Latin ancestor, bene, as the English words 'benefit' and 'benevolent'.
Examples in context
- Félicitations à l'équipe adverse, vous avez très bien joué !Congratulations to the opposing team, you played very well!
- Bravo pour cette belle partie, vous avez démontré un grand talent et de belles qualités sportives.Congratulations on this great game, you have demonstrated great talent and remarkable sportsmanship.
- Félicitations à l'équipe gagnante, vous avez joué de manière exemplaire !Congratulations to the winning team, you played in an exemplary manner!
- Bien joué mec, tu déchires !Well played, dude, you rock!
- Tu t'es bien débrouillé avec ce jeu vidéo !You did well with that video game!
- Chapeau bas pour ta prestation lors du match de tennis !Hats off to your performance in the tennis match!
- Bien joué ! Quel coup magnifique !Well played! What a magnificent move!
- Bien joué, tu as gagné la partie.Well played, you won the game.
- C'était un coup de maître, bien joué !That was a masterstroke, well played!
- Bien joué pour cette stratégie.Well played on that strategy.
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are finishing a game of chess.
- HugoBien joué, Chloé, tu m'as eu.Well played, Chloé, you got me.
- ChloéMerci, c'était un match serré.Thank you, it was a close match.
- HugoTu as vraiment bien joué.You really played well.
- ChloéOn refait 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.
