잘했어
jalhaesseo
To say you did a good job in Korean, use 잘했어 (jalhaesseo).
잘했어 is praise for someone who has done a task well. Parents and teachers often say it to children for their efforts or achievements. Casual ways to give stronger praise are 대단하게 잘 했어, you did an amazing job and 진짜 수고했어, you worked really hard.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of 잘, well and 했어, did.
Which one should you use?
훌륭한 일을 했습니다 means you did an excellent job, and 매우 충실하게 일을 해내셨습니다 means you completed the task very diligently. Both are formal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
잘했어 is informal and only for friends, people younger than you or children. 잘했어요 is polite and suits colleagues or people you are not close with. 잘하셨습니다 is highly formal, for work settings or someone of much higher status. 잘 하셨어요 is another respectful way to say you did well.
How does it change in a sentence?
잘했다 is the plain form, often used in writing or when praising yourself after a success.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as jalhaesseo.
Did you know?
- While 'good job' in English is often used to praise the result, the phrase 진짜 수고했어 focuses on the 'suffering' or effort the person endured. It translates more closely to 'you truly went through much hardship', making it a more empathetic form of praise.
- Korean culture emphasizes modesty, so someone receiving 잘했어 will often deflect the praise by saying 아니에요 ('no it isn't') rather than simply saying 'thank you'.
- The word 잘 (well) is a very versatile adverb in Korean that can also be used to mean 'frequently' or 'often' in certain contexts. This means the root of your praise is a word that changes its flavor depending on what follows it.
Examples in context
- 잘 하셨어요, Jennifer.You did well, Jennifer.
- 이번 시험 정말 잘했어.ibeon siheom jeongmal jalhaesseo.You did a really good job on this exam.
- 어제 발표 진짜 잘했어!eoje balpyo jinja jalhaesseo!You did a great job on the presentation yesterday!
Example conversation
Seoyeon is praising Dohyun for finishing his homework.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현아, 숙제 다 끝냈어?Dohyeona, sukje da kkeunnaesseo?Dohyun, did you finish all your homework?
- 도현 Do-hyeon응, 방금 다 했어.Eung, banggeum da haesseo.Yes, I just finished it.
- 서연 Seo-yeon와, 빨리 끝냈네. 잘했어!Wa, ppalli kkeunnaenne. Jalhaesseo!Wow, you finished quickly. You did a good job!
- 도현 Do-hyeon고마워, 서연아.Gomawo, Seoyeona.Thanks, Seoyeon.
