잘했어
jalhaesseo
In Korean, "you did well" is expressed as 잘했어 (jalhaesseo).
The phrase is used to praise someone for performing a task successfully or behaving correctly. It is commonly used by parents to praise children or by teachers to praise students.
What does it mean word for word?
잘했어 is composed of 잘 (well) and 했어 (did), which is the past tense of 하다 (to do).
Which one should you use?
While 잘했어 is a direct way to say someone did a task well, other forms like 고생하셨습니다 and 수고하셨습니다 are used to acknowledge someone's hard work and efforts. 고생했어 is an informal way to acknowledge someone's hard work or efforts in a casual setting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To be polite to people you are not close to or who are older than you, add the suffix –요 to get 잘했어요. For a higher level of respect toward the person being praised, use the honorific form 잘하셨어요. In formal settings, you can use 고생하셨습니다 or 수고하셨습니다 to recognize someone's efforts and accomplishments.
How do you pronounce it?
jalhaesseo
Did you know?
- In many professional settings, praising a superior with 잘했어 is considered a social blunder. Even with the polite suffix -요, you should avoid using it for bosses, as it can sound patronizing or condescending.
- While 잘했어 praises the result, the phrase 수고하셨습니다 is often used as a way to say 'goodbye' to colleagues at the end of a workday.
- In certain contexts, 잘했다 can be used sarcastically to mean 'you really messed up' or 'look what you've done', similar to the English phrase 'Way to go'.
Examples in context
- 고생하셨습니다. 발표 정말 잘 하셨어요.You did well. The presentation was really good.
- 수고하셨습니다. 정말 대단하게 일을 해내셨어요.You did well. You did an excellent job.
- 고생했어! 정말 잘 해냈잖아.You did well! You did it really nicely.
- 잘했어! 진짜 멋있게 해냈어.You did well! You did it really awesomely.
- 이번 시험 정말 잘했어.ibeon siheom jeongmal jalhaesseo.You really did well on this exam.
- 어제 발표 아주 잘했어!eoje balpyo aju jalhaesseo!You did a great job on the presentation yesterday!
- 끝까지 포기하지 않고 잘했어.kkeutkkaji pogihaji anko jalhaesseo.You did well by not giving up until the end.
Example conversation
Minjun is praising Seoyeon for her presentation.
- 민준 Min-jun서연아, 발표 정말 멋졌어.Seoyeon-a, balpyo jeongmal meotjyeosseo.Seoyeon, your presentation was really great.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말? 다행이다. 너무 떨렸어.jeongmal? dahaeng-ida. neomu tteollyeosseo.Really? I'm glad. I was so nervous.
- 민준 Min-jun전혀 안 그랬어. 잘했어!jeonhyeo an geuraesseo. jalhaesseo!You didn't seem nervous at all. You did well!
- 서연 Seo-yeon고마워, 민준아.gomawo, Minjun-a.Thank you, Minjun.
