haces un buen trabajo
/aθes un bwen tɾabaxo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "you do a good job" is said as haces un buen trabajo.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they are performing a task well. You might also use the shorter exclamation ¡Buen trabajo! to mean "Good job!" in professional environments, or the alternative bien hecho to say "well done".
Which one should you use?
While haces un buen trabajo describes the ongoing action of doing a job well, you can use the phrase buen trabajo alone as an exclamation similar to "good job!" or "well done!"
How does it change in a sentence?
To speak to a supervisor or someone to whom you want to show respect, use the formal form hace un buen trabajo. If you are addressing more than one person, use hacen un buen trabajo. To say that someone "did" a good job in the past tense, use the preterite form hiciste un buen trabajo.
Did you know?
- The word trabajo is linked to the Latin word 'tripalis', which refers to something 'threefold' or 'three times'.
- Spanish speakers may use the phrase estás dando el callo as a colloquial way to describe someone who is doing a hard job and working very diligently.
- The noun trabajo can be used in Spanish to mean both a professional occupation and a difficult or painful task, much like the English 'toil'.
Examples in context
- Ana, tu presentación fue increíble. ¡Buen trabajo!Ana, your presentation was incredible. Good job!
- Querido Carlos, quería felicitarte personalmente por el informe que presentaste. Has hecho un excelente trabajo.Dear Carlos, I wanted to congratulate you personally on the report you presented. You have done an excellent job.
- ¡Amigo, tus habilidades para cocinar son increíbles! ¡Qué buen trabajo hiciste con esa cena!Friend, your cooking skills are incredible! You did such a good job with that dinner!
- Juan, no hay nadie más versado en programación que tú. ¡Eres un crack en esto!Juan, there is no one more versed in programming than you. You're a pro at this!
- Sé que haces un buen trabajo siempre.I know you always do a good job.
Example conversation
Lucía is reviewing Daniel's progress on a project.
- LucíaDaniel, ya revisé el informe.Daniel, I already reviewed the report.
- Daniel¿Qué te pareció?What did you think of it?
- LucíaEstá perfecto, haces un buen trabajo.It is perfect, you do a good job.
- DanielMuchas gracias, Lucía.Thank you very much, Lucía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, trabajo, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
