What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of lo (it), estás (you are), haciendo (doing) and genial (great/wonderful).
Which one should you use?
You can use ¡Estás haciendo un trabajo increíble! to specifically mean "You're doing an incredible job!" or ¡Lo estás haciendo fenomenal! to mean "You're doing phenomenally!" If you want to use a more idiomatic expression for "nailing it", you can say ¡Sigue así, lo estás bordando! which translates to "Keep it up, you're nailing it!"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase ¡Lo estás haciendo de maravilla! is popular and means "You're doing it wonderfully!"
How does it change in a sentence?
While genial is common, you can also use muy bien in the phrase lo estás haciendo muy bien to express the same sentiment of performing a task well. Additionally, de maravilla can be used as a more emphatic alternative to genial to mean "wonderfully" or "marvelously", as seen in lo estás haciendo de maravilla.
Did you know?
- The word genial in Spanish is derived from the Latin 'genius', which originally referred to a guardian spirit that accompanied a person from birth.
- The word bordando in the phrase lo estás bordando literally means 'embroidering'. In Spanish, to 'embroider' something is a metaphor for performing a task with extreme precision and perfection.
- While 'genial' sounds like the English 'genial', in Spanish it focuses more on being 'wonderful' or 'great' rather than just being 'friendly' or 'pleasant'.
Examples in context
- Señor López, está haciendo un trabajo excelente en el informeMr. Lopez, you're doing an excellent job on the report
- Juan, estás haciendo un trabajo increíble en el partidoJuan, you're doing an incredible job in the game
- No te rindas, lo estás haciendo genial.Don't give up, you're doing great.
- ¡Lo estás haciendo genial con la guitarra!You're doing great with the guitar!
- Sigue así, lo estás haciendo genial en el trabajo.Keep it up, you're doing great at work.
Example conversation
Daniel is helping Elena practice a presentation.
- DanielTu presentación es muy clara.Your presentation is very clear.
- ElenaGracias, pero estoy un poco nerviosa.Thanks, but I am a bit nervous.
- DanielNo te preocupes, lo estás haciendo genial.Don't worry, you're doing great.
- ElenaEso me ayuda mucho, Daniel.That helps me a lot, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries genial, lo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
