Great job
A simple, strong word for "Excellent!". Use it when you are very impressed.
Literally "Very good!" or "Very well!". This is an extremely common and versatile way to praise someone.
Means "How great!" or "That's great!". Use it to react positively to something someone has done or told you.
A full sentence meaning "You did it very well." It's very encouraging and specific.
You finished all your homework. Great job!
Your presentation was very clear. Excellent!
You helped your brother. Very good!
—I won the game. —That's great! Congratulations!
"Buen trabajo" and "¡Muy bien!" are universally understood and used everywhere.
While "Buen trabajo" is standard, you might hear the enthusiastic "¡Órale, qué bien!" which is like saying "Wow, that's great!"
In addition to the standard phrases, a common positive reaction is "¡Qué chévere!" (How cool!).
"Buen trabajo" is common. Informally, people might say "¡Qué genio!" (What a genius!) to praise someone's work.
They use "Buen trabajo" and "Muy bien." A very common colloquialism for praise is "¡Qué guay!" (How cool!).
Using "gran trabajo" instead of "buen trabajo". — While "gran" means "great", it's typically used before a noun to mean grand or important (e.g., "un gran país," a great country). The standard, everyday phrase for "good job" or "great job" is "buen trabajo".
Saying "Bueno trabajo" instead of "Buen trabajo". — The word "bueno" shortens to "buen" when it comes before a masculine singular noun like "trabajo". So, it's always "buen trabajo", not "bueno trabajo".
Pronouncing the 'j' in "trabajo" like the 'j' in the English word "job". — The Spanish 'j' has a soft, breathy 'h' sound, similar to the 'h' in "hello". It's made in the back of the throat.
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