When learning Spanish, most people want to be able to communicate in daily situations. Since wishing the best to our friends and family is pretty common, in this article, you’ll learn how to say good luck in Spanish.
Below are the most common words and expressions Spanish speakers use to wish luck. To make this clear and more helpful, I’ve included examples, short descriptions, and some recordings so you can check the pronunciation.
If you’re ready, let’s get down to business!
1. Buena Suerte
In Spanish, buena suerte means ‘good luck’. Since it’s a standard expression, you can use buena suerte in formal and informal contexts.
Buena suerte, amigo. Me cuentas cómo te va.
Good luck to you, buddy. Let me know how things go.
The Spanish prepositions ‘en’ and ‘con’ can be used to mention the thing for which you are wishing good luck. Notice that en is only meant for places and con for activities or people:
Julia, buena suerte con tu examen.
Julia, good luck with your test.
Buena suerte en la escuela, niños.
Good luck in school, kids.
Take Note: Suerte is a feminine noun in Spanish. As a result, it must be combined with buena and not buen.
2. ¡Suerte!
In Spanish, the word suerte can be used in casual situations to say ‘good luck’. To emphasize good wishes, you can use its common variation mucha suerte.
Suerte con tu novia.
Good luck with your girlfriend.
Muchísima suerte hoy.
Good luck today.
Here is a conversational tip for you: When using the word ‘mucho’, it’s common to apply the absolute superlative (muchísimo) to intensify your sentences.
3. Éxito
Éxito means ‘success’. However, it’s also a common way to say good luck in Spanish while hoping this person will succeed in the task at hand. Éxito is slightly more formal than ‘suerte’ and it means ‘good luck’ or ‘best of luck’ in this context.
Éxito + [en / con] + [complement]
James y Mary, mucho éxito en esta nueva etapa.
James and Mary, good luck in this new phase.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Éxito en todo lo que te propongas.
Happy New Year! Best of luck with whatever you set your mind to.
4. La Mejor de Las Suertes
La mejor de las suertes is a slightly formal way to say ‘best of luck’ in Spanish. This expression is the shortened version of te deseo la mejor de las suertes, which you may also use.
Amor, la mejor de las suertes en tu entrevista.
Best of luck with your interview, my love.
Te deseo la mejor de las suertes en tu nuevo trabajo.
I wish you the best of luck in your new job.
5. ¡Que te Vaya Bien!
¡Que te vaya bien! is a colloquial expression that people use to wish good luck in Spanish. This phrase and its variations are close in meaning to ‘I hope things will turn out fine’ or ‘good luck’.
Some common variations you can use are:
- Que todo salga bien
- Que todo vaya de maravilla
- Que todo vaya bien
¡Que te vaya bien en el trabajo, papá!
Good luck at work, dad!
¿Ya te vas? ¡Que todo salga bien, amiga!
Are you leaving? I hope things will turn out fine!
Take Note: In other contexts, ‘que te vaya bien’ is also used to wish people a good day in Spanish. In its current form above, this phrase is conjugated for tú (informal you). However, you can customize it by changing the Spanish indirect pronoun.
6. Te Deseo lo Mejor
In Spanish, te deseo lo mejor is used to wish people the best when entering a new stage in their life. This expression means ‘I wish you all the best’ or ‘all the best’.
Te deseo lo mejor en esta nueva aventura.
All the best in this new adventure.
Corazón, te deseamos todo lo mejor.
Honey, we wish you all the best.
Take Note: Although it can be used to wish good luck in Spanish, te deseo lo mejor is also a popular expression people use during Christmas and other celebrations. If you want to learn specific greetings for this occasion, check my article on how to say Merry Christmas in Spanish.
7. Cruzar los Dedos
To let a friend know that you’re wishing them good luck, you can use the phrase cruzar los dedos, which means ‘fingers crossed’. Be aware that, depending on how you conjugate the verb, you could wish good luck or ask for it.
¡Voy a cruzar los dedos!
I’m going to have my fingers crossed!
Ya le toca a su hermana. ¡Crucen los dedos!
It’s your sister’s turn. Fingers crossed!
Take Note: Hacer changuitos is the Mexican slang expression you can use instead of ‘cruzar los dedos’.
8. Suerte para la Próxima
When things don’t go as planned, you can use the expression suerte para la próxima to say ‘good luck next time’.
¡Qué mala onda! Suerte para la próxima, amigo.
That’s too bad! Good luck next time, dude.
9. Rómpete una Pierna
If one of your friends or family members is an artist, you can use rómpete una pierna to say good luck in Spanish. Like its equivalent, ‘break a leg’, this expression is only used for artistic performances.
¡Rómpete una pierna, mi amor!
Break a leg, honey!
10. ¡Con Todo!
¡Con todo! is a casual expression you can use to say good luck in Spanish while encouraging people to do their best. ¡Con todo! is close in meaning to ‘give it your all’ or ‘give it everything’. Some popular variations you can use with the same purpose are:
- ¡Échale! – Go for it! / Come on! (Mexico)
- ¡Dale! / ¡Venga! – Come on!
- Te va a ir bien – You’re going to do well
- Tú puedes – You got this
You can also combine these expressions to add more emphasis to your sentence:
Con todo, Mary, tú puedes.
Give it everything, Mary. You can do this.
No te preocupes, te va a ir bien.
Don’t worry; you’re going to do well.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know these expressions, you’re ready to start applying them to your conversations! ¡Buena suerte y tú puedes!