(Photo by Clint McMahon)
In English, congratulations is usually used as a form of praise when someone achieves something special or unusual, for example when someone:
- gets engaged / gets married
- gets a job promotion / gets a new job
- has a new baby
- passes an exam
- graduates from school
- wins an election
- wins a race or contest
Congratulations on winning the election!
Congratulations on your new baby!
Congratulations on 53 years of marriage!(*for wedding anniversaries you can also say ‘Happy Anniversary!’)
Since I started teaching English, I have been congratulated for everything! I know that the sentiment is heartfelt, but often English learners say congratulations when they mean simply good job or well done! You may use the word for congratulations in your language differently than it is used in English.
When you want to say someone has done well on a project, taught a class well, given a good speech, or generally done something well, you can say:
Your house looks beautiful! You’ve done a great job decorating it.
Good job on the report! I think the executives will like it.
That was a great class, teacher. Well done!
Excellent speech! The audience really enjoyed it.
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Teacher Melanie,
This blog post is really helpful to me! Great work!
(P/S: Am I right replacing ‘job’ with ‘work’? Thank you!)
Hi, Ha!
Yes, you are absolutely correct! “Great work” is the appropriate thing to say. Thank you!
= )