How to say good luck & more encouraging words in Spanish
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Learning Spanish may not be as difficult as you’d think, but who couldn’t use a little bit of good luck?
Luck and fortune are the building blocks of many cultures around the world — and Spanish-speaking culture is no exception. If you are looking to make meaningful connections and go beyond a simple hello or how are you in Spanish, you’ll surely want to learn how to wish someone good luck.
These phrases will come in handy as you’re looking to support your new Spanish-speaking friends anytime they have a big test, job interview, or sports match. Not only will they appreciate your kind wishes, but you’ll also improve your Spanish fluency. Everybody wins!
In this article, we’ll go over 35 different ways to wish someone good luck in Spanish. As usual, we’ll also cover the pronunciation of each phrase so you can start using them right away!
Lastly, we’ll go into some cultural aspects of luck. While some superstitions are near-universal — like black cats and broken mirrors — others are more regional and will surprise you if you’re not a native speaker. Keep reading if you want to learn how to attract good luck and avoid bad luck according to Hispanic customs and norms!
Sometimes, just a basic understanding of Spanish language essentials is all you need. Download your free Spanish language essentials eBook here.
How to say good luck in Spanish
Here are 35 different ways to say good luck in Spanish. There are many more, so these are just a few dozen to get you started. You can tweak the phrase according to the situation, so feel free to build on these phrases with the rest of your Spanish vocabulary. For example, if you know someone is heading into an important test or meeting, you can wish them good luck as you say goodbye!
| English | Spanish | IPA | Pronunciation |
| Good luck! | ¡Buena suerte! | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh |
| A lot of luck. | ¡Mucha suerte! | ˈmuʧa ˈsweɾte ‖ | moo-chah soo-air-teh |
| Good luck my friend. | Buena suerte, mi amigo. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte | mj aˈmiɣo ‖ | bo-eh-nah soo-air-teh, me ah-me-go |
| I wish you success. | Te deseo éxito. | te ðeˈseo ˈeksito ‖ | teh deh-seh-oh ehc-see-toh |
| I wish you good luck. | Te deseo buena suerte. | te ðeˈseo ˈβwena ˈsweɾte ‖ | teh deh-seh-oh boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh |
| Good luck with everything. | Buena suerte con todo. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte kon ˈtoðo ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh cohn toe-doh |
| Hope everything goes well! | ¡Que todo salga bien! | ˈke ˈtoðo ˈsalɣa ˈβjen ‖ | keh toe-doe sal-gah bee-ehn |
| I wish you well. | Que te vaya bien. | ˈke te ˈβaʝa ˈβjen ‖ | keh teh vah-yah bee-ehn |
| I wish you all well. | Que les vaya bien a todos. | ˈke ˈlez ˈβaʝa ˈβjen a ˈtoðos | keh lehs vah-yah bee-ehn ah toe-dos |
| I wish you the best. | Te deseo lo mejor. | te ðeˈseo lo meˈxoɾ ‖ | teh deh-seh-oh lo meh-hor |
| Good luck and best wishes. | Buena suerte y mis mejores deseos. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte j miz meˈxoɾez ðeˈseos ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh e mees meh-hoh-rehs deh-seh-ohs |
| Good luck on your test. | Buena suerte en tu exámen. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte en tw ekˈsamen ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh ehn too ex-ah-mehn |
| Good luck today! | ¡Buena suerte hoy! | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte ˈoj ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh oy |
| Good luck tomorrow! | ¡Buena suerte mañana! | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte maˈɲana ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh mah-nyah-nah |
| Success! | ¡Éxito! | ˈeksito ‖ | ex-e-toe |
| Much success! | ¡Mucho éxito! | ˈmuʧo ˈeksito ‖ | moo-cho ex-e-toe |
| God bless you. | Que Dios te bendiga. | ˈke ˈðjos te βenˈdiɣa | keh de-ohs-teh behn-dee-gah |
| I hope God hears you. | Que Dios te oiga. | ˈke ˈðjos te ˈojɣa | keh dee-ohs teh oy-gah |
| I wish you the best of the best. | Te deseo lo mejor de lo mejor. | te ðeˈseo lo meˈxoɾ ðe lo meˈxoɾ ‖ | teh deh-seh-oh lo meh-hor deh lo meh-hor |
| Best wishes. | Mis mejores deseos. | miz meˈxoɾez ðeˈseos | mes meh-hor-ehs deh-seh-ohs |
| I wish you a nice trip! | ¡Buen viaje! | ˈbwem ˈbjaxe ‖ | boo-ehn vee-ah-heh |
| I hope you have good luck. | Que tengas buena suerte. | ˈke ˈtenɡaz ˈβwena ˈsweɾte | keh tehn-gas boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh |
| I hope you have a lot of luck. | Que tengas mucha suerte. | ˈke ˈtenɡaz ˈmuʧa ˈsweɾte | keh tehn-gas moo-cha soo-air-teh |
| I hope you get a perfect score! | ¡Que te saques 100! | ˈke te ˈsakes ˈsjen ‖ | keh teh sah-kehs see-ehn |
| I hope luck is on your side! | ¡Que la suerte esté de tu lado! | ˈke la ˈsweɾte esˈte ðe tu ˈlaðo ‖ | keh la soo-air-teh ehs-teh deh too lah-doe |
| Good luck with your interview! | ¡Buena suerte en tu entrevista! | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte en tw entɾeˈβista ‖ | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh cohn too ehn-treh vees-tah |
| Good luck with your new job. | Buena suerte en tu nuevo trabajo. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte en tu ˈnweβo tɾaˈβaxo | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh ehn too noo-eh-voh trah-bah-hoh |
| Good luck on your first day. | Buena suerte en tu primer día. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte en tu pɾiˈmeɾ ˈðia | booh-eh-nah soo-air-teh ehn too pre-mehr dee-ah |
| Good luck with your wedding! | ¡Buena suerte en tu boda! | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte en tu ˈβoða ‖ | boo eh-nah soo-air-teh ehn too boh-dah |
| Good luck with the move. | Buena suerte con la mudanza. | ˈbwena ˈsweɾte kon la muˈðansa | boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh cohn la moo-dahn-sah |
| May God’s fortune smile upon you. | ¡Que te sonría la Diosa fortuna! | ˈke te sonˈria la ˈðjosa foɾˈtuna ‖ | keh teh son-ree-ah la dee-oh-sah fore-too-nah |
| All the best to you. | Todo lo mejor para ti. | ˈtoðo lo meˈxoɾ ˈpaɾa ˈti | toe-doe lo meh-hor pah-rah tee |
| Third time’s the charm! | ¡La tercera es la vencida! | la teɾˈseɾa ˈez la βenˈsiða ‖ | la tehr-seh-rah ehs la vehn-see-dah |
| I’ll cross my fingers for you! | ¡Cruzaré mis dedos por ti! | kɾusaˈɾe miz ˈðeðos poɾ ˈti ‖ | croo-zah-reh mees- deh-dohs pore tee |
| Better luck next time! | ¡Que tengas más suerte a la otra! | ˈke ˈtenɡaz ˈmas ˈsweɾte a la ˈotɾa ‖ | keh tehn-gahs mahs soo-air-teh ah la oh-trah |
Words of encouragement in Spanish
They say half of everything is luck, so how do we encourage someone to keep going when luck isn’t enough? Here are over a dozen words of encouragement in Spanish that you can offer your friends, classmates, and family next time you watch a sports match or simply want to wish them well in Spanish class!
Depending on your relationship, you could also tack on some Spanish terms of endearment or words for family in Spanish when encouraging a close one.
| English | Spanish | IPA | Pronunciation |
| You are awesome! | ¡Eres increíble! | ˈeɾes inkɾeˈiβle ‖ | eh-rehs een-khreh-e-bleh |
| You are going to do great! | ¡Te va a ir increíble! | te ˈβa a ˈiɾ inkɾeˈiβle ‖ | teh vah ah eer een-kreh-e-bleh |
| You can do it! | ¡Tú puedes! | ˈtu ˈpweðes ‖ | too poo-eh-dehs |
| Great job, son! | ¡Muy bien, hijo! | ||
| You’re going to do amazing on your test. | Te va a ir increíble en tu examen. | te ˈβa a ˈiɾ inkɾeˈiβle en tw ekˈsamen ‖ | teh vah ah eer een-kreh-e-bleh ehn too ex-ah-mehn |
| Give it your all! | ¡Échale ganas! | ˈeʧale ˈɣanas ‖ | eh-chah-leh gah-nahs |
| Put the batteries on | ¡Ponte las pilas! | ˈponte las ˈpilas ‖ | pohn-teh lahs pee-lahs |
| Let’s go! | ¡Adelante! | ˈdale ‖ | ah-deh-lahn-teh |
| Give it your all! | ¡Dale! | ˈanimo ‖ | dah-leh |
| Cheer up! | ¡Ánimo! | ˈno te ˈrindas ‖ | ah-nee-mo |
| Don’t give up! | ¡No te rindas! | ˈno te ˈrindas ‖ | noh teh reen-dahs |
| Believe in yourself! | ¡Cree en ti! | ˈkɾee en ˈti ‖ | kreh-eh ehn tee |
| Good job! | ¡Buen trabajo! | ˈbwen tɾaˈβaxo ‖ | boo-ehn trah-bah-hoh |
| Keep it up! | ¡Sigue así! | ˈsiɣe aˈsi ‖ | see-geh ah-see |
What brings good luck in Spanish?
Picking up a new language involves so much more than just studying a textbook and memorizing vocabulary lists. To become truly proficient, you’ll have to learn a whole host of new customs, traditions, and — yes, superstitions! Even if you’re not a superstitious person yourself, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to some of these signs of good luck so you’re not taken aback when you see them in real life.
| English | Spanish | Context |
| Touching a pregnant woman’s belly. | Tocar la panza de una embarazada. | Rubbing a pregnant woman’s belly is supposed to bring you good luck! Don’t take it the wrong way if you’re pregnant and people keep asking to rub your belly. You can always decline if you don’t feel comfortable! |
| 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve. | Las doce uvas de año nuevo. | Forget a New Year’s Eve kiss! In Spain and Latin America, you’ll want to eat twelve grapes for good luck in the coming year! |
| Cactus on a window sill. | Un cactus en la ventana. | Cactus are spikey little plants that few would want to touch. In Spain, this includes bad vibes! Putting a cactus on your window sill can stave off bad luck. |
| Throwing rice grains at a newly wed couple. | Aventar granos de arroz a los recién casados. | Are you getting married in a Spanish-speaking country? If so, don’t be surprised if guests throw uncooked rice grains at you! It means they wish you a wonderful marriage. |
| Horseshoes | Herraduras de caballos | You’ll see plenty of horseshoes all across Spain and Latin America. These are meant to attract good luck as they are a symbol of a horse’s reliability, strength, and elegance. |
Spanish superstitions and avoiding bad luck
You’ve already spent all this time studying how to wish good luck in Spanish — why spoil it by inadvertently doing something that attracts bad luck? No matter if you’re the most superstitious person in your friend group or if you don’t mind stepping on the cracks of the sidewalk, you’ll want to avoid the following superstitions when you’re in a Spanish-speaking country. You’ll stave off bad luck if they actually work — and if they don’t, you’ll at least avoid the horrified stares of those around you!
| English | Spanish | Context |
| Not putting your purse on the floor. | No poner la bolsa en el piso. | Purses are for carrying money! Putting them on the floor means you’ll have bad luck with money. |
| Not passing the salt shaker. | No pasar la sal. | In Spanish, la mala sal is a synonym for bad luck. So, handing someone else the salt shaker is equivalent to giving them bad luck! The proper way to hand the shaker to someone is to put it directly on the table so they can grab them on their own. |
| Not talking about a project before it’s certain will jinx it. | No hablar de un proyecto para que no se te cebe. | Just as in English, talking about something before it’s certain could jinx it. The same is true in Spain and Latin America—don’t count your chickens before they hatch! |
| Touching wood. | Toca madera. | If you mention something that could bring bad luck, touching wood or anything made out of wood cancels out the bad luck! |
| Walking under a ladder. | Pasar por debajo de las escaleras. | Walking directly under a ladder can bring bad luck. This superstition has origins in Christianity, as the triangle shape formed by a ladder leaning against a wall can resemble the triangle of the Holy Trinity. |
| Getting out of bed with your left foot. | Levantarse de la cama con el pie izquierdo. | You’ve heard of getting up on the wrong side of the bed, but did you know that which foot you plant on the ground first can also impact how the rest of your day goes? Make sure you get off your bed on the right foot! |
Common Spanish phrases about luck
If you’ve spent any time around native Spanish speakers, you know that phrases and idioms are a huge part of the culture. So, no blog on saying good luck in Spanish would be complete without some popular phrases about luck. Here are some of our favorites!
| English | Spanish | IPA | Pronunciation |
| Luck is a disease for which the only remedy is hard work. | La suerte es una enfermedad para la cual el trabajo duro es el único remedio. | la ˈsweɾte ˈes ˈuna emfeɾmeˈðað ˈpaɾa la ˈkwal el tɾaˈβaxo ˈðuɾo ˈes el ˈuniko reˈmeðjo | lah soo-air-teh ehs oo-nah ehn-fehr-meh-dahd pah-rah la koo-al ehl trah-bah-hoh ehs ehl oo-ne-coh reh-meh-dee-oh |
| Bad luck, you know, rarely comes unaccompanied. | Mala suerte, ya sabes, rara vez viene sola. | ˈmala ˈsweɾte | ʝa ˈsaβes | ˈraɾa ˈβez ˈβjene ˈsola | mah-lah-soo-air-teh, yah-sah-behs, rah-rah vehs vee-eh-neh soh-la |
| The ugly person’s luck is desired by the attractive person. | La suerte de la fea, la guapa la desea. | la ˈsweɾte ðe la ˈfea | la ˈɣwapa la ðeˈsea | la soo-air-teh deh lah feh-ah, lah goo-ah-pah lah deh-seh-ah |
| Luck is crazy and anyone can get it. | La suerte es loca y a cualquiera le toca. | la ˈsweɾte ˈez ˈloka j a kwalˈkjeɾa le ˈtoka | la soo-air-teh ehs lo-ca e ah coo-ahl-key-air-ah leh toh-cah |
| Good fortune favors audacious people. | La fortuna favorece a los audaces. | la foɾˈtuna faβoˈɾese a los awˈðases | la fore-too-nah fah-vore-eh-seh ah lohs ah-oo-dah-sehs |
| Work and personal finance are the best lottery. | El trabajo y la economía son la mejor lotería. | el tɾaˈβaxo j la ekonoˈmia ˈson la meˈxoɾ loteˈɾia | |
| Luck helps those who fight and sweat. | A quien lucha y suda, la suerte le ayuda. | a ˈkjen ˈluʧa j ˈsuða | la ˈsweɾte le aˈʝuða | ah key-ehn loo-cha e soo-dah, lah soo-air-teh leh ah-yoo-dah |
| If you were born to be a tamal, leaves will fall from the sky. | Al que nace ‘pa tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas. | al ˈke ˈnase ˈpa taˈmal | del ˈsjelo le ˈkaen las ˈoxas | ahl keh nah-seh pah tah-mal, dell see-eh-lo leh cah-ehn las oh-hahs |
| Good love and good death, there’s no better luck. | Buen amor y buena muerte, no hay mejor suerte. | ˈbwen aˈmoɾ i ˈβwena ˈmweɾte | ˈno ˈaj meˈxoɾ ˈsweɾte | boo-ehn ah-more e boo-eh-nah moo-air-teh, no ah-e meh-hor soo-air-teh |
| To each the luck they deserve. | Cada quien tiene la suerte que se merece. | ˈkaða ˈkjen ˈtjene la ˈsweɾte ˈke se meˈɾese | cah-dah key-ehn tee-eh-neh la soo-air-teh keh seh meh-reh-seh |
| Nobody escapes death and luck. | De la muerte y la suerte no hay quien se escape. | de la ˈmweɾte j la ˈsweɾte ˈno ˈaj ˈkjen se esˈkape | deh la moo-air-teh e la soo-air-teh no ah-e key-ehn seh ehs-cah-peh |
| Good luck isn’t forever and those at home will remember. | La buena suerte se pasa y el saber se queda en casa. | la ˈβwena ˈsweɾte se ˈpasa j el saˈβeɾ se ˈkeða en ˈkasa | la boo-eh-nah soo-air-teh seh pah-sah e ehl sah-behr seh keh-dah ehn cah-sah |
| Bad luck is still better than death. | Más vale mala suerte que la muerte. | ˈmaz ˈβale ˈmala ˈsweɾte ˈke la ˈmweɾte | mas vah-leh mah-la soo-air-teh keh la moo-air-teh |
| Not even one in a hundred is happy with their luck | Ni uno de cada ciento de su suerte está contento. | nj ˈuno ðe ˈkaða ˈsjento ðe su ˈsweɾte esˈta konˈtento | ne oo-no deh cah-dah see-ehn-toe deh soo soo-air-teh ehs-tah cohn-tehn-toe |
| Don’t go looking for luck and it will jump in your way. | No busques la suerte y te saldrá al paso. | ˈno ˈβuskez la ˈsweɾte j te salˈdɾa al ˈpaso | noh boos-kehs la soo-air-teh e teh sahl-drah al pah-soh |
| If I knew my own luck, I’d laugh of death herself. | Si yo supiera mi suerte, me reiría hasta de la muerte. | si ˈʝo suˈpjeɾa mi ˈsweɾte | me rejˈɾia ˈasta ðe la ˈmweɾte | see yoh soo-pee-air-ah me soo-air-teh, meh reh-e-ree-ah deh la moo-air-teh |
| Such is the luck of every loaned book: sometimes lost but always ruined. | Tal es la suerte de cada libro prestado: perdido a veces y siempre estropeado. | ˈtal ˈez la ˈsweɾte ðe ˈkaða ˈliβɾo pɾesˈtaðo | peɾˈðiðo a ˈβeses i ˈsjempɾe estɾopeˈaðo | tal ehs la soo-air-teh deh cah-dah lee-bro prehs-ta-doe: pair-dee-doh ah veh sehs e see-ehm-preh ehs-troh-peh-ah-doh |
| Live with such luck that you’re neither enchanted by life not afraid of death. | Vive de tal suerte que ni te encante la vida ni te espante la muerte. | ˈbiβe ðe ˈtal ˈsweɾte ˈke ni te enˈkante la ˈβiða ni te esˈpante la ˈmweɾte | vee-veh deh tal soo-air-teh keh nee teh ehn-cahn-teh la vee-dah nee teh ehs-pahn-teh la moo-air-teh |
| Good luck never gives, it only loans. | La suerte nunca da, solo presta. | la ˈsweɾte ˈnunka ˈða | ˈsolo ˈpɾesta | la soo-air-teh noon-kah dah, soh-loh prehs-tah |
| When faced with bad luck, all you can do is be patient and keep your head up high. | A suerte mala, paciencia buena y cara. | a ˈsweɾte ˈmala | paˈsjensja ˈβwena j ˈkaɾa | ah soo-air-teh mah-lah, pah-see-ehn-see-ah boo-eh-nah e cah-rah |
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Don’t wait long to try your luck with these new phrases!
You’ve now learned 35 ways to wish someone good luck in Spanish, plus several dozen words of encouragement and phrases about luck. While you don’t need to worry about learning them all right away, you should pick a few of your favorites and start using them right away!
Don’t worry too much about making mistakes or not pronouncing them right. The important part is to incorporate them into your day-to-day collection of words and phrases. The more frequently you use them, the sooner you’ll get them right! Plus, your friends and family will surely appreciate your well-meaning efforts!
If you want to push your luck and keep learning even more Spanish vocabulary, check out our Spanish blog. We routinely publish helpful content for all Spanish levels, including absolute elementary topics like the numbers in Spanish and intermediate topics like personality traits. We even have a guide to the 100 hardest words in Spanish!
