Have you ever needed to wish someone good luck in Spanish? Whether you're congratulating a friend on a new job, wishing a student success on an exam, or just saying goodbye to someone about to embark on a journey, knowing how to express good wishes in Spanish is essential for everyday conversations.

According to J.D. Salinger's character Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye," shouting "Good luck!" might sound terrible, but most Spanish speakers would disagree! In fact, expressing good wishes is deeply embedded in Spanish-speaking cultures, and these phrases are used daily across the Spanish-speaking world.

Let's explore the most common ways to say "good luck" in Spanish, complete with authentic examples you can start using right away.

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1. Buena suerte: The Classic "Good Luck" Expression

The most direct translation of "good luck" in Spanish is buena suerte. This versatile phrase works in virtually any situation where you'd wish someone luck in English.

"Adiós, mamá. Buena suerte en tu viaje.

"Bye, Mom. Good luck on your trip.

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There are many variations of (buena) suerte, including mucha suerte (lots of luck), which are often used with the subjunctive form of the verb tener (to have) in expressions like Que tengas mucha suerte (I hope you have a lot of luck) or the verb desear (to wish) as in Te deseo mucha/buena suerte (I wish you a lot of/good luck). 

2. Suerte: The Short and Sweet Version

For a more casual, everyday expression, many Spanish speakers simply say suerte (luck). This shortened version is extremely common, especially in Latin America, where even store clerks, taxi drivers, and people you've just met might say this to you as you depart. 

Suerte con eso. -Muchas gracias otra vez, ¿oyó? Gracias. [-Bueno]

Good luck with that. -Thank you very much again, you hear? Thanks. [-Good.]

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3. La mejor de las suertes: For Special Occasions

When you want to wish someone "the best of luck" for an important event or challenge, you can use the expression la mejor de las suertes. This can be said alone or paired with the verb desear (to wish):

4. ¡Éxito(s)!: Success-Focused Good Wishes

Another popular way to wish good luck in Spanish is to say ¡Éxito! (Success!) or ¡Éxitos! (Successes!). This expression focuses on the positive outcome rather than luck itself and is commonly used in professional or academic contexts:

Les deseamos muchos éxitos, ehm... 

We wish you a lot of success, um...

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Así que les deseo lo mejor, éxito en todo

So I wish you the best, [I wish you] success with everything

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Note that this third example contains yet another way of wishing someone well in Spanish: desear(le a alguien) lo mejor, or "wishing (someone) the best." Another alternative to this manner of wishing someone good luck and best wishes in Spanish is to say simply Mis mejores deseos (My best wishes). 

5. Que te vaya bien: For Daily Farewells

One of the most frequently used expressions to wish someone well is que te vaya bien, which literally means "(I hope) everything goes well for you," but it might sometimes be translated with the similarly well-wishing English phrase "Take care." This phrase is often exchanged between friends and strangers alike when parting ways:

6. Cruzar los dedos: The Superstitious Gesture 

Just like English-speakers, Spanish speakers sometimes use the phrase cruzar los dedos (to cross one's fingers) to describe a superstitious action thought to promote good luck.

Bueno pues, crucemos los dedos para que todo salga bien

Well then, let's cross our fingers for everything to go well

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7. ¡(Mucha) mierda!: The Theatrical Expression

Here's a surprising one! Although it literally means "crap" or "shit," telling someone ¡Mierda! or ¡Mucha mierda! (A lot of crap) is the Spanish equivalent of saying "Break a leg!" in English theaters. This expression is primarily used in performing arts contexts and shouldn't be used in formal situations or with people you don't know well.

Practice Using Good Luck Expressions in Spanish

Now that you know various ways to say "good luck" in Spanish, try incorporating these expressions into your conversations. Whether you're comforting a friend before a job interview, encouraging a family member facing a challenge, or simply saying goodbye to someone, these phrases will help you sound more natural and culturally aware.

Remember that in Spanish-speaking cultures, expressing good wishes is not just polite—it's an important part of daily social interaction that helps build and maintain relationships.

OK, buena suerte al aprender español.

Okay, good luck learning Spanish.

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What's your favorite way to wish someone good luck in Spanish? Have you heard other expressions we didn't cover? Don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments!

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Do you remember reflexive verbs? A verb is reflexive when the subject in a sentence performs an action on itself, in other words, when the subject and the object are the same. In Spanish reflexive verbs use reflexive pronouns (me, te,se, nos, etc.), which play the role of direct object in the sentence:
 

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Yo me veo en el espejo.
I look at myself in the mirror.
 
Since they involve a direct object, reflexive verbs are also transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object). Many transitive verbs can be transformed into reflexive verbs. Peinar (to comb), for example, is a classic example of a transitive verb:

Yo peino a mi bebé

I comb my baby's hair

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that can also be transformed into a reflexive verb, peinarse:

Yo me peino

I comb my hair [literally, "I comb myself"]

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On the other hand, intransitive verbs are action verbs that, unlike transitive verbs, don't take a direct object receiving the action. Examples are llegar (to arrive), estornudar (to sneeze), morir (to die), caer (to fall), etc. Consequently, these verbs can't really be transformed into reflexive verbs. So why do we always hear Spanish speakers using reflexive pronouns with these verbs? For example:
 

Si me caigo, me vuelvo a parar

If I fall, I stand up again

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Obviously, me caigo doesn't mean “I fall myself." It just means "I fall," because the verb caer[se] is part of a group of verbs that use reflexive pronouns but are not reflexive verbs. These verbs are called verbos pronominales, verbs that are typically conjugated using a reflexive pronoun that doesn't have any syntactic function. It's just the way these verbs are typically constructed! Another example is the verb morir (to die). Me muero doesn't mean "I die myself"; it just means "I die." The following example uses it as part of an idiomatic expression:
 

No hablemos más de comida

Let's not talk about food

que me muero de hambre.

since I'm starving hungry [literally, "I'm dying of hunger"].

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Now, while reflexive verbs like peinarse always need to be used with reflexive pronouns, verbs like caer (to fall) and matar (to kill) can be used either as pronominales (caerse and morirse), or as simple intransitive verbs (caer, morir), that is, without the reflexive pronouns. Therefore, the following expressions are also correct (though maybe just a little less common in everyday speech):
 
Si caigo, me vuelvo a parar. 
If I fall, I stand up again.
 
No hablemos más de comida que muero de hambre.
Let's not talk about food since I'm starving [literally, "I'm dying of hunger"].
 
The really tricky aspect of reflexive pronouns is how to use them, either with verbos reflexivos like peinarse or verbos pronominales like caerse and morirse. Typically, you will use the pronoun before the verb, for example me caigo (I fall), te peinas (you comb your hair). But how do you use reflexive pronouns in a sentence that uses more than one verb, for example an auxiliary verb such as the verb ir (to go) combined with a verb in the infinitive?
 
Voy a caer
I'm going to fall
 
Juan va a morir
Juan is going to die
 
Well, the rule is simple. You either use the reflexive pronoun right before the auxiliary verb:
 
Me voy a caer 
I'm going to fall
 
Juan se va a morir
Juan is going to die
 
Or you use it after the verb in infinitive as a suffix:
 
Voy a caerme
I'm going to fall
 
Juan va a morirse
Juan is going to die
 
And the same rule applies to reflexive verbs like peinarse:
 
Ella se va a peinar = Ella va a peinarse
She is going to comb her hair
 
In fact, this rule applies to all pronouns, even pronouns that are not reflexive (that are used to substitute the direct object in any given sentence), like lo, la, los, las, and te:
 
Como sandía / La como
I eat watermelon / I eat it
 
Voy a comer sandía
I'm going to eat watermelon
 
Voy a comerla = La voy a comer
I'm going to eat it
 

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Coincidentally, comer (as well as other "ingestion verbs") is an excellent example of a verb that is transitive in nature but that is also used as a pronominal verb with reflexive pronouns. For example, it’s also correct to say voy a comérmela (I’m going to eat it).