Wishing someone good luck is a wonderful way to show support for your family and friends, letting them know you’re rooting for their success.
There are numerous ways to say good luck in Spanish. Just like in English, some expressions are formal, others are informal, and some fall somewhere in between. Some are tied to superstition, while others are perfect for everyday use.
These phrases will be incredibly helpful when supporting your Spanish-speaking friends as they prepare for an exam, job interview, or sports match. Not only will they appreciate your thoughtful words, but you’ll also enhance your Spanish fluency.
In this article, we’ll explore over 35 different ways to wish someone good luck in Spanish.
How To Say Good Look In Spanish
The most basic expression for wishing someone “good luck” in Spanish is simply buena suerte. However, there are many ways to express your good wishes. Here we have compiled some of the most common ways to wish someone good luck in Spanish.
Spanish | English |
¡Buena suerte! | Good luck! |
¡Mucha suerte! | A lot of luck! |
Te deseo éxito | I wish you success! |
Buena suerte con todo. | Good luck with everything. |
Te deseo buena suerte. | I wish you good luck. |
¡Que todo salga bien! | Hope everything goes well! |
Que te vaya bien. | I wish you well. |
Te deseo lo mejor | I wish you the best. |
Buena suerte y mis mejores deseos. | Good luck and best wishes, |
Buena suerte hoy. | Good luck today. |
Mucho éxito | A lot of success! |
Que Dios te bendiga. | God bless you! |
Te deseo lo mejor de lo mejor. | I wish you the best of the best. |
Mis mejores deseos. | My best wishes, |
Te deseo un buen viaje. | I wish you a nice trip! |
¡Que la suerte esté de tu lado! | I hope luck is on your side! |
Buena suerte en tu nuevo trabajo. | Good luck with your new job. |
Buena suerte en tu primer día. | Good luck on your first day. |
Todo lo mejor para ti. | All the best to you. |
¡Cruzaré mis dedos por ti! | I’ll cross my fingers for you! |
¡Que tengas más suerte la próxima! | Better luck next time! |
¡Que te sonría la Diosa fortuna! | May God’s fortune smile upon you! |
Spanish Expressions: Good Luck In Spanish Slang
There are some expressions to wish good luck in Spanish slang depending on the different countries. These are the most common and funny ones!
¡Mucha Mierda!
In Spain they have a very peculiar (and a bit rude) way of wishing good luck: ¡Mucha mierda! which means literally “lots of shit!”.
Some people think it’s something like “break a leg” in English, a very superstitious way of working with chance: you wish for something bad, but just wishing for something good will bring you the opposite.
But ¡Mucha mierda! has another origin. In the 18th or 19th century, if a play was successful, that meant that many carriages with horses stayed at the entrance of the theater.
And a lot of horses standing in one place… well, you know. So people would tell the actors ¡Mucha mierda! as a way of wishing them good luck in their shows.
- Mañana es mi debut en el teatro.
Tomorrow is my debut in the theater.
- ¿En serio? ¡Mucha mierda! Seguro lo harás bien.
Really? A lot of shit! I’m sure you’ll do fine.
Hacer changuitos
Mexicans are a bit more regional, with an expression that says Hacer changuitos which means crossing your fingers.
- Mañana es mi examen, ¡hagan changuitos! – Tomorrow is my test. Cross your fingers!
¡Dale duro!
In Puerto Rico they also have their own way of wishing good luck, and that is by saying ¡Dale duro! which is a combination of wishing good luck and wishing you to do your best.
- Voy a abrir una tienda de ropa. – I’m going to open a clothing store.
- ¡Dale duro! Te va a ir bien. – Hit it hard! You’ll do well.
Vaya con Dios
Venezuelans involve religion a little more when it comes to wishing good luck. They literally wish you to go with God. They are not wishing you death (although it may seem that way) but rather they are wishing you to go hand in hand with God in your plans.
- Voy camino a la universidad, voy a presentar un examen.
I’m on my way to college, I’m going to sit for an exam.
- Vaya con Dios.
Go with God.
17 Encouraging Quotes to Wish You Good Luck In Spanish
If you want to write a nice good luck message, you can get a little more inspiration and choose one of these phrases that will surely inspire the person you wish the best for. Choose one!
1. Cada desgracia que encuentres en el camino llevará en ella la semilla de la buena suerte del mañana. – Og Mandino
Every misfortune you meet on the road will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good fortune.
2. La paciencia y la perseverancia tienen un efecto mágico ante los cuales desaparecen las dificultades y los obstáculos. – John Quincy Adams
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties and obstacles disappear.
3. La buena suerte es la hermana gemela del trabajo duro. – Anónimo
Good luck is the twin sister of hard work.
4. Para tener éxito, tienes que ser afortunado, o un poco loco, o muy talentoso, o encontrarte en el lugar y momento adecuado. – Anónimo
To succeed, you have to be lucky, or a little crazy, or very talented, or find yourself in the right place at the right time.
5. El cambio favorece a los que están en movimiento. – James H. Austin
Change favors those who are on the move.
6. La gente siempre lo llama suerte cuando lo que has hecho es actuar con más sensatez que ellos. – Anne Tyler
People always call it luck when what you’ve done is act more sensibly than they have.
7. La buena suerte no necesita explicación. – Shirley Temple Black
Good luck needs no explanation.
8. El campeón hace su propia suerte. – Red Blaik
The champion makes his own luck.
9. La vida es una lotería que ya hemos ganado. Pero la mayoría de la gente no ha cobrado sus boletos. – Louise L. Hay
Life is a lottery we’ve already won. But most people haven’t cashed in their tickets.
10. Los hombres de acción son favorecidos por la Diosa de la Suerte. – George S. Clason
Men of action are favored by the Goddess of Luck.
11. Todos nosotros tenemos mala suerte y buena suerte. El hombre que persiste durante la mala suerte, que sigue adelante, es el que está allí cuando llega la buena suerte y está listo para recibirla. – Robert Collier
All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck, who keeps going, is the man who is there when the good luck comes and is ready to receive it.
12. Soy un gran creyente en la suerte, y me parece que cuanto más duro trabajo, más la tengo. – Thomas Jefferson
I am a great believer in luck, and it seems to me that the harder I work, the more I have it.
13. Lo único seguro acerca de la suerte es que cambiará. – Bret Harte
The only thing certain about luck is that it will change.
14. La suerte no es casualidad, es trabajo. La sonrisa de la costosa fortuna que se gana. – Emily Dickinson
Luck is not chance, it is work. The smile of costly fortune earned.
15. La suerte es el sentido de reconocer una oportunidad y la capacidad de aprovecharla. – Samuel Goldwyn
Luck is the sense of recognizing an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it.
16. La fortuna siempre conferirá a quien la posee, un aura de valor, indignamente; y en este mundo, la persona afortunada pasa por un genio. – Eurípides
Fortune will always confer on him who possesses it, an aura of worth, unworthily; and in this world, the fortunate person passes for a genius.
17. Dios no juega a los dados con el universo. Albert Einstein
God does not play dice with the universe.
What Brings Good Luck in a Spanish Speaking Country?
Most of the good luck rituals in Spanish-speaking countries are very curious, fun, and are done at the time of saying goodbye to the old year. Here we leave you a list of the most common ones:
Wear red underwear if you want to find a partner in the coming year.
Well yes, if one of your wishes for the old year is to find a partner, the Hispanic culture invites you to wear red underwear during New Year’s Eve. It sounds weird, but what’s the harm in trying?
Wear yellow underwear if you want prosperity for the coming year.
Same as the previous trick, but for prosperity. Spanish-speaking culture wears yellow underwear to get more money in the new year. The good thing about this is that you don’t have to tell anyone (if you don’t want to) and test if it really works secretly.
Eating 12 green grapes when the clock strikes 12 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.
According to legend, each grape represents a month and a wish. For each grape, you should make a wish representing each month of the year. This will bring you a whole year of good luck and prosperity.
Going out with suitcases on the street when it is the new year.
This is a very common tradition in Latin America. Families go out on the street with suitcases, and take a tour close to home. This is to bring lots of travel and adventures for the coming year.
Fill pots and pans with water.
When the clock strikes 12, Puerto Ricans fill pots and pans with water and then throw it on the door of the house to attract good luck and abundance. Some families also throw buckets of water out the window to get rid of problems on New Year’s Eve.
Throwing water out the window.
In Uruguay they celebrate el baldazo, which is throwing a bucket full of water out of the window onto the street. It is said that this tradition chases away the sorrows of the year that is ending and welcomes a year full of prosperity.
Lentils, but not only to eat them.
There are those who do not limit themselves only to eating them. There are also people who try to put lentils in those places where there is usually money, such as the pockets of clothes or wallet.
There are also those who receive the New Year by hugging their loved ones with a handful of lentils in hand, or who place these grains in the corners of the house to ensure that good luck comes to the home.
The custom is not only limited to lentils but also to different types of grains, such as rice. They are placed in a dish with a candle that is left lit during the night of the 31st and then buried.
You are ready to say Good Luck in Spanish!
Now that you know different ways to say good luck in Spanish, which way will you try first? You can choose from common and standard phrases to the funniest versions. Add them to your vocabulary and start practicing.
And if you want to start studying Spanish in a formal way, remember that you can sign up at SpanishVIP for a free 1:1 class or for a 7-day trial of group lessons! Find out why our methodology will help you get up and learn Spanish like a native in a record time.
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