{"id":119940,"date":"2024-02-14T13:28:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T18:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/congratulations-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T00:15:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T05:15:59","slug":"congratulations-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/congratulations-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways to Say Congratulations in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have French-speaking friends or coworkers, chances are you’ll want to congratulate them on some accomplishment or big life event. It will mean even more to them if you can say it in their language.<\/p>\n

In this post, I’ll show you 10 ways to say congratulations in French, including both informal and formal versions.\u00a0If you really want to celebrate like the French, don’t forget to bring the champagne.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
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How to Say “Congratulations” in French<\/h2>\n

\"female-graduate-in-paris\"<\/p>\n

1. F\u00e9licitations !<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

The standard phrase for “congratulations” in French is f\u00e9licitations<\/em>. This is a perfect example of a word that includes the French nasal sound “\u00f5”\u2014one of four more “unusual” vowel sounds for English speakers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you want to say congratulations to somebody<\/strong>, in French you use the preposition<\/a> \u00e0<\/strong><\/em> followed by the person:<\/p>\n

F\u00e9licitations \u00e0<\/strong> ton fr\u00e8re !<\/em>
\nCongratulations to your brother!<\/p>\n

And if you want to say congratulations on or for\u00a0something<\/strong>, you use the preposition pour<\/strong><\/em> followed by the noun:<\/p>\n

F\u00e9licitations pour<\/strong> ton nouveau travail ! Tu commences quand ?<\/em>
\nCongratulations on your new job! When do you start?<\/p>\n

To congratulate someone on doing something<\/strong>, you can use pour avoir<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>followed by the past participle<\/a> of the verb. For example:<\/p>\n

F\u00e9licitations pour avoir<\/strong> termin\u00e9 votre premier marathon !<\/em> Congratulations on completing your first marathon!<\/p>\n

Informal Ways to Say Congratulations<\/h2>\n

\"wedding-couple-on-paris-street\"<\/p>\n

Although not true 100% of the time, you may notice that the shorter ways to say “congratulations” in French tend to be informal<\/a> and the longer ones formal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The following phrases are for congratulating a friend or other people you know well.<\/p>\n

2. Bravo !<\/em> (Congratulations\/Well done!)<\/h3>\n

Bravo<\/em> is probably the most standard of the informal ways<\/strong> to say “congratulations” in French, and it’s something you’ll hear a lot. Like f\u00e9licitations<\/em>, you can use it in most situations.<\/p>\n

Let’s look at a dialogue:<\/p>\n

Je viens de r\u00e9ussir mon examen.
\n<\/strong><\/em>I’ve just passed my exam.<\/p>\n

Bravo !<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/em>Congratulations\/well done!<\/p>\n

If you want to say “Well done,” this expression and the next three will serve you well.<\/p>\n

Note that while bien fait\u00a0<\/em>literally translates to \u201cWell done,\u201d it means something more like \u201cServes you right\u201d and is used as a taunt. Take it from me and avoid this mistake!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Chapeau !<\/em> (Congratulations\/Well done\/lit. Hats off to you!)<\/h3>\n

Chapeau\u00a0<\/em>is arguably more old-fashioned<\/strong> than bravo\u00a0<\/em>and slightly less versatile. It’s often used to say congratulations for minor successes, such as resolving an argument or cooking a tasty meal.<\/p>\n

Les souffl\u00e9s sont parfaits !<\/em>
\nThe souffl\u00e9s are perfect!<\/p>\n

Chapeau !<\/strong> Ils ont l’air savoureux.
\n<\/strong><\/em>Congratulations! They look tasty.<\/p>\n

French friends have occasionally sent me a hat emoji when I’ve told them about something successful in my life, so this is a modern interpretation to look out for!<\/p>\n

4. Bien jou\u00e9 !<\/em> (Congratulations\/Well done\/ lit. Well played!)<\/h3>\n

As you might expect, bien jou\u00e9\u00a0<\/em>can relate to the world of sports in the same way it does in English.<\/p>\n

But it can also be used whenever you want to say congratulations to someone in a very informal context; particularly when wanting to compliment them on<\/strong> the way<\/em> they did something<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

J’ai fait descendre le chaton de l’arbre sans lui faire de mal.<\/em>
\nI brought the kitten down from the tree without hurting him.<\/p>\n

Ouf,<\/em> bien jou\u00e9 !<\/em><\/strong>
\nPhew, well done!<\/p>\n

You’ll often hear bien jou\u00e9\u00a0<\/em>said ironically, so if you think someone isn’t really congratulating you, they probably aren’t!<\/p>\n

5. Trop fort !<\/em> (Very good!\/Awesome!)<\/h3>\n

This phrase literally translates to “too strong,” but we use it as a colloquial expression to convey admiration or congratulations<\/strong> for someone’s achievement, usually among friends or peers.<\/p>\n

Tu as r\u00e9ussi \u00e0 d\u00e9crocher ce contrat ? Trop fort !<\/strong><\/em> (You managed to land that contract? Awesome!)<\/p>\n

6. Bon<\/em> + [noun] (Good…)<\/h3>\n

You can also use the adjective bon<\/em>\u00a0(good) before a noun\u2014especially when you want to congratulate someone on something specific<\/strong>. For example:<\/p>\n

Bon travail<\/strong> les gars !<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/strong>Good work, guys!<\/p>\n

Bonne r\u00e9ussite !<\/em><\/strong>
\nGreat success!<\/p>\n

Note: the masculine bon\u00a0<\/em>becomes bonne<\/em> before a feminine noun.<\/p>\n

Formal Ways to Say Congratulations<\/h2>\n

\"business-handshake\"<\/p>\n

Use the following phrases when you need to curb your enthusiasm, including in professional situations<\/a> and in writing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7. F\u00e9liciter<\/em> (To congratulate)<\/h3>\n

As in English, to congratulate someone in a formal way either in speech or writing, we can simply use the verb “to congratulate” or f\u00e9liciter<\/em><\/a> in French.<\/p>\n

Je vous f\u00e9licite<\/strong> pour l’obtention de votre doctorat.<\/em>
\nI congratulate you on receiving your PhD.<\/p>\n

We can also make this verb reflexive<\/a> to say that we congratulate ourselves (se f\u00e9liciter<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 to congratulate oneself). For example:<\/p>\n

Je me f\u00e9licite<\/strong> pour la r\u00e9alisation de mon projet !<\/em>
\nI’m giving myself a pat on the back for the completion of my project!<\/p>\n

8. Tous mes compliments \/ Tous nos compliments <\/em>(Sincere congratulations)<\/h3>\n

This is a very formal<\/strong> way to express your congratulations in French. Though it’s possible to hear people say it, it’s commonly used in writing<\/a> to someone you don’t know well or in a professional situation.<\/p>\n

Tous mes compliments<\/strong> pour votre rapport.<\/em>
\nSincere congratulations on your report.<\/p>\n

9. Je tiens \u00e0 vous f\u00e9liciter pour\u2026<\/span><\/em> (I must\/should congratulate you for…)<\/h3>\n

You can use this phrase when you want to really emphasize your congratulations<\/strong> in a formal situation. You might say this if someone made a great achievement or benefited a group of people working towards the same goal.<\/p>\n

Je tiens \u00e0 vous f\u00e9liciter pour<\/strong> votre d\u00e9vouement \u00e0 l’entreprise.<\/em>
\nI must congratulate you for your dedication to the company.<\/p>\n

10. Tous mes v\u0153ux de bonheur<\/em> (All my wishes of happiness)<\/h3>\n

This is a French expression we use to convey best wishes. It’s commonly used in contexts such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other celebratory occasions, so it can be both formal or informal<\/strong> depending on the context.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tous mes v\u0153ux de bonheur<\/strong> pour votre mariage ! Que votre vie \u00e0 deux soit remplie de joie et d’amour.<\/em>
\nAll my wishes of happiness for your wedding! May your life together be filled with joy and love.<\/p>\n

\u00a0If you aren\u2019t sure when to use some of these expressions, you can watch them being used by native speakers with the FluentU program<\/a>.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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