How many ways are there to say well done in Italian?
In this lesson, we will take a look at the different ways you can translate this sentence. Read on to learn them all!
Let’s start! Iniziamo!

How do you say well done in Italian?
Ben fatto
Ben fatto is how you most commonly translate well done in Italian.
Ben fatto!
Well done!
Ben fatto è meglio di ben detto.
Well done is better than well said.
Ben fatto! I tuoi genitori devono essere orgogliosi di te.
Well done! Your parents must be proud of you.

Bravo! Brava! Bravi! Brave!
Bravo is an adjective that is used in Italian with the meaning of capable, good at something. There’s a high chance you are already familiar with this word and have actually used it yourself.
Like all other adjectives in Italian, bravo needs to match the noun in both gender and number. This is why there are four different forms of it.
Singular | Plural | |
Masculine | Bravo | Bravi |
Feminine | Brava | Brave |
Bravo!
Well done! (singular, masculine)
Brava!
Well done! (singular, feminine)
Bravi!
Well done! (plural, masculine)
Brave!
Well done! (plural, feminine)

If a man is good, you will say bravo because man, uomo, is a masculine noun in Italian.
Likewise, you will say brava if you’re talking about a woman, donna, which is a feminine noun.
Plural nouns behave the same way: if you want to describe a group of good children (masculine plural), use bravi. If you’re talking about some good girls (feminine plural), use brave instead.
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
Ottimo lavoro
You can also translate well done in Italian as ottimo lavoro, literally translating to “excellent job”.
Ottimo lavoro!
Excellent job!
Ottimo lavoro, ragazzi. Le vendite sono aumentate del 150%.
Well done, guys. Sales have increased by 150%.
Hai fatto davvero un ottimo lavoro. Grazie mille!
You did a really good job. Thank you very much!

The literal translation of good is buono.
You DO NOT say buon lavoro in Italian to congratulate for a job well done.
Buon lavoro is used as an encouragement to people about to start a project or a day’s work, something similar to have a good day at work.
Complimenti! Congratulazioni!
Complimenti literally means compliments and can be used to translate congratulations or well done in Italian.
Complimenti!
Congratulations!
(Compliments)
Congratulazioni!
Congratulations!
Congratulazioni is pretty common to use in special occasions such as when a couple decides to get married, when you find the job of your dreams or graduate high school or college. It’s often followed by a round of cheers.
Ti sei appena sposato? Congratulazioni!
Did you just get married? Congratulations!
Congratulazioni per il magnifico lavoro!
Congratulations on a wonderful job!

Ottimo! Eccellente!
Ottimo and eccellente are two adjectives that we could both translate as excellent. If you want to congratulate someone for a job well done, you can use one of these and you will make the person very happy!
Differently from bravo, you don’t have to memorize any other forms to translate well done.
Ottimo!
Excellent!
Eccellente!
Excellent!
And that’s it, now you know how to say well done in Italian in all its forms!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to say well done in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
❤️ If you liked this lesson on how to say well done in Italian, consider sharing it with your social media friends who are also studying Italian.