Meaning & use
well done you
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
used to praise someone for doing something good, with emphasis on the person
Grammar: Stands alone as a complete exclamation: 'Well done you!' You can also say 'Well done, you!' with a comma.
Patterns
- Well done you!
- Well done you for doing something
You passed your driving test? Well done you!
Well done you for finishing the marathon in that heat.
She got the job — well done you!
Common combinations
- well done you for doing something
- Well done you for speaking up in the meeting.
- well done you on something
- Well done you on your exam results!
- well done you!
- You fixed it yourself? Well done you!
Synonyms and how they differ
- good for you
- Very similar in tone, but it can also sound slightly critical or ironic depending on the situation, while 'well done you' is usually warm.
- congratulations
- More formal and used for bigger achievements like weddings, graduations, or promotions.
- nice one
- Informal British praise for a single action, but it does not include the personal 'you' emphasis.
Word family
- well done phrase
- The basic praise phrase, used without 'you'.
Commonly confused: well done you or well-done?
well done you vs well-done
With a hyphen, 'well-done' usually describes meat that is fully cooked, or a task that was performed well. Without a hyphen, 'well done' is praise.
Practice
When would you say 'Well done you!'?
Choose one answer.
'Well done you!' is warm, informal praise for an achievement, so a promotion fits perfectly. The other situations call for different expressions like 'How could you?' or 'Could you help me?'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “well done you”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.