How to Say “Good Luck” in Spanish

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The simplest way to wish someone good luck in Spanish is ¡Buena suerte! You can also say ¡Mucha suerte! or simply ¡Suerte!

Those phrases work across the Spanish-speaking world. Other expressions depend on what you mean: a wish, an encouragement, a farewell or a blessing. Regional phrases can also sound natural in one place and unusual in another.

This guide separates those uses, explains the grammar behind them and marks the regional or informal phrases worth recognising.

If you need help pronouncing the examples, start with our guide to the Spanish alphabet. In suerte, ue forms one syllable: suer-te, with the stress on suer.

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Buena suerte and Other Standard Wishes

Suerte is the feminine noun for “luck” or “fortune”. These three expressions are the safest choices in most situations:

• ¡Buena suerte!: “Good luck!”
• ¡Mucha suerte!: “Lots of luck!” or simply “Good luck!”
• ¡Suerte!: “Good luck!” in a shorter, conversational form.

You can add the event with en or con: Buena suerte en tu entrevista (“Good luck in your interview”), Mucha suerte con tu presentación (“Good luck with your presentation”) or Suerte en la búsqueda de piso (“Good luck with the flat search”).

For a full sentence, say Te deseo mucha suerte (“I wish you lots of luck”) or Te deseo lo mejor (“I wish you the best”).

Other Useful Phrases for Good Luck in Spanish

Spanish often uses que followed by the present subjunctive to express a wish. The que does not take an accent mark in these sentences:

• ¡Que te vaya bien!: “I hope it goes well!” It can also be a friendly farewell.
• ¡Que tengas suerte!: “May you have good luck!”
• ¡Que tengas mucho éxito!: “I hope you have great success!”
• ¡Que todo salga bien!: “I hope everything goes well!”

Ojalá also expresses a strong hope and normally introduces a clause in the subjunctive: Ojalá te vaya bien (“I really hope it goes well”) or Ojalá tengas suerte (“I hope you’re lucky”). On its own, ojalá means “hopefully” or “I hope so”, rather than “good luck”.

Not every supportive phrase is a wish for luck. These are encouragements:

• ¡Ánimo!: “Keep your spirits up!” or “You’ve got this!”
• ¡Tú puedes!: “You can do it!”
• ¡Sigue adelante!: “Keep going!”
• Creo en ti.: “I believe in you.”
• Estoy aquí para ti.: “I’m here for you.”
• ¡Que la Fuerza te acompañe!: “May the Force be with you!” This playful Star Wars reference depends on your listener knowing the films.

For a wedding, ¡Que vivan los novios! (“Long live the newlyweds!”) is an acclamation, not a translation of “good luck”. For a graduation or a new job, you could say Que este sea el comienzo de muchos éxitos (“May this be the beginning of many successes”).

A blessing such as Que Dios te bendiga (“May God bless you”) or Bendiciones (“Blessings”) suits a speaker and listener who are comfortable with religious language. It is not neutral in every setting.

Why buena and mucha Are Feminine

The adjective agrees with the noun suerte, which is feminine. That gives us buena suerte and mucha suerte, whether you are speaking to a woman, a man or a group.

The recipient’s gender does not change the phrase. Spanish does not require separate “good luck” wishes based on who receives them.

Regional and Informal Ways to Encourage Someone

Buena suerte is broadly useful, but slang and set phrases travel less predictably. The examples below are better treated as phrases to recognise than as replacements you must use.

Phrases You May Hear in Spain

¡A por ello! means “Go for it!” The construction a por is characteristic of Spain and is generally absent from American Spanish.

In theatre circles, ¡Mucha mierda! is a traditional pre-performance wish comparable to “Break a leg!” It is deliberately vulgar, so save it for people who know the theatrical expression rather than using it as an everyday good-luck phrase.

¡Que te cunda! wishes that someone’s time, work, meal or money goes a long way. It can be natural before a study session or a meal, but it means something closer to “Make the most of it” than “Good luck”.

Phrases You May Hear in Mexico

Hacer changuitos means to cross your fingers in the hope of a lucky outcome. You could tell a friend, Estoy haciendo changuitos para que apruebes (“I’m crossing my fingers so that you pass”).

¡Échale ganas! means “Give it your best!” or “Put some effort into it!” It is a common Mexican encouragement, not a literal wish for luck. Tone matters: it can be motivating before a challenge, but dismissive if someone is sharing a problem that effort alone cannot solve.

Wishing Someone Luck in Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, the core phrases ¡Buena suerte!, ¡Mucha suerte! and ¡Que te vaya bien! are dependable choices.

You may also hear ¡Dale! or ¡Dale duro! as encouragements meaning roughly “Go for it!” or “Give it everything!” These expressions are not unique to Puerto Rico, and they do not literally mean “good luck”.

How to Use Regional Phrases

• Match the phrase to the situation. A theatre expression such as ¡Mucha mierda! is not suitable for a job interview or formal message.
• Treat country labels as clues, not borders. A phrase can be common in several places, rare within part of a country or familiar through media.
• Listen before copying slang. If you are unsure, ¡Buena suerte! is clearer.
• If a speaker corrects you, ask how they would say it in that setting. Regional variation is part of learning Spanish.

Spanish Sayings About Fortune, Effort and Opportunity

These Spanish sayings mention luck, persistence or opportunity. They are useful for understanding conversations, but they are not interchangeable with ¡Buena suerte!

• La suerte de la fea, la bonita la desea.: “The beautiful woman envies the plain woman’s luck.” This traditional saying is still recognisable, but its labels for women’s appearance sound dated and insulting. Learn it for recognition rather than directing it at someone.
• A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda.: “God helps those who rise early.” It is similar to “The early bird catches the worm” and praises initiative.
• Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león.: “Better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion.” It favours having influence in a small group over being insignificant in a powerful one.
• No hay mal que por bien no venga.: “Every cloud has a silver lining.” It expresses the hope that something good can emerge from a setback.
• Quien se fue a Sevilla, perdió su silla.: “Whoever went to Seville lost their seat.” It warns that leaving your place may mean losing it.
• A la tercera va la vencida.: “Third time lucky.” It encourages another attempt after earlier failures.
• Más vale tarde que nunca.: “Better late than never.”
• Quien no arriesga, no gana.: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

New Year Luck Traditions in Spain and Mexico

The Spanish-speaking world does not share one set of superstitions. Even familiar customs can change by country, region and family. Two well-documented New Year traditions show that variation.

Wearing Coloured Underwear on New Year’s Eve

Spain’s official tourism site describes red underwear as one of the country’s New Year customs. It is associated with attracting love. A Mexican government guide to New Year traditions gives red the same association and links yellow with luck and money.

That does not make either colour a rule throughout Spain or Latin America. If you celebrate with a local family, ask what the colours mean to them.

Eating 12 Grapes at Midnight

In Spain, people traditionally eat 12 grapes, one with each midnight chime, to welcome a lucky new year. The custom is also practised in Mexico, where a government article on New Year foods likewise describes one grape for each chime.

If you want to add a wish, you could say Que cada uva te traiga suerte (“May each grape bring you luck”).

Ask Where a Custom Comes From

Claims about a single “Latin American” luck custom often flatten many different cultures into one. Before repeating a belief about plants, charms or household rituals, check which country or community it comes from and whether your listener recognises it.

The same care applies to the beliefs below. They may be important to some people without being shared by everyone around them.

Bad-Luck Beliefs Vary by Place and Family

Superstitions are not instructions for how a visitor should behave. They are cultural references you may hear, and their details vary. A question such as ¿Qué significa esta costumbre? (“What does this custom mean?”) is more useful than assuming that everybody shares it.

Putting Your Wallet or Purse on the Floor

Some people associate leaving a purse or wallet on the floor with losing money. If a friend follows that belief, No pongas el bolso en el suelo means “Don’t put the bag on the floor”. Bolsa, bolso and other words for a bag vary by region.

Sweeping Feet with a Broom

In some families, accidentally sweeping over an unmarried person’s feet is said to stop them from marrying. That is a superstition, not a prediction.

The direction of sweeping can carry different meanings too. The Mexican government guide cited above describes sweeping the house from the inside out before New Year’s dinner to remove bad energy. It does not support the opposite claim that sweeping inwards brings luck.

¡Cuidado con los pies! means “Watch your feet!” and is useful regardless of anyone’s beliefs.

Tuesday the 13th (martes trece)

Tuesday the 13th has an unlucky association in several Spanish-speaking cultures. The traditional warning En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques means roughly “On a Tuesday, neither marry nor set sail”. The Instituto Cervantes proverb database records variants in Spain and several Latin American countries.

You do not need to avoid plans on that date. If someone mentions martes trece, you now know the cultural reference.

Spilling Salt

Spilled salt is associated with bad luck in some households, but the remedy and the importance attached to it vary. Avoid presenting one ritual, such as throwing salt over a shoulder, as a rule for the whole Spanish-speaking world.

Mal de ojo, or the “Evil Eye”

Mal de ojo is a popular belief in harm caused by an envious or admiring gaze. Dictionaries and regional studies record the idea in multiple countries, but the explanations, protective objects and rituals differ by place and family.

There is no need to invent a special luck phrase for it. Que estés bien (“I hope you’re well”) or Que todo vaya bien (“I hope everything goes well”) is more natural when you simply want to wish someone well.

Which Good-Luck Phrase Should You Use?

• For a direct, flexible wish: ¡Buena suerte! or ¡Mucha suerte!
• For “I hope it goes well”: ¡Que te vaya bien!
• For strong hope: Ojalá te vaya bien.
• For encouragement: ¡Ánimo! or ¡Tú puedes!
• For regional slang: listen to local speakers first, then match the phrase to their context.

Start with one phrase you can use today. The next time a friend has an exam, interview or performance, tell them ¡Mucha suerte!

If you want help remembering phrases like these, the Vocab Vault is our paid vocabulary webinar.

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