Podcast: Good for you!

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First of all I’d like to thank everyone that has been enjoying our podcasts.
I’m very happy to be here today talking to you about an expression which has the tendency to confuse Brazilian learners. The famous “Que bom pra voce” which in English is “good for you”.

Most learners have difficulty understanding if this expression is sarcastic or not. But you’ll see today that it can be both.

But first we need to understand when we use “good for you”.
It’s an expression of encouragement for something that someone has done or received.
You say this when you’re happy for the person you’re saying it to. You feel they deserve whatever good thing is happening to them, you mean well.
For example a friend of yours just got a promotion at his job. So you feel happy for him. So you say “good for you! You deserve it”

However some people use this expression as a rude comment, when in conversation they really don’t care about the current topic, they are making fun of the remark or they are simply jealous.

For example, your boss opened another company and you’re still just an employee. In this situation you say “good for you” but in this case with a sarcastic tone. So you say, “Oh my goodness another company, good for you!”

But how can we know when is good or bad?

Well the easiest way is by intonation, listen to some examples:

*Hey, You’re getting married before I am, good for you!
Hein, Você vai se casar antes que eu. Que bom pra você!
*I’m so happy for you. I can’t believe you’re pregnant. Good for you!
Estou muito feliz por você. Não acredito que esta grávida, que bom pra você!
*I didn’t pass the test you did. Good for you!
Eu não passei na prova, mas você passou. Que bom pra você!
*Dude, good for you! You finally got your driver’s license, I’m so proud of you.
Cara, que bom pra você! Finalmente conseguiu sua habilitação, estou muito orgulhoso de você.

Even in Portuguese the only way we can notice the difference is by intonation.
So always pay attention, the easiest way is by practicing your listening skills.
So guys that’s it for today! I really hope you guys enjoyed it.
See you on our future podcasts. Don’t forget to comment and share our posts. Thanks for listening. BYE!!!