Do you ever hear good news in English… and you’re not sure how to respond? Don’t just say “okay” or “nice” – use one of the natural and expressive phrases from this video!
When someone shares their good news, your response matters – and the right phrase shows that you’re friendly, confident, and fluent. So let’s learn the best English phrases for reacting to good news in a natural way.
Congratulations!
Say “Congratulations” when something good happens to a person:
- Getting engaged or married
- Having a baby
- Having a wedding anniversary
- Being accepted into college, or graduating from college
- Getting a job or promotion
- Receiving an award or recognition (for example, “Employee of the Month”)
- Having some success – opening a new business, buying a house, etc.
Don’t say “congratulations” on birthdays – say “Happy birthday!” instead!
You can also make a sentence using “on”:
- Congratulations on your promotion!
- Congratulations on getting into Harvard University!
Good job!
Say “Good job!” when a person did something good:
- The person did good work on a project
- The person played well in a game or sang/danced well in a performance
- The person got the answer to a question right in school
Some variations are “Great job!” and “Nice job!”
You can also make sentences with “on”:
- Good job on the sales report – it was accurate and well-organized.
Lucky you!
Differently from “good job,” we say “lucky you!” when something good happened to the person by luck, when they received something nice or a good opportunity.
- Winning the lottery
- Receiving free tickets to a show
- Going on three months of vacation
We don’t make sentences with “Lucky you!” – you say it alone. But you can make sentences with “You’re so lucky that…”
- You’re so lucky that you get the day off from work tomorrow!
- You’re so lucky that the teacher didn’t notice you were late to class!
That’s great news!
Say “That’s great news!” (or one of the variations below) to respond to some information or a piece of news, for example:
- “My son passed all his exams.”
“That’s great news!” - “Our company grew 20% this year.”
“That’s wonderful news!” - “A new cultural center is opening in the neighborhood.”
“That’s fantastic news!”
I’m so happy for you!
Say “I’m so happy for you!” when there is (or will be) a very positive change in someone’s life, especially when their life will be very different as a result.
- Getting engaged or married
- Having a baby
- Getting into college
- Getting a job or promotion
You can also use it together with “Congratulations”:
- “We’re going to have a baby!”
“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! You’ll be great parents.”
Good for you!
Say this when a person has done (or is going to do) something to make their life better:
- “I quit smoking last year.”
“Good for you!” - “I’m going to study abroad.”
“Good for you! I’m sure it’ll be a great cultural experience.” - “I signed up for a cooking class.”
“Good for you! I bet you’ll really enjoy it.”
Now you know how to respond to many types of good news confidently in English! Make sure to download your free guide to review today’s phrases and learn how to reply to bad news as well.
If you want to learn how to speak English more fluently in many more everyday situations, check out my Everyday English Speaking Course! It will teach you exactly what to say when traveling, shopping, socializing, and lots more – so you can live your life with confidence.
Learn more: 10 responses to “thank you”
You’ll learn hundreds of conversational English expressions in this course:
