# in bocca al lupo - break a leg - Hals- und Beinbruch



## Jcharlie

When a person has an exam there typical wishes like break leg in bocca al lupo (italian). There is something typical in finnish? Or only paljon onnea?

Thak you


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## Grumpy Old Man

We don't wish anyone breaks their leg the way they do in English. _Paljon onnea!_ isn't very good if the person *hasn't* *yet passed* the exam as it is chiefly used to *congratulate* someone on his accomplishment. _Onni/onnea_ is understood to mean "happiness" in this context rather than "luck", and the phrase is mostly used to congratulate a person on his birthday (Many happy returns!) If your friend is going to take an exam, you can say: _Lykkyä tykö!_


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## sakvaka

I see nothing wrong with _Onnea (kokeeseen) _"Good luck (for the exam)". However, I wouldn't use _paljon_, unless the person has just passed it.

There's no cultural difference for using different phrases in Finland. For example, in Italy, _Auguri!_ must not be used instead of _In bocca al lupo! _In Finland, this is not a problem.


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## nino4ka

I would say "Tsemppiä!" which however is pretty colloquial. It's pretty much like "in bocca al lupo"!


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