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Thread: Good luck on/with that

 
  1. 09-08-2010 #1
    clarab
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    Default Good luck on/with that

    Hello everybody!

    I am not sure whether the preposition in this phrase should be "on" or "with". Can anybody help me?

    I looked it up in Google and I found this phrase is much less frequent with "on" than with "with". But is it wrong to use "on"? Do they convey different meanings?

    Thanks in advance!
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  2. 09-08-2010 #2
    Guillem
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    Default Re: Good luck on/with that

    Good luck on that means "buena suerte en eso", in spanish, and good luck with that is "buena suerte con eso". They are both correct, but slightly different:

    Good luck with your girlfriend tonight (good luck on your girlfriend won't make too much sense)
    Good luck on your new job (good luck with your new job won't make sense either)

    I guess, as "that" (in the question of the topic) can mean anything you can use either "on" or "with", depending on what you are refering to with "that"?

    Hope I helped, if there's something i haven't made clear PM me
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  3. 09-08-2010 #3
    clarab
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    Default Re: Good luck on/with that

    Thanks!!
    The explanation was very clear.

    Thanks again!
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  4. 09-08-2010 #4
    mariaklec
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    Default Re: Good luck on/with that

    This is a tricky one! As Clarab points out, it's true that that you can say "good luck with..." or "good luck on..." and it's true that they are not equal and interchangeable. As for a rule...I'm having trouble coming up with one.

    Good luck on Saturday! You would NOT say "good luck with Saturday"
    Good luck with your girlfriend! You would NOT say "good luck on your girlfriend"
    Good luck with/on your test tomorrow! Both sound ok to me.
    Good luck with getting your grade changed! You would NOT say "good luck on..."

    To make things worse, sometimes we don't say either with or on:
    Good luck getting your grade changed!
    Good luck finding your keys!

    General rules might be:
    *Use "on" in phrases that normally use the word "on" (on Saturday/Good luck on Saturday!)
    *Use "with" in reference to nouns (Good luck with your girlfriend, with your test!)
    *Use "with" (or nothing) followed by a gerund (Good luck with getting your car fixed! Good luck getting your car fixed!)

    But that doesn't explain why sometimes, and only sometimes, either one is ok!

    Good luck figuring this out!
    Last edited by mariaklec; 09-08-2010 at 06:28 PM.
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  5. 09-08-2010 #5
    clarab
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    Default Re: Good luck on/with that

    Great! Thank you so much!!
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  6. 09-08-2010 #6
    Guillem
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    Default Re: Good luck on/with that

    You welcome
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