Doing well for oneself meaning in English
Learn how to use Doing well for oneself correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
(he's) doing well for himself (in life): (he's) living very well, pretty successful, prospering, thriving (in life)
He's doing very well for himself; he's a CEO now and he earns a lot of money.
Examples
- "It seems that you're doing quite well for yourself."
- "Bruno : You're doing so well for yourself, I'm really happy for you."
Exercise 1
"It seems that you're doing quite well for yourself", Bruno thinks that Mr. Wang .
"I see that you have done your homework Mr. Delavigne", Mr. Wang says that Bruno .
"I see that you have done your homework Mr. Delavigne", Mr. Wang says that Bruno .
"It seems that you're doing quite well for yourself", Bruno thinks that Mr. Wang is making a good living 1.
"I see that you have done your homework Mr. Delavigne", Mr. Wang says that Bruno has done his research 2.
"I see that you have done your homework Mr. Delavigne", Mr. Wang says that Bruno has done his research 2.
1 is making a good living: This is correct. The phrase "you're doing (so) well for yourself" is often used to congratulate someone for achieving a lot in their life, being professionally successful or earning a lot of money. "To make a (good) living" means to being financially successful with work.
1 looks very healthy: This is an incorrect choice. To "look healthy" is not the meaning of the phrase "you're doing quite well for yourself". Note the difference between "I am well" (I am physically good) and "I am doing well" (things are good or satisfactory).
1 speaks very well: This is an incorrect choice. When Bruno says "It seems that you're doing quite well for yourself", this does not mean that he thinks Mr. Wang speaks well.
1 is buying himself a lot of things: This is incorrect. This does not share the same meaning as "doing well for oneself" which indicates having financial success.
2 has done his research: This is the correct answer. In a business context "to do one's homework" means to prepare or do preliminary work before an event, such as meeting an important client, for example. Mr. Wang uses this expression because he realises that Bruno has a lot of information about him and his "recent success in the cosmetics industry."
2 looks to be in good shape: This is incorrect. To "do (one's) homework" is not in any way related to being "in good shape". To be "in good shape" means to be in good physical or mental condition.
2 works very hard: This is incorrect. The idiom "to do (one's) homework" is not related to how hard you work, but if you have done research and collected the right background information.
2 has done the work that Wang asked him to do: This is incorrect. Used in this context, the idiom "to do one's homework" does not mean that Mr. Wang asked Bruno to do work for him. Mr. Wang is actually congratulating Bruno on the correct and complete information that Bruno has researched and prepared on him.
Exercise 2
Bruno says to Warbuckle You're doing so well for yourself.
What does he mean by this?
What does he mean by this?
Bruno says to Warbuckle You're doing so well for yourself.
What does he mean by this?
What does he mean by this?
This is an incorrect choice. To spend money "foolishly" means to spend it "carelessly" or "without thinking". Although it seems clear that Bruno is surprised by the way Bruno is spending his money, this is not the meaning of the phrase, "you're doing quite well for yourself".
This is an incorrect choice. To "look healthy" means to "look good" or to appear to be in good shape (physically). This is not the meaning of the phrase, "you're doing quite well for yourself". Do not confuse the term "wealthy", meaning "rich", with the term "healthy".
This is correct. The phrase "you're doing so well for yourself" is used to congratulate someone for achieving a lot in their life or being successful. In this context, Bruno is also making reference to Harold's wealth, specifically the size of his property and his lifestyle (which includes steaks, Jacuzzis and a golf course). Note that the expression can also be used ironically, although Bruno seems sincere when he says this to Harold.
This is an incorrect choice. Bruno's expression is unrelated to happiness or contentment. Bruno is referring to Warbuckle's obvious financial success.
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