may the Force be with you
- idiom
- Informal
:
que la Fuerza te acompañe
- Good luck on your exam! May the Force be with you!
Examples
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Before his final exam, she smiled and said, 'may the Force be with you.'
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He ended his email to the team with, 'may the Force be with you.'
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After shaking his hand, the coach whispered, 'may the Force be with you out there.'
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Before the big game, I told him, may the Force be with you.
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Before his final exam, she smiled and said, 'may the Force be with you.'
-
After shaking his hand, the coach whispered, 'may the Force be with you out there.'
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Good luck on your exam! May the Force be with you!
Synonyms
35
8.1
Good wishes for someone starting a journey or new task to be safe and successful
15
6.3
To wish someone good luck before a performance
To wish someone good luck when the result depends on chance
Surface Forms
Morphology
may + the + force + be + with + you
The components literally combine an optative auxiliary ('may') with a noun for a source of power ('Force') and a supportive prepositional phrase ('be with you'), so a learner who knows the words can infer a wish that a protective/influential power accompany someone. However, the phrase is a fixed, cultural formula (originally from Star Wars) and requires familiarity with the optative use of 'may' and the culturalized sense of 'the Force', so the exact pragmatic meaning 'good luck/support' may not be fully predictable to all B1 learners.
Etymology
May the Force be with you comes from the Star Wars films. In the movies, the Force is an invisible power that helps and protects people, so saying may the Force be with you became a friendly way to wish someone 'good luck' or success.