お疲れ様でした。
Otsukaresama deshita.
Thanks for your hard work today.
- Word for word
- “You were tired (from your efforts).”
- Politeness: Polite
- です/ます style. The safe default with strangers, shop staff and colleagues.
- When you would say it
- At the end of the day, a meeting, or a project.
- Worth knowing
- Past tense marks completion.