In much of the world you don't just start eating — you wish everyone a good meal first. English quietly borrows the French "bon appétit" because it never had its own. Here's the phrase in ten languages, with a couple of lovely twists.
- 🇫🇷 French — Bon appétit — bon ah-peh-TEE — The one the whole world borrowed.
- 🇪🇸 Spanish — ¡Buen provecho! — bwehn proh-VEH-choh — Often shortened to just provecho; polite to say to strangers dining near you, too.
- 🇮🇹 Italian — Buon appetito — bwohn ah-peh-TEE-toh
- 🇩🇪 German — Guten Appetit — GOO-ten ah-peh-TEET — At work you'll also hear a quick Mahlzeit! ("mealtime!") around lunch.
- 🇵🇹 Portuguese — Bom apetite — bohn ah-peh-TEE-teh
- 🇳🇱 Dutch — Eet smakelijk — ayt SMAH-kuh-luk — "Eat tastily" — a warm little wish before digging in.
- 🇷🇺 Russian — Приятного аппетита — pri-YAT-na-va a-pi-TEE-ta
- 🇯🇵 Japanese — いただきます — i-ta-da-ki-mas — Fun fact: you say this about yourself — "I humbly receive" — with a small bow, before eating. Afterwards: ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita), "thank you for the feast".
- 🇰🇷 Korean — 잘 먹겠습니다 — jal meok-ge-sseum-ni-da — Likewise self-directed: "I will eat well", a thank-you to whoever prepared the meal.
- 🇸🇦 Arabic — بالهناء والشفاء — bil-hanaa' wa ash-shifaa' — "With pleasure and health"; in the Levant you'll also hear saHtein ("double health").
Say it before the first bite and you instantly belong at the table. Practise it with a native speaker below — mealtimes are where language and culture meet most deliciously.
