bon appetit
bon appetit
Meaning
- enjoy your meal/food
- literally translates to “good appetite”
- I hope that you have a hearty (healthy) appetite for this food
- I wish you pleasure in eating this food
- a way of wishing your fellow diners to have a good eating experience
- said either before a communal meal, or as you serve a meal to others
Example Sentences
- I want to thank you all for coming to my dinner party, and I’d like to wish you all bon appetit!
- It is polite to say something like “bon appetit” or “enjoy!” before sharing a meal with others.
- Here is your dinner, Darling. Bon appetit!
- Sally dear – please serve our guests their food, and wish them bon appetit.
- I know that we’re all excited to be here and to have the chance to once again enjoy the pleasure of Maria’s home cooking. So without further ado, I will wish us all bon appetit, and please ask if there is anything further that you need.
Origin
The saying ‘bon appetit’ is French, and the correct pronunciation is bon appeti – the last ‘t’ is silent in the French. But most English speakers pronounce it with the last ‘t’, as in bon appetit. There is some debate about whether the French actually use the phrase in everyday speech, but it has been adopted into the English language as a standard saying.
How to Respond?
How to answer/reply if someone wishes you, “Bon appétit?”
If the wishing person is a waiter, a delivery guy or someone who is not joining you for the meal, you can reply as “Thank you” in English. And if you want to respond in the same (French) language, you can say “Merci.” ‘Merci‘ is a french word that means ‘thank you‘ in English.
And if the wishing person is joining you for the meal, you can wish them the same – “Bon appétit!” Otherwise, look for the list of synonyms below; you may use either one from the list.
Synonyms
- enjoy!
- tuck in!
- dig in!
- eat up!
- dive in!
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