How to Say “A Meal Was Good” in Italian

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il pasto era buono
/il ˈpas.to ˈɛ.ra ˈbwɔ.no/word by word
The phrase 'a meal was good' in Italian is expressed as il pasto era buono.
This phrase is used to state that the food eaten during a meal tasted pleasant. When you want to emphasize how delicious something was, you can use the word delizioso and point to your mouth. If you want to say something was extremely good, you can say buonissimo! while making a thumbs-up gesture. Other ways to describe a meal include eccezionale (exceptional) and indimenticabile (unforgettable).

How does it change in a sentence?

You can choose between different ways to express the quality of a meal depending on the context. Use il pasto è stato buono to describe a specific, completed meal. In contrast, use il pasto era buono to describe the quality of the meal as a continuous state in the past. In spoken Italian, you may move the subject to the end of the sentence to emphasize the quality, such as in era buono il pasto.

How do you pronounce it?

/il ˈpas.to ˈɛ.ra ˈbwɔ.no/. The word has 7 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid saying il pasto era bene. English speakers often mistakenly use bene (well) instead of buono (good) when describing the quality of food. In Italian, bene refers to how an action is performed, whereas buono refers to the quality of a noun like food.

Did you know?

  • In Italy, it is common to express a meal was good by bunching the fingers of one hand together and moving them toward the cheek, often accompanied by a sound of satisfaction.
  • The word pasto shares its origin with the Latin word for 'pasture', linking the idea of a meal to the grazing of livestock.
  • While buono describes the taste of the food, Italians often use the phrase ho mangiato bene to say they had a good overall dining experience.

Examples in context

  • Spero che il pasto sia stato di suo gradimento
    I hope you enjoyed the meal
  • Mi è piaciuto molto il pasto, complimenti allo chef!
    I really enjoyed the meal, compliments to the chef!
  • Il cibo era davvero delizioso! Complimenti a tutti!
    The food was truly delicious! Congratulations to everyone!
  • Grazie mille per il pasto, è stato buonissimo!
    Thank you very much for the meal, it was extremely good!

Example conversation

Lorenzo and Sofia are finishing lunch at a restaurant.

  1. Lorenzo

    Che ne pensi della cena?
    What do you think of the dinner?
  2. Sofia

    Sì, il pasto era buono!
    Yes, the meal was good!
  3. Lorenzo

    Sono contento che ti sia piaciuta.
    I am glad that you liked it.
  4. Sofia

    Era davvero tutto squisito.
    Everything was truly delicious.

Sources

  • IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (il, pasto, era, buono) and can differ in connected speech.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries buono, era, il, pasto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Olivia Peggy
Olivia PeggyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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