bon appétit
/bɔ.n‿a.pe.ti/
The English phrase 'enjoy food' is expressed in French as bon appétit.
Bon appétit is used to mean 'Enjoy your meal' and is commonly heard before a meal. In a food context, you may also encounter terms like entrée for starter, plat principal for main course and dessert for dessert.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good appetite'.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔ.n‿a.pe.ti/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the final 't' in appétit, but it should be silent.
Did you know?
- In high-society French circles, some believe that wishing 'appetite' is actually quite rude because it implies the guests are hungry or lack self-control.
- The word appétit is derived from the Latin appetītus, which relates to the act of desiring or longing for something.
- If you want to avoid the etiquette debate surrounding bon appétit, you can simply say Bonne dégustation to guests, which means 'Enjoy the tasting'.
Examples in context
- Profitez bien de votre repas, savourez-le !Enjoy your meal, savor it!
- Bon appétit !Enjoy your meal!
- Bon appétit à tous.Enjoy your meal, everyone.
- Merci, bon appétit !Thank you, enjoy your meal!
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are sitting down at a restaurant.
- GabrielLe plat arrive, bon appétit !The dish is arriving, enjoy your meal!
- LéaMerci Gabriel, bon appétit à toi aussi.Thank you Gabriel, enjoy your meal too.
- GabrielC'est très bon.It is very good.
- LéaOui, c'est délicieux.Yes, it is delicious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bon appétit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries appétit, bon, bon appétit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
