buon appetito
/ˈbwɔn ap.peˈti.to/
To say "enjoy your food" in Italian, you say buon appetito.
Buon appetito is a phrase used to wish someone a pleasant meal before they begin eating. It translates to "Good appetite" or "Enjoy your meal."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good appetite".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase buon appetito, the word buon is the masculine singular form of the adjective buono, which is used to agree with the masculine noun appetito.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/ˈbwɔn ap.peˈti.to/', 'syllables': 4, 'stressed_syllable': '1 of 4'}
When do people say it?
When someone says buon appetito to you, a common response is Grazie, altrettanto!, which means "Thanks, same to you!"
Did you know?
- While buon appetito is common, some aristocratic circles in Italy historically considered it impolite to say, as wishing for an appetite implied that the guests were hungry or desperate for food.
- In some regional Italian cultures, it is considered bad luck to say buon appetito during a funeral luncheon or a wake.
- In many Italian households, rather than saying a phrase, the host might simply present the food and say Mangia! which means 'Eat!'
Examples in context
- Buon appetito!Enjoy your food.This example shows how to use buon appetito as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #482561 by Pharamp, translation #4430565 by Zaher
- Goditi il tuo pasto! Buona compagnia e tanta allegria!Enjoy your food! Good company and lots of joy!
- Buon appetito a tutti!Enjoy your meal, everyone!
- Grazie, buon appetito anche a te.Thanks, enjoy your food too.
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are sitting at a restaurant table with their food.
- ChiaraIl piatto sembra delizioso, buon appetito!The dish looks delicious, enjoy your food!
- MatteoGrazie Chiara, buon appetito anche a te.Thanks Chiara, enjoy your meal too.
- ChiaraGrazie, iniziamo!Thanks, let's start!
- MatteoSì, è tutto molto buono.Yes, everything is very good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buon appetito, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
