poftă bună
/ˌpof.tə ˈbu.nə/
To say "enjoy your meal" in Romanian, use poftă bună.
poftă bună is a polite phrase used to wish someone a pleasant meal before they begin eating. It is appropriate for a variety of settings, including at home with family, at a friend's house or in a restaurant.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good appetite", where poftă means "appetite" or "desire" and bună means "good".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌpof.tə ˈbu.nə/. The word has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
When do people say it?
When someone says poftă bună to you, the standard polite response is mulțumesc (thank you).
Did you know?
- In a playful or ironic context, Romanians might say poftă bună to someone who is eating something they themselves want but cannot have.
- Although poftă bună is for meals, the root word pofti can also be used to formally invite or summon someone to a place.
- If you are the host, saying poftă bună is not just polite but is often seen as the signal that the guests may finally begin eating.
Examples in context
- "Poftă bună, Mary." "Mulțumesc.""Enjoy your meal, Mary." "Thanks."This example shows how to respond with mulțumesc after being told poftă bună.Tatoeba #11650952 by carlosalberto, translation #11650865 by carlosalberto
- Poftă bună!Enjoy your meal!This example shows how to use the phrase as an exclamation.Tatoeba #399607 by Dorenda, translation #2370 by CK
- Poftă bună tuturor!Enjoy your meal, everyone!
Example conversation
Alexandru and Maria are sitting down at a restaurant.
- AlexandruPoftă bună, Maria!Enjoy your meal, Maria!
- MariaMulțumesc, Alexandru. Poftă bună și ție.Thank you, Alexandru. Enjoy your meal too.
- AlexandruMersi! Arată foarte bine.Thanks! It looks very good.
- MariaSper să fie delicios.I hope it is delicious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry poftă bună, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
