приятного аппетита
priyatnogo appetita
The English phrase "enjoy your meal" is translated into Russian as приятного аппетита (priyatnogo appetita).
приятного аппетита is the most common way to say "enjoy your meal" in Russian. It is a polite phrase used for someone who is about to start eating. You may also encounter variations such as приятного аппетита, крошка, which is an affectionate way to address someone, especially children, while wishing them to enjoy their meal or приятного аппетита и хорошего дня, which means "enjoy your meal and have a nice day".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "of pleasant appetite".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is in the genitive case. In Russian, this is a common way to express a wish, effectively functioning as "[I wish you] of pleasant appetite".
How do you pronounce it?
priyatnogo appetita
When do people say it?
When someone says приятного аппетита to you, the standard response is спасибо (thank you).
Did you know?
- While приятного аппетита is standard, some Russians avoid it because of a superstition that wishing someone a 'good appetite' might actually cause them to lose it or experience indigestion.
- In very informal settings, Russians might skip the formal phrase and simply say кушай на здоровье, which literally means 'eat for your health'.
- The word аппетит is used in Russian to describe not just hunger, but a person's greed or ambition in business and politics, similar to the English 'appetite for power'.
Examples in context
- Приятного аппетита! Вы уже начали?Enjoy your meal! Did you already start?This example shows how to use приятного аппетита when asking if someone has already started eating.Tatoeba #6935149 by marafon, translation #6935531 by kaiperkins271
- Приятного аппетита.Enjoy your meal.This is a simple way to say приятного аппетита.Tatoeba #2569774 by odexed, translation #2192197 by acbarbosa
- Всем приятного аппетита!Enjoy your meal, everyone!This shows how to use приятного аппетита when addressing a group of people.Tatoeba #6165517 by marafon, translation #10016473 by AlanF_US
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sergey and Anastasia are sitting down for lunch.
- Сергей SergeyПриятного аппетита, Анастасия!Priyatnogo appetita, Anastasiya!Enjoy your meal, Anastasia!
- Анастасия AnastasiaСпасибо, Сергей! И тебе приятного аппетита.Spasibo, Sergey! I tebe priyatnogo appetita.Thank you, Sergey! Enjoy your meal too.
- Сергей SergeyСпасибо. Выглядит очень вкусно.Spasibo. Vyglyadit ochen vkusno.Thanks. It looks very tasty.
- Анастасия AnastasiaДа, я очень голодна.Da, ya ochen golodna.Yes, I am very hungry.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
