smakelijk eten
/ˈsmaːkələk ˈeː.tə(n)/word by word
The English phrase 'good appetite' is translated into Dutch as smakelijk eten.
smakelijk eten is the standard way to wish someone an enjoyable meal, equivalent to the English 'enjoy your meal' or the French 'bon appétit'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adverb smakelijk (tasty/appetizing) and the verb eten (to eat).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual settings, people often shorten the phrase to just smakelijk!
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈsmaːkələk ˈeː.tə(n)/. The stress is on the first syllable of the three-syllable word smakelijk.
When do people say it?
When someone says smakelijk eten to you, the standard response is dank je wel or dank u wel (thank you).
Did you know?
- The word smaak (taste) is closely related to the English word 'smack', used in the sense of 'smacking one's lips' when something is delicious.
- In some formal Dutch circles, it is considered more polite to wait for the host to say smakelijk before starting the meal.
- While smakelijk eten is the standard, you may hear eet smakelijk in the Netherlands, which simply flips the word order without changing the meaning.
Examples in context
- Eet smakelijk! Veel plezier met eten!Enjoy your meal! Have fun eating!
- Smakelijk eten, allemaal!Enjoy your meal, everyone!
- Dank je, jij ook. Smakelijk eten!Thank you, you too. Enjoy your meal!
- Zet het eten maar klaar, smakelijk eten!Set the food out, enjoy your meal!
Example conversation
Daan and Emma are sitting at a dining table with prepared food.
- DaanHet ziet er lekker uit. Smakelijk eten, Emma!It looks delicious. Enjoy your meal, Emma!
- EmmaDank je wel, Daan. Jij ook!Thank you, Daan. You too!
- DaanSmakelijk eten!Enjoy your meal!
- EmmaDank je.Thank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry smakelijk eten, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (smakelijk, eten) and can differ in connected speech.
