buon appetito
/ˈbwɔn ap.peˈti.to/
buon appetito is the Italian phrase for "good appetite".
buon appetito is used as a polite interjection to wish others an enjoyable meal before they begin eating, similar to saying "Enjoy your meal" in English.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the interjection and the noun phrase. While buon appetito is used to wish someone a good meal, un buon appetito refers to a person's actual physical capacity or desire to eat a large amount of food.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase buon appetito, the adjective buon is the truncated form of buono used because it precedes a vowel.
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 and others are also eating, a common and polite response is grazie, altrettanto, which means "thanks, same to you".
Did you know?
- In certain high-society Italian circles, wishing someone buon appetito can be seen as a subtle insult. It can imply that the person is so hungry that they lack the refinement to wait for the food to be enjoyed properly.
- If a host or waiter needs to leave the table while guests are still dining, they will often say buon proseguimento instead of buon appetito. This wishes the guests a 'good continuation' of their meal rather than a 'good appetite'.
- The phrase perdere l'appetito, which literally means 'to lose the appetite', is used figuratively in Italian to describe becoming disgusted or repulsed by a situation.
Examples in context
- Ha un buon appetito.He has a good appetite.This sentence shows how to use buon appetito to describe someone's appetite.Tatoeba #5163738 by Guybrush88, translation #299795 by CK
- Ho un buon appetito.I have a good appetite.This sentence shows how to use buon appetito to describe one's own appetite.Tatoeba #5876980 by Guybrush88, translation #258757 by CK
- Ho un buon appetito stamattina.I have a good appetite this morning.Tatoeba #3954229 by Guybrush88, translation #242186 by CK
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are sitting down at a restaurant.
- ChiaraIl cibo sembra delizioso, buon appetito!The food looks delicious, enjoy your meal!
- MatteoGrazie, anche a te, Chiara.Thank you, you too, Chiara.
- ChiaraGrazie, iniziamo subito.Thanks, let's start right away.
- MatteoSì, è il momento di mangiare.Yes, it is time to eat.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buon appetito, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
