Which one should you use?
Use c'est délicieux if you are currently eating the food, whereas c'était délicieux is used after you have finished the meal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal settings, you can say Le repas était exquis (the meal was exquisite) or J'ai trouvé le plat succulent (I found the dish succulent). In informal environments, such as among friends and family, you might say C'était trop bon! (it was so good!), Qu'est-ce que c'était bon! (how good it was!) or J'ai adoré ce plat! (I loved this dish). The phrase c'était un régal (it was a treat/delight) is a common, slightly more expressive way to say the meal was delicious in casual settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are referring specifically to a feminine noun like la soupe (the soup), you can also say elle était délicieuse to match the gender.
Did you know?
- To express extreme satisfaction with a meal, some French speakers use the slang term une tuerie, literally meaning 'a killing'.
- If you want to sound like a local in a very casual setting, you can use the word trop in C'était trop bon!, where 'trop' actually means 'too' but functions as 'very' in slang.
- In France, if you want to emphasize that a meal was delicious, you might accompany your words with a slight tilt of the head and a closed-eye expression of pleasure.
Examples in context
- Tom a goûté la soupe et a dit que c'était délicieux.Tom tasted the soup and said it was delicious.This sentence is useful for showing how to use c'était délicieux when reporting what someone said about the soup.Tatoeba #5496428 by pititnatole, translation #4016464 by CK
- J'ai trouvé le dessert tellement délicieux! Les saveurs se mariaient parfaitement.I found the dessert so delicious! The flavors paired perfectly.
- C'était trop bon! Tu as vraiment bien cuisiné ce repas.It was so good! You really cooked this meal well.
- Merci, c'était délicieux.Thank you, it was delicious.
- Le dessert était parfait, c'était délicieux.The dessert was perfect, it was delicious.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are finishing a dinner at a restaurant.
- LucasChloé, tu as aimé ton plat ?Chloé, did you like your dish?
- ChloéOui, c'était délicieux !Yes, it was delicious!
- LucasJe suis content que tu aies apprécié.I am glad you enjoyed it.
- ChloéLe chef est vraiment talentueux.The chef is truly talented.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it was delicious” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
