Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| es war köstlich |
| es hat mir sehr gut geschmeckt |
| es hat uns sehr gut geschmeckt |
These phrases are used to compliment a meal after eating it. While es war köstlich describes the quality of the food itself, the most common and natural way to compliment a host or a chef in German-speaking countries is to say es hat mir sehr gut geschmeckt, which translates to "it tasted very good to me".
Which one should you use?
es war köstlich is a more formal and emphatic way to describe the quality of the food itself. In contrast, es hat mir sehr gut geschmeckt focuses on your personal enjoyment of the taste.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Switzerland, one might say Es het super gschmeckt! to mean "It tasted great!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase es hat mir sehr gut geschmeckt uses the dative pronoun mir (to me) because the verb schmecken (to taste) governs the dative case in German. Use uns instead of mir if you are speaking on behalf of a group of people, such as a family or a couple, to say the meal was delicious for everyone.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying es schmeckt mir gut when referring to a meal that has already been finished. Instead, use the perfect tense es hat geschmeckt to indicate the meal is over.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Ich probierte ein Häppchen Kuchen und es war köstlich.I tasted a morsel of pie and it was delicious.This sentence shows how to use es war köstlich to describe a piece of cake.Tatoeba #12412598 by Yorwba, translation #12391326 by Miktsoanit
- Es war köstlich.It was delicious.This sentence is a simple way to use es war köstlich.Tatoeba #7774866 by felix63, translation #2209643 by Hybrid
- Ich hoffe, Ihnen hat das Essen geschmeckt.I hope you enjoyed the meal.
- Ja, es hat mega geschmeckt! Die Kombination von Schokolade und Erdbeeren war genial!Yes, it tasted amazing! The combination of chocolate and strawberries was genius!
Example conversation
Felix and Laura are finishing a meal at a restaurant.
- FelixLaura, wie fandest du das Essen?Laura, how did you find the food?
- LauraEs war köstlich, danke!It was delicious, thanks!
- FelixIch bin auch sehr zufrieden.I am also very satisfied.
- LauraWir sollten bald wiederkommen.We should come back again soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it was delicious” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, gut, köstlich, mir, sehr, war, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
