How to Say "It Was Good" in French

c'était bon

To say it was good in French, use c'était bon. It is used to say that food or drink tasted pleasant.

c'était bon is what you say after a meal to tell the cook or host that you enjoyed the food.

Which one should you use?

c'était délicieux is stronger and means it was delicious. C'était super! and C'était génial! are casual ways to say something was great.

c'était is the past tense form, so the phrase simply moves it is good into the past.

Keep c'était bon for taste. For a film or a party, French uses a different adjective meaning well or fine.

The word bon descends from the archaic Latin duenos, which underwent a phonetic shift from 'd' to 'b' over centuries to become the Latin bonus we recognize today.
Depending on the regional context, saying c'était bon with a specific rising intonation can be used as a sarcastic way to suggest the food was actually mediocre.
If you say c'était bien about a meal instead of c'était bon, you might be suggesting the food was technically sufficient or well-prepared but not necessarily tasty.

Je pensais que c'était bon.
I thought it was good.
Here c'était bon follows Je pensais que, meaning I thought.
Tatoeba #2071347 by sacredceltic, translation #1887805 by CK
Votre service était bon, je suis satisfait de mon achat
Your service was good, I am satisfied with my purchase
C'était bon, merci beaucoup.
It was good, thank you very much.
Je crois que c'était bon.
I think it was good.

Chloé and Hugo are finishing a meal at a restaurant.

Chloé

Tu as aimé ton plat ?
Did you like your dish?
Hugo

Oui, c'était bon.
Yes, it was good.
Chloé

C'est vrai, le dessert aussi était excellent.
True, the dessert was excellent too.
Hugo

Je suis tout à fait d'accord.
I completely agree.

Sources

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