ça a l'air bon
To say looks good in French when talking about food, use ça a l'air bon. It says a dish looks tasty.
ça a l'air bon is a casual comment on how food looks before you eat it.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally reads it has the air good. a l'air comes from the idiom for to look or to seem.
Which one should you use?
ça a l'air délicieux is a stronger way to say the food looks particularly delicious. If you mean that clothes look good on someone, say Ça te va super bien to a friend or Ça vous va bien politely.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the verb regarder to mean looks. Avoid ça regarde bon and say ça a l'air bon.
Did you know?
- Even though English speakers use the word 'looks' to describe food, using the French verb regarder in this context would make it sound as if the food itself has eyes and is performing the action of watching.
- The word bon in ça a l'air bon shares an ancient ancestor with the Latin word bonus, which was originally duenos in Old Latin.
- The phrase ça a l'air bon describes the food's appearance, but once you taste it, you must switch to c'est bon to say it tastes good.
Examples in context
- Ça a l'air bon.This looks good.This is the standard way to say a dish looks good.Tatoeba #1808958 by sacredceltic, translation #1808247 by Spamster
- Tes cheveux sont magnifiquesYour hair is gorgeous
- Ta tenue est parfaiteYour outfit is perfect
- J'adore comment tu es habillé(e)I love how you are dressed
- Tu as vraiment du styleYou have great style
- T'as un look d'enferYou have an amazing look
- Cette robe te met en valeurThis dress enhances your beauty
- Oh, ça a l'air bon !Oh, that looks good!
- Ce gâteau, ça a l'air bon.That cake looks good.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa shows Gabriel the meal she just prepared.
- GabrielQu'est-ce que tu as préparé ?What did you prepare?
- LéaC'est un nouveau plat de pâtes.It's a new pasta dish.
- GabrielMiam, ça a l'air bon !Yum, that looks good!
- LéaMerci, j'espère que tu aimeras.Thanks, I hope you like it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, bon, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
