잘 먹었습니다
jal meogeosseumnida
The phrase 'thank you for the food' in Korean is 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeosseumnida).
잘 먹었습니다 is used specifically after finishing a meal to express gratitude to the person who prepared or provided the food.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'I ate well'.
Which one should you use?
잘 먹었습니다 is the formal version, while 잘 먹었어 is the casual version used with close friends or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending –었습니다 in 잘 먹었습니다 is a formal, polite verb ending used to show respect to the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
jal meogeosseumnida
When do people say it?
In Korean culture, it is customary to say 잘 먹겠습니다 (I will eat well) before starting a meal and 잘 먹었습니다 (I ate well) after finishing it.
Did you know?
- While the phrase 잘 먹었습니다 means 'I ate well', the verb 먹다 (to eat) is often replaced by different words depending on the social status of the person being addressed. For example, when speaking to much older people, one might use a higher honorific form of the verb to show even greater respect.
- In Korea, finishing your meal by saying 잘 먹었습니다 is often accompanied by a small, polite bow. This physical gesture reinforces the verbal gratitude toward the person who prepared the meal.
- The word 잘 is of native Korean origin.
Examples in context
- 선생님, 오늘 음식 정말로 맛있었습니다. 감사합니다.Teacher, the food today was truly delicious. Thank you.
- 친구야, 늘 맛있는 음식을 사주니 정말 고마워.Hey, friend, thank you for always buying delicious food for me.
- 정말 잘 먹었습니다.jeongmal jal meogeotseumnida.I really enjoyed the meal.
- 잘 먹었습니다, 어머니.jal meogeotseumnida, eomeoni.Thank you for the food, mother.
- 덕분에 잘 먹었습니다.deokbun-e jal meogeotseumnida.Thanks to you, I had a good meal.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyeon are finishing lunch at a small restaurant.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현 씨, 음식 맛이 어땠어요?Dohyeon-ssi, eumsigi mas-i eottaesseoyo?Dohyeon, how was the food?
- 도현 Do-hyeon정말 맛있었어요. 잘 먹었습니다.jeongmal masisseosseoyo. jal meogeotseumnida.It was delicious. Thank you for the food.
- 서연 Seo-yeon다행이네요. 잘 먹었습니다.dahaeng-ineyo. jal meogeotseumnida.I'm glad. Thank you for the meal.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨도 맛있게 드셨나요?Seoyeon-ssido masitge deusyeonnayo?Did you enjoy it too, Seoyeon?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 잘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
