ça a l'air bon
To say that looks good in French, use ça a l'air bon. It is mostly said about food that looks tasty.
Use ça a l'air bon when a meal is put in front of you or when you see something appetizing, before you have tasted it.
What does it mean word for word?
ça means that, and ça a l'air means it looks or it seems, so the phrase literally reads as that has the air good.
Which one should you use?
ça a l'air bon describes how something looks. After tasting, French speakers switch to a phrase that says it is good. C'est canon. means that's awesome and Ça a de la gueule. means that's got style, both informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bon stays masculine singular even if the thing you mean is a feminine noun, because ça is a neutral pronoun.
Did you know?
- While ça a l'air bon refers to the appearance of food, the informal phrase ça a de la gueule uses the word gueule, which specifically refers to the mouth or jaw of an animal.
- The word bon descends from the Proto-Italic *dwenos and Latin bonus, making it a very distant relative of several English words related to goodness.
Examples in context
- Ça a l'air bon.That looks good.Here Ça a l'air bon is said as a short reply on its own.Tatoeba #1808958 by sacredceltic, translation #1897756 by CK
- Oh, ça a l'air bon !Oh, that looks good!
- Ce gâteau, ça a l'air bon.That cake looks good.
Example conversation
A couple is looking at a menu in a restaurant.
- ChloéRegarde ce plat, ça a l'air bon.Look at this dish, it looks good.
- GabrielOui, il est très appétissant.Yes, it is very appetizing.
- ChloéTu veux le commander, Gabriel ?Do you want to order it, Gabriel?
- GabrielD'accord, prenons-le !Okay, let's get it!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, bon, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
