잘 먹었습니다
jal meogeotseumnida
The English phrase "that was delicious" can be translated into Korean as 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida).
잘 먹었습니다 is a polite expression used specifically at the end of a meal to express gratitude to the person who prepared or provided the food.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 잘 먹었습니다 literally translates to "I ate well".
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite phrase 잘 먹었습니다 can be shortened to the informal 잘 먹었어 when speaking to friends or people younger than you.
How do you pronounce it?
jal meogeotseumnida
Did you know?
- The word 잘 in this phrase typically means 'well', but in other contexts, it can be used sarcastically to mean 'very' in a negative sense, such as 'you really messed up'.
- In very traditional settings, the youngest person at the table waits for the oldest person to finish their meal and say 잘 먹었습니다 before they can leave the table.
- Even if the food was not particularly tasty, it is culturally standard to say 잘 먹었습니다 to avoid offending your host or the person who prepared it.
Examples in context
- 정말 잘 먹었습니다.jeongmal jal meogeossseumnida.That was really delicious.
- 잘 먹었습니다, 감사합니다.jal meogeossseumnida, gamsahamnida.That was delicious, thank you.
- 오늘 점심 정말 잘 먹었습니다.oneul jeomsim jeongmal jal meogeossseumnida.Today's lunch was delicious.
Example conversation
Dohyeon and Subin finish eating a meal at a restaurant.
- 도현 Do-hyeon수빈 씨, 잘 먹었습니다.Subin-ssi, jal meogeossseumnida.Subin, that was delicious.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨도 잘 먹었어요?Dohyeon-ssi-do jal meogeosseoyo?Did you enjoy it too, Dohyeon?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 정말 맛있었어요.ne, jeongmal masisseosseoyo.Yes, it was really delicious.
- 수빈 Su-bin다행이네요.dahaeng-ineyo.I am glad to hear that.
