Il cibo era buono
/il ˈt͡ʃi.bo ˈɛ.ra ˈbwɔ.no/word by word
Il cibo era buono is the Italian way to say "the food was good".
This phrase is a statement used to convey that the taste or quality of a meal was satisfactory. In a restaurant setting, Italians often omit the subject Il cibo and simply say Era buono if the context of the meal is clear.
Which one should you use?
For a more natural and enthusiastic way to say the food was good, you can use the superlative form Era tutto buonissimo, which means "Everything was delicious".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /il ˈtʃi.bo ˈɛ.ra ˈbwɔ.no/. The word has 7 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Il cibo era buona. English speakers often mistakenly match the adjective to the person's gender rather than the gender of the noun cibo, which is masculine.
Did you know?
- The word cibo has a surprising relative in Spanish and Portuguese: the words cebo and cevo, which actually mean 'bait' rather than 'food'.
Examples in context
- Il pasto era di alta qualità.The meal was of high quality.
- La cena era da leccarsi i baffi!The dinner was finger-licking good!
- Il cibo era buono ieri sera.The food was good last night.
- Sinceramente, il cibo era buono.Honestly, the food was good.
- Il cibo era buono, ma il servizio era lento.The food was good, but the service was slow.
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are discussing their dinner at a restaurant.
- MatteoTi è piaciuta la cena?Did you like the dinner?
- MartinaSì, il cibo era buono.Yes, the food was good.
- MatteoAnche a me è sembrata ottima.It seemed excellent to me too.
- MartinaTorneremo sicuramente qui.We will definitely come back here.
