# set phrases before/after meals



## taked4700

In Japan, people say, 'Itadakimasu' before eating meals and 'Gochisousamadesita' after finishing eating meals.

What do you say before/after meals?


----------



## Turoyaki

In Mexico, *provecho *before eating meals. I don't know of any for when you finish.


----------



## brian

In English, before meals we say _bon appetit_, in the sense of "(have a) good meal," from French. I don't think we have a set phrase for after a meal.

Same goes for most of the western European languages, for example:

Italian: _Buon appetito!_
German: _Guten Appetit! / Mahlzeit _("mealtime") _/ _Switzerland: _En Guete! / Ä Guetä!_

The only things I can think of for after a meal would be non-set-phrases like _That was delicious, I really enjoyed that meal, _etc.


----------



## RaLo18

In Hebrew: בתאבון is used before eating (_with appetite_, similar meaning to _bon appetit_, pronounced _bete'avon_).
I can't think of an after-meal phrase.


----------



## sokol

There *is *acutally a set phrase in German which may be used after the meal, but only in very specific contexts: for example, in restaurants (or - at least in Austria!) the waiter will usually ask when serving of the plate "Hat's geschmeckt?" = "Did you enjoy the food?", and you answer with something like "Danke, sehr gut!" (or similar, you can vary the answer) which means "Thanks, it was excellent".

Only if the meal *really *was awful you may decline to offer your thank-you (or even complain about it), else you should say your thanks when asked that question.

Also it is possible that you will be asked the same - "Hat's geschmeckt?" - when invited to friends, in which case you should say your thanks even *if *the meal really was awful.


----------



## mirx

In México we you to say "satisfecho", but I am almost sure that it was a family thing.


----------



## Turoyaki

Taked4700,

Do you say that before and after the meals or do you say that TO the people who's at the table?

That may change our responses.


----------



## federicoft

As mentioned, in Italian you can say '_buon appetito_' before meals, but this is usually restricted just to family or close friends.

In more formal settings there isn't any particular set phrase to say, and talking too much about food is generally discouraged (even the Italian equivalents for words such as 'food' or 'meal' are used in a much narrower sense).

Likewise, praising the cook for a good meal as might be expected in other cultures is not really required, because it is understood as a duty: a simple "thank you" will be enough.


----------



## taked4700

Turoyaki said:


> Taked4700,
> 
> Do you say that before and after the meals or do you say that TO the people who's at the table?
> 
> That may change our responses.



I think it's up to the person who utters the set-phrase.

In other words, even when being alone we say 'itadakimasu' and 'gochisousamadeshita' just as a ceremony or to show gratitude to gods or to someone who would cook the dishes.

'Itadakimasu' means you are to start eating.
'Gochisousamadeshita' means you just have finished eating.
But both expressions are not something people use when they want to convey that meaning.  We just see these expressions as set-phrases.


----------



## Grop

brian8733 said:


> The only things I can think of for after a meal would be non-set-phrases like _That was delicious, I really enjoyed that meal, _etc.



Hi, you already mentioned "Bon appétit !"

This is pretty much the same in French for after the meal: we have no set phrase, but you may always say something nice. _C'était très bon_, _j'ai vraiment bien mangé_, etc. I often say nothing at this time, because if it was good, I probably mentioned it while eating.


----------



## Argónida

¡Buen provecho!
¡Que aproveche!


----------



## anikka

In Latvian: Labu apetīti!
That stands for - good appetite
After the meal you normally say just paldies - thank you!


----------



## elirlandes

In Ireland you will hear "Bon appetit", although more and more I am hearing "Enjoy!" (which sounds very American to me...)

In Irish, there is no set way of saying it, but as ever, there are many versions...
Bain sult as! = Enjoy it! [lit.Take enjoyment from it!]
Bia blásta! = Tasty food!
Bolg is teann chugat = I hope you fill your belly [lit. The tightest stomach to you]
Go ndéana maith duit = may it do you good

A personal favorite that you hear when people are reunited at table for the first time in a while is:
go mbéimid beo ar an am seo arís : may we all be alive and together at the same time next year [lit: may we all be alive again at the same time/occasion]


Lastly - there is a famous story of an Irish politician who, on one of his first trips to Brussels, sat beside a French speaker for lunch. When his dining companion said "bon appetit", our not-so-worldly-wise politician offered his hand and said his name, thinking that the other gentleman was called "Bon Appetit" and was introducing himself.


----------



## sdr083

_Takk for maten _- "Thank you for the food" is one of the first phrases children in Norway learn to use regularly (about the same time they learn to say "Thank you" for anything else they receive).  Everyone says it, even the person who made the food (my personal theory is that there's a religious component to it).
Before the meal the on ewho made it could say "Versågod" or something like it, meaning more or less "dig in" or "go ahead" or whatever, but this is optional.  It's also quite common to compliment the person who made the food after the meal, but again, not necessary.  Only "takk for maten" is absolutely obligatory.  To me this is so natural it actually makes me very uncomfortable when I'm abroad and don't know what to say when I've finish my meal...


----------



## brian

So you use _takk for maten_ both before and after the meal? And it's obligatory for both?


----------



## sdr083

brian8733 said:


> So you use _takk for maten_ both before and after the meal? And it's obligatory for both?



No, only after.  You don't really have to say anything before the meal, but often the person who made it will say something like "versågod" or "velbekomme" (forgot this one earlier) when everyone has been seated, to signal that you can start helping yourself to the food.


----------



## brian

OH okay.  Your post above didn't explicitly say that _takk for maten_ was for *after* the meal, and for some reason I assumed you were talking about before the meal. Whoops.

Thanks.


----------



## Trisia

Such a great idea for a thread 

Right before a meal we say: "Poftă bună!" (bon appetit)
After a meal, the children/guests say to the cook/host: Sărut-mâna pentru masă (_very polite_ thank you - literally "we kiss your hand", but that rarely happens  -- for this meal). The host answers: Să vă fie de bine (much good may it do you)


----------



## miguel89

As others have already said, in Spanish we use to say "*provecho*"  (lit. benefit) before meals and "*salud*" ([good] health / cheers) before drinking in a meal.


----------



## Chaska Ñawi

This is interesting about "provecho" being said _before _meals in Mexico.  I don't remember hearing it in Mexico; but in Bolivia it appears _after _the meal, when you leave the table.


----------



## mirx

Chaska Ñawi said:


> This is interesting about "provecho" being said _before _meals in Mexico. I don't remember hearing it in Mexico; but in Bolivia it appears _after _the meal, when you leave the table.


 
It is said before, during or atfer the meal.

If everyone starts eating at the same time someone will say "provecho".
If people are already and somebody joins the table it is good manners of him to say "provecho" as a gesture to soften the interruption to those ones already dinning.

If someone finishes beofore the rest and for some reason needs to leave before the others have finished, he is also expected to wish "provecho" to those ones remaining at the table.


----------



## Chaska Ñawi

mirx said:


> If people are already and somebody joins the table it is good manners of him to say "provecho" as a gesture to soften the interruption to those ones already dinning.



You're right ... how could I have forgotten?  It's a big part of etiquette at the comedores.


----------



## Pedro y La Torre

elirlandes said:


> In Ireland you will hear "Bon appetit", although more and more I am hearing "Enjoy!" (which sounds very American to me...)



I hear _enjoy_ far more than bon appetit, but in my family we don't really say anything at all, we just eat


----------



## MarcB

In Arabic I hear before a meal bismallah( in the name of God) and after alHamdulillah(praise God).


----------



## Turoyaki

mirx said:


> It is said before, during or atfer the meal.
> 
> If everyone starts eating at the same time someone will say "provecho".
> If people are already and somebody joins the table it is good manners of him to say "provecho" as a gesture to soften the interruption to those ones already dinning.
> 
> If someone finishes beofore the rest and for some reason needs to leave before the others have finished, he is also expected to wish "provecho" to those ones remaining at the table.



Now that you mention it, that is the exact same usage of "provecho" in Mexico too, I'm sorry that I didn't mention those variations on my original post.

One more is when you just enter the room in which people is eating already, you're also say "provecho" even if you don't seat at the table. However, this one is probably not very common anymore, it's mostly used at home but not much in restaurants, unless you're familiar with the clientele.


----------



## Bashti

Actualmente en España no se dice nada. Resulta poco elegante. En familia o entre amigos cercanos se puede comentar lo bueno que está un plato pero en comidas de más protocolo no sería correcto. Únicamente se dan las gracias al despedirse.


----------



## Encolpius

sdr083 said:


> _Takk for maten _- "Thank you for the food" is one of the first phrases children in Norway learn to use regularly (about the same time they learn to say "Thank you" for anything else they receive).  Everyone says it, even the person who made the food (my personal theory is that there's a religious component to it)....



I cannot say if it is a common *Hungarian *habit but my parents taught me to say "*thank you*" after finishing the meal as well. I am not sure but I think Czechs say is sometimes as well. So Hungarians before starting the meal: Jó étvágyat! ["enjoy your meal"], after: Köszönöm az ebédet! Köszönöm a vacsorát! [Thank you for the dinner/lunch] and the cook usually answers: Váljék egészségedre!


----------



## The Lord of Gluttony

Turkish people say _Afiyet olsun _before meals. I guess the literal translation would be _May there be health (for/upon you)_. It expresses the wishes of good health for the person who eats the meal. 

I am open to corrections.



sokol said:


> There *is *acutally a set phrase in German which may be used after the meal, but only in very specific contexts: for example, in restaurants (or - at least in Austria!) the waiter will usually ask when serving of the plate "Hat's geschmeckt?" = "Did you enjoy the food?", and you answer with something like "Danke, sehr gut!" (or similar, you can vary the answer) which means "Thanks, it was excellent".
> 
> Only if the meal *really *was awful you may decline to offer your thank-you (or even complain about it), else you should say your thanks when asked that question.
> 
> Also it is possible that you will be asked the same - "Hat's geschmeckt?" - when invited to friends, in which case you should say your thanks even *if *the meal really was awful.



What about_ Guten Appetit_?  I have heard in Germany many times. People say _guten Appetit_ after serving the meal, or when they see someone starting to eat his meal.


----------



## irinet

Religious families mostly, but also families who do not necessarily go to church so often, do say a prayer before meals and finish the meals with: "Mulțumescu-ți ție Doamne pentru ce ne-ai pus pe masă, sare, pâine, apă!" This means: "Thank you God/ Lord for what you have given us to eat, salt, bread and water". Mentioning the 3 products represents the appreciation for a tasty food (salt), the holy bread and the most important natural resource to drink, water. Of course, the sign of Cross, is not missing when talking to God. 
There is also a funny closing-sentence (in rhymes, like a song) that we use: "Săru'mâna pentru masă, / mâncarea gustoasă / și bucătăreasa frumoasă!"  It means: "Thank you for the tasty meal and to the beautiful cook!" It implies the idea that the cook is always a female. We wont't say that to a male cook!
See you


----------



## Mackinder

Before: Buen provecho
After: Muchas gracias. Muchas gracias, estaba muy rico


----------



## إسكندراني

Before eating: besmella (invoking God's name)
after eating: elhamdolellah (praising God)
And to each other we say belhana welshefa before and/or after (with joy and healing) 
and to whoever made the food, teslam edek(i) (may your hands be safe)
the last couple are peculiarly egyptian but all muslims say the first two


----------



## velisarius

In Greek too it's polite to tell the person who cooked the meal or brought the home-made dessert "Health to your hands".

When my mother-in-law used to begin the preparation of a traditional delicacy that would take some skill and hard work, she would say "In your name _Panagia" (Virgin Mary)._


----------

