# bon appétit



## Ilmo

There hasn't been any thread about the expression used when beginning to eat with others in different languages and I thought it could be worthwhile.
As far as I kinow in English there is no special expression for this purpose, they only say "*let's begin*" or "*enjoy your meal*".
The expression in the title of this thread is French (if written correctly) and I guess most of us recognise it.
The Germans have copied it to their mother tongue and say "*guten Appetit*".
In Finnish we say correspondingly, without using the original French word, *hyvää ruokahalua* (literally: "good desire for food".
In Spansh I would say "*Buen provecho*" that is literally "good profit".
How in other languages - and are my examples correct?


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## Nunty

In Hebrew, it's בתאבון (b'teyavon), "with appetite".


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## aslan

We say "afiyet olsun"
It simply means that "*All you will eat or ate may become healty for your health*". or Maybe We may say ;"*All You eat brings you health*" .It can be said before,while or after the meal


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## Neutrino

In sweden we may say *"smaklig måltid"*,
"tasty dinner"(I wish you a tasty dinner)


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## nichec

I think you can also say "Tug/Dig in" in English
In chinese it's 開動, which means "Let's start"


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## parakseno

Romanian: Poftă bună/mare!
Greek: Καλή όρεξη!


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## mimmi

In italian: Buon appetito.
In Spanish: ¡qué aproveches!


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## sound shift

nichec said:


> I think you can also say "Tug/Dig in" in English
> In chinese it's 開動, which means "Let's start"



"Tu*ck *in" and "dig in" are colloquial. A restaurant waiter would not use either term. In my family we don't say anything at the start of a meal.


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## betulina

mimmi said:


> In Spanish: ¡qué aproveches!



I've never heard it. To me, in Spanish it's either "buen provecho", as Ilmo said, or "*que aproveche*" (where we could read "que la comida te/os/nos aproveche").

In Catalan it's "*bon profit*" or "*que aprofiti*", as well.


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## Arise

mimmi said:


> In italian: Buon appetito.
> In Spanish: ¡qué aproveches!


 

In Spanish we say ¡que aproveche! (la comida) without the last "s" ;-)


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## Whodunit

Ilmo said:


> The Germans have copied it to their mother tongue and say "*guten Appetit*".


 
Correct, that's the most common verasion of the expression. In some dialects, you may hear "*Wohl bekomm's!*" (meaning: "I hope you like it!," maybe "Cheers" would be used in English instead) or "*Lasst's euch schmecken!*" ("Enjoy your meal!").


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## Frank06

Hi,

In Dutch it's *Smakelijk* or *Smakelijk eten*.
A literal (but terrible) translation of *smakelijk* would be 'tastefully, with taste'.

Groetjes,

Frank


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## MingRaymond

nichec said:


> I think you can also say "Tug/Dig in" in English
> In chinese it's 開動, which means "Let's start"


 
It is a colloquial way to say 開動 before a meal.


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## Hakro

I have heard that the Japanese say in a very selfish way: I eat now!

Can anybody confirm if this is true or not?


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## Hakro

Whodunit said:


> Correct, that's the most common verasion of the expression. In some dialects, you may hear "*Wohl bekomm's!*" (meaning: "I hope you like it!," maybe "Cheers" would be used in English instead) or "*Lasst's euch schmecken!*" ("Enjoy your meal!").


Isn't "*Mahlzeit!*" a common expession, too?


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## Chazzwozzer

aslan said:


> We say "afiyet olsun"
> It simply means that "*All you will eat or ate may become healty for your health*". or Maybe We may say ;"*All You eat brings you health*" .It can be said before,while or after the meal



Afiyet is actually kind of an equivalent to appetite. So maybe we should say, shortly, "Let it be appetite." *(?)
*


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## Whodunit

Hakro said:


> Isn't "*Mahlzeit!*" a common expession, too?


 
Indeed. But I wouldn't use it too often, because it can get very annoying. Don't ask me why. 

Some people use it as a greeting at noontime, but it's colloquial and kind of regional. If you want more information, you can read this.


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## larosa

Hungarian:

Jó étvágyat! 
literally:  (I wish you a) good appetite.


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## Heba

In Egyptian colloquial Arabic, we say *بالهنا و الشفا *(belhana wel shefa)


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## Etcetera

*In Russian:* Приятного аппетита! (Priyatnogo appetita).


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## Chazzwozzer

An Austrian friend from my school once told me that *Mahlzeit *is even said to people you don't know at lunch time in Austria. Hope I got it right, because his Turkish accent was not clear and I could hardly catch the sentences.


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## Hakro

Obviously you're right, Chazzwozzer; my friend told me that when he was a tourist in Spain, in the first morning he had his breakfast at the same table with a German tourist who said to him: *Mahlzeit!*

As my friend didn't know a word of German he thought that the man was introducing himself. So he bowed and pronounced his own name: "Holopainen!" They had no common language, so that was all they spoke during the breakfast.

The next morning the German tourist said again "Mahlzeit" and the Finn aswered, a little confused, "Holopainen". 

As this happened again the third morning my friend asked one of the other Finnish tourists what might be the reason to introduce oneself every morning again. He was told that the German hadn't pronounced his name but he had said "bon appétit" in German.

My friend was very delighted to learn his first word of German, and the next morning he was very proud to say to the German tourist: "Mahlzeit!"

And the German answered very politely: "Holopainen!"


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## Maja

In Serbian:
Prijatno! (Пријатно!)


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## avalon2004

In addition to the aforementioned _Καλή όρεξη_ [káli óreksi], there is another phrase in Greek which can be used at the *end* of a meal:* καλή χώνεψη*_ [káli khónepsi]_. This is said by the same person who served/prepared the food for you and it literally means "_good digestion_". An interesting piece of extra information for you!


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## Outsider

You can say "Bom proveito" in Portuguese, but "Bom apetite" is also very common, perhaps even moreso.


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## mkaymrxo

Hakro said:


> I have heard that the Japanese say in a very selfish way: I eat now!
> 
> Can anybody confirm if this is true or not?



Japanese table manners are actually very polite.
Before they start eating, they say "itadakimasu" wich means "I gratefully receive" or something like that.
And after they finish their meal, they say "gochisosama" wich means "thank you for the food".


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## Hakro

mkaymrxo said:


> Japanese table manners are actually very polite.
> Before they start eating, they say "itadakimasu" wich means "I gratefully receive" or something like that.
> And after they finish their meal, they say "gochisosama" wich means "thank you for the food".


Thank you for the information!


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## Lemminkäinen

Ilmo said:


> The Germans have copied it to their mother tongue and say "*guten Appetit*".



We've done the same: *God appetitt*



Etcetera said:


> *In Russian:* Приятного аппетита! (Priyatnogo appetita).



I'm not saying the expression is wrong (I know it's not), but why is the genetive form used?


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## jazyk

Because the verb желать (to wish), which requires the genitive case, is implied. Maybe if languages were anything close to logical, the same would be found in all the greetings, but it just turns out that all of them are in the accusative.


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## deine

Lithuanian:

*Gero apetito* or more common - *Skanaus*


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## Qcumber

TAGALOG (Philipines)
I never heard the Tagalogs say anything like "_bon appétit_".
Rarely they will say: *Káin ná.* "Let's eat."


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## pharabus

I thought it was "kain tayo" in Tagalog, what is the difference?


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## doman

Vietnamese

*Chúc ngon miệng !*
*Chúc ăn ngon !*


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## Qcumber

pharabus said:


> I thought it was "kain tayo" in Tagalog, what is the difference?


Quite possibly:*táyo* means "we + you". I only heard _káin ná (*ná* means "now")._ Let's wait for native speakers' opinions.


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## AmstelCee

En gallego: "bo proveito"
En spanish: "buen provecho" or "que aproveche"


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## linguist786

The closest we would get to it in *Gujarati* (even though a snappy phrase like "bon appétit" doesn't really exist) is:

સારી રીતે ખાશો! _(saari riite khaasho!)_ - (_haari ritnaa khaajo!_ in my dialect)
Good - way - eat! (imperative)
"Eat well!"

The *Hindi/Urdu* would hence be:

अच्छी तरह खाना!/اچهى طرح كهانا!
_(achChii tarah khaanaa!)_


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## irishpolyglot

In Irish I'd say "Bígi go subhach" /Bee-gee goh soo-wok/ (sorry I'm not using actual phonetic symbols there, that's gee like the 'g' in girl), and this is addressed at more than one person. 

But if I was speaking in English I would actually use the French _bon appétit _just like I would say _bon voyage _for example. "Enjoy your meal" sounds very American to me personally, and "let's begin" doesn't sound like something you would usually here before a meal, but perhaps other English speakers do say it! Then there are always less formal expressions like tuck in! etc.


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## univerio

Chinese: 请享用[請享用] (please enjoy) or 请慢用[請慢用] (please use/eat slowly)

The latter is more common, though.


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## Christhiane

Lemminkäinen said:


> We've done the same: *God appetitt*



I for my part never really use *god appetitt*, usually *bon appétit*.


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## Celoriu

In Asturian, as in other languages of the Iberian Peninsula, we've got two variants of the expression: _"bon provechu" _o _"qu'aproveche"_. I think the first may be more polite.


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## daoxunchang

univerio said:


> Chinese: 请享用[請享用] (please enjoy) or 请慢用[請慢用] (please use/eat slowly)
> 
> The latter is more common, though.


 
used before the dinner? 
The feast holder sits on the highest seat of the first table and, looking at all the guests, smiling, says: 大家不要客气，放开吃啊"Please everyone, enjoy your meal. Eat as much as you like." Of course, it's after the addresses
Actually this expression 大家慢用"everyone, eat slowly" is much more commonly after one has finished his dinner and is leaving the table. Usually he says: 我吃好了，你们慢用啊I've finished eating. You go on enjoying your dinner slowly.
We don't say anything when having dinner with family or classmates or collegues.


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## univerio

daoxunchang said:


> used before the dinner?
> The feast holder sits on the highest seat of the first table and, looking at all the guests, smiling, says: 大家不要客气，放开吃啊"Please everyone, enjoy your meal. Eat as much as you like." Of course, it's after the addresses
> Actually this expression 大家慢用"everyone, eat slowly" is much more commonly after one has finished his dinner and is leaving the table. Usually he says: 我吃好了，你们慢用啊I've finished eating. You go on enjoying your dinner slowly.
> We don't say anything when having dinner with family or classmates or collegues.



请慢用 is usually said by the waiter after all dishes have been prepared and brought up (菜都上齐了，请慢用 (All dishes are brought up, please enjoy/eat etc.)), as is with bon appétit. Your suggestions are more colloquial and casual, and therefore not commonly used by a waiter.


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## tanzhang

In Tagalog:

Well I say... 
Kain na! - (let's) Eat now!
kain tayo! - let's eat!
kain na tayo! - Let's eat now! 
kain na kayo! - you guys eat already!
kain ka pa! - eat some more!


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## Qcumber

tanzhang said:


> kain ka pa! - eat some more!


This is my preferred one because Filipino food is scrumptious.


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## mylasalle

There's an interesting addition I can make with regard to the Tagalog language. 

A common expression come meal time would be "Kain" (read as: Ka-een) which would literally mean "Eat." It has come to mean an invitation for all to begin eating. The context can be thereby extended to mean "Let's eat."  

On occassion, people would say "Kain na" with the added NA expression meaning "already." The context would therefore now translate to "Let's eat already."

There's a funny expression, though, you might encounter from Filipinos come meal time: "galit-galit muna." The word "galit" here literally means "angry" and is duplicated for emphasis. "Muna" is literally translated to "at first." So if we were to derive the literal meaning of the entire phrase, we can understand it in English as "Let's be angry (with one another) first."

The peculiar expression has come to mean that as the participants begin eating, everyone suddenly falls silent as all is apparently preoccupied with satisfying their hunger. It would therefore appear as if everyone were angry with each other - certainly an uncomfortable thought. So in order to avoid any misinterpretation of aloofness, the participants would discreetly ask permission: "Let's be angry with one another first."

Galit-galit muna.

Languages are certainly quirky, aren't they.


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## elipez

In Denmark we don't usually say something before the meal, but ALWAYS after : Tak for mad (thank you for the meal), wich is answered by Velbekomme (You're welcome)


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## suslik

In Estonia we say: *"Head isu!"* and it means exactly bon appétit


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## panjabigator

I don't think we have one...


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## kusurija

deine said:


> Lithuanian:
> 
> *Gero apetito* or more common - *Skanaus*


..and 3-rd (more rare) Skalsa! (Lithuanian)

In Czech:
Dobrou chuť! ((I wish) good apetite) _or_
Dobré chutnání (answer: Děkujeme za přání _or_ Nápodobně)

In Japanese I only add characters:
戴きます[itadakimasu] _and _ご馳走さま _or _御馳走様[gochiso:sama]
As I heard, translation of "Good apetit" is 良く飯上げて下さい[yoku meshiagete kudasai] (this needs confirmation from native Japanese)

I'm afraid, that all Chinese texts in this thread I couldn't read properly. Could You someone help me with it?
Thank You!


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## daoxunchang

Look closely and you'll find I've put the English meaning after the Chinese.


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## kusurija

daoxunchang said:


> Look closely and you'll find I've put the English meaning after the Chinese.


Yes, if You mentioned _meaning/word-to-word_ translation. But what about _reading_?


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## daoxunchang

Oh, then maybe your did not change the code of your webpage. I don't know whether you're using the IE. If so, try the third option in the menu and change the code to 简体中文（GB2312). Wish you success.


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## lviver

Ukrainian: Смачного (smachnoho)


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## catlady60

sound shift said:


> "Tu*ck *in" and "dig in" are colloquial. A restaurant waiter would not use either term. In my family we don't say anything at the start of a meal.


A more formal way to say "bon appétit" in English: "Enjoy your meal."


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: Добър апетит!


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Masiyahan kayo!


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## elirlandes

irishpolyglot said:


> In Irish I'd say "Bígi go subhach" /Bee-gee goh soo-wok/ (sorry I'm not using actual phonetic symbols there, that's gee like the 'g' in girl), and this is addressed at more than one person.
> 
> But if I was speaking in English I would actually use the French _bon appétit _just like I would say _bon voyage _for example. "Enjoy your meal" sounds very American to me personally, and "let's begin" doesn't sound like something you would usually here before a meal, but perhaps other English speakers do say it! Then there are always less formal expressions like tuck in! etc.



I agree with Irishpolyglot here - well mannered people in Ireland use the French words "Bon appetit", and would never say "Enjoy your meal" which is an Americanism and appears very informal.


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## OneStroke

Cantonese: 開飯, lit. 'open rice'. That's why a Hong Kong online restaurant directory is called 'openrice'.


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## arielipi

Also in hebrew, be'te'avon is for non-liquid(soup is treated as non-liquid); for drinks we say lirvaya לרוויה.


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## mataripis

Qcumber said:


> TAGALOG (Philipines)
> I never heard the Tagalogs say anything like "_bon appétit_".
> Rarely they will say: *Káin ná.* "Let's eat."


   some say "Masarap na kainan na! "


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## fdb

By the way, many people in France think it is vulgar to say “bon appétit” and that only waiters use this phrase.


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## greatbear

fdb said:


> By the way, many people in France think it is vulgar to say “bon appétit” and that only waiters use this phrase.



Really? At least till a few months back, everyone was saying it to each other, and in fact not always the waiters!

By the way, nothing like this in Hindi: we simply start eating after exchanging glances, smiles and nods!


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## fdb

It is an age/class issue. Older people of the upper classes do not say “bon appétit”, in my experience.


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## ahmedcowon

Heba said:


> In Egyptian colloquial Arabic, we say *بالهنا و الشفا *(belhana wel shefa)



بالهنا والشفا means: *With Happiness and Healing
*
It is also common to say يلا, بسم الله "Yalla, Besmellah" which means: *Let's (eat), In the name of GOD*


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