How do you say it in Italian?
Buon appetito!
Buon appetito literally means “good appetite” and it’s the most common sentence you’ll hear before every fellow diner around you digs in. It is appropriate to use in any situation, whether among friends or business associates.
| Buon appetito | Enjoy your meal |
You can also respond by saying buon appetito too, but most often you will respond with grazie, altrettanto, which literally translates to “thanks, likewise”.
| Grazie, altrettanto! | Thank you, you too! |
When do you often hear buon appetito? It’s not that widely used in households during family meals, unless there are some relatives or friends over who don’t live under the same roof. For example, my family and I often skip the expression and just start eating right away.
However, if you are at a ristorante, restaurant, it is almost mandatory! Some people, especially middle-aged and older people, will not start eating until a buon appetito has been said and everyone is ready to eat.
Many people think it’s bad manners to start eating your food, even at the risk of it getting cold, if even one person at the table hasn’t been served their meal yet.
Buon pranzo, buona cena!
| Buon pranzo | Enjoy your meal, have a good lunch | |
| Buona cena | Enjoy your meal, have a good dinner |
As the heading says, buon pranzo and buona cena are less common ways to translate enjoy your meal in Italian. They literally mean “good lunch” and “good dinner”, so you can use them at specific times of the day. Don’t wish a buon pranzo if it’s 9 p.m.!
However, unlike buon appetito, buon pranzo and buona cena can also be used as general wishes before people sit down to eat.
For example, imagine that you are saying goodbye to a friend and it’s almost noon. In this situation, it’s actually more common to say buon pranzo! than buon appetito. It’s more common to say buon appetito when someone is just about to start eating.
Bonus: Common sentences
Now that we’ve seen the different ways to translate enjoy your meal in Italian, let’s look at some common phrases you’ll hear around the table. The next time you have dinner with some Italians, you will be able to understand what they are talking about!
| Il pranzo è in tavola! | Lunch is on the table! | |
| La cena è pronta! | Dinner is ready! | |
| Mi passi il sale, per favore? | Can you pass me the salt, please? | |
| Vorrei proporre un brindisi. | I’d like to propose a toast. |
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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