What does 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgesseumnida) mean?
- 잘 먹겠습니다jal meokgesseumnida
Thanks for the meal (before eating)
Formal: strangers, work, customers
잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgesseumnida) is what Koreans say before eating, a bit like "thank you for the meal." It thanks whoever cooked or paid. It uses a formal ending, but people say it at family tables and with coworkers alike.
Where it comes from
잘 means "well," 먹다 means "to eat," -겠- shows intention, and -습니다 is the formal ending. Literally it is "I will eat well."
How to use 잘 먹겠습니다
Say it right before you start eating, especially when someone else cooked or is paying.
After the meal, switch to the past tense: 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida), "I ate well, thank you."
With close friends, the casual 잘 먹을게 is common, but the formal version is never wrong.
Examples
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Sitting down to grandma's cooking
When your boss pays for dinner
Before digging in with coworkers
Other ways to say it
| Korean | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| 잘 먹었습니다 | Thank you for the meal (after eating) | Said when you finish. |
| 잘 먹을게 | Thanks, I'll enjoy it | Casual, for friends. |
| 잘 먹을게요 | Thanks, I'll enjoy it (polite) | Polite, softer than the formal version. |
| 맛있게 드세요 | Enjoy your meal | Said to others who are about to eat. |
Questions learners ask
What do you say after eating in Korean?
Say 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida), the past-tense version, to thank the cook or the person who paid.
Is jal meokgesseumnida like itadakimasu?
It plays a similar role as a phrase said before eating, but it is not a translation. It mainly thanks the person who prepared or paid for the food.