dobar tek / živjeli

Words at the Table

Level 1

Dobar tek is for eating, Živjeli is for a toast, and Na zdravlje wishes good health.

How It Works

Meals in Bosnia are shared, and the phrases are warm and short.

  • Dobar tek! means "Enjoy your meal." Say it to everyone at the table.
  • Hvala, i tebi! is the usual reply: "Thanks, you too." To several people or a stranger, reply Hvala, i vama!
  • Živjeli! means "Cheers!" It is plural because people toast together. The word comes from živjeti, "to live".
  • Na zdravlje! means "To your health." People use it with a toast and as a general good wish. Some also use Nazdravlje after a sneeze.

These are fixed phrases, so you do not change their endings. People look at each other when they clink glasses, and they use Živjeli before they drink.

Examples (4)

  1. Dobar tek, Emina!

    Enjoy your meal, Emina!

    A fixed phrase with a name added.

  2. Hvala, i tebi!

    Thanks, you too!

    The usual answer to dobar tek.

  3. Živjeli, prijatelji!

    Cheers, friends!

    Said when glasses go up.

  4. Na zdravlje!

    To your health!

    A toast and a good wish.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

dobar tek / živjeliLevel 1Words at the Table

Learn This First

Toasts are fixed phrases.

Words in This Pattern

tekživjeti