provecho

benefit?a helpful or good effect,enjoy your meal?as part of the greeting 'buen provecho'

Also:advantage?using a situation to your favor,profit?gain or useful result

pro-BEH-choh

/pɾoˈβetʃo/

NounmA2

neutralLatin America

A small green plant flourishing and growing in a gardener's hands, representing a positive benefit.

📝 In Action

¡Buen provecho! Que disfruten la cena.

Enjoy your meal! Hope you enjoy dinner.

Él siempre intenta sacar provecho de sus errores.

He always tries to get some benefit from his mistakes.

Leí el manual pero no le saqué mucho provecho.

I read the manual but I didn't get much out of it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

beneficio (benefit)
utilidad (utility)

Antonyms

perjuicio (harm)
pérdida (loss)

Common Collocations

sacar provecho – to take advantage of / to make the most of
en su propio provecho – for one's own benefit

Idioms & Expressions

¡Buen provecho! – The standard way to say 'Enjoy your meal' or 'Bon appétit'.

💡 Grammar Points

Using it as a Greeting

Even though it is a noun, you can say '¡Provecho!' or '¡Buen provecho!' on its own to someone who is eating. It is polite to say this even to strangers when passing their table.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't just say 'Disfruta'

Mistake: “Saying 'Disfruta tu comida' to sound like 'Enjoy your meal'.”

Correction: While not technically wrong, 'Buen provecho' is the much more natural and common way to say this in Spanish.

⭐ Usage Tips

Maximizing results

Use the verb 'sacar' (to take out) with 'provecho' to say you are making the best of a situation, like 'sacar provecho del tiempo' (making the most of the time).

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: provecho

Question 1 of 2

What should you say if you walk past a friend who is eating lunch?

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Word Family

aprovechar(to take advantage of) - Verb

aprovechado(resourceful or opportunistic) - Adjective

aprovechamiento(utilization) - Noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is '¡Provecho!' formal or informal?

It is neutral and polite. You can say it to your boss, a friend, or even a stranger in a restaurant.

Is there a difference between 'Provecho' and 'Buen provecho'?

Not really. 'Buen provecho' is the full version, and '¡Provecho!' is just a shorter, slightly more casual way of saying the same thing.