Eat in Spanish | 17 Words & Examples
“Comer” is the most common verb used to mean eat in Spanish.
However, the best way to say eat in Spanish could change based on the time of day you’re talking about or the more nuanced meaning you want to apply.
Some other ways to say eat in Spanish are:
- Almorzar
- Desayunar
- Merendar
- Cenar
- Alimentarse
- Nutrirse
- Ingerir
- Consumir
- Jamar
- Manducar
- Zampar
- Tragar
- Devorar
- Engullir
- Yantar
- Papear
Comer
The verb “comer” literally means eat in Spanish. Depending on the subject pronoun or noun that is the subject of the sentence, the conjugation of the verb changes.
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation of comer | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | como | yo koh-moh | I eat |
| Tú | comes | too koh-mehs | You (informal) eat |
| Usted | come | oos-tehd koh-meh | You (formal) eat |
| Él / ella | come | ehl / eh-yah koh-meh | He / she eats |
| Nosotros / nosotras | comemos | noh-soh-trohs / noh-soh-trahs koh-meh-mohs | We eat |
| Vosotros / vosotras | coméis | boh-soh-trohs / boh-soh-trahs koh-meys | You (informal) eat |
| Ustedes | comen | Oos-teh-dehs koh-mehn | You (formal) eat |
| Ellos/ellas | comen | eh-yos / eh-yas koh-mehn | They eat |
If you have any doubts about how to conjugate “comer,” a QuillBot Grammar Check can help.
Note that “vosotros” and “vosotras” are only really used in Spain. In Latin America, plural “you” is “ustedes” in both informal and formal contexts.
“Comer” is the most common way to say eat, and it can work as a transitive verb (which requires a direct object) or an intransitive verb (which does not).
¿Cuándo comen pavo en los EEUU? [When do they eat turkey in the USA?]
Si no comes, no te vas a recuperar. [If you don’t eat, you won’t get better.]
Ya hemos comido, gracias. [We’ve already eaten, thanks.]
While “comer” means eat in Spanish in the general sense, it sometimes more specifically means “eat lunch.” In Spanish, there are different verbs to convey that you are eating a specific meal. These vary based on where you are in the Spanish-speaking world.
| Verb | Pronunciation | Regional meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desayunar | deh-sah-yoo-nahr | Eat breakfast (all) | Desayuno a las 8. [I eat breakfast at 8.] |
| Almorzar | Ahl-mohr-sahr | Eat a morning snack (Spain)
Eat lunch (Latin America) |
Mis amigos de México almuerzan a las 2 de la tarde. [My Mexican friends eat lunch at 2 p.m.] |
| Comer | koh-mehr | Eat lunch (Spain) | En Madrid, comemos entre la 1 y las 4. [In Madrid, we eat lunch between 1 and 4 p.m.] |
| Merendar | meh-rehn-dahr | Eat an afternoon snack (all) | Casi todos los niños meriendan algo después del colegio. [Almost all the children eat a snack after school.] |
| Cenar | seh-nahr | Eat dinner (all) | Vamos a cenar fuera. [We’re going to eat dinner out.] |
- “Comer fuera” means “eat out.”
- “Comer vivo a alguien” means “eat someone alive.”
- “Comerse algo” means “eat up.”
For example:
- Hoy comemos fuera, en un restaurante nuevo. [Today, we’re eating out, at a new restaurant.]
- El boxeador va a comer vivo a su oponente. [The boxer is going to eat his opponent alive.]
- Raquel se ha comido sus ahorros en una semana. [Raquel has eaten up her savings in a month.]
Other words for eat in Spanish
Apart from “comer,” there are other verbs that mean eat in Spanish, each with its own nuanced meaning.
| Verb | Pronunciation | Nuanced meaning | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alimentarse | ah-lee-mehn-tahr-seh | To eat to sustain health | Health and medical contexts | Es importante alimentarse bien. [It’s important to eat well.] |
| Nutrirse | noo-treer-seh | To nourish oneself | Health and medical contexts | El cuerpo necesita nutrirse diariamente. [The body needs to nourish itself daily.] |
| Ingerir | in-heh-reer | To ingest | Health and medical contexts | Ella debe ingerir más fruta para conseguir vitaminas. [She should ingest more fruit to get vitamins.] |
| Consumir | kohn-soo-meer | To consume | More formal | Consumieron toda la comida en la fiesta. [They consumed all the food at the party.] |
| Jamar | ha-mahr | To eat a lot, to stuff yourself | Colloquial | ¡Vamos a jamar algo! [Let’s go eat something!] |
| Manducar | mahn-doo-kahr | To eat, to fuel up | Colloquial | Juan manducó todo el arroz en minutos. [Juan ate all the rice in minutes.] |
| Zampar | sahm-pahr | To wolf down, to scarf down | Colloquial | Los niños zampaban chuches sin parar. [The kids wolfed down candy without stopping.] |
| Tragar | trah-gahr | To pig out, to gorge | Colloquial | A veces tragamos los viernes a la noche. [Sometimes we pig out on Friday nights.] |
| Devorar | deh-voh-rahr | To devour | Neutral | El león devoró la cebra. [The lion devoured the zebra.] |
| Engullir | ehn-goo-yeer | To gobble down, to eat quickly without chewing | Neutral | Miguel engulló el sándwich sin siquiera masticarlo. [Miguel gobbled down the sandwich without even chewing it.] |
| Yantar | yahn-tahr | To eat | Archaic or literary | Ayer yantamos un delicioso pavo asado. [Yesterday we ate a delicious roast turkey.] |
| Papear | pa-peh-ahr | To eat, to nosh | Colloquial | Vamos a papear tacos esta noche. [Let’s eat tacos tonight.] |
While all these words are understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world, some may be more popular in certain places than others. For example, “manducar” is primarily used in southern Spain and Argentina, and “papear” is used to mean “eat” or “nosh” in Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Argentina.
Before using one of these synonyms, it’s a good idea to check if it has any other meanings in the region of your target audience. Different countries sometimes assign additional meanings to words that can lead to misunderstandings. And, when in doubt, use “comer.”
Frequently asked questions about eat in Spanish
- How do you say do you eat apples in Spanish?
-
To say “do you eat apples” in Spanish, you can say “¿Comes manzanas?” (pronounced koh-mehs mahn-sahn-ahs). This is the singular, informal option.
“Comes” comes from the verb “comer,” which means eat in Spanish, and “manzanas” is a plural noun that means “apples.”
For the singular formal form, use “¿Come manzanas?” For the plural, use “¿Comen manzanas?” for both the formal and informal, unless you are in Spain, where the informal is “¿Coméis manzanas?”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you use phrases like this one correctly, even in Spanish.
- How do you say do you eat bread in Spanish?
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“Do you eat bread” in Spanish is “¿Comes pan?” (pronounced koh-mehs pahn). This phrase is used for the singular informal.
For the singular formal, use “¿Come pan?” For the plural, use “¿Comen pan?” for both formal and informal. If you’re in Spain, the plural informal is “¿Coméis pan?”
“Pan” is a noun meaning bread, and the conjugations of the verb “comer” mean eat in Spanish.
QuillBot’s free Translator can help you translate phrases like this one from English to Spanish.
- How do you say let’s eat in Spanish?
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“Let’s eat” in Spanish is “vamos a comer” (pronounced vah-mohs ah koh-mehr) or “comamos” (pronounced koh-mah-mohs).
“Vamos a comer” is an exclamation often used before a meal.
“Comamos” is the first person plural imperative conjugation of the verb “comer,” which means eat in Spanish.
You can translate phrases like this with QuillBot’s free Translator.
- How do you say did you eat in Spanish?
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“Did you eat” in Spanish can be “¿Comiste?” (pronounced koh-mees-teh) or “¿Has comido?” (pronounced ahs koh-mee-doh) Both of these are phrases used for the singular informal.
These phrases employ different verb tenses. “¿Comiste?” is the simple past. “¿Has comido?” is the present perfect. Both phrases use “comer,” which means eat in Spanish.
If you want to address one person formally, say “¿Comió?” or “¿Ha comido?”
For the plural, use “¿Comieron?” or “¿Han comido?” for both formal and informal, unless in Spain, where the informal is “¿Comisteis?” or “¿Habéis comido?”
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you find other words to express yourself in Spanish.
