¿estás listo para comer?
In Spanish, "are you ready to eat" is said as ¿estás listo para comer?
This phrase is used as a question to ask if someone is prepared to begin a meal.
Which one should you use?
Spanish uses the verb estar rather than ser for this expression because being "ready" is viewed as a temporary state rather than a permanent characteristic.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you might hear the casual phrase ¿Estás listo/a para morfar? to mean "Are you ready to chow down?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on who you are addressing. If you are speaking to a woman, change the adjective from listo to lista to form ¿estás lista para comer? If you are asking a group of people, use the plural form ¿están listos para comer?
Did you know?
- The word listo has an interesting double meaning: depending on whether you use the verb ser or estar, it can mean 'clever' or 'ready'.
- The word listo may be an ancient relative of the English word 'list', which in Old English meant 'knowledge' or 'cunning'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking if someone is 'ready' to eat is less common than simply announcing that the food is listo, meaning the meal itself is ready.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás listo para comer?Are you ready to eat?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is ready to eat using the form ¿estás listo para comer?Tatoeba #620202 by darinmex, translation #32246 by CK
- Ya puse la mesa, ¿estás listo para comer?I already set the table, are you ready to eat?
Example conversation
Daniel is calling Maria to the dining table.
- DanielMaría, ¿estás listo para comer?María, are you ready to eat?
- MaríaCasi, solo necesito un minuto.Almost, I just need one minute.
- DanielLa comida se está enfriando.The food is getting cold.
- MaríaYa voy, llego ahora mismo.I'm coming, I'll be right there.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, listo, para, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
