comida
/koˈmida/
In Spanish, comida means food or a specific meal.
comida can refer to any food or a specific meal eaten at a certain time of day. In many Spanish-speaking countries, the phrase la comida specifically refers to the midday meal, known as lunch.
What does it mean word for word?
comida is a noun that means food and is derived from the verb comer (to eat).
Which one should you use?
comida is used for general food or a meal, whereas alimento is a more technical or biological term used to describe food as a substance.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term antojitos is used to describe a specific type of comida consisting of small traditional snacks or street food.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of comida is comidas.
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈmida/
Did you know?
- In certain Latin American contexts, one might use the term comidilla to refer to 'scuttlebutt' or 'gossip' rather than actual food.
- In Spain, the comida is traditionally the largest and most important meal of the day, often eaten between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- The word comida shares a common ancestor with the English word 'comestible', which refers to things that are fit to be eaten.
Examples in context
- La palabra “comida” es llana, y se acentúa prosódicamente en la penúltima sílaba.The word "comida" is stressed on the second-to-last syllable.This sentence illustrates the stress pattern of comida.Tatoeba #8731763 by arh, translation #9189258 by DJ_Saidez
- ¿Vamos a buscar comida mexicana?Shall we go get Mexican food?
- ¿Cuál es tu comida favorita?What is your favorite food?
- Me gusta probar la comida típica de cada paísI enjoy trying the typical food of each country
- La comida está muy rica.The food is very delicious.
- No me gusta la comida de este restaurante.I do not like the food from this restaurant.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- Alejandro¿Qué quieres para la comida?What do you want for lunch?
- MaríaMe gustaría una comida ligera.I would like a light meal.
- AlejandroPodemos comer una ensalada, María.We can eat a salad, María.
- MaríaEs una buena idea.That is a good idea.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry comida, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comida, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
