食べますか？
The English phrase 'do you eat?' is translated into Japanese as 食べますか？
Depending on the context, 食べますか？ can mean 'do you eat (this kind of food)?' (habitual) or 'will you eat (this)?' (future/intent).
Which one should you use?
To ask 'eat?' in an informal way, you can use the dictionary form 食べる？ with a rising intonation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite form 食べます is used to express both the present tense and the habitual action of eating. Adding the particle か to the end of the polite verb 食べます turns the statement into a question: 食べますか？
What mistakes should you avoid?
When asking 食べますか？, it is more natural to omit the subject entirely rather than attempting to use the subject 'you' (anata).
Did you know?
- When answering 食べますか？, a Japanese speaker might say 結構です 'kekkou desu' to decline. While it sounds like 'fine' or 'sufficient', it actually means 'no thank you'.
- The verb 食べる (to eat) is often replaced by the more polite/honorific 召し上がります when asking a guest or someone of higher status if they will eat.
- When a host asks 食べますか？, they are often not just asking about your appetite, but are subtly offering to prepare something specifically for you.
Examples in context
- 朝ごはんを食べますか？asagohan o tabemasu ka?Do you eat breakfast?
- 納豆を食べますか？natto o tabemasu ka?Do you eat natto?
- 魚を食べますか？sakana o tabemasu ka?Do you eat fish?
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are deciding what to order for lunch.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さんは辛いものを食べますか？Kenta-san wa karai mono o tabemasu ka?Kenta, do you eat spicy food?
- 健太 Kentaはい、大好きです。Hai, daisuki desu.Yes, I love it.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、カレーにしましょう。Jaa, karē ni shimashō.Then, let's have curry.
- 健太 Kentaいいですね。Ii desu ne.That sounds good.
