bebí
/bebi/from spelling rules
bebí is the Spanish way to say drank.
Which one should you use?
The form bebí refers to a specific, completed instance of drinking, whereas the imperfect form bebía would be used for habitual or ongoing drinking in the past.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Spanish-speaking regions, particularly in Latin America, the verb tomar is used more frequently than beber to mean 'to drink'.
How do you pronounce it?
/bebi/
Did you know?
- If a Spanish speaker says beberse instead of beber, adding the reflexive pronoun suggests they drank the entire glass or bottle, leaving nothing behind.
- The verb beber is a direct descendant of the Latin word bibere. This is the same root that gives English the word 'imbibe', meaning to drink deeply.
- The word beber can also be used poetically in Spanish to describe the 'drinking' or absorbing of knowledge or light, much like the English 'to drink in the atmosphere'.
Examples in context
- Yo bebí del grifo.I drank from the tap.This sentence is useful for showing how to use bebí to describe drinking from a specific source.Tatoeba #6022153 by Julian_L, translation #5958209 by CK
- Creo que bebí demasiado.I think that I drank too much.This sentence is useful for using bebí to express an amount consumed.Tatoeba #646762 by Shishir, translation #646558 by CM
- Todo lo que bebí fue café.All I drank was coffee.This sentence is useful for using bebí to identify the specific liquid consumed.Tatoeba #6806626 by arh, translation #6806532 by CK
- Tomé un vaso de aguaI drank a glass of water
- Tomé un refresco en el cineI drank a soda at the movies
- Me bebí una cerveza después del trabajoI drank a beer after work
- Me tomé un té caliente para relajarmeI drank a hot tea to relax
- Tomé alegrementeI happily drank
- Me bebí un delicioso batidoI drank a delicious smoothie
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about their morning.
- Daniel¿Tomaste agua esta mañana?Did you drink water this morning?
- LucíaNo, yo bebí un jugo de naranja.No, I drank an orange juice.
- DanielQué rico, yo solo tomé té.How nice, I only drank tea.
- LucíaEl jugo estaba muy fresco, Daniel.The juice was very fresh, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
