beber agua
/bebeɾ aɡwa/from spelling rules
To drink water in Spanish is beber agua.
The phrase beber agua is used to describe the act of consuming water by swallowing it. In many contexts, you can use the verb beber on its own to mean 'to drink' if it is already clear that you are talking about water.
Which one should you use?
While beber agua is a standard way to express this, tomar agua is a very common alternative used in many Spanish-speaking regions to mean 'to drink water'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the continuous action of drinking water, use the gerund bebiendo with the verb estar, resulting in bebiendo agua.
How do you pronounce it?
/bebeɾ aɡwa/
Did you know?
- The word agua is feminine, but it uses the masculine article el in the singular form el agua to avoid a clash of sounds.
- The verb beber shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'food' via the Proto-Indo-European root for 'to feed' or 'to drink'.
- When describing water as 'cold' or 'fresh' while drinking, the adjective must still be feminine, such as agua fría.
Examples in context
- No quiero beber agua.I don't want to drink water.This example shows how to express a lack of desire to drink water.Tatoeba #9654007 by Shishir, translation #12943791 by araneo
- Tienes que beber agua.You have to drink water.This example is used to express an obligation to drink water.Tatoeba #2897634 by Shishir, translation #2895782 by Ricardo14
- Ella tiene que beber agua.She has to drink water.Tatoeba #10496374 by Shishir, translation #2896413 by abburns
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are walking in a hot park.
- MateoTengo mucha sed, María.I am very thirsty, María.
- MaríaYo también, deberíamos beber agua.Me too, we should drink water.
- Mateo¿Tienes una botella?Do you have a bottle?
- MaríaSí, tengo agua fría aquí.Yes, I have cold water here.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, beber, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
