comer
/koˈme(ʁ)/
The Portuguese verb for 'eat' is comer.
The verb comer is used to mean eating a meal. In highly informal or vulgar slang, however, it can also be used to refer to having sexual intercourse. For a more formal alternative that focuses specifically on the act of swallowing or ingesting food, you can use Ingerir.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
comer is an informal way to say eat, while Ingerir is a formal alternative that focuses on the act of swallowing food or ingesting it.
How does it change in a sentence?
The gerund form for 'eating' is comendo. For the first-person singular past tense ('I ate'), use comi. The form comemos can represent both the present tense 'we eat' and the past tense 'we ate' depending on the context.
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈme(ʁ)/
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the phrase comer is used in the idiom comer pelas beiradas, which describes someone who achieves their goals slowly and discreetly.
- The Latin root of comer actually comes from a combination of 'com' (together) and 'edere' (to eat), which originally implied eating things together in a group.
- In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, asking someone Você já comeu? (Have you eaten?) is a common way to show care or even to initiate an invitation to go out, rather than just a literal inquiry about nutrition.
Examples in context
- Eu vou comer já.I'm about to eat.This sentence is useful for expressing that you are about to eat using comer.Tatoeba #6793359 by ToinhoAlam, translation #3665189 by CK
- Eu irei te comer!I'll eat you!This sentence uses comer in a different context.Tatoeba #10817570 by DavidDias, translation #10817280 by ddnktr
- Eu gosto de comer.I like to eat.This sentence uses comer to express a preference for eating.Tatoeba #1701350 by alexmarcelo, translation #773320 by marloncori
- Eu gostaria de comer algo leve, por favor.I would like to eat something light, please.
- É importante ingerir alimentos nutritivos para uma vida saudável.It's important to eat nutritious food for a healthy life.
- Vamos comer uma pizza hoje à noite?Shall we eat a pizza tonight?
- Ela devora chocolate como se não houvesse amanhã.She devours chocolate as if there were no tomorrow.
- Vou enfiar o pé na jaca nessa festa de aniversário!I'm going to indulge in excessive eating at this birthday party!
- 990 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Juliana are deciding what to have for lunch.
- RodrigoO que você quer comer?What do you want to eat?
- JulianaEu quero comer uma pizza.I want to eat a pizza.
- RodrigoBoa ideia, vamos comer agora.Good idea, let's eat now.
- JulianaPerfeito, estou com muita fome.Perfect, I am very hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations and entries comer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
