kumain
/kuˈmaʔin/
To eat in Tagalog is to say kumain.
The verb refers to the act of eating a meal.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The completed aspect (past tense) is kumain, which is identical to the infinitive form. The progressive aspect (present tense) is kumakain, meaning "is eating" and the future tense is kakain, meaning "will eat".
How do you pronounce it?
/kuˈmaʔin/
Did you know?
- In the Philippines, it is common to ask Kumain ka na? ('Have you eaten?') as a general greeting, similar to saying 'How are you?' in English.
- In certain Filipino households, instead of saying 'eat' to children, parents might use the word lamon, though be careful: this implies 'devouring' or eating greedily and can be seen as rude or derogatory.
- The form kumain uses the infix -um-, which is a common way in Tagalog to turn a noun or a root into an actor-focused verb.
Examples in context
- Di mo ba gustong kumain?Wouldn't you like to eat?This sentence is useful for using the form kumain in a question.Tatoeba #1848437 by nonong, translation #419692 by Alkrasnov
- Lumabas siya para kumain.He went out to eat.This sentence is useful for using the form kumain to express a purpose.Tatoeba #11731545 by qwertzu, translation #507997 by CM
- Gusto kong kumain ng isteyk.I want to eat steak.This sentence is useful for using the form kumain to express a desire.Tatoeba #1869548 by nonong, translation #1869545 by Spamster
- Kumain tayoLet's eat
- Siya ay kumakain ng meryendaHe/She is eating a snack
- Ang mga bata ay kumakain ng kaninThe children are eating rice
- Kainin mo na ang pagkainStart eating the food
- Kailangan kainin ang gulay para maging malakasYou need to eat vegetables to become strong
- Tara, kain na tayoLet's go, let's eat
- Kain na ng adobo, ang sarapEat the adobo, it's delicious
- Uy, kakain tayo sa favorite kainan natinHey, we're going to eat at our favorite place
- Kakain ako ng marami pagdating ko sa bahayI will eat a lot when I get home
- Kainin mo na yung ice cream bago matunawEat the ice cream before it melts
- Kainin mo na 'yan, baka lumamigEat that now, it might get cold
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Ricardo are deciding what to do for lunch.
- MariaGusto mo na bang kumain?Do you want to eat now?
- RicardoOo, gutom na ako.Yes, I am hungry already.
- MariaSaan tayo kakain?Where shall we eat?
- RicardoKumain tayo sa labas.Let's eat outside.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry kumain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kumain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
