Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| comer | /koˈmeɾ/ | |
| manducar | /manduˈkaɾ/ | |
| papear | /papeˈaɾ/ | |
| manyar | /manˈʝaɾ/ | Latin America |
The primary way to express the act of eating a meal is with the verb comer.
Which one should you use?
While comer is the standard verb for eating, manyar is a colloquial term used in certain Latin American regions.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, you can use Alimentarse to refer to the act of feeding oneself or in medical contexts or Ingerir to refer to the ingestion or consumption of food or drink. On the informal side, Comerse is a colloquial way to express 'to eat' by adding a reflexive pronoun to comer. Other informal options include the colloquial manducar and the informal papear, which often implies eating small amounts or snacking.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American contexts, the slang term manyar is used to mean eat.
How does it change in a sentence?
The present participle of comer is comiendo, which means 'eating'.
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈmeɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb comer is often paired with comerse el coco, a colorful expression that means to overthink something or drive oneself crazy with worry.
- The word manyar entered Spanish as a loanword from the Italian mangiare.
- In Spain, if someone invites you to comer, they are likely inviting you to the heaviest meal of the day, which typically happens between 2 PM and 4 PM.
Examples in context
- No vas a comer.You're not going to eat.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is not going to eat using comer.Tatoeba #4767299 by cueyayotl, translation #4767440 by rebeccadeho
- Te voy a comer.I'm gonna eat you.This sentence is useful for an idiomatic expression of eating someone using comer.Tatoeba #9993364 by arh, translation #11324247 by Luornu
- Me voy a comer.I'm about to eat.This sentence is useful for expressing that one is about to eat using comer.Tatoeba #12892824 by ecorralest101, translation #3665189 by CK
- Yo como arroz todos los días.I eat rice every day.
- Ellos comen en el restaurante.They eat at the restaurant.
- ¿Podría usted comer un poco más despacio?Could you eat a bit more slowly?
- Es importante alimentarse adecuadamente.It's important to eat properly.
- Necesitas alimentarte bien para tener energía.You need to eat well to have energy.
- El paciente se está alimentando por vía intravenosa.The patient is being fed intravenously.
- Para tener una buena digestión, es necesario ingerir alimentos saludables.To have good digestion, it is necessary to consume healthy food.
- El cuerpo humano no debe ingerir alimentos procesados en exceso.The human body should not consume excessive processed food.
- Me voy a comer una pizza enorme.I'm going to eat a huge pizza.
- No te comas todos los dulces antes de la cena.Don't eat all the sweets before dinner.
- Esos tacos se comen rapidísimo.Those tacos are devoured very quickly.
- Vamos a merendar unas tortitas con miel.We're going to eat some pancakes with honey.
- Si tienes hambre, puedes merendar una manzana.If you're hungry, you can have an apple as a snack.
- Los niños meriendan galletas y zumo.The children eat cookies and juice for an afternoon snack.
- 897 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are deciding what to do for lunch.
- Mateo¿A qué hora quieres comer?What time do you want to eat?
- SofíaPodemos comer a las dos.We can eat at two.
- MateoPerfecto, me gusta comer temprano.Perfect, I like to eat early.
- SofíaYo también, vamos ahora.Me too, let's go now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations and entries comer, manducar, papear, manyar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, manducar, manyar, papear, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
