cómete tus verduras
/komete tus beɾduɾas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "eat your vegetables" is translated into Spanish as cómete tus verduras.
This phrase is a command used to tell someone, usually a child, to consume the vegetables on their plate.
Which one should you use?
While cómete tus verduras uses the possessive "your" (tus), it is very common in Spanish to use the definite article las instead of the possessive, resulting in the phrase cómete las verduras to mean "eat the vegetables".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase cómete tus verduras uses the informal imperative tú form, which is the standard way to give a command to a child.
Did you know?
- If you want to be more persuasive or gentle with a child, you might use the diminutive 'verduritas' instead of 'verduras'. Adding '-itas' to the end makes the vegetables sound smaller, cuter, and less intimidating.
- In many Spanish-speaking households, a parent might replace the command to eat vegetables with 'termina tu plato', which means 'finish your plate'. The focus shifts from the specific food type to the act of completing the meal entirely.
- The term hortalizas is a botanical alternative to verduras that sounds far too academic for a dinner table.
Examples in context
- ¡Cómete tus verduras si quieres postre!Eat your vegetables if you want dessert!
- Cómete tus verduras antes de que se enfríen.Eat your vegetables before they get cold.
- Por favor, cómete tus verduras ahora.Please, eat your vegetables now.
Example conversation
A mother is trying to get her son to finish his dinner.
- LucíaDaniel, cómete tus verduras.Daniel, eat your vegetables.
- DanielNo quiero, no me gustan.I don't want to, I don't like them.
- LucíaSolo un poco para estar sano.Just a little bit to be healthy.
- DanielEstá bien, lo haré.Fine, I will do it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
