What does it mean word for word?
The phrase translates literally as "this food is good", where esta means "this" (feminine), comida means "food" and está buena means "is good" (referring to a state or quality).
Which one should you use?
You should distinguish between esta comida está buena and esta comida es buena. The latter, esta comida es buena, implies that the food is of high quality or nutritious, whereas esta comida está buena specifically refers to the pleasant taste of the meal currently being eaten.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that food tastes delicious, a very common alternative to using buena is the adjective rica, as seen in the phrase esta comida está rica.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use es (to be) for all instances of "is", but when describing the temporary state of how food tastes right now, you must use está.
When do people say it?
When describing food, you can also use other adjectives such as Sabroso/a (Tasty), Apetitoso/a (Appetizing), Rico/a (Tasty, yummy), Increíble (Incredible) or Fenomenal (Phenomenal).
Did you know?
- While esta comida está buena refers to the taste, saying esta mujer está buena in many Spanish-speaking countries can be a very forward way to say 'that woman is attractive'.
- The word comida refers to 'food' in general, but in Spain and some parts of Latin America, it specifically refers to the midday meal, which is the main meal of the day.
- The word comida comes from the past participle of the verb comer, meaning 'to eat', which is the same root found in the English word 'comestible'.
Examples in context
- Este plato es exquisito.This dish is exquisite.
- Esta comida está riquísima.This food is delicious.
- ¡Qué buena está esta comida!How good this food is!
- La comida de aquí está de muerte.The food here is to die for.
- Creo que esta comida está buena.I think this food is good.
- ¡Mira, esta comida está buena!Look, this food is good!
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are eating lunch at a restaurant.
- Sofía¿Te gusta el plato, Daniel?Do you like the dish, Daniel?
- DanielSí, esta comida está buena.Yes, this food is good.
- SofíaMe alegra que te guste.I am glad you like it.
- DanielEs muy sabrosa.It is very tasty.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comida, esta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
