¿Qué quieres comer?
The English phrase "what do you want to eat" is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué quieres comer?
The phrase is a question used to ask someone about their food preference for a meal. ¿Qué quieres comer? is a simple and direct way to ask this question.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of qué (what), quieres (you want – informal) and comer (to eat).
Which one should you use?
The default form ¿Qué quieres comer? is used for informal situations. For a formal version, you can use ¿Qué desea comer? to ask what someone would like to eat or ¿Qué le apetece comer? to ask what someone feels like eating.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, people might say ¿Qué querés comer? instead of ¿Qué quieres comer? In Spain, you may hear the figurative phrase ¿Qué te pide el cuerpo? to ask about food desires or ¿Qué te apetece cenar? when specifically asking about dinner preferences.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask a group of people what they want to eat, use the plural form ¿Qué quieren comer?
Did you know?
- If you ask someone ¿Qué te pide el cuerpo? in Spain, you are literally asking 'What is your body asking for?', which is a common, idiomatic way to inquire about cravings.
- While comer means 'to eat', in Spain it is frequently used specifically to mean 'to have lunch', as the main meal of the day.
- The word comer shares a common ancestor with the English word 'consume', as both stem from the Latin root for eating or consuming.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué quieres comer?What do you want to eat?This example shows the direct way to ask the question using ¿Qué quieres comer?Tatoeba #454186 by mamat, translation #372015 by saeb
- Señor, ¿qué desea comer?Sir, what would you like to eat?
- Oye, ¿qué te apetece comer?Hey, what do you feel like eating?
Example conversation
A couple is deciding on dinner at home.
- LucíaJavier, ¿qué quieres comer?Javier, what do you want to eat?
- JavierNo estoy seguro, ¿tienes alguna idea?I am not sure, do you have any idea?
- LucíaPodemos pedir pizza si quieres.We can order pizza if you want.
- JavierMe parece una buena idea, Lucía.That sounds like a good idea, Lucía.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
