¿Qué te gustaría comer?
The English phrase 'what would you like to eat?' is translated into Spanish as ¿Qué te gustaría comer?
A question used to ask someone about their food preference or choice.
Which one should you use?
While ¿Qué te gustaría comer? is a polite way to ask about preferences, ¿Qué quieres comer? is more direct and translates to 'What do you want to eat?'
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, ¿Qué te apetecería comer? is a common way to say 'What would you fancy eating?' In Mexico, ¿Qué te gustaría cenar? is a common way to ask 'What would you like to have for dinner?'
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the form ¿Qué le gustaría comer? when addressing someone you do not know well or someone to whom you want to show respect.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the main meal of the day is la comida, which is eaten in the mid-afternoon rather than at midday.
- Spanish differentiates between comer (to eat) and alimentarse (to nourish oneself), the latter being used in biological or medical contexts.
- The verb comer is a direct descendant of the Latin comedere, which is a combination of 'com-' (together) and 'edere' (to eat).
Examples in context
- Perdone, ¿qué le gustaría comer para la cena de esta noche?Excuse me, what would you like to eat for dinner tonight?
- ¿Qué desearía cenar usted?What would you desire to have for dinner?
- Me gustaría comer tacos.I would like to eat tacos.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, qué, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
