tienes que comer
/tjenes ke komeɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you need to eat" is translated into Spanish as tienes que comer.
This phrase is used to tell someone that it is necessary for them to consume food.
Which one should you use?
The phrase tienes que comer expresses an external necessity or obligation. In contrast, if you want to express a more internal or physiological need, you would use necesitas comer.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you might hear the phrase Tienes que tomar algo to mean "you have to have something (to eat/drink)".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase tienes que comer uses the informal tú form of the verb tener.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, telling someone tienes que comer is often a common way to express care or affection rather than just a literal instruction.
- The word que in your phrase shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'who', even though it is used in Spanish to mean 'that'.
- While comer means 'to eat', in some countries it can specifically refer to the midday meal, the largest meal of the day.
Examples in context
- Creo que tienes que comer más.I think you need to eat more.This sentence is useful for suggesting that someone increase their food intake using tienes que comer.Tatoeba #3359220 by Shishir, translation #1475623 by CK
- ¡Estás en los huesos! Tienes que comer más.You're too skinny! You need to eat more.This sentence is useful for expressing that someone is too skinny and needs to eat more using tienes que comer.Tatoeba #2470784 by Shishir, translation #2470768 by Hybrid
- Ahora tienes que comerNow you have to eat
- Por favor, debes comerPlease, you must eat
- Si quieres tener energía, tienes que comer.If you want to have energy, you need to eat.
Example conversation
María notices Javier is skipping meals during a work project.
- MaríaJavier, no has desayunado nada hoy.Javier, you haven't eaten any breakfast today.
- JavierNo tengo hambre ahora, María.I'm not hungry right now, María.
- MaríaNo digas eso, tienes que comer algo.Don't say that, you need to eat something.
- JavierEstá bien, comeré un poco más tarde.Alright, I will eat a little bit later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
