Es hora de comer.
It's time to eat.
This line calls everyone to the table, and after it the only sound is the plates. Es hora de plus a verb is how you say it's time to do something.
From La familia de mi novia · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "eat" in Spanish
comer
verbregular -erI eat: como
"To eat" in Spanish is comer. It's a regular -er verb: como means I eat, comes you eat, come he or she eats. In Spain, comer on its own often means to have lunch, while the evening meal is cenar.
Hear "comer" in a real movie scene
A call to the table. The video starts and stops on that line.
Comer in the present tense
Every form keeps com- and adds a regular -er ending.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| yo como | I eat |
| tú comes | you eat |
| él / ella come | he / she eats |
| nosotros comemos | we eat |
| vosotros coméis | you all eat (Spain) |
| ellos / ellas comen | they eat |
Tip: Call people to the table with ¡A comer!, and before the first bite wish them a good meal with ¡Que aproveche! or ¡Buen provecho!
Grammar: comer, como
Four points for every meal of the day.
A model -er verb
Take off -er and add the ending: como, comes, come, comemos. Beber, to drink, follows the same pattern.Como or ¿cómo?
Como with no accent means I eat. ¿Cómo? with an accent asks how.After another verb
Keep the -er form after quiero, voy a or es hora de: Quiero comer. Voy a comer en casa.Comerse: eat it all up
The reflexive comerse stresses finishing something: Me comí la pizza means I ate the whole pizza.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿A quién le gusta comer?
Who likes to eat?
Quiero comer helado.
I want to eat ice cream.
Voy a comer en casa.
I'm going to eat at home.
Es hora de comer.
It's time to eat.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Yo cómo pasta
✓Yo como pasta
With the accent, cómo is the question word how. I eat has no accent.
✗Quiero como
✓Quiero comer
The second verb stays in its -er form after quiero.
✗Estoy hambre (before a meal)
✓Tengo hambre
In Spanish you have hunger, so the verb is tener.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Comer starts with the English word come. Picture your grandma waving everyone over: "Come and eat!"
Questions about "eat" in Spanish
How do you say eat in Spanish?
Comer. I eat is como, you eat is comes, and we eat is comemos.
How do you say "let's eat" in Spanish?
¡A comer! or ¡Vamos a comer! Both work for calling people to the table.
How do you say "I want to eat" in Spanish?
Quiero comer. Name the food after it: Quiero comer helado.
Does comer also mean to have lunch?
In Spain it often does: ¿A qué hora comes? asks what time you have lunch. In much of Latin America people say almorzar for that.
