Quiero comida italiana.
I want Italian food.
Invited out to dinner to clear their head, the speaker knows right away what they want. The kind of food goes after comida, with no article.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "food" in Spanish
la comida
nounfeminineplural: las comidasalso: meal
"Food" in Spanish is la comida. The same word also means a meal, and in Spain la comida is lunch, the main meal of the day. It's related to the verb comer, to eat.
Hear "comida" in real movie scenes
One clear order and one empty table. Each video starts and stops on that line.
¿Dónde está la comida?
Where's the food?
The table is set, but the plates are empty. When you mean the food that should be right there, use la.
From Hook · Spanish audio
Useful phrases with comida
Six phrases for menus, markets and kitchens.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| comida italiana, mexicana, china | Italian, Mexican, Chinese food |
| comida rápida | fast food |
| comida casera | home cooking |
| comida y bebida | food and drink |
| tres comidas al día | three meals a day |
| la hora de la comida | lunchtime (in Spain) |
Tip: Comida is food in general. For one dish on a menu, Spanish says el plato: un plato típico, a typical dish.
Grammar: la comida
Four points about food, meals and eating.
It's feminine
la comida, las comidas. In the plural it usually means meals: tres comidas al día.The cuisine comes after
comida italiana, comida mexicana. The nationality follows comida, ends in -a and is written in lowercase.Mucha, not mucho
Food is uncountable, so you say mucha comida for a lot of food and poca comida for not much.Food or lunch
In Spain, la comida is also lunch. In much of Latin America lunch is el almuerzo.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿Dónde está la comida?
Where's the food?
Quiero comida italiana.
I want Italian food.
Claro que es mucha comida.
Of course it's a lot of food.
En el carnaval hay mucha comida.
There's a lot of food at the carnival.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗mucho comida
✓mucha comida
Comida is feminine, so mucho changes to mucha.
✗comida mexicano
✓comida mexicana
The adjective agrees with comida, so it ends in -a.
✗comida Italiana
✓comida italiana
Nationalities are written in lowercase in Spanish.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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How to remember it
Comida starts with come, and comer means to eat. Picture someone calling "Come and eat, the comida is ready!"
Questions about "food" in Spanish
How do you say food in Spanish?
La comida. The same word also means a meal, and in Spain it's lunch.
Is comida masculine or feminine?
Feminine: la comida. Adjectives agree with it: comida mexicana, mucha comida.
How do you say fast food in Spanish?
Comida rápida. For home cooking, say comida casera.
Does comida mean lunch?
In Spain, yes: la comida is the main meal in the middle of the day. In much of Latin America lunch is el almuerzo.
