By Catalina Suárez on Monday, September 28, 2015 In Spanish there’re a lot of ways to say just about everything. Between synonyms and slang, a verb as simple as “comer” (to eat) can be confusing for foreigners and students; and even more so when the word for feeding oneself can mean very different things in different places. Take a look at some examples:
Bajonear: This is the word “to eat” in El Salvador, but in Bolivia it means “to lower one’s spirits.” In Colombia it’s important to be especially careful when using this word because it can also mean “to hit someone.”
Clavar: This one means “to eat in excess” in Argentina; but in Spain it can also mean “to pay excessively for something” or “to rip off.”
Jalar: In Spain, this one means “to eat something quickly;” however, in Ecuador it is synonymous with “to tolerate” and in Argentina it’s something like “inhale.”
Papear: This word “to eat” is used a lot in Spain and Peru; but don’t even think about using it in Colombia where it means “to fool someone.”
Yantar: This slang term is very popular in Spain and Ecuador. When someone says someone is “de buen yantar” they mean, not only does that person like to eat, but that they are also a total foodie. But in other places, they still use “yantar” to mean “to pay tribute to.”
Zampar: This one is used in Honduras, Peru and Spain; but in Venezuela it means “to have intimate relations.”
And to all of these verbs, we should add some expressions and idioms, which are pretty funny to a lot of people, or at the very least, interesting…
Tener buen saque: This expression has come to mean “to have a good appetite” or a predisposition to eat a lot. That being said, it’s not a good idea to use the expression in Argentina, where it means something like “someone deserves a good smack.”
Comer como una lima: If someone eats a lot and very quickly, you could use this phrase to compare them with the tool used to file down metals (in Spanish “lima” also means “file”); but “lima” also means lime, the fruit that’s similar to a lemon, which obviously doesn’t devour anything.
Comer a dos carrillos: If you’ve ever had a hamster and seen it store seeds in its cheeks, you’ll know what this expression is talking about (it translates literally to “eat with two cheeks”). However, keep in mind that in some places “carillo” also means “pulley.”
We hope we haven’t confused you with all of these synonyms, but as you can see, Spanish is a “very flavorful” language.
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FAQs
Strongest matches. attack, bite, chew, devour, dine, feed, ingest, inhale, nibble, pick, swallow. Strong matches. absorb, banquet, bolt, breakfast, cram, digest, dispatch, gorge, gormandize, graze, lunch, masticate, munch, nosh, ruminate, scarf, scoff, snack, sup, wolf.
What can I say instead of eating? ›
Synonyms of eat
- consume.
- chew.
- devour.
- lick.
- swallow.
- ingest.
- partake (of)
- digest.
Strongest matches. attack, bite, chew, devour, dine, feed, ingest, inhale, nibble, pick, swallow. Strong matches. absorb, banquet, bolt, breakfast, cram, digest, dispatch, gorge, gormandize, graze, lunch, masticate, munch, nosh, ruminate, scarf, scoff, snack, sup, wolf.
What is the verb for eating in Spanish? ›
The Spanish verb comer means "to eat." It is used the same way as its English translation, the act of consuming food with the mouth.
What's another word for food in Spanish? ›
Say "alimento" for "food" or "nourishment." This is another common word used to refer to food. Unlike "comida," it isn't usually used for "meal," but you can use it metaphorically to discuss fuel, feed, and so on (e.g., "alimento para el fuego" means "fuel for the fire").
What is the slang for eating quickly? ›
Bolt, gobble, and wolf are also used to describe the action of eating something very quickly. All three verbs can be used with down. Gobble can also be used with up. Don't bolt down your food - you'll make yourself ill!
What is the slang for eating fast? ›
We wolf down, but we gobble up – and both mean the same thing: to eat fast. To gobble means to eat hungrily and hastily. This time it could be that we're being compared to a bird – a goose, heron or turkey, gobbling food down its long neck.
What does eating mean in slang? ›
It's somewhat vulgar slang that means she gave them oral sex. A native speaker would never actually misinterpret "What did you eat" to mean "Who did you give oral sex to".
How do you say eat in Spanish as a command? ›
Direct Commands for "-er" Verbs
Using "comer" (to eat) as an example, the conjugations include: Singular familiar: come tú, no comas tú > eat, don't eat. Singular formal: coma Ud., no coma Ud. > eat, don't eat.
What is the verb hungry in Spanish? ›
To express the hunger of different groups of people, you would simply conjugate the verb “tener.” Let's take a look: Tengo hambre. / I am hungry. Tienes hambre. / You are hungry. Tiene hambre. / He/she is hungry.
Tapas are a selection of small dishes of Spanish food such as Patatas Bravas, Marinated Anchovies,Serrano Ham,Garlic Prawns,Roasted Peppers, Tortilla.
What are some other verbs related to mealtimes Spanish? ›
Vocabulary - meal times and verbs to talk about food
| almorzar | to have lunch |
|---|
| beber | to drink |
| cenar | to have dinner |
| comer | to eat |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
4 more rowsTaste/Flavor (n) is "sabor", and to taste/have a flavor (v) is "saber". Este helado sabe bueno/bien.
What is the verb of the word eat? ›
Ate and eaten are two forms of the irregular verb eat. Ate is the past tense form and eaten is the past participle form. For example: I ate lunch at the park today.
What is the verb for eating lunch Spanish? ›
Unlike English, in Spanish we have a single verb that means "to eat lunch" or "to have lunch"—the verb almorzar. When conjugating almorzar, remember that it is a stem-changing -ar verb.
What is the verb for meal? ›
have/eat a meal I have my main meal at midday.
What is the present tense of eating in Spanish? ›
' In Spanish, to use the present progressive tense with comer (to eat), you use a subject pronoun, the verb estar in the present tense, and the verb comiendo (eating). For example: Yo estoy comiendo. (I am eating).
