Why Comer Is More Than "To Eat"
Comer is the everyday verb for eating, and it is regular. In Spain and Mexico it also means to have lunch, the main meal of the day. And it hides some of the most colorful chunks in Spanish, about thinking, talking and being blamed.
Learn the six chunks below and you will sound much more natural at the table and away from it.
Pattern 1: Comer fuera / en casa — "To eat out / at home"
The chunk for planning meals. Fuera means out, and en casa means at home. For going out, see [Salir] Chunks.
- Hoy comemos fuera. — We're eating out today.
- Prefiero comer en casa. — I prefer to eat at home.
- ¿Dónde comemos hoy? — Where are we having lunch today?
Chunk to learn:
Comer fuera / Comer en casa / ¿Dónde comemos?
Pattern 2: Comer de todo — "To eat everything"
Use de todo to say someone is not picky. With no comer plus a food, you say what you do not eat. For liking food, see [Gustar] Chunks.
- Mi hijo come de todo. — My son eats everything.
- No como carne. — I don't eat meat.
- Ella come muy poco. — She eats very little.
Chunk to learn:
Comer de todo / No comer + [alimento] / Comer poco
Pattern 3: Comerse algo — "To eat it all up"
Adding se adds the idea of finishing the whole thing. It is natural for a pizza, a plate, or anything eaten in one go. To say you just finished eating, see [Acabar De] Chunks.
- Se comió toda la pizza. — He ate the whole pizza.
- Me comí tres tacos. — I ate three tacos.
- ¿Te vas a comer eso? — Are you going to eat that?
Chunk to learn:
Comerse + [algo entero] / ¿Te vas a comer eso?
Pattern 4: Comerse la cabeza — "To overthink"
Your mind eats itself when you worry too much. In Spain you will also hear comerse el coco. The friendly command no te comas la cabeza tells someone to relax. Compare it with no te rompas la cabeza in [Romper] Chunks; for thinking, see [Pensar] Chunks.
- No te comas la cabeza. — Don't overthink it.
- Me como la cabeza pensando en eso. — I'm driving myself crazy thinking about it.
- Se come el coco por todo. — He worries about everything. (Spain)
Chunk to learn:
Comerse la cabeza / Comerse el coco / No te comas la cabeza
Pattern 5: Comerse las palabras — "To mumble / swallow your words"
Use it for someone who speaks too fast or unclearly, so that parts of the words disappear. In the Caribbean, comerse las eses describes dropping the final s. For more on speaking, see [Hablar] Chunks.
- Habla más despacio, te comes las palabras. — Speak slower, you're swallowing your words.
- En el Caribe se comen las eses. — In the Caribbean they drop their s's.
- Se comió la mitad de la frase. — She swallowed half the sentence.
Chunk to learn:
Comerse las palabras / Comerse las eses
Pattern 6: Sin comerlo ni beberlo — "Through no fault of your own"
A fixed chunk you cannot change: you got involved or blamed without eating or drinking anything, meaning without doing anything. Use it when trouble lands on you by surprise. For trouble, see [Meter] Chunks.
- Me castigaron sin comerlo ni beberlo. — I got punished for something I didn't do.
- Sin comerlo ni beberlo, me vi en medio del lío. — Through no fault of my own, I ended up in the middle of the mess.
- Pagó el error sin comerlo ni beberlo. — He paid for a mistake he had nothing to do with.
Chunk to learn:
Sin comerlo ni beberlo
Comer vs. Almorzar vs. Cenar
In Spain and Mexico, comer often means to have lunch: ¿a qué hora comes?. In much of South America, lunch is almorzar and comer is simply "to eat." Cenar is dinner everywhere. When in doubt, ask ¿a qué hora se come aquí? and listen for the answer.
Start with ¿dónde comemos? and no te comas la cabeza. You will use both the first day you eat with Spanish speakers.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.