Comer in the Present Simple Tense
Name In Spanish: Presente de Indicativo
At first glance, understanding when to conjugate comer in the present tense seems simple due to the learner assuming that the tense refers only to what is happening specifically in the present moment (right now). Unfortunately, it's a little more complex than that because Spanish speakers also use it to express actions that happen regularly or habitually in a more broad and defined sense. Essentially, you can think of it as things that are true, whether it be right now or a truth that spans throughout the ages. It can also be used to convey future actions that are predicted to happen with a certain degree of confidence. As ever, below you will find lots of examples to help you understand when to use the present tense in Spanish, rather than just memorizing the rules.
When to use this tense with comer
To express actions that are timeless or habitual
Yo como nueces todos los días.
To express actions that are happening right now
El come arroz con salsa de tomate y huevo.
Used as an Imperative
Por favor, come algo, tu necesitas reponer energías.
As a future event that is likely to happen
Nosotros comemos más tarde porque practicamos el ayuno intermitente.
Practice Reading a Dialog in the Present Tense
As we've seen above, it can be quite overwhelming to remember all the rules and times that we are supposed to use the present tense, so we encourage you to relax and just read as much as possible, starting with the mini dialog below. You can also visit our dialogs page to read more conversations that use all the different tenses in relation to comer. Of course, you can also visit our Present Simple practice page to help you master how to conjugate comer in the present tense.
Mini Dialog for the Tense
María va con sus hijos a un restaurante donde ya la conocen.
Maria goes with her children to a restaurant where they already know her.
Jorge: Hola María, ¡qué alegría verte acompañada por tus tres hijos! ¿Qué os apetece comer?
Hi Maria, how nice to see you and your three children together! What would you like to eat?
María: Gracias Jorge. ¿Qué tenéis hoy en el menú?
Thank you Jorge, what's on the menu today?
Jorge: De primer plato podéis elegir paella, lentejas o macarrones.
For your first course you can choose paella, lentils or macaroni.
María: Nosotros comemos paella en casa de mi madre todos los domingos, entonces, para no repetir, yo elijo macarrones.
We eat paella at my mother's house every Sunday, so to avoid repeating, I choose macaroni.
Jorge: ¿Y tus hijos?
What about your children?
María: Ellos comen muy poco, ya sabes. Ellos comen más cuando se trata de un plato de cuchara, por tanto para ellos lentejas, por favor.
They eat very little, you know. They eat more when it's a spoon dish, so for them lentils, please.
Jorge: Si todos los domingos vosotros coméis en casa de tu madre y de lunes a viernes tu comes en el trabajo y ellos comen en el colegio, no tienes que cocinar tan a menudo como otras personas, ¿verdad?
If every Sunday you eat at your mother's house and from Monday to Friday you eat at work and they eat at school, you don't have to cook as often as other people, do you?
María: Es cierto, tengo mucha suerte por ello. Además yo como mucho, pero ¡no me gusta nada cocinar!
It's true, I'm very lucky for that. Besides, I eat a lot, but I don't like cooking at all!
Conjugation chart for comer in the present tense
Below is the full conjugation table for the verb comer in the present simple tense. You can see all the conjugation tables for all the tenses by visiting our tables and charts page.
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | Yo como | I eat |
| tú | Tú comes | You eat |
| vos | Vos comes | (voseo) You eat |
| usted | Usted come | (formal) You eat |
| él / ella | Él / Ella come | He / she eats |
| nosotros / nosotras | Nosotros / Nosotras comemos | We eat |
| vosotros / vosotras | Vosotros / Vosotras coméis | You (all) eat |
| ustedes | Ustedes comen | (formal) You (all) eat |
| ellos / ellas | Ellos / Ellas comen | They eat |