comer

One of the most essential Spanish verbs: to eat. It's a regular -er verb used constantly, both literally (comer fruta) and in a wide range of set phrases and idioms about eating, meals, and even, reflexively (comerse algo), devouring or "eating up" something figuratively.

• ¿Qué quieres comer hoy? — What do you want to eat today?
• Comimos paella en la playa. — We ate paella at the beach.
• Se comió todo el pastel él solo. — He ate the whole cake by himself.

In Spain, comer often specifically means "to have lunch" (the main midday meal), while in much of Latin America it more often refers to the evening meal — a genuine regional gap worth knowing before making plans with native speakers.

• expression Fueron felices y comieron perdices — The traditional Spanish "happily ever after" fairy-tale ending ("they were happy and ate partridges"), popularized in print by Spanish writer and publisher Saturnino Calleja (1853–1915).