comer
to eat
To consume food by chewing and swallowing it
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
comestible
thing to eat
+
-er
verb suffix
Comer means to eat and is related to the English word comestibles0, which is a fancy word for things to eat.
comer
to eat
The everyday word for eating anything, from a piece of fruit to a full meal.
Los niños comen fruta todas las mañanasThe children eat fruit every morning
No puedo comer nada antes del examen médicoI can't eat anything before the medical exam
to eat away, to eat up (gradually)
Just like in English, something that slowly consumes or wears something down "eats" it.
La humedad come la madera de la terrazaThe humidity eats away the wood on the deck
El alquiler me come la mitad del sueldoRent eats up half my paycheck
to take, to capture (board games)
In chess and checkers, capturing a piece is "eating" it.
Si mueves ahí, te como la torreIf you move there, I'll take your rook
Me comió tres piezas en dos turnosHe captured three of my pieces in two turns
comerse
to eat up, to polish off (the whole thing)
The reflexive se points the eating back at yourself, as in "I ate me a whole pizza." The personal involvement emphasizes finishing the whole thing, like eating something up.
El perro se comió toda la torta de cumpleañosThe dog ate up the entire birthday cake
Me comí las palomitas antes de que empezara la películaI polished off the popcorn before the movie started
to swallow, to skip (letters, words)
When you leave out a letter or word while speaking or writing, you "eat" it. The reflexive se emphasizes the letter vanishing into you instead of coming out of your mouth. It's like "swallowing your words" in English.
Cuando habla rápido, se come las esesWhen he talks fast, he swallows his s's
Te comiste una palabra en la segunda oraciónYou skipped a word in the second sentence
to sleep with, to hook up with (vulgar slang)
Crude slang for sleeping with someone. Eating someone whole or devouring them is a picture of desire: "I could just eat you up" or "I could devour you." The reflexive se emphasizes the personal involvement.
Presume de que se comió a la chica más guapa de la fiestaHe brags that he slept with the prettiest girl at the party
¿Es verdad que te comiste al vecino?Is it true you hooked up with your neighbor?