The model -er verb
Comer is the textbook regular -er verb: take off -er and add -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. In Spain, la comida is lunch (around 2–3 pm) and comer often means "to have lunch". Comerse = to eat up: me comí toda la pizza.
Indicative tenses of comer
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | comoI eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comesyou eat |
| él/ella/usted | comehe/she eats |
| nosotros/as | comemoswe eat |
| vosotros/as | coméisyou all eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comenthey eat |
In Spain, comer also means "to have lunch": comemos a las dos.
Preterite indicative
| yo | comíI ate |
|---|---|
| tú | comisteyou ate |
| él/ella/usted | comióhe/she ate |
| nosotros/as | comimoswe ate |
| vosotros/as | comisteisyou all ate |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comieronthey ate |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | comíaI used to eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comíasyou used to eat |
| él/ella/usted | comíahe/she used to eat |
| nosotros/as | comíamoswe used to eat |
| vosotros/as | comíaisyou all used to eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comíanthey used to eat |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy comiendoI am eating |
|---|---|
| tú | estás comiendoyou are eating |
| él/ella/usted | está comiendohe/she is eating |
| nosotros/as | estamos comiendowe are eating |
| vosotros/as | estáis comiendoyou all are eating |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están comiendothey are eating |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a comerI am going to eat |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a comeryou are going to eat |
| él/ella/usted | va a comerhe/she is going to eat |
| nosotros/as | vamos a comerwe are going to eat |
| vosotros/as | vais a comeryou all are going to eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a comerthey are going to eat |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | comeréI will eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comerásyou will eat |
| él/ella/usted | comeráhe/she will eat |
| nosotros/as | comeremoswe will eat |
| vosotros/as | comeréisyou all will eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comeránthey will eat |
Conditional indicative
| yo | comeríaI would eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comeríasyou would eat |
| él/ella/usted | comeríahe/she would eat |
| nosotros/as | comeríamoswe would eat |
| vosotros/as | comeríaisyou all would eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comeríanthey would eat |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he comidoI have eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | has comidoyou have eaten |
| él/ella/usted | ha comidohe/she has eaten |
| nosotros/as | hemos comidowe have eaten |
| vosotros/as | habéis comidoyou all have eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han comidothey have eaten |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había comidoI had eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | habías comidoyou had eaten |
| él/ella/usted | había comidohe/she had eaten |
| nosotros/as | habíamos comidowe had eaten |
| vosotros/as | habíais comidoyou all had eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían comidothey had eaten |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré comidoI will have eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás comidoyou will have eaten |
| él/ella/usted | habrá comidohe/she will have eaten |
| nosotros/as | habremos comidowe will have eaten |
| vosotros/as | habréis comidoyou all will have eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán comidothey will have eaten |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría comidoI would have eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías comidoyou would have eaten |
| él/ella/usted | habría comidohe/she would have eaten |
| nosotros/as | habríamos comidowe would have eaten |
| vosotros/as | habríais comidoyou all would have eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían comidothey would have eaten |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of comer
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | coma(that) I eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comas(that) you eat |
| él/ella/usted | coma(that) he/she eats |
| nosotros/as | comamos(that) we eat |
| vosotros/as | comáis(that) you all eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | coman(that) they eat |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | comiera(if) I ate |
|---|---|
| tú | comieras(if) you ate |
| él/ella/usted | comiera(if) he/she ate |
| nosotros/as | comiéramos(if) we ate |
| vosotros/as | comierais(if) you all ate |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comieran(if) they ate |
Future subjunctive
| yo | comiere(if) I eat |
|---|---|
| tú | comieres(if) you eat |
| él/ella/usted | comiere(if) he/she eats |
| nosotros/as | comiéremos(if) we eat |
| vosotros/as | comiereis(if) you all eat |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comieren(if) they eat |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya comido(that) I have eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas comido(that) you have eaten |
| él/ella/usted | haya comido(that) he/she has eaten |
| nosotros/as | hayamos comido(that) we have eaten |
| vosotros/as | hayáis comido(that) you all have eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan comido(that) they have eaten |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera comido(if) I had eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras comido(if) you had eaten |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera comido(if) he/she had eaten |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos comido(if) we had eaten |
| vosotros/as | hubierais comido(if) you all had eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran comido(if) they had eaten |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere comido(if) I will have eaten |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres comido(if) you will have eaten |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere comido(if) he/she will have eaten |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos comido(if) we will have eaten |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis comido(if) you all will have eaten |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren comido(if) they will have eaten |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of comer
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | comeeat! |
|---|---|
| usted | comaeat! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | comamoslet's eat! |
| vosotros/as | comedeat! (you all) |
| ustedes | comaneat! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no comasdon't eat! |
|---|---|
| usted | no comadon't eat! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no comamoslet's not eat! |
| vosotros/as | no comáisdon't eat! (you all) |
| ustedes | no comandon't eat! (you all, formal) |
Practice comer
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and comer.
How to use comer
Como mucha fruta.
I eat a lot of fruit.
¿Dónde comemos hoy?
Where are we having lunch today?
Comimos en un restaurante.
We ate at a restaurant.
Se comió toda la pizza.
He ate the whole pizza.
¿Qué te gusta comer?
What do you like to eat?
Example sentences with comer
- ¿Has comido?Have you eaten?
- Ayer comimos paella.Yesterday we had paella.
- De niño comía muchos dulces.As a kid I ate a lot of sweets.
- Comeremos a las dos.We'll have lunch at two.
- ¿Qué comerías tú?What would you eat?
- Come algo, que no has desayunado.Eat something, you haven't had breakfast.
- No comas tan rápido.Don't eat so fast.
- Estamos comiendo.We're eating.
Verbs like comer
All regular -er verbs follow exactly the same pattern as comer.
Frequently asked questions about comer
Is comer regular or irregular?
Comer is completely regular. It's the model verb for all regular -er verbs.
How do you conjugate comer in the present tense?
como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen.
How do you conjugate comer in the preterite?
comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron.
What is the difference between comer and comerse?
Comer = to eat. Comerse = to eat something up completely: me comí el bocadillo entero.
Does comer mean lunch?
In Spain, yes: comer often means "to have lunch" and la comida is lunch. In Latin America, lunch is usually almorzar.
What is the past participle of comer?
The past participle is comido and the gerund is comiendo.
Free cheat sheet
All 18 tenses of comer, on one page.
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