Spanish grammar · Beginner
Comer Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Comer means to eat in Spanish, the textbook model for regular -er verbs. Fully regular across present (como, comes, come), preterite (comí, comiste, comió), and every other tense.
Como pasta los miércoles.
I eat pasta on Wednesdays.
What it is
Comer means to eat. It's the textbook model for regular -er verbs, fully regular across every tense. Master comer's endings and you've effectively learned aprender, beber, leer (with minor twists), correr, and other regular -er verbs.
In Como pasta los miércoles (I eat pasta on Wednesdays), como is the yo form. Don't confuse it with cómo (how, with accent), different word entirely.
How to spot it
All forms keep the com- stem. Present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Past tenses follow standard -er patterns.
- Comes muy poco. — You eat very little.
- Comimos en un restaurante. — We ate at a restaurant.
- ¿Qué quieres comer? — What do you want to eat?
Como without accent = I eat. Cómo with accent = how. Easy slip in writing, watch the accent.
Comer Conjugation Quick Reference
Comer at a glance, the regular -er verb model
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | como | comí | comía | comeré | coma |
| tú | comes | comiste | comías | comerás | comas |
| él/ella/Ud. | come | comió | comía | comerá | coma |
| nosotros | comemos | comimos | comíamos | comeremos | comamos |
| vosotros | coméis | comisteis | comíais | comeréis | comáis |
| ellos/Uds. | comen | comieron | comían | comerán | coman |
Common Comer Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Comer covers meals, food preferences, and mealtime conversation. Four key contexts:
Meals and Food
- Como cereal por la mañana.
- I eat cereal in the morning.
- Come mucha fruta.
- She eats a lot of fruit.
- Comemos a las dos.
- We eat at two.
- ¿Qué comen los niños?
- What do the kids eat?
Spanish doesn't require the article before food (Como pan, not Como el pan) when speaking generally.
Restaurants and Dining Out
- Anoche comimos en un restaurante italiano.
- Last night we ate at an Italian restaurant.
- Quiero comer pescado.
- I want to eat fish.
- ¿Has comido tapas?
- Have you eaten tapas?
In Spain, comer specifically means to have lunch (the main midday meal). Latin America uses it more broadly.
Comerse (Reflexive, Emphatic)
- Se comió toda la pizza.
- He ate the whole pizza.
- Me comí dos tacos.
- I gobbled up two tacos.
- Nos comimos el pastel.
- We finished off the cake.
Reflexive comerse adds emphasis, finishing it all, devouring. Used for memorable eating moments.
Past and Future Eating
- Comí muy temprano.
- I ate very early.
- Comía pescado los viernes.
- I used to eat fish on Fridays.
- Comeremos en casa.
- We'll eat at home.
All tenses follow regular -er patterns, no stem changes, no irregular endings.
How to Conjugate Comer Across Tenses
Fully Regular -er Verb
Comer follows every regular -er pattern: present (-o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en), preterite (-í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron), imperfect (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían), future (-eré, -erás...), subjunctive (-a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an).
Como / comí / comía / comeré / coma. Same stem, different endings.
I eat / I ate / I used to eat / I'll eat / (that) I eat.
Learn comer's endings, and you've learned aprender, beber, correr, vender, and most other regular -er verbs.
Accent Pattern in Past Tenses
Preterite accents fall on yo (comí) and él/ella (comió). Imperfect carries accents on every form (comía, comías, comíamos, etc.) because the -í- always stands alone as its own syllable.
yo comí, él comió, nosotros comíamos.
Accent placement matches where you'd stress the syllable in speech.
If you can hear which syllable carries the stress, the accent is obvious in writing.
Como vs. Cómo (Watch the Accent)
Como without accent = I eat (verb form). Cómo with accent = how (question word). Two different words, same letters.
Como pollo. ≠ ¿Cómo estás?
I eat chicken. ≠ How are you?
If it's a question, the cómo carries an accent. If it's a verb form (I eat), no accent.
Commands and Subjunctive
Affirmative tú command: come. Negative tú command: no comas. Formal usted command: coma. Subjunctive endings switch to -a (the opposite-vowel rule for -er and -ir verbs).
¡Come tus vegetales! Quiero que comas más despacio.
Eat your vegetables! I want you to eat more slowly.
Subjunctive coma and formal command coma are the same form.
Common Mistakes with Comer Conjugation
Incorrect: Cómo pollo a menudo. — I eat chicken often. (wrong, accent doesn't belong on como when it's a verb)
Correct: Como pollo a menudo. — I eat chicken often.
Como (verb form, I eat) carries no accent. Cómo (with accent) is the question word how. Beginners mix the two in writing constantly.
Incorrect: Yo comí mucho cada día. — I used to eat a lot every day. (wrong, preterite for an ongoing past habit)
Correct: Yo comía mucho cada día. — I used to eat a lot every day.
Cada día signals a recurring past habit, that's imperfect (comía), not preterite (comí). Preterite would imply one specific eating event.
Incorrect: Me comí muy lento. — I ate very slowly. (reflexive doesn't fit, emphatic comerse implies finishing it)
Correct: Comí muy lento. — I ate very slowly.
Comerse adds emphasis on finishing or devouring something. For neutral slow eating, drop the reflexive: comí muy lento.
Comer Across Every Tense
Comer is the regular -er model. Predictable endings across every tense.
Present
Regular -er present: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Como without accent, don't confuse with cómo (how).
Preterite
Regular -er preterite. Accents on yo (-í) and él/ella (-ió).
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Comimos is preterite, present nosotros is comemos (with an e).
Imperfect
Regular -er imperfect (-ía). Accent on every form.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Comía describes ongoing past eating habits; comí marks one specific past event.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future / conditional attach standard endings to the infinitive. Subjunctive uses -a endings.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Coma is also the formal usted command: Coma despacio (Eat slowly).
Comer Conjugation FAQs
- What does comer mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Comer means to eat. Used for meals (Como cereal), restaurants (Comimos en un restaurante), and food in general (¿Qué comen los niños?). In Spain, comer often specifically means to have lunch.
- How does comer conjugate in the present tense?
- Como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen. Comer is fully regular, the textbook -er verb. Every regular -er verb in Spanish follows this pattern.
- What's the preterite of comer?
- Comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron. Regular -er preterite. Accents on yo (comí) and él/ella (comió).
- What's the difference between como and cómo?
- Como without accent = I eat (verb form of comer). Cómo with accent = how (question word). They're different words despite identical spelling, the accent disambiguates.
- How can I get better at conjugating comer?
- Comer is fully regular, once you've memorized its endings, you've effectively learned every other regular -er verb. Parrot's daily videos feature comer in real meal contexts across all tenses, so the patterns become automatic.