Comer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

comer — to eat — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb of eating, and it is completely regular. It is the model verb many textbooks use for the -er conjugation because every form follows the pattern exactly — como, comes, come, comemos, comeis, comem. On this page you will find comer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the comer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the comer present tense page.

Example sentences with comer

In the present tense

  • “Eu como uma pizza todos os dias.” — “I eat a pizza”
  • “Tu comes uma pizza todos os dias.” — “You eat a pizza”
  • “Ele come uma pizza todos os dias.” — “He eats a pizza”
  • “Nós comemos uma pizza todos os dias.” — “We eat a pizza”
  • “Vós comeis uma pizza todos os dias.” — “You eat a pizza”
  • “Eles comem uma pizza todos os dias.” — “They eat a pizza”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu comi uma pizza ontem.” — “I ate a pizza”
  • “Tu comeste uma pizza ontem.” — “You ate a pizza”
  • “Ele comeu uma pizza ontem.” — “He ate a pizza”
  • “Nós comemos uma pizza ontem.” — “We ate a pizza”
  • “Vós comestes uma pizza ontem.” — “You ate a pizza”
  • “Eles comeram uma pizza ontem.” — “They ate a pizza”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu comia uma pizza antigamente.” — “I used to eat a pizza”
  • “Tu comerás uma pizza amanhã.” — “You will eat a pizza”
  • “Ele comeria uma pizza um dia.” — “He would eat a pizza”
  • “É importante que nós comamos uma pizza.” — “It is important that we eat a pizza”
  • “Come uma pizza!” — “Eat a pizza!”

How comer is used

The first thing to know about comer is its core meaning: to eat. It is the verb of eating, and it is completely regular. It is the model verb many textbooks use for the -er conjugation because every form follows the pattern exactly — como, comes, come, comemos, comeis, comem. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company comer keeps. The present eu form is como, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho comido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what comer does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need como, never comer. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho comido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle comido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Comer in context

Eu como uma pizza todos os dias. Tu comes uma pizza todos os dias. Ele come uma pizza todos os dias. Nós comemos uma pizza todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of comer is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — como, comes, come, comemos — while the meaning stays the same: to eat. Eu comi uma pizza ontem. Tu comeste uma pizza ontem. Ele comeu uma pizza ontem. Nós comemos uma pizza ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of comer appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to eat — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu comer uma pizza.”

✓ Right: “Eu como uma pizza todos os dias.”

The infinitive comer never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form como.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu comes uma pizza.”

✓ Right: “Eu como uma pizza todos os dias.”

comes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is como — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu como uma pizza ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu comi uma pizza ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito comi here, not the present como.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou comido uma pizza.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho comido uma pizza esta semana.”

comer takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho comido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on comer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of comer in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) como
    • B) comes
    • C) come
    • D) comemos

  2. What is the eu form of comer in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens comido
    • B) tem comido
    • C) tenho comido
    • D) temos comido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of comer in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) comias
    • B) comíamos
    • C) comíeis
    • D) comia

  4. What is the nós form of comer in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) comeremos
    • B) comerei
    • C) comerás
    • D) comerá

  5. What is the tu form of comer in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) comeria
    • B) comerias
    • C) comeríamos
    • D) comeríeis

  6. What is the eu form of comer in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) comeras
    • B) coméramos
    • C) comera
    • D) coméreis

  7. What is the nós form of comer in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) coma
    • B) comas
    • C) comais
    • D) comamos

  8. What is the gerund of comer?

    • A) comendo
    • B) comido
    • C) comer
    • D) como

  9. What is the past participle of comer?

    • A) comendo
    • B) comido
    • C) comer
    • D) como

  10. What does comer mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to eat
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) comes — the correct form is comes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho comido — the correct form is tenho comido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) comia — the correct form is comia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) comeremos — the correct form is comeremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) comerias — the correct form is comerias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) comera — the correct form is comera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) comamos — the correct form is comamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) comendo — the correct form is comendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) comido — the correct form is comido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to eat — the correct form is to eat. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does comer mean in English?

comer means “to eat”. You use it whenever you talk about to eat in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is comer regular or irregular?

comer is regular. comer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of comer?

The gerund is comendo and the past participle is comido. The perfect tenses use ter + comido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of comer?

On the comer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The comer present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages