Spanish for Comparing Food Customs: 'En mi país comemos ___ pero aquí comen ___'
Learn to compare eating habits between your country and a Spanish-speaking place using 'en mi país' and 'aquí', with the verb 'comer' and the contrast word 'pero'.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you want to compare what people eat in your country with what they eat where you are now, Spanish has a clear and useful pattern. You will use the phrase 'En mi país...' (In my country...) followed by a form of the verb 'comer' (to eat), then 'pero aquí...' (but here...) with another form of 'comer'. This lesson teaches you to build those comparisons naturally, using the correct verb endings and the right subject pronouns. You will also learn how to ask others about their customs and how to respond when someone asks you. The focus is on comparing two places, not just describing one custom.
By the end, you can…
- say what people eat in my country and contrast it with what people eat here.
- ask someone about eating habits in their country and understand their answer.
- use the verb 'comer' correctly with 'en mi país' and 'aquí'.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
En mi país comemos ___ pero aquí comen ___.
In my country we eat ___ but here they eat ___.
en mee pah-EES koh-MEH-mohs ___ PEH-roh ah-KEE KOH-mehn ___
Use this to compare your country's custom (we) with the custom where you are now (they).
¿Qué comen en tu país?
What do they eat in your country?
keh KOH-mehn en too pah-EES
Ask this to learn about someone else's national food habits. 'Comen' is the ellos/ellas form.
Aquí se come mucho ___.
Here people eat a lot of ___.
ah-KEE seh KOH-meh MOO-choh ___
Use the impersonal 'se come' to say what is typically eaten in a place, without naming who eats it.
En mi país, la gente come ___.
In my country, people eat ___.
en mee pah-EES lah HEN-teh KOH-meh ___
Another way to talk about people in general. 'La gente' takes a singular verb: 'come'.
¿Y aquí qué se come?
And what do people eat here?
ee ah-KEE keh seh KOH-meh
A follow-up question to ask about local food. The impersonal 'se come' is common throughout the Spanish-speaking world, in both Latin America and Spain.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is: En mi país + [nosotros form of comer] + pero aquí + [ellos/ellas form of comer]. For example: 'En mi país comemos arroz pero aquí comen tortillas.' (In my country we eat rice but here they eat tortillas.) You can also use 'la gente come' (people eat) or 'se come' (people eat, impersonal) for the second part. 'Comer' is a regular -er verb: yo como, tú comes, él/ella/usted come, nosotros comemos, ellos/ellas/ustedes comen. Notice that 'comemos' ends in -emos and 'comen' ends in -en. The word 'pero' means 'but' and introduces the contrast.
When to use it
Use this pattern when you want to highlight a difference between two places, not just describe one custom. For example, if you are from Mexico and now in Argentina, you might say: 'En mi país comemos tacos pero aquí comen asado.' If you want to be more general, use 'la gente come' or 'se come': 'En mi país la gente come mucho picante pero aquí se come más suave.' When asking about someone else's country, say '¿Qué comen en tu país?' or '¿Qué se come en tu país?' Both are correct; 'se come' is slightly more impersonal. Choose 'nosotros' when you include yourself in the group, or 'ellos' or 'la gente' when you describe others. The location alone does not decide the subject.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Qué comen en tu país?
What do they eat in your country?keh KOH-mehn en too pah-EESEn mi país comemos mucho maíz, pero aquí comen más pan.
In my country we eat a lot of corn, but here they eat more bread.en mee pah-EES koh-MEH-mohs MOO-choh mah-EES PEH-roh ah-KEE KOH-mehn mahs pahn¿Y aquí qué se come?
And what do people eat here?ee ah-KEE keh seh KOH-mehAquí se come mucho arroz y también carne.
Here people eat a lot of rice and also meat.ah-KEE seh KOH-meh MOO-choh ah-ROHS ee tahm-BYEN KAR-nehA little context goes a long way
In Latin America, food customs vary widely by country and region. For example, in Mexico tortillas are common, while in Argentina bread or pasta may be more typical. When comparing, be careful not to generalize: not everyone in a country eats the same things. Using 'la gente come' or 'se come' is softer than saying 'todos comen' (everyone eats), which can sound like a stereotype. The impersonal 'se come' is used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, in Spain as well as Latin America, though individual speakers may prefer 'la gente come' in casual conversation.
One thing to watch for
Treating 'comemos' as always wrong when describing food here.
Try this instead: Choose the subject according to who is included. 'Aquí comemos tortillas' is correct when the speaker includes themselves in the group. 'Aquí comen tortillas' describes other people. With a plural noun, the standard passive construction is 'Aquí se comen tortillas'; 'Aquí se come' can introduce a general question about food.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'In my country we drink coffee but here they drink tea'? (Use 'tomar' for drinks.)
Show a sample answer
En mi país tomamos café pero aquí toman té.
'Tomamos' is the nosotros form of 'tomar', and 'toman' is the ellos form. This follows the same pattern as 'comer'.
2What is the difference between 'En mi país comemos...' and 'En mi país se come...'?
Show a sample answer
'Comemos' means 'we eat' and includes the speaker; 'se come' is impersonal and means 'people eat' or 'one eats', not specifying who.
Both are correct, but 'se come' is more general and avoids saying 'we'. It is useful when you don't want to speak for everyone.
3Ask someone what people eat in their country, using 'se come'.
Show a sample answer
¿Qué se come en tu país?
This uses the impersonal 'se come' and is a polite, general way to ask. '¿Qué comen en tu país?' is also correct.
To compare food customs, say 'En mi país' and 'pero aquí', then choose 'comemos' if you include yourself or 'comen' if you mean other people. Ask '¿Qué se come?' about food in general; with a plural food noun, use 'se comen'.
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