Cómo and como

[Chris]

So from taking Spanish in school we were to say "Como se llama?" but comer is to eat so when saying I eat you conjugate it to como correct? Then how are these said to distinguish between the two? Can you help me sound these out?

[Rusty]

Como means I eat (I am eating).
It also means how (and sometimes what).
It is also the word for as, or like.

All are pronounced exactly the same way.
Context is the key to knowing which of the meanings is conveyed.

The stressed vowel is marked with an accent when the word means how/what:
¿Cómo se llama? = How do you call yourself (What is your name)?
¿Me puedes enseñar cómo hacerlo? = Can you show me how to do it?

The word doesn't have a written accent when it is used as a verb or a conjunction:
No como como él. = I don't eat like he does.

[Chris]

Ah I see. In the last example it wouldn't be "No como coma él." or even "No como coma."?

Sorry to be asking what are probably very simple questions.

[bobjenkins]

Originally Posted by Chris

Ah I see. In the last example it wouldn't be "No como coma él." or even "No como coma."?

Sorry to be asking what are probably very simple questions.

No problema, es bueno que quieras aprender

No como (I don't eat) como (as/like) él (him)

[laepelba]

I was wandering around a bit and stumbled on this thread. I'm sure you've moved WAY past this at this point, but I thought it would be fun to point out the following little joke I've heard in Spanish (from some Peruvian friends of mine).

¿Cómo "¿cómo como?"? ¡Como como como!
(What do you mean, "how do I eat?"? I eat the way I eat!)

[Chris]

Yo tomado un descanso por aprendiendo español. No estoy remoto por este.

[laepelba]

Oh, no! I didn't realize you were taking a break... Don't make it a permanent one. We enjoy you around here.

[Chris]

No, I took a break already. I'm back and ready to learn heh. Sometimes when the going gets tough I get out of town. But now I'm back and determined to not let my life or my frustration get in the way of learning. When I think back to high school only 20 years ago (gah!) I say "Why didn't I study Spanish then?" then I think back to a few years ago and then to a few months ago. So no more wondering how much I would know if I had have stuck to educating myself. Two years from now I don't want to look back and wonder what I could have learned.

[laepelba]

Take it from a teacher who is probably about as old as you are and is self-educating the Spanish ... you were probably not mature enough to have been educating yourself through your 20's and a lot of your 30's. Now you are probably beginning to see a positive shift in your priorities, right? Just guessing...

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by laepelba

¿Cómo "¿cómo como?"? ¡Como como como!
(What do you mean, "how do I eat?"? I eat the way I eat!)

Hi there!
Yes, I knew that one too... (it is the first thing I was going to put/say when I saw the title of the thread...) It is funny.

I just remembered too, that "Como" is a city in Italy (just north Milano-Monza, and south of the "Lago di Como", the lake of the same name), and there is a couple of tongtwisters that read,

¿Cómo en Como come Ud?,
¿Cómo, que cómo como en Como?,
como en Como como en Como como,
como en Como como en Como come Ud.

(I said "read" because you can read them easily... no so easy to say, even for native speakers!)

Si yo como como como,
y tu comes como comes.
¿Cómo comes como como?,
si yo como como como.

(If any trouble with the first, translate it into English, and you'll see how the meaning goes... then it will be easier to say it...)

[laepelba]

*like*

[JPablo]

Yeah, "like lake lakegren" in Ohio... (Trying to "find" and "equivalent" in English could be quite an impossible task, likely to drive someone around the bend, if he tried...)

[Gina]

Another one similar to this would be "oro" (gold, or first person singular of "orar" "to pray"), is this right? I thought of another one a few days ago as well, but I can't remember at the moment.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Gina

Another one similar to this would be "oro" (gold, or first person singular of "orar" "to pray"), is this right? I thought of another one a few days ago as well, but I can't remember at the moment.

YES! That's right - oh, now I'm going to have to try to come up with an "oro por oro" riddle or something.

[droe82]

I don't know about all that, but I hear that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

[Chris]

How about casa y caza. Would caza casa be house hunting?

[CrOtALiTo]

Not
Literally House is Casa.
And when you go to kill some animal or something that I hope does't be the case in this moment then yes it's name Cazar.

Then the correct translation is hutting.

I'm going to hut with my uncle?
Hello Margaret already I arrive to the house in how time you will be here with me?

I don't know I hope don't delay a long time.

I hope my examples can be useful for you.
And I have made mistakes then you feel you free to correct me.

Thank you for the advice.

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by droe82

I don't know about all that, but I hear that Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

This is a fascinating one. (Never heard of it before, and while I read through the link, and got the basic concept, I will have to re-study it well, so it really sinks...) But thank you very much for this contribution!

Originally Posted by Chris

How about casa y caza. Would caza casa be house hunting?

Not quite (I agree with Crotalito on that.)
I.e., you can make something work with these, as the terms are homophones, but right of the cuff I don't see any example that would work. (You could say "casa de caza" "house of hunting" and in Latin America would sound the same. In Spain, the 'z' is pronuounced "th".)

@Gina & Laepelba,
Yes, "yo oro por el oro" (I pray for the gold) oro por oro (I pray for gold)
Or the funny, 'oro por oro, diente por diente' (instead of the standard 'ojo por ojo, diente por diente')

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by JPablo

This is a fascinating one. (Never heard of it before, and while I read through the link, and got the basic concept, I will have to re-study it well, so it really sinks...) But thank you very much for this contribution!



Not quite (I agree with Crotalito on that.)
I.e., you can make something work with these, as the terms are homophones, but right of the cuff I don't see any example that would work. (You could say "casa de caza" "house of hunting" and in Latin America would sound the same. In Spain, the 'z' is pronuounced "th".)

@Gina & Laepelba,
Yes, "yo oro por el oro" (I pray for the gold) oro por oro (I pray for gold)
Or the funny, 'oro por oro, diente por diente' (instead of the standard 'ojo por ojo, diente por diente')

You're agree with me Pablo

I can't believe it.

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

You're agree with me Pablo

I can't believe it.

Not sure why you shouldn't or can't believe it?
(I agree with your previous answer... unless there is some misunderstanding.)