Spanish · Everyday Verbs

"to drink" in Spanish: beber

beber

Say it: beh-BEHR / BEH-bohverb/be.ˈβeɾ/

To drink in Spanish is beber. Core forms are bebo, bebes, and bebe. Latin America also uses tomar a lot for drinks, next to beber.

At a café

Bebo café sin azúcar por la mañana.
I drink coffee without sugar in the morning.
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How to pronounce beber

Say it

beh-BEHR / BEH-boh

/be.ˈβeɾ/

Beber is beh-BEHR. Bebo is BEH-boh. Bebes is BEH-behs.

"to drink" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
beberto drink

Clear dictionary verb for drink.

beboI drink

First-person present.

bebes / bebeyou drink / he-she drinks

Habits and offers.

bebemos / bebenwe drink / they drink

Plural forms.

tomarto drink / to take

Very common for drinks in Latin America.

How to use beber in real life

  1. 1At a café

    Bebo café sin azúcar por la mañana.

    I drink coffee without sugar in the morning.

    Bebo states a habit.

  2. 2Offering water

    ¿Bebes agua fría o del tiempo?

    Do you drink cold water or room-temperature?

    Bebes is the tú question form.

  3. 3Ordering together

    Queremos beber un jugo natural.

    We want to drink a fresh juice.

    Beber stays infinitive after queremos.

Mistakes English speakers make with beber

Incorrect: Yo beber agua.

Correct: Yo bebo agua.

Conjugate beber: yo bebo.

Incorrect: Bebo sed.

Correct: Tengo sed. / Quiero beber agua.

Thirst is tengo sed.

Good to know

Textbooks teach beber, and it is correct. In Latin America, tomar un café is common, and beber agua is fine too.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ordering drinks at a market stall

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Qué bebes normalmente aquí?

    What do you usually drink here?

  2. You

    Bebo agua de jamaica.

    I drink hibiscus water.

  3. ChatPal

    Yo bebo limonada. ¿Pedimos dos?

    I drink lemonade. Shall we order two?

  4. You

    Sí. Quiero beber algo frío.

    Yes. I want to drink something cold.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"to drink" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to drink" in Spanish

How do I conjugate beber in the present?

Bebo, bebes, bebe, bebemos, beben.

Is tomar okay for drinks?

Yes in Latin America. Tomar un café is very common.

How do I say I'm thirsty?

Tengo sed. Then you can add quiero beber agua.

How do you pronounce bebo?

BEH-boh. Both b sounds are soft.

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