estaba comiendo

he was eating

estaba comiendo(ehs-tah-bah koh-myehn-doh)

phrase

1. (he, she, or it was consuming; third person singular)

a. he was eating

Juan dice que está a régimen, pero, cuando entré en la cocina, estaba comiendo chocolate.

Juan says he's on a diet, but when I went into the kitchen, he was eating chocolate.

b. she was eating

Ana tuvo que ir al dentista porque estaba comiendo turrón y se le partió un diente.

Ana had to go to the dentist because she was eating nougat and one of her teeth broke.

c. it was eating

¿Has visto al perro? - Sí, estaba comiendo su pienso en la caseta.

Have you seen the dog? - Yes, it was eating his dry kibble in the kennel.

d. was eating

Luis estaba comiendo cacahuetes cuando llegué. Luego dirá que no quiere cenar porque no tiene hambre.

Luis was eating peanuts when I arrived. He'll then say he doesn't want to have dinner because he isn't hungry.

2.

(formal)

(you were consuming; second person singular)

a. you were eating

¿Dice que tiene el estómago revuelto desde esta mañana? Pues si hace un momento estaba comiendo papas.

So, are you saying you've had an upset stomach since this morning? Well, you were eating chips a moment ago.

3. (I was consuming; first person singular)

a. I was eating

Estaba comiendo un bocadillo cuando vino una gaviota y me lo quitó.

I was eating a sandwich when a seagull came and took it away.

4. (he or she was having the midday meal; third person singular)

(Mexico)

(Spain)

a. he was having lunch

Ayer vi a Ramiro. Estaba comiendo en un restaurante cerca de mi oficina.

I saw Ramiro yesterday. He was having lunch in a restaurant near my office.

b. she was having lunch

Cuando llamé a Marga, estaba comiendo en un restaurante del centro.

When I called Marga, she was having lunch in a restaurant downtown.

c. was having lunch

La última vez que vio a Pedro, Rosa estaba comiendo con unas amigas en una cafetería y él entró.

The last time she saw Pedro, Rosa was having lunch with some friends in a café, and he came in.

5.

(formal)

(you were having the midday meal; second person singular)

(Mexico)

(Spain)

a. you were having lunch

Si estaba comiendo, yo puedo volver más tarde.

If you were having lunch, I can come back later.

6. (I was having the midday meal; first person singular)

(Mexico)

(Spain)

a. I was having lunch

¿Estabas en ese restaurante? - Sí, estaba comiendo allí con unos compañeros de trabajo.

Were you in that restaurant? - Yes, I was having lunch there with some colleagues.

7. (he or she was having the evening meal; third person singular)

(Latin America)

a. he was having dinner

A Óscar le había tocado la lotería y estaba comiendo con su novia en un restaurante de cinco tenedores.

Oscar had won the lottery and he was having dinner with his girlfriend at a five-star restaurant.

b. she was having dinner

Llamé a Eva y me dijo que estaba comiendo con unos amigos, y que después irían al cine.

I called Eva and she told me she was having dinner with some friends, and that they'd go to the movies afterward.

c. was having dinner

El abuelo estaba comiendo y empezó a sentirse mal, así que se acostó temprano.

Grandpa was having dinner when he started feeling unwell, so he had an early night.

8.

(formal)

(you were having the evening meal; second person singular)

(Latin America)

a. you were having dinner

No hacía falta que viniera enseguida. Si estaba comiendo, debería haber terminado.

There was no need for you to come immediately. If you were having dinner, you should have finished.

9. (I was having the evening meal; first person singular)

(Latin America)

a. I was having dinner

No respondí al teléfono porque estaba comiendo con mi familia.

I didn't answer the phone because I was having dinner with my family.