Я ем всё, только не мясо.

Ем is the 1st person singular form of the verb есть meaning to eat.

So:

• есть = to eat
• я ем = I eat
• ты ешь = you eat
• он/она ест = he/she eats

Russian verbs change form depending on the subject, so you usually do not use the infinitive the way English sometimes does in dictionary-style examples.

No. Russian has two different words that look the same in the dictionary:

• есть = to eat
• есть = there is / there are / is

In this sentence, ем clearly comes from есть = to eat.

That is a very common point of confusion for learners.

Here всё means everything.

It comes from the word весь meaning all / whole. In this sentence, it is being used on its own as a pronoun-like word:

• всё = everything

So Я ем всё means I eat everything.

A useful detail: всё is normally written with ё, not е, because the pronunciation is different.

Because всё and все are different forms with different meanings.

• всё = everything / all of it
• все = everyone / all people, or all things in the plural

So here, since the idea is everything in a general sense, Russian uses всё.

Compare:

• Я люблю всё. = I love everything.
• Все любят музыку. = Everyone loves music.

Мясо is the direct object of ем, so it is in the accusative case.

But the noun мясо is:

• neuter
• inanimate
• singular

For many neuter inanimate nouns, the accusative looks exactly the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: мясо
• accusative: мясо

That is why it looks unchanged.

In this sentence, только не means something like:

• just not
• but not
• except not
• anything/everything but

So the structure is:

• Я ем всё = I eat everything
• только не мясо = just not meat

Together, it means that meat is the exception.

This pattern is a bit more expressive than a plain neutral statement. It highlights the exception.

The comma separates the main statement from a clarifying exception.

Russian often uses a comma before this kind of added phrase:

• Я ем всё, только не мясо.

The part только не мясо is attached almost like an afterthought: everything — just not meat.

So the comma reflects both:

• the structure of the sentence
• the natural pause in speech

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural alternative.

• Я ем всё, только не мясо. = I eat everything, just not meat.
• Я ем всё, кроме мяса. = I eat everything except meat.

The version with кроме мяса is often a bit more neutral and straightforward.

A useful grammar point:

• кроме requires the genitive case
• so мясо becomes мяса

Because не here does not negate the whole sentence. It only excludes one item from the general statement.

The sentence is still overall positive:

• I eat everything

Then the speaker adds an exception:

• just not meat

So не belongs to the phrase только не мясо, not to the whole sentence.

Compare:

• Я не ем мясо. = I do not eat meat.
• Я ем всё, только не мясо. = I eat everything, just not meat.

The second one is broader and more contrastive.

Yes, very often.

Russian often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form. Since ем already means I eat, you can say:

• Ем всё, только не мясо.

That can sound perfectly natural in context.

Including я can add:

• clarity
• contrast
• emphasis

For example, if you are contrasting yourself with someone else, я is more likely to stay.

No, Russian word order is fairly flexible, but this version is the most natural neutral one.

• Я ем всё, только не мясо.

It presents:

1. the subject
2. the verb
3. the general object
4. the exception

If you change the order, the meaning may stay similar, but the emphasis changes. For a learner, it is best to keep this standard order until you are comfortable with Russian emphasis patterns.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

ya yem vsyo, tolkə ni MYAsə

A few important points:

• ем sounds like yem
• всё sounds like vsyo
• ё always has a yo sound
• мясо has the stress on the first syllable: МЯсо

If you ignore ё and read всё as if it were все, the pronunciation will be wrong.

Yes, it is natural, especially in conversation.

It sounds like something a person might say when talking about food preferences or dietary restrictions. It has a slightly conversational, contrastive feel:

• I’ll eat anything — just not meat.

If you want a more neutral textbook-style version, Я ем всё, кроме мяса is also very common.