Question 1

How do we get como from the verb comer (to eat)?

Accepted Answer

Because comer is a regular verb ending in -er, we drop the -er and add -o for the eu (I) form. This makes como (I eat).

Question 2

I've seen como used before to mean "how" or "like". Is this the same word?

Accepted Answer

They are spelled and pronounced exactly the same way, but they have completely different meanings! Como often means "how" or "like", but here it is the eu form of the verb comer. You can easily tell them apart by looking at what makes sense in the context of the sentence.

Question 3

Do I have to include Eu at the beginning of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, it is optional. Because the verb form como is only ever used for eu (I), the listener already knows who is eating. You could simply say Como um lanche com o queijo, and it would mean exactly the same thing.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use o queijo (the cheese) instead of just saying com queijo (with cheese)?

Accepted Answer

If you wanted to say you were eating a snack with cheese in general, you could just say com queijo. Adding the o (the) makes it specific: you are eating your snack with the cheese, likely a specific piece of cheese that was already mentioned or is sitting right in front of you.

Eu como um lanche com o queijo.

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