Are these verbs interchangeable or is there a certain instance where each should be used?
Beber or Tomar
James-K1
January 23, 2011
Pascal-P
January 24, 2011
Tomar means "to take". Beber means "to drink". Hence, there is less chance of confusion with beber.
However, in some instances where you can't say "to drink", tomar is very useful.
Eg. Yo tomo el desayuno. I take (eat) breakfast.
Even when referring to drinkable substances, beber seems more formal. Tomar is often used informally especially with alcoholic beverages:
Eg. Vas a tomar una cerveza? Are you gonna drink a beer?
General rule:
Tomar can be used for consuming anything, food or drink, but beber is strictly limited to drinks, and tomar seems to be used frequently with alcoholic beverages.
Hope this helps.
James-K1
January 24, 2011
Thanks a lot! You couldn't have explained it any better.
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