Tomar, comer, beber

In lesson 1.3, “I want something to drink” is “quiero algo para tomar,” and we're told tomar means to drink. 

My dictionary gives many meanings for tomar, and two of them are to eat and to drink. I'm having trouble understanding why the sentence was “quiero algo para tomar” instead of “queiro algo para beber.” It seems to me if I use “quiero algo para tomar” in real life, the waiter won't know whether to suggest a food or a beverage!

In other words, I'm wondering why the lesson used a speciic verb comer for eating, but a less specific verb tomar (which can also mean eating) for drinking. Or is this one of those regional things?

¡Hola, StanB-sweh!

Thanks for your question!

You're right: the usage of tomar varies by region. While this verb in general is best memorized as meaning “to take,” it can indeed also be used to mean either “to drink” or “to eat,” depending on where you are. However, in Latin America in general, it's safe to say that it's much more common for tomar to be used instead of beber to mean “to drink” than it is for it to be used instead of comer to mean “to eat” (unless you're talking about eating a liquid food like soup, in which case tomar is rather commonly used to mean “to eat”!). 

I hope this has helped. Do let me know if you still have any questions!

Saludos,

Liss

Gracias, Liss.