The Difference between ЕСТЬ and КУШАТЬ

Есть vs. Кушать

The reason why there is a difference between the verbs есть and кушать is connected to the fact that some Russian words can be commonly used in colloquial speech, while their usage is restricted in standard Russian.

That’s true for the verb кушать. This verb is very common in colloquial speech but has some use restrictions in standard Russian.

For example, Russian speakers can often use the verb кушать when they are talking to their friends, but they wouldn’t use this verb if the were writing an academic text.

The verb есть, on the other hand, is commonly used in both colloquial and standard Russian.

When to use кушать

As mentioned above, the verb кушать is commonly used in colloquial speech. It can also be used in standard Russian, but in very specific situations.

In colloquial speech, the verbs кушать and есть have the same meaning, ‘to eat’.

For example:

• Я хочу есть.
• (I want to eat)
• Я хочу кушать.
• (I want to eat)
• Мы будем сейчас есть.
• (We will eat now)
• Мы будем сейчас кушать.
• (We will eat now)

Кушать and есть have the same meaning in the above sentences.

It’s worth noting that, when talking to friends and family, ordinary people in Russia often use the verb кушать. In certain situations, кушать may sound nicer and more polite than есть.

For example, when a mother is telling her child to eat and she’s in a good mood, she’ll probably say ‘Кушай’. However, if the child is misbehaving or the mother is in a bad mood, she’s more likely to say ‘Ешь’.

Now, let’s take a look at when you should use the verb кушать in standard Russian.

According to Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language (Большой толковый словарь русского языка), кушать is used as a polite invitation to eat, and cannot be used in the first person. Let’s take a look at some examples that are given in the dictionary:

• Кушать подано!
• (Dinner is served)
• Кушайте, пожалуйста!
• (Eat, please)

When to use есть

The verb есть doesn’t have any use restrictions. In other words, you can use it when talking to a friend or relative, or when writing an academic text.

For example:

• Мы едим суп.
• (We are eating soup)
• Они любят есть блины.
• (They love eating pancakes)
• Дети не ели овощи.
• (The children didn't eat the vegetables)
• Что ты ешь на обед?
• (What do you eat for lunch?)
• На завтрак я ем кашу.
• (I eat porridge for breakfast)

Conjugation of кушать

Verb кушать in the present tense:

For example:

• Я кушаю на работе.
• (I eat at work)
• Когда ты кушаешь?
• (When do you eat?)
• Ребёнок кушает фрукты.
• (The kid eats fruit)
• Мы сейчас кушаем.
• (We are eating now)
• Когда вы кушаете?
• (When do you eat?)
• Дети сейчас кушают.
• (The kids are eating now)

Verb кушать in the past tense:

For example:

• Саша кушал курицу.
• (Sasha ate chicken)
• Настя сегодня не кушала.
• (Nastya hasn’t eaten today)
• Животное ничего не кушало.
• (The animal didn’t eat anything)
• Мы с друзьями кушали в кафе.
• (My friends and I ate at a cafe)

You can also save the picture below, which includes the conjugation of кушать both in the present and past tenses:

Conjugation of есть

Verb есть in the present tense:

For example:

• Я ем четыре раза в день.
• (I eat four times a day)
• Что ты обычно ешь?
• (What do you normally eat?)
• Дима никогда не ест по утрам.
• (Dima never eats in the morning)
• Мы не едим вредную пищу.
• (We don't eat junk food)
• Вы едите овощи?
• (Do you eat vegetables?)
• Они едят пиццу раз в неделю.
• (They eat pizza once a week)

Verb есть in the past tense:

For example:

• Алексей ел яблоко.
• (Alexei was eating an apple)
• Маша ела кашу.
• (Masha was eating porridge)
• Животное ело траву.
• (The animal was eating grass)
• Мы с друзьями ели борщ.
• (My friends and I were eating borscht)

You can also save the picture below, which includes the conjugation of есть both in the present and past tenses: