The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Merendar is used to give direct orders or instructions to have an afternoon snack or light meal, for example Merenda un bocadillo. (Have a sandwich for an afternoon snack.)

Merendar is a stem-changing verb, where the ‘e’ changes to ‘ie’ in certain conjugations. This pattern is common for verbs like pensar (to think) and querer (to want).

Conjugations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Merendar generally means to have an afternoon snack or light meal, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To have an afternoon snack or light meal, for example, ¡Merenda este sándwich! (Have this sandwich for your afternoon snack!)

Figurative meaning: To eat quickly or hastily, for example, ¡Merenda esa comida antes de que se enfríe! (Eat that food quickly before it gets cold!)

Slang meaning: To take advantage of someone or a situation in an unethical way, for example, ¡Meréndate esa oportunidad antes de que alguien más lo haga! (Take advantage of that opportunity before someone else does!)

Vulgar meaning: In some contexts, it can be used as a rude way to tell someone to eat something unpleasant or undesirable, for example, ¡Meréndate eso y cállate! (Eat that and shut up!)

Examples

Examples of Merendar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Merendemos juntos después de la reunión! (Let’s have a snack together after the meeting!)

Mamá, tengo hambre. Merienda esta manzana mientras preparo la cena. (Mom, I’m hungry. Have this apple for a snack while I prepare dinner.)

Antes de salir de viaje, merienden algo ligero. (Before leaving on your trip, have a light snack.)

Oye amigo, ¿quieres merendar unas papitas mientras vemos la peli? (Hey friend, want to snack on some chips while we watch the movie?)

Niños, merienden sus galletas y jugo antes de ir al parque. (Kids, have your cookies and juice for a snack before we go to the park.)

En la oficina, merienda una barra de proteínas para mantenerte enfocado. (At the office, have a protein bar for a snack to stay focused.)

¿Qué tal si merendamos unos ricos tamales antes de la fiesta? (How about we have some delicious tamales for a snack before the party?)

Abuela, meriende estas galletitas que hice para usted. (Grandma, have these little cookies I made for you for a snack.)

Para el postre, merienden un poco de fruta fresca. (For dessert, have some fresh fruit for a snack.)

En el avión, merienda los aperitivos que te ofrecen. (On the plane, have the snacks they offer you.)

Después del entrenamiento, merendemos unos batidos proteínicos. (After the workout, let’s have some protein shakes for a snack.)

Oigan, no se olviden de merendar algo antes de la excursión. (Hey, don’t forget to have a snack before the hike.)

Tía, meriende estos ricos bocadillos que preparé. (Auntie, have these tasty snacks I prepared.)

Equipo, merendemos algo rápido y luego volvamos al trabajo. (Team, let’s have a quick snack and then get back to work.)

Antes del concierto, merienden para tener energía. (Before the concert, have a snack to have energy.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Merendar (to have a snack) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.