一看到“吃”，人們自然而然想到的英語對等詞就是“eat”，但是，這個簡單的“吃”的意義決不是一個“eat”就能完全表達的。除了eat之外，還應該根據不同的情景和意義給予恰當的表達。常見的表達法如下：

1．譯作take或have。

The patient can't take food yet．病人還不能吃飯。

We are having dinner now．我們現在正在吃晚飯。

2．譯作dine，feed，taste，touch，graze等詞。

She invites me to dine with her tomorrow．

她邀請我明天和她一起吃飯。

Have you fed yet？你吃飯了嗎？

He hasn't touched ／tasted food for two days．他兩天沒吃東西了。

The horses were grazing quietly in the field．

馬群正在田野里靜靜地吃草。

3．譯作like，love，prefer，enjoy，care for， be fond of等。

Would you like `ice-cream`？你想吃冰淇淋嗎？

She loves bananas．她愛吃香蕉。

Southerners prefer rice while northerners prefer noodles．

南方人喜歡吃米飯而北方人喜歡吃面條。

He is enjoying his dinner．他正津津有味地吃晚飯。

Tom doesn't care for meat．湯姆不怎么喜歡吃肉。

Ants are fond of sweet food．螞蟻喜歡吃甜食。

4．譯作feed on，live on等短語動詞。Cattle feed chiefly on grass．牛主要靠吃草為生。

Monkeys live on wild fruit．猴子以吃野果為生。

5．譯作某些介詞短語。

It's time for lunch．該吃午飯了。

Please sit down at table．請坐下吃飯吧。

6．某些引申意義的“吃”，可根據具體意義用適當的詞或詞組表示。

You'd better not ask for trouble．

你最好不要自討苦吃。

He's always the first to bear hardships．

他總是吃苦在前。

The enemy troops suffered one defeat after another．

敵軍連吃敗仗。

This is a hard way to earn a living．

這碗飯不容易吃。

A wise man does not fight when the odds are against him．

好漢不吃眼前虧。

Such a style is unpopular anywhere．

這種作風到哪兒都吃不開。

Mechanical copying of anything foreign would be disastrous．

機械地照搬外國的東西要吃大虧的。

It may be too much for you to walk such a long way．

走這么長的路恐怕你吃不消。

A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit．

吃一塹，長一智。

That's a thankless task．

那是吃力不討好的事。

Only if you can stand the hardest of hardships can you hope to rise in society．

吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。

She was so jealous that she wouldn't let her husband dance with anyone else．

她好吃醋，總不讓丈夫跟其他人跳舞。

This kind of paper does not absorb ink．

這種紙不吃墨。

(來源：普特英語）