I’m Digesting Foods in Spanish | Say It Without Sounding Off

In Spanish, you can say “Estoy digiriendo la comida,” but many times “Estoy haciendo la digestión” sounds more natural.

You might say “I’m digesting food” after a big meal, during travel, or when you’re trying to explain how you feel. Spanish has a few solid options, and each one fits a slightly different moment. This article gives you the everyday phrasing people use, plus the grammar that keeps you from sounding stiff.

What “Digesting” Means In Real Spanish

In English, “I’m digesting” can mean two things: your body is processing what you ate, or you’re talking about the after-meal feeling. Spanish often separates those ideas.

If you want the literal process, Spanish uses the verb digerir. If you’re talking about the after-meal period, Spanish leans on set phrases, especially with digestión.

Here’s the big idea: you can say the gerund form “Estoy digiriendo…,” but in daily speech people often choose an idiomatic phrase that points to the whole after-eating phase.

I’m Digesting Foods in Spanish: Natural Phrasing That Works

Use the options below as your core set. Pick the one that matches what you mean, then tweak the object (la comida, el almuerzo, la cena) to fit your sentence.

Say The Literal Process

Estoy digiriendo la comida. This is the direct “I’m digesting the food.” It’s clear and correct. It can sound a bit clinical in casual chat, so it shines in health talk, sports talk, or when you want precision.

Quick note on the verb: digerir is a stem-changing verb in many present-tense forms (e → i). The RAE dictionary entry for “digerir” confirms meaning and standard usage.

Say The After-Meal Phase

Estoy haciendo la digestión. This matches what many English speakers mean by “I’m digesting.” It’s what you say when you’re resting after eating, waiting before a swim, or giving your stomach time to settle.

“Hacer la digestión” is a fixed expression, so you don’t need to mention “food” unless you want to. If you do, add it as a detail: “Estoy haciendo la digestión después de comer.” The noun “digestión” in the RAE dictionary helps anchor the meaning.

Say It As Something That’s Happening To You

Se me está haciendo la digestión. This is common in conversation in many places. It frames digestion as a process that’s happening in your body. It can sound more natural than the literal verb when you’re describing how you feel.

This structure uses se plus an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le) to show “to me / for me.” If that looks new, treat it as a pattern you can reuse: “Se me está quitando el sueño” (my sleepiness is going away), “Se me está pasando el dolor” (my pain is easing).

Say Your Stomach Is Settling

Se me está asentando la comida. This is a friendly way to say the meal is “settling” inside you. It’s useful when you feel heavy or when you’re waiting until you feel normal again.

In some regions you’ll hear “Me está cayendo la comida” for the opposite idea: the food is not sitting well. That’s a separate meaning, so use it only when you feel off.

Say You’re Still Full And Waiting

Todavía estoy digiriendo. This drops the object, so it reads like “I’m still digesting.” It fits when the context is obvious, like right after lunch. You can also add time: “Todavía estoy digiriendo desde hace una hora.”

Say You Need A Minute

Dame unos minutos para hacer la digestión. This is polite and normal. It works when someone wants to walk fast, swim, or start an activity right away. If you’re speaking formally, swap dame for deme.

Pronunciation That Keeps It Smooth

Digestión ends with “-ción,” so the stress lands on “-CIÓN”: dee-hes-TYON. In most of Spain, the “c” before “i” sounds like “th”; in much of Latin America, it sounds like “s.” Both are standard Spanish sounds.

Digerir is pronounced dee-he-REER. The “g” before “e” is a soft throat sound. If you want a reliable usage reference, the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (RAE) is a strong hub for language notes.

Pick The Best Sentence For The Moment

If you only memorize one line, make it “Estoy haciendo la digestión.” It covers the most common intent. Use “Estoy digiriendo la comida” when you mean the literal process and want direct wording.

Then keep two extra patterns in your pocket: “Se me está haciendo la digestión” for a natural, body-process feel, and “Dame unos minutos para hacer la digestión” when you need a pause.

Common Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Using The Wrong Verb For The Feeling

English speakers often reach for “Estoy digiriendo” even when they mean “I’m resting after eating.” That’s not wrong, but it can sound stiff. If you mean the after-meal period, “Estoy haciendo la digestión” fits better.

Forgetting The Stem Change

In present tense, many forms change e to i: “yo digiero,” “tú digieres,” “él/ella digiere,” “ellos digieren.” If you want a fast check, the RAE “digerir” page includes conjugation links.

Overusing “Comida” When Context Is Clear

Spanish often drops what’s obvious. After lunch, “Estoy haciendo la digestión” is enough. Add “la comida” when you need clarity, like when you’re comparing meals: “Estoy digiriendo la cena mejor que el almuerzo.”

Mixing Up “Digest” With “Understand”

English also uses “digest” for ideas: “I’m digesting the news.” Spanish can use asimilar or procesar for that sense. If you’re talking about food, stay with digerir or hacer la digestión.

Quick Builds You Can Reuse

Once you have the core phrase, you can shape it into whatever you need: casual, polite, or more precise.

Casual Lines

• Estoy haciendo la digestión. Luego salgo.
• Todavía estoy digiriendo. Dame un ratito.
• Se me está asentando la comida. Ya mejor.

Polite Lines

• ¿Me das unos minutos para hacer la digestión?
• Prefiero esperar un poco mientras hago la digestión.

More Precise Lines

• Estoy digiriendo la comida y me siento pesado.
• Mi cuerpo digiere mejor comidas ligeras por la noche.

Tip: “un ratito” is a friendly way to say “a little while.” It softens your request without making it vague.

Timing, Tone, And What Sounds Natural

Spanish often sounds more natural when you describe the situation instead of naming a body process. That’s why “hacer la digestión” is so common. It points to what you’re doing right now: resting, waiting, letting your stomach settle.

If you want to add timing, these pair well with both “digerir” and “hacer la digestión”:

• después de comer (after eating)
• todavía (still)
• ya (already / now)
• un poco (a bit)

Put them where you’d put them in English: “Estoy haciendo la digestión después de comer,” “Todavía estoy digiriendo,” “Ya se me está asentando la comida.”

Table Of Everyday Options And When To Use Them

This table helps you map your English intent to the clean Spanish phrasing people actually say.

What You Mean In English	Spanish You Can Say	When It Fits
I’m digesting (literal process)	Estoy digiriendo la comida	Precise talk; health talk; clear description
I’m digesting (resting after eating)	Estoy haciendo la digestión	After a meal; before activity; everyday chat
My digestion is happening / progressing	Se me está haciendo la digestión	When you describe how you feel, naturally
The food is settling	Se me está asentando la comida	When you felt heavy and you’re improving
I’m still digesting	Todavía estoy digiriendo	When time matters; you need a slower pace
Give me a few minutes to digest	Dame unos minutos para hacer la digestión	Polite pause; before walking fast or swimming
I digest X well / badly	Digiero bien / mal X	General habits; food tolerance talk
The food didn’t sit well	La comida me cayó mal	When you feel sick, uneasy, or nauseated

Grammar Notes That Keep You Confident

Gerund Form: “Estoy Digiriendo…”

Spanish uses estar + gerund to mark an action in progress: “Estoy digiriendo la comida.” It’s correct. Use it when you want the sense of “right now.”

If you’re talking about what your body does in general, switch to present simple: “Digiero mejor las cenas ligeras.”

Reflexive-Style Feeling: “Se Me…”

“Se me está haciendo la digestión” is a common way to express a process happening to you. The “me” shows it affects you. You can change it easily:

• Se me está haciendo la digestión. (to me)
• Se te está haciendo la digestión. (to you)
• Se le está haciendo la digestión. (to him/her)

Past Tense For What Happened After A Meal

If you want to say you already finished digesting, you can say: “Ya hice la digestión,” or “Ya digerí la comida.” The first sounds more everyday.

Conjugations You’ll Use Most

These are the forms that show up in daily conversation. If you want more, the RAE conjugation view for “digerir” is a solid reference.

Tense	“Yo” Form	Sample Line
Present	digiero	Digiero bien el arroz.
Present progressive	estoy digiriendo	Estoy digiriendo la comida.
Preterite	digerí	Digerí la cena rápido.
Imperfect	digería	Digería peor cuando comía tarde.
Ir a + infinitive	voy a digerir	Voy a digerir mejor si camino un poco.
Perfect	he digerido	He digerido bien hoy.

Mini Checklist Before You Say It

Run this quick mental check and your sentence will land clean:

• If you mean resting after eating, pick “hacer la digestión.”
• If you mean the literal process, use “digerir” with the object.
• If you’re talking about how it feels in your body, try a “se me…” line.
• If the context is obvious, drop “la comida.”

Short Practice Routine That Sticks

Say these three lines out loud once a day for a week. It’s enough to make the phrasing feel automatic:

• Estoy haciendo la digestión.
• Estoy digiriendo la comida.
• Se me está asentando la comida.

Then swap the meal: la cena, el almuerzo, el desayuno. You’ll start speaking without pausing to translate.