What Does “Ser Pan Comido” Mean? (A Piece of Cake)

Hola! I’m Mónica, a Spanish teacher from Madrid. English has cake. Spanish has bread, which tells you a lot about our priorities. When something is easy, Spaniards say it’s pan comido: bread that’s already eaten, a job that’s already done. Here’s how to use it.

How to use “ser pan comido”

Spanish	English
Tranquila, la entrevista va a ser pan comido.	Relax, the interview is going to be a piece of cake.
Para ella, hablar en público es pan comido.	For her, public speaking is a piece of cake.
Pensaba que era pan comido, pero me costó un montón.	I thought it was a piece of cake, but it was really hard.
¿Montar el mueble? ¡Pan comido!	Put the furniture together? Easy peasy!

It always goes with ser: es pan comido, fue pan comido, va a ser pan comido. And it doesn’t change: los exámenes son pan comido, never panes comidos.

Why “eaten bread”?

Bread was the most basic food in every Spanish home. Bread that’s already eaten means the job is done, no effort left. That’s the usual explanation, and it makes sense to anyone who has seen how fast a barra de pan disappears in a Spanish house.

The Spain-only version: “está chupado”

In Spain you’ll hear está chupado even more than pan comido, especially among young people. ¿El examen? Chupado. = The exam? Dead easy. Careful: it goes with estar, not ser.

Similar expressions

Expression	Meaning
Está chupado	It’s dead easy (Spain)
Es coser y cantar	It’s a piece of cake (lit. “sewing and singing”)
Es un juego de niños	It’s child’s play
Está tirado	It’s really easy (Spain; also “dirt cheap”)
Es facilísimo	It’s really easy (neutral)
Está más fácil que…	It’s easier than… (Latin America, with a funny ending)

FAQ

Is “pan comido” used in Latin America?

Yes, it’s understood and used in most countries.

How do you say “easy peasy” in Spanish?

¡Pan comido! or, in Spain, ¡Chupado!

Is it “ser pan comido” or “estar pan comido”?

Ser: es pan comido. But the Spain-only alternative uses estar: está chupado.

More Spanish expressions from Spain

This article is part of my series on real Spanish expressions, the ones Spaniards use every day and textbooks never teach:

• Estar como una cabra
• Ponerse las pilas
• Costar un ojo de la cara
• No pasa nada
• ¡Qué fuerte!
• Estar hecho polvo
• Me importa un pepino
• Estar en las nubes
• Tomar el pelo
• Meter la pata
• Dar la lata
• Echar una mano
• En el quinto pino
• Ojalá
• Venga
• Eres la leche
• Toma tomate, tómalo

👉 See all Spanish expressions from Spain

Expressions are the shortcut to sounding real

Speaking Spanish won’t be pan comido from day one, but with the right method it gets easier every week. Download my free guide with 100 real Spanish phrases above, and if you want to know exactly what’s stopping you from speaking, book your Spanish Speaking Roadmap call below.

— Monica Bernabe Perez

Learning Spanish in Australia? I taught Spanish at UWA and now teach learners all over the country, in small groups or one-to-one: Spanish classes in Perth, Spanish lessons in Sydney and Spanish classes in Adelaide.