In Italian, mangia serves two key functions:
Imperative form: It is used to give a command, meaning eat!. This is common when someone is encouraging another person to start eating or have more food.
Mangia! – Eat!
Mangia, che è pronto! – Eat, it’s ready!
Lui mangia una mela. – He is eating an apple.
Il bambino mangia molto. – The child eats a lot.
The verb mangiare comes from Latin manducare, meaning to chew or to eat. Both forms of mangia—imperative and present indicative—are frequently used in everyday conversation, especially given the importance of food in Italian culture.
Present indicative form: It is also the third person singular of the verb mangiare, meaning he/she/it eats or is eating. This describes an action currently happening.