The verb essen is irregular in the present tense. Like many other irregular verbs, it changes the stem vowel in the second and third person singular forms (du and er/sie/es).
essen to eat
ich esse
wir essen
du isst
ihr esst
er/sie/es isst
sie essen
die böse Königin
Was isst du, Heidrun?
What are you eating, Heidrun?
die alte Hexe
Ich esse einen Apfel. Äpfel sind sehr gesund!
I am eating an apple. Apples are very healthy!
die böse Königin
Tja, meistens schon, aber du sollst vorsichtig sein. Ich habe neulich eine Geschichte gelesen: Eine junge Frau isst einen Apfel und fällt sofort tot um! Tragisch, sage ich dir ... Ach, wen interessiert's? Was essen wir zu Abend?
Well, most often yes, but you should be careful. I read a story recently: a young woman eats an apple, and falls immediately to the ground, dead! Tragic, I tell you ... Ah, who cares? What are we eating for dinner?
Helpful hint: in a dictionary, irregular verbs are marked as irreg. They are usually listed in the back of the dictionary, with their irregular forms (some verbs are irregular in the past tense, but not in the present tense, etc.).
related words
das Essen
meal
die Esskultur
gastronomy
der Esstisch
table
essbar
edible
das Esszimmer
dining room
fun phrases
sie isst mit sehr langen Zähnen
she's eating really slowly (because she doesn't like the food)