cină
[ˈt͡ʃinə]feminine
The Romanian word for dinner is cină. Wiktionary also lists masă de seară.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cină | [ˈt͡ʃinə] (narrow) | feminine |
| masă de seară | /ˈma.sə de ˈse̯arə/ (word by word) | feminine |
The term refers to the evening meal.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase masă de seară literally translates to 'evening meal' or 'evening table', where masă means table or meal and de seară means of the evening.
Which one should you use?
Cină is the standard word for dinner, while masă de seară is a more descriptive and slightly more formal way to refer to the evening meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
Cină is a feminine noun. In the genitive or dative case, the ending changes to cinei, such as in gustul cinei (the taste of the dinner).
Did you know?
- In traditional Romanian rural culture, the cină was historically the smallest meal of the day, as the heaviest meal was eaten at midday.
- While cină is the noun for dinner, Romanians often use the verb a cina to describe the act of eating the evening meal.
- The word seară in the phrase masă de seară is an evolutionary descendant of the Late Latin phrase 'sēra diēs', which literally meant 'late day'.
Examples in context
- Ce ai avut la cină?What did you have for dinner?This sentence is useful for asking what someone ate for cină.Tatoeba #10333481 by CataG, translation #5203256 by CK
- Vino la cină cândva.Come over for dinner sometime.This sentence is useful for inviting someone to join you for cină.Tatoeba #6688122 by elenacristina260, translation #1972615 by CK
- Pot să te invit la cină?Can I take you to dinner?This sentence is useful for asking to take someone out for cină.Tatoeba #8910857 by CataG, translation #3328181 by CK
- Ce vrei să mâncăm la cină?What do you want to eat for dinner?
- Haide să mergem la cină în oraș.Let's go for dinner in town.
- Eu am gătit tocăniță de porc cu cartofi.I cooked pork stew with potatoes.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Gabriel are deciding what to eat at home.
- ElenaCe vrei pentru cină?What do you want for dinner?
- GabrielAș vrea ceva ușor la cină.I would like something light for dinner.
- ElenaPutem mânca o salată la cină.We can eat a salad for dinner.
- GabrielEste o idee bună pentru cină.That is a good idea for dinner.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinner” translations and entries cină, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (masă, de, seară) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cină, de, masă, seară, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
