cena
/ˈθena/feminine
The Spanish word for dinner is cena.
cena is a feminine noun used to refer to the evening meal. When you want to refer to a specific dinner, you use the feminine definite article la, as in la cena.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While cena specifically refers to the evening meal, the related word comida can mean either food or a general meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun cena is closely related to the verb cenar, which means to have dinner. To describe the action of having eaten dinner in perfect tenses, you use the past participle cenado with the auxiliary verb haber, such as in the phrase he cenado (I have eaten dinner).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθena/
Did you know?
- The word cena shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'score', which originally referred to a notch or a cut made to keep track of things.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, la cena is eaten much later than in English-speaking countries, often between 8 pm and 11 pm.
- The word cena is used in the specific phrase Nochebuena, which refers to the evening of December 24 and the feast that accompanies it.
Examples in context
- Yo ya he cenado.I've already had dinner.This sentence shows how to use the past participle of the verb related to cena to say you have already eaten.Tatoeba #13858489 by Seael, translation #4999913 by CK
- Es hora de cenar.It's time for dinner.This sentence uses the verb related to cena to indicate the time for the meal.Tatoeba #1021888 by Shishir, translation #324619 by CK
- Te debo una cena.I owe you a dinner.This sentence uses the noun cena to express an obligation or debt involving a meal.Tatoeba #3379022 by marcelostockle, translation #2729538 by CM
- ¿A qué hora es la cena esta noche?What time is dinner tonight?
- Quisiera reservar una mesa para la cena.I'd like to book a table for dinner.
- ¡Vamos a mi casa a disfrutar de la cenita!Let's go to my house to enjoy dinner!
- Prepararé algo rico para la cenita de esta noche.I'll prepare something delicious for dinner tonight.
- 504 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to eat at home.
- Mateo¿Qué quieres para la cena, Elena?What do you want for dinner, Elena?
- ElenaNo tengo mucha hambre, Mateo.I am not very hungry, Mateo.
- MateoPodemos comer algo ligero.We can eat something light.
- ElenaUna ensalada para la cena suena bien.A salad for dinner sounds good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinner” translations and entries cena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
