cena
/ˈθena/feminine
The Spanish word for dinner is cena.
cena is a feminine noun that refers to the evening meal.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While cena refers to the meal itself, the verb cenar is used to describe the specific act of consuming that evening meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of eating dinner, it is more common to use the verb cenar rather than the phrase comer la cena.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθena/
Did you know?
- The word cena shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'core', as both stem from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to cut' or 'to divide'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, 'la cena' is not the first meal of the day, but can actually be eaten as late as 10:00 PM or midnight.
- In some Latin American countries, the heavy midday meal is called 'el almuerzo', making 'la cena' a much lighter affair than the English 'dinner' might imply.
Examples in context
- Yo ya he cenado.I've already had dinner.This sentence shows how to use the verb related to cena.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.Tatoeba #1021888 by Shishir, translation #324619 by CK
- Te debo una cena.I owe you a dinner.This sentence uses the noun cena.Tatoeba #3379022 by marcelostockle, translation #2729538 by CM
- ¿Podría indicarme el horario de la cena?Could you please tell me the dinner schedule?
- ¿Qué hay para la cenita?What's for dinner?
- 504 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are discussing their plans for the evening.
- Lucía¿Qué quieres para la cena?What do you want for dinner?
- DanielNo lo sé, ¿qué prefieres tú, Lucía?I don't know, what do you prefer, Lucía?
- LucíaPodemos preparar una cena ligera.We can prepare a light dinner.
- DanielMe parece una buena idea.That sounds like a good idea.
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.
