cené
/θene/from spelling rules
cené is the Spanish way to say "I ate dinner".
Use this phrase to state that you have finished eating your evening meal. In Spanish, there is a specific verb for this action, cenar, so you do not need to use the general verb for eating (comer) alongside a noun for dinner.
Which one should you use?
The form cené is used to describe a completed action in the past. In contrast, if you wanted to say you were eating dinner or used to eat dinner as a habit, you would use a different form such as cenaba.
How does it change in a sentence?
cené is the first-person singular preterite indicative of the verb cenar.
How do you pronounce it?
/θene/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the time you say cené might be much later than in English-speaking cultures. In Spain, for instance, it is culturally normal to say this phrase only after 9:00 PM or even 10:00 PM.
- In Spanish, there are distinct verbs for breakfast (desayunar), lunch (almorzar) and dinner (cenar), whereas English typically uses the general verb 'eat' for all three.
- While cené means 'I ate dinner', the root word cena is also used in some contexts to describe the 'Last Supper' of Jesus and his apostles.
Examples in context
- Yo cené anoche, pero no creo que Tom cenara.I ate dinner last night, but I don't think Tom did.This sentence is useful for illustrating the use of cené in a sentence contrasting a completed past action with a different mood.Tatoeba #1650717 by marcelostockle, translation #1027601 by CK
- Hace una hora cené en el restaurante elegante.I ate dinner an hour ago at the fancy restaurant.
- Antes de la reunión, he cenado en casa.Before the meeting, I have had dinner at home.
- Anoche comí una deliciosa cena en un restaurante mexicano.Last night, I ate a delicious dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
- Me cené un sándwich antes de venir aquí.I ate a sandwich before coming here.
- Cené muy tarde hoy.I ate dinner very late today.
- Ya cené, gracias.I already ate dinner, thanks.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking on the phone in the evening.
- Javier¿Quieres ir a un restaurante, Sofía?Do you want to go to a restaurant, Sofía?
- SofíaNo, gracias, yo ya cené.No, thanks, I already ate dinner.
- JavierEntiendo, ¿qué cenaste?I see, what did you eat for dinner?
- SofíaCené una ensalada ligera.I ate a light salad for dinner.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
