ceno
/θeno/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I eat dinner" is translated to Spanish as ceno.
In Spanish, it is more natural and common to use the specific verb cenar to express the act of eating dinner. The word ceno is used to say that someone is consuming their evening meal.
What does it mean word for word?
ceno is the first-person singular conjugation of the verb cenar, which means "to have dinner".
Which one should you use?
While como la cena is a more literal construction using the verb comer (to eat) and the noun cena (dinner), the single verb ceno is the standard way to express this action.
How does it change in a sentence?
ceno is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb cenar. If you wanted to include the subject "I", you could use the pronoun Yo.
How do you pronounce it?
/θeno/
Did you know?
- Spanish has distinct verbs for eating breakfast desayunar, lunch almorzar and dinner cenar, whereas English usually relies on the general verb 'eat' combined with a noun.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the time for when one ceno is significantly later than in most English-speaking countries, often occurring after 9 PM or even 10 PM.
- The word cena comes from the Latin 'cena', which originally referred to a dinner party or a formal banquet rather than a daily routine.
Examples in context
- Ceno a las seis todas las tardes.I eat dinner every evening at six o'clock.This sentence is useful for stating the time you eat dinner using ceno.Tatoeba #1831934 by Shishir, translation #1830596 by CK
- Ceno después de trabajar.I eat dinner after work.This sentence is useful for stating that you eat dinner after a specific activity using ceno.Tatoeba #436576 by lukaszpp, translation #436575 by lukaszpp
- Yo ceno todos los días.I have dinner every day.
- Como la cena todos los días.I eat dinner every day.
- Yo ceno ahora.I eat dinner now.
- Ayer cené temprano.Yesterday, I had dinner early.
- Mañana cenaré en casa.Tomorrow, I will have dinner at home.
- Ceno con mi familia a las ocho.I eat dinner with my family at eight.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing their evening plans.
- Elena¿Quieres salir a comer ahora?Do you want to go out to eat now?
- JavierNo puedo, ya ceno en casa.I can't, I already eat dinner at home.
- ElenaQué pena, yo tengo mucha hambre.That's a shame, I am very hungry.
- JavierPuedes venir a cenar conmigo, Elena.You can come eat dinner with me, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
