dîner
/di.ne/
The French word for supper is dîner.
dîner refers to dinner or supper at night. This word functions as both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to dine or to have supper.
Meaning: dinner at night (noun)
Which one should you use?
In many parts of France, dîner refers to the main evening meal, whereas souper is used specifically in certain regions like Quebec or parts of Belgium to mean a late-night supper.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canadian French, souper is more commonly used than dîner to refer to the evening meal. However, in some African countries like Cameroon and Senegal, the term dîner is generally used to refer to supper instead of souper.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun dîner is masculine and requires the masculine article le or un.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /di.ne/ and consists of 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- If you are in Quebec, calling the evening meal dîner might lead to confusion, as locals often use dîner to refer to what English speakers call lunch.
- In historical French contexts, dîner originally referred to the first large meal of the day, which happened around midday, not in the evening.
- The word dîner traces back to the Latin 'ieiūnus', which refers to the state of being hungry or fasting, rather than the food itself.
Examples in context
- J'ai loupé le dîner.I missed supper.This sentence is useful for showing how to express missing a meal with dîner.Tatoeba #2482560 by sacredceltic, translation #2245982 by CK
- C'est l'heure du dîner.It's supper time.This sentence is useful for expressing that it is time for the meal with dîner.Tatoeba #135504 by zmoo, translation #3733132 by CK
- J’ai étudié avant de dîner.I studied before supper.This sentence is useful for describing an action taken before the meal with dîner.Tatoeba #127987 by zmoo, translation #262099 by CK
- Nous sommes invités à un dîner ce soir.We have been invited to a supper tonight.
- Le repas du soir sera servi à huit heures.Supper will be served at eight o'clock.
- Je vous convie à un souper de gala ce samedi.I invite you to a gala supper this Saturday.
- On se retrouve pour souper ce soir ?Shall we meet up for supper tonight?
- Viens chez moi pour partager un délicieux repas du soir.Come to my place to share a delicious supper.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are deciding what to eat in the evening.
- LéaQu'est-ce qu'on mange pour le dîner ?What are we eating for dinner?
- HugoJe peux préparer un dîner léger.I can prepare a light dinner.
- LéaC'est une bonne idée, Hugo.That is a good idea, Hugo.
- HugoLe dîner sera prêt dans dix minutes.Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dîner, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dîner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
