cenar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
cenar — to have dinner
The imperfect subjunctive of cenar uses the -ara endings: cenara, cenaras, cenara, cenáramos, cenarais, cenaran.
cenar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical dinner situations or when the main verb is in the past, like 'I wanted you to have dinner with me.'
Notes on cenar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
Cenar is regular here. The stem comes from the 'ellos' form of the preterite (cenaron).
Example Sentences
Si cenara ahora, no tendría hambre más tarde.
If I had dinner now, I wouldn't be hungry later.
yo
Me gustaría que cenaras conmigo.
I would like you to have dinner with me.
tú
El médico sugirió que cenáramos ligero.
The doctor suggested that we have a light dinner.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: cenaramos
Correct: cenáramos
Why: The nosotros form in the imperfect subjunctive always requires an accent mark on the vowel before the 'ramos'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: ceno
The present tense of cenar is regular: ceno, cenas, cena, cenamos, cenáis, cenan.
Preterite
yo: cené
The preterite of cenar is regular: cené, cenaste, cenó, cenamos, cenasteis, cenaron.
Imperfect
yo: cenaba
The imperfect of cenar follows the standard -aba pattern: cenaba, cenabas, cenaba, cenábamos, cenabais, cenaban.
Future
yo: cenaré
The future of cenar uses the infinitive as the stem: cenaré, cenarás, cenará, cenaremos, cenaréis, cenarán.
Conditional
yo: cenaría
The conditional of cenar is regular: cenaría, cenarías, cenaría, cenaríamos, cenaríais, cenarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cene
The present subjunctive of cenar uses the -e endings: cene, cenes, cene, cenemos, cenéis, cenen.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cena
The imperative of cenar gives commands: cena (tú), cenad (vosotros), cene (usted), cenen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cenes
The negative imperative of cenar uses the present subjunctive: no cenes, no cene, no cenemos, no cenéis, no cenen.