Inklingo

How to Say "have dinner!" in Spanish

The Spanish word forhave dinner!is cenaA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1

cena

VerbA1
As a command, when speaking informally to someone ('tú').
A friendly person sitting at a table in the evening, actively lifting a forkful of food to their mouth, illustrating the action of having dinner.

Examples

Mi padre siempre cena a las ocho.

My father always has dinner at eight.

Cena un poco de fruta si no tienes mucha hambre.

Have some fruit for dinner if you're not very hungry.

Señora López, ¿usted cena aquí esta noche?

Mrs. Lopez, are you having dinner here tonight?

Two Meanings in One

The word 'cena' can mean 'he/she has dinner' (a statement) or 'Have dinner!' (a friendly command). The situation usually makes it clear which one is meant.

Using 'tener cena'

Mistake:Saying 'yo tengo cena' to mean 'I have dinner'.

Correction: In Spanish, the meal is the verb itself. Just say 'Yo ceno' for 'I have dinner'. You don't need 'tener' (to have).

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