Meaning
dinner (evening meal)
In a sentence
Stasera preparo una cena veloce per tutti.
Tonight I'm making a quick dinner for everyone.
Hai già deciso cosa mangiare a cena?
Have you already decided what to eat for dinner?
Ieri non abbiamo fatto una vera cena.
Yesterday we didn't have a real dinner.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| cena | feminine · singular |
| cene | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use 'cena' for the evening meal, not 'pranzo' (lunch) or 'pasto' (generic meal).
- In Italy, 'cena' is often later (7:30 PM+) than in the US. Avoid saying 'cena' for early dinners.
- No contraction with articles: say 'la cena,' not 'l’cena.'