Meaning
to have dinner
In a sentence
Stasera ceniamo a casa con i bambini.
Tonight we're having dinner at home with the kids.
Hai già cenato o aspetti tuo fratello?
Have you already had dinner, or are you waiting for your brother?
Non ceno fuori durante la settimana.
I don't eat dinner out during the week.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| cenare | infinitive |
| ceniamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| ceno | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| cenate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| ceni | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cenano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cena | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| cenavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| cenavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| cenavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| cenavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| cenavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| cenava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| cenammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| cenai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| cenaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| cenasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| cenarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| cenò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| ceneremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| cenerò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| cenerete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| cenerai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| ceneranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| cenerà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| ceniamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| ceni | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| ceniate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| ceni | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cenino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| ceni | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| cenassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| cenassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| cenaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| cenassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| cenassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| cenasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| ceneremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| cenerei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| cenereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| ceneresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| cenerebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| cenerebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| ceniamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| cenate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| cena | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| cenando | gerund |
| cenato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Use cenare for the evening meal; pranzare is lunch. Mangiare is broader and doesn’t specify dinner time.
- It usually takes avere in compound tenses: ho cenato presto. Don’t use essere.
- You can say cenare fuori for eating out, or cenare da solo/insieme for who you eat with.