cenar
to have dinner
In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.
1.Presente
Presente
Habitual actions, general truths, and what's happening now.
| yo | ceno |
| tú | cenas |
| él/ella | cena |
| nosotros | cenamos |
| vosotros | cenáis |
| ellos/ellas | cenan |
Yo ceno a las ocho de la noche.
I have dinner at eight o'clock in the evening.
Nosotros cenamos juntos los viernes.
We have dinner together on Fridays.
2.Pretérito Indefinido
Pretérito Indefinido
Completed actions at a specific point in the past.
| yo | cené |
| tú | cenaste |
| él/ella | cenó |
| nosotros | cenamos |
| vosotros | cenasteis |
| ellos/ellas | cenaron |
Ayer cené en un restaurante nuevo.
Yesterday I had dinner at a new restaurant.
Ellos cenaron tarde la semana pasada.
They had dinner late last week.
3.Imperfecto
Imperfecto
Ongoing or repeated actions in the past, descriptions, and background context.
| yo | cenaba |
| tú | cenabas |
| él/ella | cenaba |
| nosotros | cenábamos |
| vosotros | cenabais |
| ellos/ellas | cenaban |
Cuando era niño, cenaba con mi familia todos los días.
When I was a child, I had dinner with my family every day.
Siempre cenábamos a las siete en punto.
We always had dinner at seven o'clock.
4.Futuro Simple
Futuro Simple
Future actions, predictions, and speculation about the present.
| yo | cenaré |
| tú | cenarás |
| él/ella | cenará |
| nosotros | cenaremos |
| vosotros | cenaréis |
| ellos/ellas | cenarán |
Mañana cenaré en casa de mis abuelos.
Tomorrow I will have dinner at my grandparents' house.
Ellos cenarán en un restaurante elegante este fin de semana.
They will have dinner at a fancy restaurant this weekend.
5.Condicional
Condicional
Hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.
| yo | cenaría |
| tú | cenarías |
| él/ella | cenaría |
| nosotros | cenaríamos |
| vosotros | cenaríais |
| ellos/ellas | cenarían |
Si tuviera tiempo, cenaría en ese nuevo lugar.
If I had time, I would have dinner at that new place.
Nosotros cenaríamos más a menudo si no estuviéramos ocupados.
We would have dinner more often if we weren't busy.
6.Subjuntivo Presente
Subjuntivo Presente
Wishes, doubts, emotions, and subordinate clauses expressing uncertainty.
| yo | cene |
| tú | cenes |
| él/ella | cene |
| nosotros | cenemos |
| vosotros | cenéis |
| ellos/ellas | cenen |
Espero que cenes con nosotros esta noche.
I hope you have dinner with us tonight.
Es importante que ellos cenen a tiempo.
It's important that they have dinner on time.
7.Subjuntivo Imperfecto
Subjuntivo Imperfecto
Past subjunctive contexts, hypothetical si-clauses, and polite suggestions.
| yo | cenara |
| tú | cenaras |
| él/ella | cenara |
| nosotros | cenáramos |
| vosotros | cenarais |
| ellos/ellas | cenaran |
Si yo cenara en ese restaurante, pediría el plato especial.
If I had dinner at that restaurant, I would order the special dish.
Ojalá que nosotros cenáramos juntos más a menudo.
I wish we had dinner together more often.
Related verbs
Common questions
- Is "cenar" regular or irregular in Spanish?
- "cenar" is a regular -ar verb in Spanish. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs.
- How do you conjugate "cenar" in the present tense?
- In the Presente, "cenar" conjugates as: cenas, ceno, cenan, and more. See the full table above.
- What is the past tense of "cenar" in Spanish?
- In the Pretérito Indefinido, "cenar" conjugates as: cenaste, cené, cenaron, and more. See the full table above.
- How common is "cenar" in Spanish?
- "cenar" (to have dinner) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.