Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Cenar in Spanish
cenar to have dinner, to eat dinner, to dine Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Cenar (to have dinner, to eat dinner, to dine) is a widely used regular -AR verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: ceno, cenas, cena, cenamos, cenáis, cenan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- cenado had dinner
- Gerund
- cenando having dinner
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Cenar
- Cenar in the Indicative Present
- Cenar in the Indicative Preterite
- Cenar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Cenar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Cenar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Cenar in the Indicative Future
- Cenar in the Indicative Conditional
- Cenar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Cenar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Cenar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Cenar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Cenar
- Imperative tenses of Cenar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Cenar conjugations (free mobile app)
Cenar conjugation tables as a PDF
A printable two-page cheat sheet, sent to your inbox.
Indicative tenses of Cenar
Cenar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of cenar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “ceno”, meaning “I have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | ceno | I have dinner |
| Tú | cenas | you have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cena | s/he has dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenamos | we have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenáis | you (plural) have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenan | they have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cen- plus the -ar endings.
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Cenar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of cenar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “cené”, meaning “I had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cené | I had dinner |
| Tú | cenaste | you had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenó | s/he had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenamos | we had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenasteis | you (plural) had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenaron | they had dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cen- plus the -ar endings.
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Cenar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of cenar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “cenaba”, meaning “I used to have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cenaba | I used to have dinner |
| Tú | cenabas | you used to have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenaba | s/he used to have dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenábamos | we used to have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenabais | you (plural) used to have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenaban | they used to have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cen- plus the -ar endings.
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Cenar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of cenar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy cenando”, meaning “I am having dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy cenando | I am having dinner |
| Tú | estás cenando | you are having dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está cenando | s/he is having dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos cenando | we are having dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis cenando | you (plural) are having dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están cenando | they are having dinner |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund cenando.
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Cenar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of cenar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a cenar”, meaning “I am going to have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a cenar | I am going to have dinner |
| Tú | vas a cenar | you are going to have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a cenar | s/he is going to have dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a cenar | we are going to have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a cenar | you (plural) are going to have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a cenar | they are going to have dinner |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive cenar.
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Cenar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of cenar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “cenaré”, meaning “I will have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cenaré | I will have dinner |
| Tú | cenarás | you will have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenará | s/he will have dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenaremos | we will have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenaréis | you (plural) will have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenarán | they will have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive cenar plus the future endings.
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Cenar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of cenar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “cenaría”, meaning “I would have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cenaría | I would have dinner |
| Tú | cenarías | you would have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenaría | s/he would have dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenaríamos | we would have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenaríais | you (plural) would have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenarían | they would have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive cenar plus the conditional endings.
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Cenar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of cenar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “he cenado”, meaning “I have had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he cenado | I have had dinner |
| Tú | has cenado | you have had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha cenado | s/he has had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos cenado | we have had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis cenado | you (plural) have had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han cenado | they have had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle cenado.
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Cenar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of cenar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había cenado”, meaning “I had had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había cenado | I had had dinner |
| Tú | habías cenado | you had had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había cenado | s/he had had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos cenado | we had had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais cenado | you (plural) had had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían cenado | they had had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle cenado.
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Cenar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of cenar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré cenado”, meaning “I will have had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré cenado | I will have had dinner |
| Tú | habrás cenado | you will have had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá cenado | s/he will have had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos cenado | we will have had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis cenado | you (plural) will have had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán cenado | they will have had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle cenado.
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Cenar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of cenar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría cenado”, meaning “I would have had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría cenado | I would have had dinner |
| Tú | habrías cenado | you would have had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría cenado | s/he would have had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos cenado | we would have had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais cenado | you (plural) would have had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían cenado | they would have had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle cenado.
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Subjunctive tenses of Cenar
Cenar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “cene”, meaning “I have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cene | I have dinner |
| Tú | cenes | you have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cene | s/he has dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenemos | we have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenéis | you (plural) have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenen | they have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: stem cen- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
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Cenar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “cenara”, meaning “I had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cenara | I had dinner |
| Tú | cenaras | you had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenara | s/he had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenáramos | we had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenarais | you (plural) had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenaran | they had dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, cenaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (cenáramos).
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Cenar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “cenare”, meaning “I will have dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cenare | I will have dinner |
| Tú | cenares | you will have dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cenare | s/he will have dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenáremos | we will have dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenareis | you (plural) will have dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenaren | they will have dinner |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, cenaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (cenáremos).
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Cenar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “haya cenado”, meaning “I have had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya cenado | I have had dinner |
| Tú | hayas cenado | you have had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya cenado | s/he has had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos cenado | we have had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis cenado | you (plural) have had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan cenado | they have had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle cenado.
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Cenar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “hubiera cenado”, meaning “I had had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera cenado | I had had dinner |
| Tú | hubieras cenado | you had had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera cenado | s/he had had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos cenado | we had had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais cenado | you (plural) had had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran cenado | they had had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle cenado.
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Cenar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “hubiere cenado”, meaning “I will have had dinner”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere cenado | I will have had dinner |
| Tú | hubieres cenado | you will have had dinner |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere cenado | s/he will have had dinner |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos cenado | we will have had dinner |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis cenado | you (plural) will have had dinner |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren cenado | they will have had dinner |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle cenado.
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Imperative tenses of Cenar
Cenar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “cene”, meaning “(to you formal) have dinner!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | cena | (to you) have dinner! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cene | (to you formal) have dinner! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | cenemos | let's have dinner! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | cenad | (to you plural) have dinner! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cenen | (to you plural formal) have dinner! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (cena); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (cene, cenemos, cenen); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (cenad).
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Cenar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no cene”, meaning “(to you formal) don't have dinner!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no cenes | (to you) don't have dinner! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no cene | (to you formal) don't have dinner! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no cenemos | let's not have dinner! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no cenéis | (to you plural) don't have dinner! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no cenen | (to you plural formal) don't have dinner! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no cenes, no cene, no cenemos, no cenéis, no cenen.
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Frequently asked questions about Cenar
Is cenar a regular or irregular verb?
Cenar is a fully regular -AR verb. It follows the standard -AR conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -AR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate cenar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), cenar is conjugated as: yo ceno, tú cenas, él/ella/usted cena, nosotros cenamos, vosotros cenáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cenan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate cenar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), cenar is conjugated as: yo cené, tú cenaste, él/ella/usted cenó, nosotros cenamos, vosotros cenasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cenaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate cenar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), cenar is conjugated as: yo cenaba, tú cenabas, él/ella/usted cenaba, nosotros cenábamos, vosotros cenabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes cenaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate cenar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), cenar is conjugated as: yo cenaré, tú cenarás, él/ella/usted cenará, nosotros cenaremos, vosotros cenaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cenarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate cenar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), cenar is conjugated as: yo cene, tú cenes, él/ella/usted cene, nosotros cenemos, vosotros cenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cenen. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Centrar – to centre, to center, to focus or see the complete list of verbs here.
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