Today we’ll look at the verb dîner, which means to have dinner, to eat out and to dine. The noun dîner means dinner or supper. The Modern French dîner comes from Old French disner (to dine), which in turn comes from the Gallo-Romance desjunare (to break one’s fast).
dîner
to have dinner, to eat out, to dine
Pronunciation [dine]
Dîner – to have dinner
Example sentences
This first sentence requires knowledge of the 24-hour clock, which is commonly use for telling time in French.
En général je dîne entre dix-neuf heures et vingt heures.
I generally have dinner between 7pm and 8pm.
This second sentence uses the verb prendre (to take). The French use prendre for having meals. The negation ne…jamais means “never”.
Je ne prends jamais le dîner avant dix-sept heures.
I never have dinner before 5pm.
This final sentence uses the expression dîner au restaurant (to eat out). The expression avoir envie de means to want, to feel like and to fancy.
Vous dînez au restaurant ce soir ? Oui, je n’ai pas envie de cuisiner.
Are you eating out tonight? – Yes. I don’t feel like cooking.
Note on souper
Some French-speaking regions use the verb souper, which is related to the English word supper for “to have dinner”. This verb is commonly used in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland.
Present tense conjugation
Dîner is a regular ER verb. This means that it follows the same conjugation pattern in the present tense as parler (to speak).
Je dîne – I have dinner
Tu dînes – You have dinner (singular, informal)
Il, elle dîne – He, she has dinner
Nous dînons – We have dinner
Vous dînez – You have dinner (plural, formal)
Ils, elles dînent – They have dinner
Related lessons
- Dîner – conjugation tables
- How to order a meal
- Cuisiner – to cook
- Manger – to eat
- Le repas – meal
- Breakfast in France
References
- Wordreference (dîner)
- Wordreference (souper)
- Wikipedia (dinner)
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