Question 1

Is the verb cenamos in the present tense or the preterite? How can you tell?

Accepted Answer

The form cenamos is identical for both the present indicative (“we have dinner”) and the preterite (“we had dinner”) in first-person plural. Without extra context it’s ambiguous. To mark a past event you typically add a time cue like anoche (last night):  
  Anoche cenamos en la terraza.  
If it’s a habitual statement, you’d interpret it in the present (“We dine on the terrace at night”).

Question 2

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like nosotros before cenamos?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish the verb ending -amos already tells you it’s “we.” Subject pronouns (yo, tú, nosotros, etc.) are usually dropped unless you need extra emphasis or contrast. Including nosotros cenamos is correct but redundant in most contexts.

Question 3

Why do we say la terraza instead of just terraza?

Accepted Answer

Spanish normally uses the definite article before singular, countable nouns—even when English might drop “the.” Saying en la terraza simply follows that pattern (“on the terrace”). Omitting the article (en terraza) would sound ungrammatical to a native speaker.

Question 4

What’s the difference between por la noche, en la noche, and de la noche?

Accepted Answer

- por la noche: used to talk about an approximate time of day (“in the evening/at night”), especially for habitual or general statements.  
- en la noche: less common, can sound awkward when you mean general time.  
- de la noche: used after a precise clock time (a las ocho de la noche = at eight o’clock at night).

Question 5

Could I start the sentence with Por la noche instead? Does word order matter?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Spanish is flexible with word order. You can say:  
  Por la noche, cenamos en la terraza.  
It means exactly the same; the time phrase is just fronted for emphasis or style.

Question 6

How do I pronounce the double rr in terraza?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish spelling, rr indicates an alveolar trill— a strong rolling “r.” You place the tip of your tongue against the alveolar ridge and let it vibrate. It’s louder and longer than the single-r tap you get in words like pero.

Question 7

Could I use comer instead of cenar for “to have dinner”?

Accepted Answer

You can, but comer simply means “to eat” and applies to any meal. Cenar specifically means “to eat dinner.” If you say comemos en la terraza por la noche, people will understand, but cenamos is the precise choice for dinner.

Question 8

How would I say “we had dinner on the terrace last night”?

Accepted Answer

Just add the past-time marker anoche at the start or end:  
  Anoche cenamos en la terraza.

Cenamos en la terraza por la noche.

Breakdown of Cenamos en la terraza por la noche.

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