Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): A veces compartimos la consola y jugamos juntos después de cenar. - Sometimes we share the console and play together after dinner.

Compartimos / jugamos have the -mos ending, which clearly indicates “we”.
Saying Nosotros compartimos la consola y jugamos juntos… is correct, but it usually sounds more emphatic (e.g. contrasting with other people: Nosotros compartimos, ellos no).

Does “A veces” have to go at the beginning, or can I say Compartimos la consola a veces?

You can move a veces around:

A veces compartimos la consola… (most common, very natural)
Compartimos la consola a veces… (also correct, a bit more like adding “sometimes” at the end in English)
Compartimos a veces la consola… (possible, but less usual; the adverb normally goes before or after the whole verb phrase, not between verb and object).

Putting a veces at the start is the most neutral and common choice.

Why is it “la consola” and not just “consola” or “una consola”?

Spanish normally uses a definite article where English often omits it:

Compartimos la consola ≈ “We share the console” (a specific one that both speakers know about).
Compartimos una consola ≈ “We share a console” (one console, but not specified which).
Saying Compartimos consola (no article) is not natural in this context.

Since the sentence is clearly about the console they already have at home, la consola is the natural choice.

How do I know that “consola” is feminine, and does it always mean a video game console?

Consola ends in -a, and in many cases that signals a feminine noun (though not always).
You learn the gender mostly by memorizing it with the article: la consola.
In everyday Latin American Spanish, la consola by itself often means “the (video game) console”, especially if the context is gaming.
If you want to be explicit, you can say la consola de videojuegos, but it’s usually not necessary when the context is clear.

Could I say “La compartimos” instead of “Compartimos la consola”?

Yes, you can:

Compartimos la consola. – neutral, basic word order.
La compartimos. – uses la as a direct object pronoun referring to la consola.

Both are correct. La compartimos sounds slightly more compact and is more natural when “la consola” was just mentioned before:

Tenemos una sola consola. La compartimos.
“We have only one console. We share it.”

Why are “compartimos” and “jugamos” in the present tense if this describes a repeated or habitual action?

In Spanish, the simple present is normally used for:

habits/routines
general truths

So:

Compartimos la consola y jugamos juntos… = “We (usually / regularly) share the console and play together…”

You don’t need a special tense (like English “used to”) for this meaning; the simple present plus an adverb like a veces already expresses a habit.

Does “jugamos” need an object like “videojuegos”? Just “we play” feels incomplete in English.

In Spanish, jugar can be used:

Intransitively (without mentioning what you play):
- Jugamos juntos – “We play together.”
  Context (video games) makes it clear what you're playing.
With an object:
- Jugamos videojuegos. – “We play video games.”
- Jugamos en la consola. – “We play on the console.”

The sentence is natural and complete as is, because context fills in “what” they’re playing.

Why is it “jugamos juntos” and not something like “jugamos con nosotros mismos”?

Juntos literally means “together”, not “with ourselves”.
Jugamos juntos = “We play together.”
Con nosotros mismos would mean “with ourselves,” which is odd here and suggests something reflexive, not simply doing an activity together.

So juntos is the normal, simple way to say “together” with we.

Does “juntos” change if the people are all women, or if it’s just two people?

Yes, juntos agrees in gender and number with the group:

Mixed group or all males: juntos
- Mis amigos y yo jugamos juntos.
All females: juntas
- Mis hermanas y yo jugamos juntas.

If the subject is we (plural), you’ll always use juntos/juntas, not singular forms.

Why is it “después de cenar” using an infinitive, instead of “después de la cena” or “después cenamos”?

Después de cenar = “after having dinner / after we eat dinner.”
Here cenar is an infinitive used like a noun (“the act of having dinner”).
Después de la cena = “after the dinner (meal/event).”
This focuses on the meal as a thing, not so much the act of eating.
Después cenamos = “Later/afterwards we eat dinner.”
Different meaning: it says what happens later, not “after we have dinner, we do X.”

In your sentence, you want “after eating dinner, we play,” so después de cenar is the most natural.

Can I say “Después de la cena” instead of “después de cenar”? Is there a difference in feel?

You can say:

A veces compartimos la consola y jugamos juntos después de la cena.

It’s correct and natural. Nuance:

Después de cenar – more about the action (after we eat).
Después de la cena – slightly more about the meal as an event (“after dinner/the dinner”).

In everyday speech, especially for routines, después de cenar is a bit more common.

What’s the difference between “después de cenar”, “luego de cenar”, and “después de que cenamos”?

All are used in Latin America, with slight differences:

Después de cenar – very common, neutral: “after having dinner.”
Luego de cenar – also used; in many regions it sounds a bit more informal/colloquial, but it’s fine.
Después de que cenamos – literally “after we eat dinner.”
- Needs que before a finite verb: después de que cenamos / después de que cenemos (subjunctive in some contexts).
- Slightly more structured and explicit about the subject and tense.

For a simple routine sentence, después de cenar is the cleanest choice.

Could I say “Algunas veces” or “De vez en cuando” instead of “A veces”?

Yes:

A veces compartimos la consola… – “Sometimes we share the console…” (very common, neutral).
Algunas veces compartimos la consola… – also “sometimes”; often feels a bit stronger, like “on some occasions (not all).”
De vez en cuando compartimos la consola… – “once in a while / every now and then,” suggests less frequency.

All are natural in Latin American Spanish; a veces is the most common and neutral.

In Latin America, does “cena” always mean “dinner”? How is it different from “comida”?

Cena = the evening meal, i.e., dinner.
Comida can mean:
- In many places: lunch (the main midday meal).
- More generally: food / a meal.

So después de cenar clearly means “after dinner (at night)” in Latin American Spanish.