Learn Italian: Ceno con la mia famiglia. - I have dinner with my family.

In English, we use "to have" plus the meal, but in Italian, there is a specific verb for eating dinner: cenare. The word ceno is the "I" form, so it means "I have dinner" all on its own. You never use the verb avere (to have) to talk about eating meals!

Why is there a la before mia famiglia? Doesn't that mean "the my family"?

Yes, it literally translates to "with the my family." In Italian, you almost always need a definite article (like il or la) right before a possessive word (like mio or mia).

But wait, I learned that you drop the article for family members (like mio padre). Why does famiglia keep the la?

That's a great catch! The rule is that you drop the article for singular specific relatives (like father, mother, or brother). However, the word famiglia refers to the collective group, not an individual relative. Therefore, it follows the normal rule and keeps the article la.

Does the word mia change depending on whether I am a man or a woman?

No! In Italian, the possessive word matches the gender of the noun being described, not the person speaking. Because famiglia is a feminine word, you must use the feminine form mia, regardless of your own gender.