Breakdown of Esta noche cenamos merluza con patatas cocidas.
con
with / just by (+ -ing)
la noche
the night
la patata
the potato
cenar
to have dinner
Questions & Answers about Esta noche cenamos merluza con patatas cocidas.
Why does the sentence use the present tense cenamos for an action happening tonight?
Why is there no article like la before merluza?
When talking about consuming an unspecified amount of food, Spanish omits the article. If you said cenamos la merluza, it would mean you are eating a specific, previously mentioned hake.
Does cocidas just mean cooked in general?
It specifically means boiled in this context. It comes from the verb cocer, which means to boil or cook in a liquid. If you wanted baked potatoes, you would say patatas asadas.
Why does cocidas end in -as?
Because it is acting as an adjective modifying patatas, which is a feminine, plural noun. Past participles like cocido must match the gender and number of the noun they describe when used as adjectives.