Spanish Phrase
¿Qué necesitamos para la cena?
Meaning
Literally, 'What do we need for dinner?' It asks for the items, ingredients, or preparations required to make the evening meal.
When to use
Use this question when you’re planning a meal with family, roommates, or friends and want to know what ingredients or dishes should be prepared for dinner.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quénecesitamosparalacena
Qué (interrogative)
The word 'qué' with an accent introduces a question meaning 'what'.
necesitamos (verb)
First‑person plural present of 'necesitar' – 'we need'.
para (preposition)
Means 'for' and links the need to its purpose.
la (definite article)
Feminine singular article that agrees with 'cena'.
cena (noun)
A feminine noun meaning 'dinner' or the evening meal.
🗨In Conversation
¿Qué necesitamos para la cena?
What do we need for dinner?
Necesitamos pollo, arroz, una ensalada y una botella de vino.
We need chicken, rice, a salad, and a bottle of wine.
✕Common Mistakes
Que necesitamos para la cena?
Missing accent on the interrogative pronoun; 'qué' must have an accent when asking a question.
¿Qué necesitamos para cena?
The article 'la' is required because 'cena' is a specific meal, not a generic concept.
¿Qué necesito para la cena?
If you want to ask about a single person, use 'necesito' instead of the plural form.
↔Alternatives
¿Qué hay que comprar para la cena?
What do we have to buy for dinner?
¿Qué ingredientes necesitamos para la cena?
What ingredients do we need for dinner?
¿Qué vamos a preparar para la cena?
What are we going to prepare for dinner?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking households dinner (la cena) is the main family gathering of the day, often eaten later than in Anglo‑American cultures—usually around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. When asking about dinner plans, it’s polite to consider dietary restrictions and regional specialties; for example, in Mexico you might hear 'tortillas' on the list, while in Spain 'paella' could appear.