dinner
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dinner
A festive or formal evening meal, often for a special occasion or with guests. The term is often used to emphasize the meal as a social event.
Wir sind am Samstag bei Freunden zum Dinner eingeladen.
We are invited to dinner at friends' place on Saturday.
'Dinner' is a loanword from English and sounds somewhat more elegant or festive than 'Abendessen' (evening meal/dinner). It emphasizes the social occasion, not just the meal itself.
Der Präsident gab zu Ehren seiner Gäste ein offizielles Dinner.
The president gave an official dinner in honor of his guests.
Common phrases are 'jemanden zum Dinner einladen' (to invite someone to dinner), 'ein Dinner geben' (to host/give a dinner), or 'ein romantisches Dinner' (a romantic dinner). A special form is the 'Candle-Light-Dinner' (candlelit dinner).
Er hat sie zu einem romantischen Dinner in ein teures Restaurant eingeladen.
He invited her to a romantic dinner at an expensive restaurant.
When someone goes to a dinner or invites someone to one, the preposition 'zu' is almost always used in the combination 'zum Dinner' (to dinner).
Wir gehen heute Abend zum Dinner bei unseren neuen Nachbarn.
We are going to dinner at our new neighbors' place this evening.
dinner
Abendessen and Dinner can both refer to a shared evening meal. Abendessen is neutral and also fits everyday situations, while Dinner points more strongly to a festive, formal, or social setting. Dinner is therefore appropriate for a special invitation, although Abendessen would not be wrong.
Zum Dinner treffen wir uns heute mit wichtigen Gästen in einem festlichen Restaurant.
Today, we are meeting important guests for dinner at a festive restaurant.
Zum Abendessen treffen wir uns heute mit Freunden in unserem Lieblingsrestaurant.
Today, we are meeting friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant.
