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Either - "we had dinner at a restaurant" (if you are not talking about a specific restaurant) or "we had dinner at the restaurant" (if referring to a restaurant that you have already discussed)
Usually "we had dinner at a restaurant"
Sometimes "we had dinner at the restaurant"
Never "we had dinner at restaurant"
Examples
We had dinner last night at a Greek restaurant.
We had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. (If there is only one restaurant in the hotel).
We had dinner at the restaurant we went to last week.
Either - "we had dinner at a restaurant" (if you are not talking about a specific restaurant) or "we had dinner at the restaurant" (if referring to a restaurant that you have already discussed)
Usually "we had dinner at a restaurant"
Sometimes "we had dinner at the restaurant"
Never "we had dinner at restaurant"
Examples
We had dinner last night at a Greek restaurant.
We had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. (If there is only one restaurant in the hotel).
We had dinner at the restaurant we went to last week.
How must I say?
- We had dinner at restaurant
- We had dinner the/a restaurant?
Thanks
======================
Lorena: There is no "must" rule involved here. Either can be used, because it is up to you to indicate whether you are referring to a Definite/Specific ("the") restaurant; or ("a") Indefinite/ General restaurant.
You see, if you say, We ate at "Joe's Diner" or the "Golden Dragon" restaurant and then you write or talk about that restaurant, you would use "the" (Definite Article) to refer back to your subject.
If you do not intend to have others know about a specific restaurant, as would be the case if it was not important, you would write or say; "We ate at "a" restaurant and then went out to see a movie.
Just keep a simple kind of rule in mind, to know about using either "a" or "the".
"The" always refers to something specific, like a restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country, that you have already NAMED. Then you refer back to it and write about "the" restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country. You see?
When you write or speak about "a" restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country, you use "a" to refer to it only as a GENERALITY, because it is not important that specific information be known about it.
Another example: If you travelled around the world, and you would say that you were in "a" (or another) country when you heard the news about an Earthquake back in your homeland".
So you see, it doesn't matter what country you were in, because the important thing is just that you were away from home.
However, you might want to be more definite, and more specific, and write or speak as follows; "I was mountain climing in "the" mountains of Peru, at the, 4,000 meter level, when you heard a radio broadcast about an Earthquake in your homeland.
You see? It might be important to you, to show the Definite or Specific country you were travelling in.
For example, I might say. I own "a" firearm. That is general and indefinite.
To be Definite, I might write or say the following; I own the 12 gauge shotgun made by "the"
Mossberg Company, and it is "the" model with the 28 inch long barrel. It is "the" model with the pump mechanism.
---Warm Regards, Bruce
- We had dinner at restaurant
- We had dinner the/a restaurant?
Thanks
======================
Lorena: There is no "must" rule involved here. Either can be used, because it is up to you to indicate whether you are referring to a Definite/Specific ("the") restaurant; or ("a") Indefinite/ General restaurant.
You see, if you say, We ate at "Joe's Diner" or the "Golden Dragon" restaurant and then you write or talk about that restaurant, you would use "the" (Definite Article) to refer back to your subject.
If you do not intend to have others know about a specific restaurant, as would be the case if it was not important, you would write or say; "We ate at "a" restaurant and then went out to see a movie.
Just keep a simple kind of rule in mind, to know about using either "a" or "the".
"The" always refers to something specific, like a restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country, that you have already NAMED. Then you refer back to it and write about "the" restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country. You see?
When you write or speak about "a" restaurant, a company, a person, or a mountain, or a country, you use "a" to refer to it only as a GENERALITY, because it is not important that specific information be known about it.
Another example: If you travelled around the world, and you would say that you were in "a" (or another) country when you heard the news about an Earthquake back in your homeland".
So you see, it doesn't matter what country you were in, because the important thing is just that you were away from home.
However, you might want to be more definite, and more specific, and write or speak as follows; "I was mountain climing in "the" mountains of Peru, at the, 4,000 meter level, when you heard a radio broadcast about an Earthquake in your homeland.
You see? It might be important to you, to show the Definite or Specific country you were travelling in.
For example, I might say. I own "a" firearm. That is general and indefinite.
To be Definite, I might write or say the following; I own the 12 gauge shotgun made by "the"
Mossberg Company, and it is "the" model with the 28 inch long barrel. It is "the" model with the pump mechanism.
---Warm Regards, Bruce
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