I personally think "He is cooking dinner" flows better than "cooking the dinner".
You could quite easily say "He is cooking the chicken" - as in the chicken that was in the fridge, or "he is cooking chicken" -as in he is preparing a meal involving chicken
You are both correct. Either is correct, but there is a difference.
"He is cooking dinner," means that he is in the process of cooking dinner, OR will be cooking the next dinner, as in, "Breakfast is a free for all, then we eat lunch out, and he is cooking dinner."
"He is cooking the dinner," is more specific. Using "the" before "dinner" can mean that you are being emphatic about his being responsible for preparing the dinner, OR that the dinner is special in some way (because of timing, or some other reason).
Using the indefinite article -- a/an -- or no article usually makes something less specific and/or special than if you use the definite article "the":
"The kids are petting the cat." -- You know the cat, it is probably your cat.
"The kids are petting a cat." -- The cat is unknown. Maybe you should stop them.
"The husbands are preparing the meal." -- The husbands are preparing the meal that is to come.
"The husbands are preparing a meal." -- Uh oh. They are preparing for some meal, or they are experimenting in the kitchen, in the hopes of creating something presentable and digestible.
"Susan is making salad." -- Susan is making salad for some reason, to be consumed by someone, at some point.
"Susan is making the salad." -- Susan is making the salad we are to eat, probably at the coming meal or at an event in the very near future.
Of course, with dinner, other meals, or other activities assigned to specific times, having no article does not make it less specific, but the reverse:
"He is making breakfast/lunch/dinner." -- He is preparing that meal of the day, or that meal, which is coming right up.
"They are hosting Christmas." -- Means that they are inviting everyone over for the coming (very next) Christmas.
"We are really enjoying summer." -- Right now, we are enjoying the summer, so we are enjoying the summer that is happening right now. (Saying "We are really enjoying the summer," is redundant -- using "the" serves no purpose except to provide emphasis.)
He was right--either is correct.
Either one will be acceptable...that's just the way it is.
Hi,
Once I asked of a native English speaker which one is correct:?
He is cooking the dinner.
He is cooking dinner.
He told me either of them are correct.
But I disagree with him. Because it's talking about type of meal like (breakfast,dinner,lunch) not a particular meal.
I belive that we usually use article (the) when we are talking about a particular meal.
For example: The delicious dinner.
In my opinion: It's never correct to say: He is cooking the dinner.
And it's better to say: he is cooking dinner.
What's your opinion about that?
