I was having dinner vs I was doing dinner

The phrase 'I was having dinner' is correct and commonly used in English. It means that someone was eating dinner. On the other hand, 'I was doing dinner' is not a common phrase in English. It might be understood as preparing or cooking dinner, but it is not idiomatic.

Last updated: April 06, 2024 • 1797 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"I was having dinner"

This phrase is used to indicate that someone was in the process of eating dinner.

Examples:

I was having dinner when the phone rang.
She was having dinner with her family when the power went out.
Were you having dinner when the guests arrived?
They were having dinner at a fancy restaurant last night.
He was having dinner alone in his room.

Show examples from the web [+]

The night David was killed, I was having dinner with a collector.
I was having dinner at Cafe Volga with my girlfriend.
I was having dinner with Bertinelli's daughter.
I was having dinner with Wrigley and some broads when this Neanderthal drags me out like I'm some kind of Joe.
I was having dinner with an ex-client on the Upper West Side.
I was having dinner with President Ju, and came because I was curious.
In the dream, I was having dinner with my mother in a Masonic Hall.
However, that same night, as I was having dinner, His Holiness Dr Athavale came to join me.
'Cause I was having dinner and one of the Oods said something...
I left the computer on, but I was having dinner.
I was having dinner with Miss Bunting in the village and she was curious to look around the house...
So sorry, so sorry - I was having dinner.
And I was having dinner with this guy called Timothy Chan. Timothy Chan set up an Internet business in 2000.
And I was having dinner with this guy called Timothy Chan.
Well, I was having dinner with Assistant Kim and the president, and there wasn't anything that the president didn't know about me!
I was having dinner with a fed.
I was having dinner with Harvey.
Years ago, I was having dinner with the late President Gerald Ford in the United States and he was describing to me how the G7 came about.
I was having dinner with my aunt at the millbrook inn
Met them just because I was having dinner there.

Alternatives:

I was eating dinner
I was having a meal
I was dining
I was having supper
I was having a bite to eat

This phrase is not a common expression in English.

"I was doing dinner"

Not recommended for use. It might be understood as preparing or cooking dinner, but it is not idiomatic.

Show examples from the web [+]

I was doing dinner
It's about time Tilling started doing dinners, Algernon agrees.
We found him doing dinner theater in Tulsa.
Because we're doing dinner and a movie.
It's about time Tilling started doing dinners, Algernon agrees.
Annie, we're working triage at a fire, not doing dinner and a movie.
Of course, if I wanted, I could survive doing dinner shows once or twice a year, but I'm not satisfied with that.
She's doing dinner with a colleague, and she's supposed to be done by now, that's all.
I thought we weren't doing family dinner anymore.
But a modern tourist going around the palace of Versailles and looking at Louis XIV's pictures, he has 498 people doing his dinner tonight too.
What are you doing? Dinner's in like, 20 min.
What are you doing for dinner this Friday?
What are you doing for dinner?
So you doing Christmas dinner with the family?
What are you doing for dinner tonight?
So what are you doing for dinner tonight?
LOOK, I WAS PLANNING ON DOING THIS AT DINNER TONIGHT.
Granna's doing something for dinner.
But we're doing a whole dinner at her house.
We're just two people going to dinner doing some recon.
Kockduellen - together with our chefs you doing tonight's dinner.

Alternatives:

I was cooking dinner
I was preparing dinner
I was making dinner
I was getting dinner ready
I was fixing dinner

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I was having dinner vs I was doing dinner