How to sign
Dinner in ASL
Dinner is the ASL sign for dinner, filed under Mealtime. Watch the clip, then sign it along with the video.
- Single sign
- Mealtime
How to sign dinner
- 1
Watch the clip once at full speed, then once at half speed. Notice the handshape, where the sign sits, and the direction the hand moves.
- 2
Sign dinner along with the video. Keep your hand where the signer keeps it; moving a sign up, down, or off to the side can change its meaning.
- 3
Add the face. Even a plain vocabulary sign reads better with natural eye contact and an expression that matches the context.
Common mistakes
- Mouthing the full English sentence while you sign. Mouth the ASL gloss or keep your lips relaxed; ASL is its own language, not English on the hands.
- Signing too low or too far from the body. Keep your signing space between your chest and your chin where it is easy to see.
Questions about “Dinner”
Yes. This clip shows the common ASL sign for dinner. Like spoken languages, ASL has regional variation, so you may see small differences from signer to signer.
Guide
Food & Mealtime
Eat, drink, hungry, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the everyday foods you will actually sign about. Real video, the EAT family of signs, and ordering-at-a-table practice.
From the blog
Signing With Your Baby: First Signs, Timing, and What the Research Says
Milk, more, all done, eat, sleep. When to start, how to be consistent, and why real ASL signs beat made-up gestures.