cine
/ˈθine/masculine
The English phrase "cinema" is translated into Spanish as cine. Wiktionary also lists cinema.
Meaning: a film/movie theatre (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cine | /ˈθine/ /ˈsine/ |
masculine |
| cinema | /θiˈnema/ /siˈnema/ |
masculine |
cine can refer to the physical building of a movie theatre or the art form of cinema itself. It is common to see this used as el cine to mean "the cinema" or "the movies".
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you are going "to the cinema", the preposition a and the article el contract to form al, resulting in the phrase al cine.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθine/
Did you know?
- While cine refers to the theater, a movie itself is called una película, which literally means 'a thin skin' or 'film'.
- The word cine comes from the same Greek root as the English word 'kinetic', because both rely on the concept of 'movement'.
- In some regions, the word cine can be used colloquially to describe a situation that is overly dramatic or 'like a movie', similar to the English 'it is like a movie'.
Examples in context
- Hoy fui al cine.Today I went to the cinema.This sentence is useful for saying you went to the cinema today using cine.Tatoeba #13713799 by ecorralest101, translation #13713790 by Babelball
- Estaba en el cine.I was at the cinema.This sentence is useful for saying you were at the cinema using cine.Tatoeba #703796 by Shishir, translation #750642 by sctld
- Quiero ir al cine.I want to go to the cinema.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to go to the cinema using cine.Tatoeba #2214166 by Shishir, translation #7773710 by sharris123
- Me gusta ir al cine los fines de semanaI like going to the cinema on weekends.
- ¿Vamos al cine esta noche?Do you want to go to the cinema tonight?
- Hay varios cines en esta zonaThere are several cinemas in this area.
- Mañana proyectarán una película clásica en el cine-teatroThey will screen a classic movie tomorrow at the cinema-theater.
- 60 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are deciding what to do on Friday night.
- MateoMaría, ¿vamos al cine este viernes?María, shall we go to the cinema this Friday?
- MaríaSí, me parece una buena idea.Yes, that sounds like a good idea to me.
- MateoEl cine nuevo tiene mejores asientos.The new cinema has better seats.
- MaríaTienes razón, vamos a ese entonces.You are right, let's go to that one then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cinema” translations and entries cine, cinema, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cine, cinema, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
