películas de terror
/pelikulas de teroɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "horror movies" is translated into Spanish as películas de terror.
Películas de terror is a straightforward and general way to refer to horror movies in Spanish. While it is the standard term for the genre, you may also encounter películas de miedo, which is a common colloquial way to refer to scary movies.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase películas de terror is composed of películas (movies), de (of) and terror (terror/horror).
Which one should you use?
Películas de terror is the standard way to name the genre, whereas películas de miedo is an informal way to say scary movies. Additionally, pelis de miedo uses the slang term pelis for movies.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people often say películas de miedo in casual conversations.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a single horror movie, use the singular form película de terror.
Did you know?
- The word terror in películas de terror comes from the Latin terrōrem, which is rooted in the Proto-Indo-European root *tres-, meaning to tremble.
- When discussing horror in Spain and Latin America, you may hear the term cine de género, which refers to genre cinema. Horror is one of the primary categories, but it is often grouped with science fiction and fantasy under this umbrella.
- The word películas is the standard term for movies, but the shortened pelis is used in casual settings similarly to how an English speaker uses the word 'flicks'.
Examples in context
- ¿Te gustan las películas de terror?Do you like horror movies?This sentence is useful for asking if someone likes horror movies using the form películas de terror.Tatoeba #5033306 by DarkHollow, translation #2980150 by Hybrid
- Me dan miedo las películas de terror.Horror movies frighten me.This sentence is useful for expressing that horror movies frighten you using the form películas de terror.Tatoeba #735518 by hayastan, translation #801149 by Zifre
- ¿Tienes miedo de las películas de terror?Are you afraid of horror movies?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is afraid of horror movies using the form películas de terror.Tatoeba #803399 by Shishir, translation #680101 by Source_VOA
- Me encantan las películas de terror.I love horror movies
- Discutimos varias cintas de horror.We discussed various horror movies
- El festival de cine presentó una selección de filmes de terror.The film festival featured a selection of horror movies
- Vamos a ver unas pelis de miedo esta noche.Let's watch some horror movies tonight
- Tengo ganas de ver películas de miedo.I'm in the mood for horror movies
- Después de ver una película de terror, siempre me quedo despierto durante horas.After watching a horror movie, I always stay awake for hours.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are deciding what to watch on TV.
- Alejandro¿Quieres ver películas de terror?Do you want to watch horror movies?
- MaríaNo, me dan mucho miedo.No, they scare me a lot.
- AlejandroEstá bien, busquemos una comedia.That's fine, let's look for a comedy.
- María¡Esa es una mejor idea!That is a better idea!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, terror, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
