فِلْم
masculine
The Arabic word for movie is فِلْم. Wiktionary also lists شَرِيط (šarīṭ) and فِيلْم سِينَمَائِيّ (fīlm sīnamāʔiyy).
Meaning: motion picture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| فِلْم | masculine | |
| شَرِيط | šarīṭ | masculine |
| فِيلْم سِينَمَائِيّ | fīlm sīnamāʔiyy | masculine |
| تَصْوِير مُتَحَرِّك | taṣwīr mutaḥarrik | plural |
What does it mean word for word?
The word شَرِيط (šarīṭ) literally means 'strip' or 'tape', referring to the physical film strip used in older projectors.
Which one should you use?
While فِلْم is a common loanword, فِيلْم سِينَمَائِيّ is a formal way to define a movie emphasizing its cinematic aspect.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
فِلْم is the most common way to say 'movie' in everyday spoken Arabic across most dialects. For more formal contexts, you may use فِيلْم سِينَمَائِيّ or فِلْم.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt and some other Arab countries, the term سينما is especially common to indicate a movie.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of the common word فِلْم is أَفْلَام (aflām). The form تَصْوِير مُتَحَرِّك is plural.
Did you know?
- Egypt is often called the 'Hollywood of the East' because its film industry is one of the oldest and most influential in the world.
- While فِلْم (film) is universal, the term تَصْوِير مُتَحَرِّك (taṣwīr mutaḥarrik) literally means 'moving photography'. It is a highly descriptive, technical way to describe the very essence of motion pictures.
- The plural form أَفْلَام (aflām) follows a specific broken plural pattern common in Arabic, where the internal structure of the word changes rather than just adding a suffix.
Examples in context
- هل تحب مشاهدة الأفلام؟Do you like watching movies?
- شو أحدث الأفلام المشهورة بلبنان؟What are the latest famous movies in Lebanon?
- راح نروح ع السينما الليلة؟Are we going to the cinema tonight?
- هَذَا فِلْمٌ جَدِيدٌ.hadha film jadid.This is a new movie.
- أُرِيدُ مُشَاهَدَةَ فِلْمٍ عَنْ التَّارِيخِ.uridu mushahadat film 'an al-tarikh.I want to watch a movie about history.
- هَلْ أَعْجَبَكَ الْفِلْمُ؟hal a'jabaka al-film?Did you like the movie?
Example conversation
Nour and Youssef are talking about their weekend plans.
- نور Nourيا يوسف، هل تذهب معي إلى السينما؟Ya Youssef, hal tadhab ma'i ila al-cinema?Youssef, will you go to the cinema with me?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، أي فِلْم سنشاهد؟Na'am, ayy film sanushahid?Yes, which movie will we watch?
- نور Nourهناك فِلْم كوميدي جديد.Hunaka film komidi jadid.There is a new comedy movie.
- يوسف Youssefهذا رائع، أنا أحب الكوميديا.Hadha ra'i', ana uhibb al-komidya.That's great, I love comedy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “movie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
