ταινία
tainíaabbreviation, feminine
The Greek word for "movie" is ταινία (tainía). Wiktionary also lists έργο (érgo) and φιλμ.
Meaning: motion picture (noun)
Ways to say it
| Greek | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ταινία | tainía | abbreviation, feminine | |
| έργο | érgo | /ˈeɾɣo/ | abbreviation, neuter |
| φιλμ | neuter |
The primary way to refer to a motion picture is using the noun ταινία.
Which one should you use?
ταινία is the standard, most common word for a movie or film. In contrast, έργο is used when referring to a movie as a professional 'work' or 'production' in a more formal or artistic context. The word φιλμ is also a neuter noun used for film.
How does it change in a sentence?
ταινία is a feminine noun. Its plural form is ταινίες, and its genitive singular form (used for "of the movie") is της ταινίας.
How do you pronounce it?
tainía
Did you know?
- The word ταινία originally referred to a 'ribbon' or 'headband' in Ancient Greek, which is why it was later adopted to describe the long strip of celluloid film used in cinema.
- In Greek, ταινία is also the word used for 'cassette tape' or 'recording tape', because they share the same physical ribbon-like form.
- The word έργο refers to a movie as an artistic work but is also the standard word for a 'job' or a 'task'.
Examples in context
- Ήταν καλή η ταινία;Was the movie good?This sentence is useful for asking if the ταινία was good.Tatoeba #11984766 by alabama, translation #26452 by CK
- Πότε αρχίζει η ταινία;When does the movie start?This sentence is useful for asking when the ταινία starts.Tatoeba #5367968 by Zeus, translation #26457 by CK
- Η ταινία ήταν απαίσια.The movie was awful.This sentence is useful for stating that the ταινία was awful.Tatoeba #5523279 by Zeus, translation #4494872 by CK
- 48 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nikos and Eleni are deciding what to watch at home.
- Νίκος NikosΘέλεις να δούμε μια ταινία;Theleis na doume mia tainia;Do you want to watch a movie?
- Ελένη EleniΠοια ταινία έχεις στο μυαλό σου;Poia tainia eheis sto mialo sou;Which movie do you have in mind?
- Νίκος NikosΜια νέα ταινία δράσης.Mia nea tainia drasis.A new action movie.
- Ελένη EleniΕντάξει, ας τη δούμε.Entaxei, as ti doume.Okay, let's watch it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “movie” translations and entries ταινία, έργο, φιλμ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries έργο, ταινία, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
