Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| película | /peˈlikula/ | feminine |
| filme | /ˈfilme/ | masculine |
The standard and most common way to say movie in Spanish is película. For a more formal and less common term, you can use cinta cinematográfica.
Which one should you use?
While película is the standard, everyday word used in most Spanish-speaking countries, filme is a more formal or technical term often used in academic or cinematic contexts. It is less common in casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You may use the shortened, informal version peli in casual speech. For formal contexts, filme or cinta cinematográfica may be used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the term largometraje is commonly used to refer specifically to a feature-length film.
How does it change in a sentence?
película is a feminine noun. Because of this, you must use the feminine article una (a movie) instead of the masculine uno. The plural form of película is las películas.
How do you pronounce it?
/peˈlikula/
Did you know?
- The word película shares its roots with the word for 'skin' or 'hide' in Latin. It originally referred to a thin membrane or a strip of skin, which describes the physical look of old film stock.
- The Spanish word película is also used in science to describe a thin layer of liquid, such as a 'thin film' of oil on water.
- The term largometraje is used in Spain to distinguish a full-length feature film from a short film, which is called a cortometraje.
Examples in context
- Ya vi esa película.I've already seen that movie.This sentence shows how to use película to state you have already seen a certain movie.Tatoeba #1891218 by hayastan, translation #1891165 by CK
- La película me gustó.I enjoyed the movie.This sentence demonstrates using película to express that you enjoyed a movie.Tatoeba #928535 by Shishir, translation #5958381 by CK
- Vi una película ayer.I saw a movie yesterday.This sentence shows how to use película to say you saw a movie yesterday.Tatoeba #13046058 by ecorralest101, translation #10713880 by quoctrong018
- Me encanta ver películas los fines de semana.I love watching movies on weekends.
- Vamos a ver una película esta noche.Let's watch a movie tonight.
- ¿Qué peli quieres ver?What movie do you want to watch?
- ¡Vamos al cine a ver un largometraje!Let's go to the cinema to watch a feature-length film!
- 383 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are deciding what to watch at home.
- María¿Tienes una buena película para ver?Do you have a good movie to watch?
- AlejandroHay una película nueva en la televisión.There is a new movie on the television.
- María¡Perfecto! Vamos a verla.Perfect! Let's watch it.
- AlejandroTráeme las palomitas, María.Bring me the popcorn, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “movie” translations and entries película, filme, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries filme, película, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
