películas
/pelikulas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "movies" is translated into Spanish as películas.
Películas refers to stories told through a series of moving images and sound. While películas refers to the films themselves, you may also see el cine used to refer to the movies as a medium or to the movie theater. For a more artistic or refined sense, one might use the phrase el séptimo arte, meaning "the seventh art".
Which one should you use?
Películas is the most common and general way to say "movies". You can use cine to refer to "movies" in a more formal context, such as discussing the film industry. To refer specifically to the medium or the theater, use el cine.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is película.
How do you pronounce it?
/pelikulas/
Did you know?
- The word película originally meant 'thin skin' or 'film', such as the membrane of a cell. It was later adopted to describe the physical strip of celluloid used in early cinema.
- In some regions, the phrase hacer una película can be used idiomatically to mean imagining a scenario or overthinking a situation that isn't actually happening.
- The term cineasta is used to describe a filmmaker, and unlike the English word 'director', it encompasses the entire creative process of making a película.
Examples in context
- Me gusta ver películas.I like watching movies.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for watching películas.Tatoeba #1439332 by peibolvig, translation #684673 by notrwanda
- Me gustan las películas.I like movies.This sentence is useful for stating a general liking of películas.Tatoeba #4471785 by cueyayotl, translation #521655 by CK
- ¿Os gustan las películas?Do you like movies?This sentence is useful for asking others if they like películas.Tatoeba #2057200 by Shishir, translation #26454 by CK
- Me encanta ver películas de misterio los fines de semana.I love watching mystery movies on weekends.
- El cine argentino tiene muchas películas aclamadas a nivel mundial.Argentine cinema has many internationally acclaimed movies.
- El cine francés ha producido algunas de las mejores películas de la historia.French cinema has produced some of the best movies in history.
- El cine español tiene una gran diversidad de películas.Spanish cinema has a great diversity of movies.
- ¿Hoy vemos unas pelis en casa?Shall we watch some movies at home today?
- Las pelis de terror son mis favoritas, ¿y a ti?Horror movies are my favorites, and you?
- ¿Vamos al cine a ver la nueva película de acción?Shall we go to the movies to watch the new action movie?
- El cine mexicano produce películas muy interesantes.Mexican cinema produces very interesting movies.
- El cine clásico es una parte esencial del séptimo arte.Classic cinema is an essential part of the seventh art.
- Me gusta mucho ver films en versión original.I really enjoy watching films in their original version.
- 111 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about their weekend plans.
- DanielHola María, ¿quieres ir al cine?Hi María, do you want to go to the cinema?
- MaríaSí, me encantan las películas de terror.Yes, I love horror movies.
- DanielYo prefiero las películas de acción.I prefer action movies.
- MaríaEstá bien, busquemos algunas películas nuevas.That's fine, let's look for some new movies.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
