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Cinema and TV

Screens are a cheap way to live with Spanish every day, and knowing the words for subtitles and dubbing decides how much you actually learn.

Quick answer

¿La ponen en versión original?

Is it showing in the original version? Versión original, often shortened to V.O., is the label you look for.

The words

SpanishEnglish
la películathe film
el cinethe cinema
la seriethe series
el capítulothe episode
la pantallathe screen
los subtítulosthe subtitles
el doblajethe dubbing
el actorthe actor
la actrizthe actress
el guionthe script
el estrenothe premiere
el mandothe remote control
las palomitasthe popcorn
verto watch
grabarto record

The phrases you will actually say

¿La ponen en versión original?Is it showing in the original version?
Prefiero verla con subtítulos en español.I prefer to watch it with Spanish subtitles.
Me he visto la serie entera en un fin de semana.I watched the whole series in one weekend.
El estreno es el viernes que viene.The premiere is next Friday.
¿Dónde has dejado el mando?Where did you leave the remote?

Worth knowing

Spain dubs almost everything. Foreign films and series arrive with a full Spanish soundtrack, the dubbing industry is large and long-established, and famous actors have their own permanent Spanish voices, which is why a cinema listing marked V.O.S.E., meaning original version with Spanish subtitles, is a minority option found mainly in city centres. For learners this cuts both ways: dubbed audio is clear and neutral, but the lip-sync rewriting flattens slang. Latin America leans the other way, with subtitles common in cinemas and dubbing mostly for children. Note el capítulo is the usual word for an episode, more common than el episodio, and that el guion lost its accent in the 2010 spelling reform. A small trap: el cine is both the building and the art form, and la película is a film while la filmación is the act of shooting.

Practice

Practise your cinema and tv words

0/8 matched — tap a Spanish word, then its translation

Check yourself

What does the cinema label "V.O.S.E." tell you?

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