Talking About the Cinema

Hi Phil.

Hi Georgie. How's your week going?

It's going very well, thank you. I watched a really good film last night.

Did you watch it at home or at the cinema?

I watched it at home on my sofa with my housemates.

Oh, was it good?

It was very good. Now, I told you I watched a film last night at home, but in this episode of Real Easy English, we're talking about cinema. So, the cinema is where you watch films, or in American English they're sometimes called movies.

And before we get started, let's just remind everyone that if you go to bbclearningenglish.com, there's a worksheet where you can practise all the language that you'll hear in this episode.

So, Phil, do you go to the cinema often?

No. No, I don't go very often at all. What about you?

I don't go often, but I did go a couple of weeks ago. I went to see an action film, a recent action film, and it was really spectacular. And I'm not a big fan of action movies – action films. I prefer films that are a bit less stressful, so I wouldn't usually watch action films at home, but in the cinema it was really an amazing experience because you have the big screen. You have amazing sound. And I really enjoyed it!

I've not actually been to the cinema for maybe two years, I think.

Wow, Phil! Why don't you go to the cinema? Do you not like it?

I like... I like the cinema as an event, so the last time I went, I went with my kids. I can't remember what film, but it was a big thing for them to go and they were excited about it, but I don't know... I like the big screen. I like the sound. I like the event. But if you want to spend time with people, I think in a cinema you can't talk to anyone. You sit in the dark. You can't talk. And it's not the best when you want to talk to people, when you want to get to know people, so I tend to watch films more at home, to be honest.

Yeah, but what about if you go to the cinema with people that you see very often and you don't need to catch up or find out about their lives? You're just going to watch a film and to relax.

Yeah. I mean, yeah, that makes sense because it is... it is nice to get out. It is nice to get out of the house and see it on a big screen.

There are also other downsides to going to the cinema. My big thing with the cinema is that the seats are not very comfortable. It's much more comfortable to watch a film at home because you might have a sofa, blankets – you can lie down. You don't have to sit like we are now in a chair upright. Yeah, it's really nice at home. You have your snacks. You don't have to pay for them as well.

I also think TVs that people have at home now are much better than they used to be. When I was a kid, you had a tiny little TV and it was so different to watching something at the cinema. But now I've got quite a nice telly.

So, Phil, you talked about going to the cinema as, like, an event. So, something we do for special occasions. I really feel that. I love going to the cinema because you can buy snacks that you wouldn't normally eat. Like, popcorn is something I don't eat at home, but I eat at the cinema. And then going in a little bit early and watching the film trailers, which are short adverts for films that are coming up soon that are shown at the cinema. Is there anything else you like about the cinema?

What is nice about the cinema is that you can have no distractions. You just have the film. You put your phone away. At least you should put your phone away! Some people... some people in the cinema don't follow the rules, but hopefully everyone watching puts their phone away. There's no distractions. You can just relax and get involved in the film.

It's really nice. It is really annoying when people in front of you or next to you are talking really loudly throughout the film. It's OK to whisper. So, that's when you whisper like that. It's OK to do that every now and again, but if they're talking all the way through the film, that is really annoying.

Yeah, I can't stand that.

Phil, what kind of films do you like to watch at the cinema?

I think a film that takes you to a different place. So, something that's quite spectacular – there's a lot happening. There's a lot to see. Or maybe a film that shows you a bit of the world that's interesting that you don't know that well. I kind of like films like that – films that take you somewhere, that show you something you wouldn't normally see. That's definitely good to watch on a big screen.

Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't go to the cinema to watch a romantic comedy, a romcom. I agree with you. I'd like to watch something, yeah, spectacular. OK. Phil, it's time to look at some of the vocabulary we heard in this conversation, starting with trailers, which are short adverts for new films shown at the cinema.

And we also talked about popcorn. Now, popcorn – it's a snack. It's made of corn, and it's usually either sweet or salty, and it's very nice and you get it at the cinema.

We also heard spectacular, which is a very strong adjective to describe something that is very exciting to look at.

And we talked about distractions. Things that are distractions are things that make you look at something you might not have wanted to look at, like someone's phone screen instead of the film.

And the things that you watch in the cinema are called films, or sometimes called movies as well.

OK. And that's it for this week's episode of Real Easy English, but don't worry – we'll be back next week with another episode in easy English.

And don't forget to download a free worksheet to test what you've learned at bbclearningenglish.com. Goodbye for now.

Bye!