Dialogue
Ciné or cinéma? Plan a cinema trip in French
Use au ciné in a friendly invitation and au cinéma in a neutral one. Practise a full conversation and explore six things in a cinema foyer.
- A2
- 10 lines
- Practice mode
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Ciné is a familiar short form of masculine cinéma: On va au ciné ? means “Shall we go to the cinema?” Use the full form for a neutral invitation and phrases such as l’histoire du cinéma (the history of cinema).
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- Inès
Tu es libre samedi après-midi ?
English
Are you free on Saturday afternoon?
- You
Oui. Ça te dit d’aller au ciné ?
Say yes and suggest going to the cinema.
English
Yes. Fancy going to the cinema?
- Inès
Avec plaisir ! Tu veux voir quoi ?
English
I’d love to! What do you want to see?
- You
La comédie. La séance commence à quinze heures.
Suggest the comedy and say when it starts.
English
The comedy. The screening starts at three.
- Inès
D’accord. On se retrouve où ?
English
Okay. Where shall we meet?
- You
Devant le ciné, à quatorze heures quarante-cinq.
Suggest meeting outside the cinema at quarter to three.
English
Outside the cinema, at quarter to three.
- Inès
Parfait. Tu achètes les billets ?
English
Perfect. Are you buying the tickets?
- You
Oui, je les achète en ligne ce soir.
Say you will buy them online tonight.
English
Yes, I’ll buy them online tonight.
- Inès
Merci ! À samedi !
English
Thanks! See you on Saturday!
- You
De rien ! À samedi !
Reply to the thanks and say goodbye.
English
You’re welcome! See you on Saturday!
Find your way through the cinema foyer
Find:
| French | English | Use |
|---|---|---|
| On va au ciné samedi ? | Shall we go to the cinema on Saturday? | Friendly invitation. |
| Voulez-vous aller au cinéma samedi ? | Would you like to go to the cinema on Saturday? | Polite invitation with the full word. |
| Elle étudie l’histoire du cinéma. | She studies the history of cinema. | Cinema as an art or medium. |
Keep the accent in ciné and cinéma. Both nouns are masculine: un ciné, un cinéma. The contraction au comes from à + le. A particular film is un film: Quel film veux-tu voir ? asks what you want to watch, while Dans quel cinéma ? asks which venue.