to (the) cinema
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Mike
Senior Member
Australia, English
No, you need an article. Tonight I want to go a to cinema.
But in terms of practical usage, I'd probably still say the cinema, meaning any of the 6 or so that we have here in Kraków. That said, I wouldn't say that about my local bar. That remains the pub.
"To go to the cinema" is a set phrase. You can't change it. In it "the cinema" does not refer to the theatre you are going to, but to the cinematographic art, hence its productions.
Of course you can always consider a specific cinema. In that case you need to specify it by a complement. "Cinema" refers to the theatre.
e.g. I want to go to the cinema that is at Elephant and Castle.
You can also use the indefinite article and a complement. There again "cinema" refers to a theatre.
e.g. I want to go to a cinema that plays Czech films.
Aya del Playa
Senior Member
English, Indonesian
Just to complicate things ... you would say, "Tonight, I want to go to the movies" (plural) even if you just want to go see one film.
"Movies" is short for moving pictures, which is plural.
English, a strange language!
"Movies" is short for moving pictures, which is plural.
English, a strange language!
"Movies" is slang / colloquial for "motion pictures" = "cinema".Just to complicate things ... you would say, "Tonight, I want to go to the movies" (plural) even if you just want to go see one film.English, a strange language!
The singular "a movie" refers to a film.
Mike
Senior Member
Australia, English
I disagree somewhat.
It is a set phrase, but you wouldn't be incorrect in any way to say I want to go to a cinema tonight.
noun 1.Chiefly British. motion picture. 2.the cinema, motion pictures collectively, as an art. 3.Chiefly British. a motion-picture theater.
Didn't I explain all this in my two posts?
JamesM
Senior Member
English, USA
Is it actually still considered slang in the U.S.? In AE, at least, it is by far the most common word used for "film". Even back in the 1970s, the ABC network had a feature called the "ABC Saturday Night Movie", not the "ABC Saturday Night Film".
In academic, literary or internal film industry settings in the U.S. I would expect to hear "film", but in all other settings I would expect "movie".
I don't know where to check to confirm that it is still classified as slang in the U.S., but if it is, I would be surprised.
--Monty---
Member
English, England.
Oh and in BE we almost never use "movies", only when accompanied with bad imitation American Accent!
Always
"I'm going to the cinema."
"Do you want to come to the cinema tonight?"
"I'm going to see a film."
"Would you like to see a film tonight?"
Always
"I'm going to the cinema."
"Do you want to come to the cinema tonight?"
"I'm going to see a film."
"Would you like to see a film tonight?"
Hockey13
Senior Member
AmEnglish/German
I was about to say the same thing. It most certainly is not slang. Hasn't been for decades, I'm sure. Never in my lifetime.
Hockey13
Senior Member
AmEnglish/German
How about an imitation British accent a la Austin Powers...
I'm going to watch a mowvie.
panjandrum
Senior Member
English-Ireland (top end)
Perhaps we on the western edge of BE are an exception, but movie is firmly established here.
In the distant past, we went to the pictures.
More recently we went to the cinema - indeed we still do go to the cinema.
But most often we watch a movie on TV - either DVD or cable. What's a film
We don't go to the movies.
Movie and "the movies" are included in the OED as originally AE - note originally, not currently. The OED has no reservation - these are not slang or colloquial terms.
In the distant past, we went to the pictures.
More recently we went to the cinema - indeed we still do go to the cinema.
But most often we watch a movie on TV - either DVD or cable. What's a film
We don't go to the movies.
Movie and "the movies" are included in the OED as originally AE - note originally, not currently. The OED has no reservation - these are not slang or colloquial terms.
shoobydoowap
Senior Member
USA, English
At least in my part of the US, I would consider it very strange to say "I'm going to the cinema." I've always heard "I'm going to see a movie" or even "I'm going to the movies." (referring to the movie theater)