Today's words · 🎬 At the cinema
Popcorn ready? 10 German words for the cinema
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Imagine buying a ticket and discovering the whole film is dubbed into German. Today's words help you avoid that.
Friday evening, a friend texts: “Gehen wir ins Kino?” I open the booking site and it's all Vorstellung, Reihe, OmU… I pick a seat in a hurry and end up in the very first row, craning my neck for two hours.
Here are ten words for a trip to the cinema. With them you can check showtimes, choose a good seat and even tell your friends what you thought afterwards. 🎬
📋 The ten words at a glance
- das Kino — cinema, movie theater
- der Film — film, movie
- die Kinokarte — cinema ticket, movie ticket
- die Vorstellung — introduction; performance; idea, imagination
- die Reihe — row, line; turn
- der Sitzplatz — seat
- die Leinwand — canvas; (cinema) screen
- das Popcorn — popcorn
- die Vorführung — demonstration, presentation; performance, screening
- spannend — exciting, gripping
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Kino
[KEE-noh]cinema, movie theater(Pl. die Kinos)
📌 Gehen wir heute Abend ins Kino?
→ Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
💡 Short for Kinematograph, an early projector 🎞️ to go to the cinema = ins Kino gehen
⚠ Kino is the place. The film itself is der Film.
der Film
[FILM]film, movie(Pl. die Filme)
📌 Der Film war super.
→ The film was great.
💡 Same as English — a word you get for free 🎥
Bonus How was the film? = Wie war der Film?
die Kinokarte
[KEE-noh-kar-tuh]cinema ticket, movie ticket(Pl. die Kinokarten)
📌 Ich habe zwei Kinokarten für heute Abend gekauft.
→ I bought two cinema tickets for tonight.
💡 Kino + Karte (ticket) = cinema ticket 🎟️ German snaps words together like Lego.
Bonus Same pattern: a concert ticket is die Konzertkarte.
die Vorstellung
[FOR-shtel-oong]introduction; performance; idea, imagination(Pl. die Vorstellungen)
📌 Die Vorstellung beginnt um 20 Uhr.
→ The performance starts at 8 p.m.
💡 vor (in front) + stellen (to put) = putting something in front of people 🎭 A show, an introduction or an idea.
Bonus a job interview = das Vorstellungsgespräch
die Reihe
[RYE-uh]row, line; turn(Pl. die Reihen)
📌 Ich sitze in der ersten Reihe.
→ I'm sitting in the front row.
💡 Seats lined up side by side 💺 Maybe a cousin of English row.
Bonus It's my turn = Ich bin an der Reihe.
der Sitzplatz
[ZITS-plats]seat(Pl. die Sitzplätze)
📌 Ich möchte einen Sitzplatz reservieren.
→ I'd like to reserve a seat.
💡 sitzen (to sit) + Platz (place) = a place to sit 🪑
Bonus Is this seat free? = Ist der Platz noch frei?
die Leinwand
[LINE-vahnt]canvas; (cinema) screen(Pl. die Leinwände)
📌 Der Film kommt im Herbst auf die große Leinwand.
→ The film will hit the big screen in autumn.
💡 Leinen (linen) + an old word for cloth 🖼️ A painter's canvas or a cinema screen.
Bonus auf der großen Leinwand = on the big screen
das Popcorn
[POP-korn]popcorn(no pl.)
📌 Im Kino esse ich immer Popcorn.
→ I always eat popcorn at the cinema.
💡 Straight from English, just said the German way 🍿
Bonus You'll often be asked: süß (sweet) oder salzig (salty)?
die Vorführung
[FOR-fue-roong]demonstration, presentation; performance, screening(Pl. die Vorführungen)
📌 Die Vorführung des neuen Geräts war beeindruckend.
→ The demonstration of the new device was impressive.
💡 vor (forward) + führen (to lead) = leading something out to show it 📽️ -ung, so die.
Bonus The verb vorführen = to screen, to demonstrate
spannend
[SHPAN-ent]exciting, gripping(spannend – spannender – am spannendsten)
📌 Das Buch ist sehr spannend.
→ The book is very exciting.
💡 From spannen (to pull tight) — a film that keeps you tense 😱
Bonus The opposite: langweilig (boring)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Most foreign films in German cinemas are dubbed into German. To see the original, look for showings marked OV (original version) or OmU (original with German subtitles). Big cities usually have a few cinemas that show them.
The film rarely starts at the listed time: there's often a long block of adverts and trailers first, so arriving a few minutes late is common. Seats are usually assigned, so you choose your Reihe and Platz when you book.
Many cinemas also have a Kinotag, one day a week when tickets are cheaper. Check your local cinema's website. 🍿
✅ Quick quiz
Q. At the cinema you want to ask whether the seat next to someone is free. What do you say?
- ① Ist der Platz noch frei?
- ② Der Film war super.
- ③ Ich bin an der Reihe.
Show the answer
① Ist der Platz noch frei?
Ist der Platz noch frei? = Is this seat free? It works in cinemas, trains and cafés.
Sum up the last film you saw in one sentence — for example, Der Film war sehr spannend! 🎬
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 📺 Film & TV genres