A brightly illustrated scene showing a vintage film projector casting a light beam onto a blank movie screen, with a full bucket of popcorn sitting on the floor.

películas

peh-LEE-coo-lahs

NounfA1

movies?cinema features,films?cinema features

Also:picture shows?slightly old-fashioned reference to cinema

📝 In Action

¿Viste las nuevas películas de superhéroes este fin de semana?

Did you see the new superhero movies this weekend?

Me gusta ver películas antiguas en blanco y negro.

I like watching old black and white films.

Hacen muy buenas películas en España y México.

They make very good movies in Spain and Mexico.

Word Connections

Synonyms

filmes (films (less common in Spain/Latin America))
cintas (tapes/films (older term, referring to film strips))

Common Collocations

películas de terror – horror movies
ir al cine a ver películas – to go to the cinema to see movies
películas animadas – animated films

💡 Grammar Points

Feminine Plural Nouns

The singular form of this word is 'película,' which is feminine (like 'la casa'). Because it's feminine and refers to more than one, it must end in '-as,' and you should use feminine plural words before it, like 'las' or 'muchas'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using the wrong article

Mistake: "Los películas son divertidas."

Correction: Las películas son divertidas. Remember the word 'película' is always feminine, even in plural.

⭐ Usage Tips

Making it plural

To make the singular noun 'película' plural, simply add 's' since it ends in a vowel, resulting in 'películas'. This follows the standard pattern for most Spanish nouns.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: películas

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'películas'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

película(movie, film (singular)) - noun

cinematografía(cinematography, film-making) - noun

cinéfilo(movie lover) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

If 'película' is feminine, why do people sometimes use 'el' before it, like 'el documental'?

Great question! 'Película' itself is always feminine, so you say 'la película' or 'las películas'. If you hear 'el documental' or 'el cortometraje,' that's because those are masculine nouns describing a *type* of movie, but the base word 'película' stays feminine.

Is 'filmes' a good substitute for 'películas'?

While 'filmes' is understood, especially in technical or literary contexts, 'películas' is far more common and natural for everyday conversations across the Spanish-speaking world. Stick with 'películas' to sound fluent.