Real Easy English: Talking about the cinema

Georgie (0:00)

Hello, and welcome to Real Easy English. I'm Georgie.

Phil (0:03)

And I'm Phil. Find a video version of this podcast and a worksheet to test yourself on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Music Hi, Georgie. How's your week going?

Georgie (0:20)

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

Phil (0:23)

Did you watch it at home or at the cinema?

Georgie (0:26)

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

Phil (0:31)

Was it good?

Georgie (0:32)

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.

So Phil, do you go to the cinema often?

Phil (0:53)

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

Georgie (0:59)

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.

Phil (1:34)

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

Georgie (1:39)

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

Phil (1:43)

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. They're 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 the 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.

Georgie (2:23)

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?

Phil (2:34)

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

Georgie (2:42)

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.

Phil (3:10)

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.

Georgie (3:23)

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?

Phil (3:52)

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 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.

Georgie (4:17)

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 okay to whisper, so that's when you whisper like that. It's okay to do that every now and again, but if they're talking all the way through the film, that is really annoying.