Cinema and Theatre French Vocabulary
Learn key French vocabulary related to the world of cinema and theatre. Understand the French movie and theatre culture better.
acteur
actor
The French word 'acteur' is used in the same way as the English word 'actor'. It is used to refer to a male person who performs in plays, movies, or television shows. The feminine form of the word 'acteur' is 'actrice', which is used to refer to a female actor.
Example sentences with acteur →actrice
actress
The French word 'actrice' corresponds to the English word 'actress'. It refers to a female who performs in plays, movies or television shows. In a sentence, you could say 'Elle est une actrice célèbre', which means, 'She is a famous actress.'
Example sentences with actrice →cinéma
cinema
The French word 'cinéma' is used similarly to how 'cinema' is used in English, typically referring to a place where movies are shown or the art of creating films. It can also refer to the film industry in general, akin to saying 'Hollywood' in an English context.
Example sentences with cinéma →directeur
director
The French word 'directeur' is used to signify a person responsible for managing or leading an institution, company, or project, just like 'director' in English. It can be used in various contexts like film 'directeur', school 'directeur', etc.
Example sentences with directeur →effets spéciaux
special effects
The term 'effets spéciaux' refers to techniques used in cinema and theater to create fictional events in a story. They can include both practical effects created on set as well as digital or computer generated effects.
Example sentences with effets spéciaux →enregistrement
record
In French, the word 'enregistrement' is used similar to the English 'record'. It can mean a document or notation of data saved for referencing later, or the act of saving such data. It is also used in the context of audio or video recording. However, like in English, it's not used to describe a sports achievement or a best-ever performance; that would be 'record' in French too.
Example sentences with enregistrement →entre
between
The French word 'entre' is used similarly to the English word 'between'. It signifies the position in the middle of two or more items, concepts or places. For example, if we are talking about being in the middle of two cities, you could say 'Je suis entre Paris et Lyon'. Which is 'I am between Paris and Lyon' in English.
Example sentences with entre →film
movie
In French, the word for movie is 'film'. This is used pretty much in the same context as it is in English, to refer to a cinema film or a movie. For example, if you want to say 'I am going to see a movie', you would say 'Je vais voir un film'.
Example sentences with film →montrer
show
The French word 'montrer' translates to 'show' in English. It can be used in various ways much like in English. For instance, it can be used to indicate or visually express something, to prove or demonstrate a fact, or an invitation for displaying a skill or talent. Remember that context is important as the usage might adjust slightly.
Example sentences with montrer →performance
performance
In French, 'performance' retains the same spelling but is pronounced differently, with a French accent. It is often utilized in contexts such as arts, sports, or any other field to refer to the act of performing or accomplishing something. Just like in English, it can be used to gauge the degree of accomplishment of a task or achievement of objectives, often attaching to it a value of quality or effectiveness based on the observable outcomes.
Example sentences with performance →personnage
character
The French word 'personnage' translates to 'character' in English. It is used in the same contexts as the English word, both in reference to fiction (characters in a book or movie) and as a way to describe someone's personality or qualities. However, it is not used to refer to a written symbol, like English does with 'character'.
Example sentences with personnage →public
public
In French, 'public' is also translated as 'public'. It is used in much the same way as in English, referring to the people who come into contact with a certain product, service, person, organization, etc. It is generally applied in settings such as public service, public figures, public protest, etc. An example of its use would be: 'Il travaille dans le secteur public.' meaning 'He works in the public sector.'
Example sentences with public →scène
scene
The French word 'scène' is equivalent to the English term 'scene.' It can refer to a piece of a narrative in plays, films, or novels. Besides, it also has a musical connotation, referring to a stage where performances occur. Just like in English, 'scène' is used variedly in different contexts surrounding literature, cinema, theatre, and music.
Example sentences with scène →séquence
sequence
The French word 'séquence' is used similar to the English word 'sequence'. It can refer to a set of related events, actions or numbers that follow each other in a particular order. For example, it can be used when referring to a sequence of events in a story, or a sequence of numbers in mathematics.
Example sentences with séquence →siège
seat
The French word for 'seat' is 'siège'. It is used in the same way as in English, to refer to something on which one can sit. It can be used for anything from a chair at a dinner table ('siège à la table') to a seat in a car ('siège de voiture'). It is also used metaphorically to refer to the place where something is located or based, such as a company headquarters ('siège social').
Example sentences with siège →sous-titres
subtitles
In French, 'sous-titres' refers to the words superimposed at the bottom of the screen in films or television broadcasts that translate or transcribe dialogue. It is used similarly to how 'subtitles' are used in English. Example of usage in a sentence: 'Les sous-titres sont disponibles en plusieurs langues.' which means 'The subtitles are available in several languages.'
Example sentences with sous-titres →