Cinema, museums and tickets in Spanish: box office, seats, discounts and subtitles in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Buying a cinema ticket is a short conversation with four or five questions in it, and they come fast. The word for the ticket changes by country, so does the word for the queue, and you tell from the letters on the listing whether you will watch the film in Spanish or in English. Below: the box office, the website, seats and discounts, museums and audio guides, and what the person at the counter will say to you.
Ticket, box office, screening
Start here, because the nouns are different in every country and you build everything else on them.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A ticket | un boleto | una entrada | una boleta | una entrada |
| The box office | la taquilla | la taquilla | la taquilla or la boletería | la boletería |
| A screening | una función | una sesión or un pase | una función | una función |
| The screen (room) | la sala | la sala | la sala | la sala |
| The queue | la fila | la cola | la fila | la cola or la fila |
| Popcorn | palomitas | palomitas | crispetas or maíz pira | pochoclo |
Entrada is understood in all four countries and you will never get the wrong thing with it, so it is the safe word if you forget. Boleto in Spain sounds like a lottery ticket or a bus fare.
At the window
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two for the eight o’clock showing, please | Dos para la función de las ocho, por favor. | Spain: dos para la sesión de las ocho |
| One adult and one child | Un adulto y un niño. | |
| What time does it start? | ¿A qué hora empieza? | |
| What time does it finish? | ¿A qué hora termina? | |
| Is there a later showing? | ¿Hay una función más tarde? | |
| How long is it? | ¿Cuánto dura? | |
| Is it sold out? | ¿Está agotada? | Of the función; for the film, ¿quedan entradas? |
| Are there seats left? | ¿Quedan lugares? (Mexico, Argentina) / ¿Quedan entradas? (Spain) / ¿Quedan sillas? (Colombia) | |
| Not too close to the screen | No muy cerca de la pantalla. | |
| In the middle, please | En el centro, por favor. | |
| At the back | Atrás or en las últimas filas | |
| On the aisle | En el pasillo. | |
| Together, please | Juntos, por favor. | Two seats side by side |
| Can I choose the seat? | ¿Puedo elegir el asiento? | |
| Row F, seats 10 and 11 | Fila F, butacas 10 y 11. | Spain, Argentina: butaca. Mexico: asiento. Colombia: silla |
| Is it 3D? | ¿Es en 3D? | Say it “tres de” |
| Do the glasses cost extra? | ¿Los lentes se pagan aparte? (Mexico, Argentina) / ¿Las gafas se pagan aparte? (Spain, Colombia) | |
| Card, please | Con tarjeta, por favor. |
Seats are numbered in most cinemas in all four countries, and the person at the till will turn a screen round and ask you to point.
Subtitled or dubbed
A dubbed film has Spanish voices recorded over the actors, and it is the default for family films.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtitled, original audio | subtitulada (SUB) | VOSE or VO | subtitulada (SUB) | subtitulada (SUB) |
| Dubbed into Spanish | doblada (DOB) | doblada | doblada (DOB) | doblada or castellano |
| Subtitles | los subtítulos | los subtítulos | los subtítulos | los subtítulos |
In Spain the listing says VOSE, versión original subtitulada en español, and VO, versión original. Big city cinemas run VOSE sessions; outside the cities almost everything is dubbed, and Spanish dubbing is an old and serious industry. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina the cinema prints SUB or DOB next to the time, subtitles are the norm for adult films, and animation is usually offered both ways.
Ask directly:
¿Esta función es subtitulada o doblada? Is this showing subtitled or dubbed?
¿Tienen alguna función en versión original? Do you have a showing in the original version?
In Argentina, castellano on a listing means dubbed into Spanish, and visitors who expect it to mean the Spanish of Spain are surprised.
Discounts
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a student discount? | ¿Hay descuento para estudiantes? | |
| Here is my student card | Aquí tiene mi carné de estudiante. | Mexico: mi credencial de estudiante |
| Is there a discount for seniors? | ¿Hay descuento para adultos mayores? | Spain says para jubilados, for pensioners |
| I’m a resident here | Soy residente aquí. | Matters at museums, not cinemas |
| Is today the cheap day? | ¿Hoy es el día del espectador? | Spain only |
| Is there a family price? | ¿Hay precio familiar? | |
| Do children pay? | ¿Los niños pagan? | |
| Reduced price | entrada reducida or tarifa reducida | |
| Free | gratis or la entrada es gratuita |
Spain has el día del espectador, one weekday with a lower price at most cinemas. It is usually Wednesday, sometimes Monday, and the cinema advertises it on the door. Student and senior prices exist in all four countries and you normally need a card for them, not a claim.
Buying online
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I bought the tickets online | Compré las entradas por internet. | Mexico: los boletos en línea |
| I have them on my phone | Las tengo en el móvil. (Spain) / en el celular (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) | |
| Here is the QR code | Aquí está el código QR. | Say it “cu-e-rre” |
| Do I have to print it? | ¿Tengo que imprimirlo? | |
| Do I collect them here? | ¿Los recojo aquí? | Spain, Colombia: ¿los recojo aquí? Argentina: ¿los retiro acá? |
| The booking is in my name | La reserva está a mi nombre. | |
| My payment did not go through | No se completó el pago. | Spain, Argentina also no me pasó la tarjeta |
| Can I change the time? | ¿Puedo cambiar el horario? | |
| Can I get a refund? | ¿Me pueden devolver el dinero? |
Museums
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Two general admissions | Dos entradas generales. | Colombia: dos boletas |
| Is it free today? | ¿Hoy es gratis? | |
| Is there a free day? | ¿Hay algún día gratuito? | |
| What time do you close? | ¿A qué hora cierran? | |
| When is last entry? | ¿A qué hora es la última entrada? | |
| Is the whole museum open? | ¿Está todo abierto? | |
| Is there a temporary exhibition? | ¿Hay alguna exposición temporal? | Argentina also says muestra |
| Is the ticket for everything? | ¿La entrada incluye todo? | |
| Do you have an audio guide? | ¿Tienen audioguía? | |
| In English, please | En inglés, por favor. | |
| Is there a guided tour? | ¿Hay visita guiada? | Mexico, Colombia also recorrido guiado |
| Can I take photos? | ¿Se pueden tomar fotos? | Spain: ¿se pueden hacer fotos? |
| Without flash | Sin flash. | |
| Where is the cloakroom? | ¿Dónde está el guardarropa? | Mexico also la paquetería |
| Can I leave my backpack? | ¿Puedo dejar la mochila? | Large bags are refused inside in most museums |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde está el baño? | Spain: el aseo or el servicio |
| Is there a lift? | ¿Hay ascensor? | Mexico, Colombia: elevador |
| Is it accessible? | ¿Es accesible? or ¿Hay acceso para silla de ruedas? | |
| Where does the visit start? | ¿Por dónde empieza la visita? |
Free entry is worth asking about because the rules are local and rarely translated. In Mexico, museums and archaeological sites run by the national institute are free on Sundays for Mexican nationals and residents; foreign visitors pay. In Spain several of the large state museums are free for the last two hours of the day, with a queue to match, and the times are on the museum’s own site. Ask at the window rather than trusting a guidebook.
What you will hear
¿Para qué función? Which showing?
¿Subtitulada o doblada? Subtitled or dubbed?
¿Dónde se quiere sentar? Where would you like to sit? Spain: ¿dónde os queréis sentar? to a couple.
Solo quedan lugares adelante. Only the front rows are left.
¿Alguna promoción? Any promotion? Mexico. They mean a loyalty card or a bank discount.
Pase a la sala 4. Go through to screen 4.
Su entrada, por favor. Your ticket, please.
¿Va a querer algo de la dulcería? Anything from the sweet counter? Mexico.
No se permiten fotos con flash. No flash photography.
Debe dejar la mochila en el guardarropa. You have to leave your backpack in the cloakroom.
La última entrada es a las cinco y media. Last entry is half past five.
Estamos cerrando. We are closing.
Queues and the small customs
Queues are orderly in all four countries and jumping one is treated badly. In Mexico people ask ¿aquí es la fila? or ¿aquí me formo?, is this where I line up. In Spain and Argentina, arriving at a crowd rather than a line, the question is ¿quién es el último?, who is last, and you remember that person and follow them.
Trailers and adverts run after the printed time in all four countries, so the film does not start at the time on the ticket. People arrive during them and the doors stay open.
At museums, bags bigger than a small daypack usually go to the cloakroom. Bringing water in is normally fine, food is not.
In Spain and Argentina people shush you if you talk during a film or light up a phone.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Dos entradas para la función de las nueve, por favor. Two tickets for the nine o’clock showing, please.
- ¿Esta película es subtitulada o doblada? Is this film subtitled or dubbed?
- ¿Tienen alguna sesión en VOSE? Do you have a showing in the original with Spanish subtitles? (Spain)
- En el centro, atrás, si se puede. In the middle, near the back, if possible.
- ¿Hay descuento para estudiantes? Aquí está mi credencial. Is there a student discount? Here is my card. (Mexico)
- Los boletos los compré en línea, aquí está el código. I bought the tickets online, here is the code. (Mexico)
- ¿A qué hora es la última entrada al museo? What time is last entry to the museum?
- ¿Tienen audioguía en inglés? Do you have an audio guide in English?
- ¿Se pueden tomar fotos sin flash? Can I take photos without flash?
- ¿Aquí es la fila para la taquilla? Is this the queue for the box office? (Mexico, Colombia)
Questions people ask
What does VOSE mean? Versión original subtitulada en español: the film in its own language with Spanish subtitles. Spanish cinemas print it on the listing. VO alone means the original with no subtitles, which is rarer.
Will an English film have English subtitles? No. Subtitles in all four countries are Spanish. If the film is in English, you hear English and read Spanish.
Is “boleto” wrong in Spain? It is understood, but a Spaniard says entrada for a cinema, a concert or a museum. Billete is for transport, and tique or ticket is the receipt.
How do I ask for the back row? ¿Me da dos en la última fila? In Spain, ¿me pones dos en las últimas filas? The word for the seat is butaca in Spain and Argentina, asiento in Mexico, silla in Colombia.
Are museums free anywhere? Often, on set days or in the last hours. In Mexico the national museums and archaeological sites are free on Sundays for nationals and residents. Several big Spanish state museums have free evening slots. Ask at the window: ¿hay algún día o alguna hora gratuita?
What is “el día del espectador”? Spain’s discount cinema day, one weekday at most chains, usually Wednesday. There is no single equivalent term in Mexico, Colombia or Argentina, though cinemas there run their own weekday promotions.
How do I say “sold out”? Agotado. On a screen you will see AGOTADA over the showing. To ask, ¿todavía quedan entradas para las ocho?
What do I say to get past someone in the row? Permiso in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, perdón or disculpe anywhere. In Spain, perdona as you squeeze past.
Practise these words
entrada, boleto, taquilla, función, fila, asiento, pantalla, subtítulo, descuento, gratis, museo, cerrar, elegir. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.