Spanish · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 3 of 12
Film, books and media
Cine, libros y medios
Talk about films and books in Spanish: summarise a plot, give a nuanced opinion with lo mejor and lo bien que, and use haya visto.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Summarise the plot of a film or a book
- Give a nuanced opinion: me ha parecido lenta, lo mejor es…
- Use lo + adjective and lo bien que…
- React with the present perfect subjunctive: me alegro de que hayas venido
Listen
Ane and her friend Rodrigo come out of a screening at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Ane
Bueno, ¿qué te ha parecido? A mí me ha encantado.
Well, what did you think of it? I loved it.
Rodrigo
A mí también, aunque al principio me ha parecido un poco lenta. Lo mejor, sin duda, es la protagonista.
So did I, although I found it a bit slow at the beginning. The best thing, without a doubt, is the lead actress.
Ane
¡Es increíble lo bien que actúa! Y es su primera película.
It's incredible how well she acts! And it's her first film.
Rodrigo
¿Sabes que está basada en una novela? La leí hace unos años.
Did you know it's based on a novel? I read it a few years ago.
Ane
No tenía ni idea. ¿Y de qué trata? ¿Es como la película?
I had no idea. And what's it about? Is it like the film?
Rodrigo
Más o menos. Cuenta la historia de una mujer que vuelve a su pueblo cuando muere su padre, y allí descubre que él tenía otra familia.
More or less. It tells the story of a woman who goes back to her village when her father dies, and there she finds out that he had another family.
Ane
Pues en la película, lo que más me ha gustado es el final. No me lo esperaba.
Well, in the film, what I liked most was the ending. I didn't see it coming.
Rodrigo
A mí me gustó más el final del libro, que es más abierto. Lo malo de la película es que lo explica todo.
I preferred the ending of the book, which is more open. The bad thing about the film is that it explains everything.
Ane
Bueno, nadie es perfecto. Me alegro mucho de que hayamos venido. Hacía tiempo que no veía una película tan buena.
Well, nobody's perfect. I'm really glad we came. I hadn't seen such a good film for a long time.
Rodrigo
Yo también. Oye, ¿has leído las críticas? Casi todas dicen que es la favorita para el premio.
Me too. Hey, have you read the reviews? Almost all of them say it's the favourite for the award.
Ane
No me extraña que les haya gustado tanto. Merece la pena, de verdad.
I'm not surprised they liked it so much. It's really worth it.
Rodrigo
Si quieres, te dejo la novela. Y luego me dices qué te parece.
If you like, I'll lend you the novel. And then you can tell me what you think of it.
Understand
Talking about a story
To say what a film or a book is about, use (it's about) or, informally, : (What's it about?). To summarise the plot, Spanish uses the present, as English does: … (It tells the story of a woman who goes back to her village…).
Novels and the press tell stories in the past, with the preterite and the imperfect. In books you'll also see the -se forms of the imperfect subjunctive (, , chapter 2) and, in literary texts, forms like (when he had finished). You only need to recognise them.
works like : (What did you think of it?), (I found it slow).
Lo mejor, lo bien que actúa
+ an adjective means “the … thing” or “the … part”: (the best thing), (the bad thing), (the most important thing). The adjective doesn't change:
+ an adjective or adverb + means “how”: (It's incredible how well she acts!). Here the adjective agrees: (You don't know how good it is).
- Lo mejor es la protagonista.The best thing is the lead actress.
- Lo que más me ha gustado es el final.What I liked most was the ending.
- ¡Es increíble lo bien que actúa!It's incredible how well she acts!
- No te imaginas lo lenta que es.You can't imagine how slow it is.
Me alegro de que hayas venido
The “present perfect subjunctive” () is in the present subjunctive () + the past participle. Use it after the usual subjunctive triggers when you talk about something that has happened: (I'm glad we came). (I'm not surprised they liked it).
| Person | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / / |
More in the grammar: The present subjunctive: que sea, que tenga
New words
- parecerto seem; ¿Qué te parece? What do you think (of it)? · works like : ,
- lento / lentaslow
- sin dudawithout a doubt
- el / la protagonistamain character; lead actor / actress
- actuarto act · , , … (accent on the u)
- basado / basada enbased on
- la novelanovel · feminine
- no tener ni ideato have no idea
- tratar deto be about · What's it about? Informal:
- morirto die · o → ue: ; preterite ; participle
- la críticareview; criticism; the critics · feminine; critic: /
- el premioprize, award · masculine
- No me extraña.I'm not surprised. · + subjunctive
- merecer la penato be worth it · : it's worth it; …
Practise
1.Complete: “Me alegro de que … venido.” (we have)
2.Complete: “The best thing is the lead actress.”
The best thing is the lead actress.
3.Complete: “It's incredible how well she acts!”
It's incredible how well she acts!
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.What's the novel about?
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Complete: “… malo de la película es que lo explica todo.”
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
¿Qué te ha parecido?
What did you think of it?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.