Al cinema guardiamo il trailer prima che inizi il film.

Al cinema is the normal Italian way to say at the cinema / at the movies.

It is made of:

• a = at / to
• il cinema = the cinema

These combine into al cinema.

Italian often uses a + article for places:

• al ristorante = at the restaurant
• al bar = at the bar
• al mare = at the seaside

So al cinema is the standard idiomatic expression here.

Italian uses definite articles much more often than English.

So where English might say:

• we watch trailers before a film starts
• or before the film starts

Italian naturally says:

• guardiamo il trailer
• inizi il film

In this sentence, the article helps present both trailer and film as specific, expected things in the situation of being at the cinema.

Both verbs relate to seeing, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• guardare = to watch, to look at
• vedere = to see

A trailer is something you actively watch, so guardiamo il trailer is the most natural choice.

Compare:

• Guardo un film. = I watch a film.
• Vedo una persona. = I see a person.

You may hear vedere un film in Italian too, but with trailer, guardare sounds especially natural because it emphasizes the act of watching.

Use prima che when it is followed by a full clause with a verb.

Here, the part after it is:

• inizi il film = the film starts

Since that is a clause with its own verb, Italian uses prima che.

Use prima di when it is followed by:

• an infinitive, or
• a noun

Examples:

• prima di mangiare = before eating
• prima del film = before the film

So:

• prima che inizi il film = before the film starts
• prima dell'inizio del film = before the start of the film

Because prima che normally requires the subjunctive in Italian.

So the verb iniziare here is in the present subjunctive:

• che io inizi
• che tu inizi
• che lui/lei inizi

That is why the sentence has:

• prima che inizi il film

and not:

• prima che inizia il film

For many English speakers, this feels strange because English usually just says before the film starts without a special verb form. But in Italian, after prima che, the subjunctive is the standard choice.

The subject is il film.

So the structure is:

• prima che = before
• inizi = starts
• il film = the film

Literally, the order is:

• before starts the film

But in natural English:

• before the film starts

Italian often places the subject after the verb, especially in clauses like this. You could also say:

• prima che il film inizi

That is also correct and may sound a little more neutral or explicit.

Because Italian verbs already show the subject.

Guardiamo means:

• we watch
• or we are watching, depending on context

So noi is not necessary.

Italian often leaves subject pronouns out unless they are needed for emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Guardiamo il trailer. = We watch the trailer.
• Noi guardiamo il trailer, loro no. = We watch the trailer, they don’t.

Yes. Both are correct.

• prima che inizi il film
• prima che il film inizi

The difference is mostly word order. Italian allows some flexibility here.

A rough guideline:

• prima che il film inizi may feel slightly more straightforward to learners because the subject comes before the verb.
• prima che inizi il film sounds very natural too, with the subject after the verb.

Both mean the same thing.

Yes. Trailer is a borrowed word used in Italian.

It is normally:

• masculine singular: il trailer
• masculine plural: i trailer

The form usually does not change in the plural.

Examples:

• il trailer
• i trailer

This is common with many borrowed words in Italian.

Yes, several natural alternatives are possible, depending on style.

For example:

• Al cinema guardiamo il trailer prima che il film inizi.
• Al cinema guardiamo il trailer prima dell’inizio del film.
• Prima che inizi il film, al cinema guardiamo il trailer.

These all express basically the same idea, though the original sentence is simple and very natural.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

The Italian present tense often covers both:

• we watch
• we are watching

So guardiamo il trailer could mean:

• we watch the trailer
• we’re watching the trailer

In this sentence, it sounds like a general or habitual statement: this is what happens at the cinema before the film starts. But context always decides the exact English translation.