Al comienzo de la película me pongo un poco nervioso, pero luego me siento tranquilo.

At the beginning of the movie I get a little nervous, but then I feel calm.

Breakdown of Al comienzo de la película me pongo un poco nervioso, pero luego me siento tranquilo.

• yo: I
• un: a
• pero: but
• luego: then
• sentirse: to feel
• poco: bit
• la película: the movie
• tranquilo: calm
• ,: comma
• ponerse: to get
• nervioso: nervous
• al comienzo de: at the beginning of

Questions & Answers about Al comienzo de la película me pongo un poco nervioso, pero luego me siento tranquilo.

What does “al comienzo de” literally mean, and how is it different from “al principio de”?

Al comienzo de literally means “at the beginning of”.
Al = a + el (“to/at the”); comienzo = “beginning”.

You can usually swap:

• Al comienzo de la película…
• Al principio de la película…

Both are fine and very common in Spain. Any difference is very slight: comienzo can sound a bit more “start of an event/action”, while principio can sound a bit more “first part” or “initial section”, but in practice people use them almost interchangeably here.

Why is it “al comienzo de la película” and not “en el comienzo de la película”?

Spanish normally uses a (→ al) with comienzo in this expression:

• Al comienzo de la película… = “At the beginning of the movie…”

You can say en el comienzo, but it sounds more formal or literary and is much less common in everyday speech. The natural pattern in spoken Spanish is:

• al comienzo de…
• al principio de…

What is the role of “me” in “me pongo un poco nervioso”?

Here me is a reflexive pronoun. The verb is ponerse (“to become / to get” + adjective):

• ponerse nervioso = “to get nervous”, “to become nervous”
• me pongo nervioso = “I get nervous”

So:

• pongo (without me) usually means “I put [something somewhere]”.
• me pongo means “I put myself / I become”.

In this sentence, me pongo un poco nervioso = “I get a little nervous” (a change of emotional state).

What is the difference between “me pongo nervioso” and “estoy nervioso”?

• Me pongo nervioso focuses on the change: the moment when you start to feel nervous.

  • “I start to get nervous / I become nervous.”

• Estoy nervioso describes the state once you are already nervous.

  • “I am nervous.”

In the sentence:

• Al comienzo de la película me pongo un poco nervioso
  = “At the beginning of the film, I (start to) get a bit nervous.”

Why is it “me siento tranquilo” and not “soy tranquilo”?

• Me siento tranquilo = “I feel calm.”
  Temporary feeling in that situation (during the film, after the beginning).

• Soy tranquilo = “I am a calm person (by nature).”
  Describes your general personality, not just how you feel at that moment.

In this sentence, we’re describing how you end up feeling during the movie, so me siento tranquilo (or estoy tranquilo) is appropriate.

What’s the difference between “me siento tranquilo” and “estoy tranquilo”?

Both can work here, but there’s a nuance:

• Me siento tranquilo literally: “I feel calm.”
  It focuses on your internal perception of your state.

• Estoy tranquilo: “I am calm.”
  It just states your current state, without highlighting the feeling process.

In practice, both are very natural; me siento tranquilo slightly emphasizes the subjective feeling.

Why is it “me siento” and not just “siento”?

There are actually two different verbs:

1. sentir (non‑reflexive):

   • Siento frío. = “I feel cold.”
   • Siento que… = “I feel / I sense that…”

2. sentirse (reflexive):

   • Me siento tranquilo. = “I feel calm.” (I feel myself calm)

When you say “I feel + adjective”, Spanish normally uses sentirse + reflexive pronoun:

• Me siento feliz / cansado / tranquilo.

Why is it “nervioso” and “tranquilo”, not “nerviosa” or “tranquila”?

The adjectives agree with the speaker.

• If the speaker is male (or grammatically masculine):

  • me pongo un poco nervioso
  • me siento tranquilo

• If the speaker is female:

  • me pongo un poco nerviosa
  • me siento tranquila

Spanish adjectives normally match the gender and number of the person or thing they describe.

What does “un poco” add to “me pongo un poco nervioso”?

Un poco softens the statement:

• me pongo nervioso = “I get nervous.”
• me pongo un poco nervioso = “I get a bit / a little nervous.”

It suggests the nervousness is mild, not very strong.
You might also hear un poquito, which makes it even softer or more colloquial.

Can I say “durante la película” instead of “al comienzo de la película”?

You can, but the meaning changes:

• Al comienzo de la película = only at the start of the film.
• Durante la película = throughout the film, during the whole movie.

So:

• Durante la película me pongo un poco nervioso
  = “During the film I get a bit nervous” (not restricted to the beginning).

Why is the subject “yo” not written anywhere?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• (Yo) me pongo → pongo already indicates 1st person singular.
• (Yo) me siento → same thing.

Adding yo is only needed for emphasis or contrast:

• Yo me pongo nervioso, pero tú no.
  “I get nervous, but you don’t.”

Why is there a comma before “pero”?

Because “pero” introduces a contrast between two clauses:

• Al comienzo de la película me pongo un poco nervioso,
  pero
  luego me siento tranquilo.

In Spanish writing, it’s standard to use a comma before pero when it connects two independent clauses, just like a comma before “but” in English in similar sentences.

What does “luego” mean here, and how is it different from “después”?

Here luego means “then / afterwards / later (in time)”.

You could say:

• … pero luego me siento tranquilo.
• … pero después me siento tranquilo.

In this context, luego and después are almost interchangeable. Luego is very common in Spain. Después can sound slightly more neutral/formal in some contexts, but both are correct.

Why is it “de la película” and not “en la película”?

• Al comienzo de la película = “At the beginning of the film” (the film has a beginning).
• Al comienzo en la película would sound wrong; en would suggest a location inside the movie rather than its temporal start.

With time‑parts (beginning, middle, end) of something, Spanish normally uses:

• al comienzo de…
• al principio de…
• al final de…

Is this in the present because it’s a habit?

Yes. The present tense in:

• me pongo un poco nervioso, pero luego me siento tranquilo

expresses a general habit or repeated situation:

“Whenever I watch a film (in general), at the beginning I get a bit nervous, but then I feel calm.”

You’d use the same present if you’re describing how you typically react.