envolvente

English translation: engaging

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:envolvente
English translation:engaging
Entered by: Marco Belcastro Bara

15:50 Aug 27, 2019
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
Portuguese term or phrase: envolvente
This term (and its cousin, "envolvido," as in "Fiquei envolvido") occurs often in a series of user reviews of a movie (translating from Brazilian Portuguese to US English).

I understand the meaning of the term "envolvente," and in a professional movie review, I'd translate it as "gripping," "absorbing," "riveting," etc. However, those aren't words that I would use in a more informal context. I'm looking for a synonym that sounds like something you would say when describing an exciting movie to a friend.
Andrea Shah
United States
Local time: 09:48
engaging
Explanation:
envolvente

engaging
Selected response from:

Marco Belcastro Bara
Italy
Local time: 14:48
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4engaging
Marco Belcastro Bara
4 +3captivating
Laura Hafner
5 +1gripping
Paul Dixon
3 +1compelling
Jack Martin
4pulled/reeled me in
Laura Hafner
4totally caught up in it
Lara Barnett
3enthralling
Gilmar Fernandes


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
engaging


Explanation:
envolvente

engaging

Marco Belcastro Bara
Italy
Local time: 14:48
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
2 mins
  -> Thank you Luciano :)

agree  William Parucki
40 mins
  -> Thank you William :)

agree  Dayana Hashim
50 mins
  -> Thank you Dayana :)

agree  Oliver Simões
3 hrs
  -> Thank you Oliveira :)
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
enthralling


Explanation:
https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2019/08/01/fantasia-2019-review...

What follows is an absolutely madcap movie hellbent on entertaining its audience by any means necessary. Stretching its “killer game of hide-and-seek” tagline until it snaps back in everyone’s face, it’s a propulsive and ***enthralling movie*** with serious venom in its bite. Expectations and genre tropes are subverted. Blood is spilled, accidentally and on purpose. Awful people meet with awful ends. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is used to great effect. It’s a punch-the-air good time.

Gilmar Fernandes
United States
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 40
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
compelling


Explanation:
just another option...

Jack Martin
Brazil
Local time: 10:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Oliver Simões
4 mins
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
captivating


Explanation:
Another possibility.

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Note added at 18 mins (2019-08-27 16:09:00 GMT)
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Envolvente: It was captivating.

Envolvido(a): I was captivated.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2019-08-27 19:35:07 GMT)
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Andrea, another possibility just came to mind (considering what you said about needing something that would be said informally): "it really pulled/reeled me in"

Laura Hafner
Canada
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  William Parucki
34 mins
  -> Thank you, William!

agree  Dayana Hashim
45 mins
  -> Thank you, Dayana!

agree  CRISTIANE PERINI
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Cristiane!
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pulled/reeled me in


Explanation:
I know we're not supposed to give multiple answers, but this just came to mind!

Laura Hafner
Canada
Local time: 09:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
gripping


Explanation:
Suggestion.

Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 10:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marian Vieyra: There's not formal about the word 'gripping'. It's commonplace for UK.
14 hrs
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23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
totally caught up in it


Explanation:
I would use something like this if its informal conversational style. In English our informal everyday speech is continually punctuated with qualifiers s like "totally", "completely" or "absolutely" etc. This is partly what will change the register to the spontaneous, conversational -style lingo found in such surveys.

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Note added at 23 hrs (2019-08-28 15:16:07 GMT)
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You could also say "it caught me", for example:

"The film also CAUGHT ME with its unexpected smartness. Early in the story, the hero ..."
https://www.motortrend.com/news/the-art-of-racing-in-the-rai...

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Note added at 1 day 3 hrs (2019-08-28 19:19:53 GMT)
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"CAUGHT UP
Definition (v.) absorbed, involved
Examples:
* I got caught up doing homework and forgot to call you.
* I got caught up in the movie and forgot about my appointment.
* I can’t talk to him, he’s so caught up in his own problems
problems."
https://www.englishbaby.com/vocab/word/3189/caught-up

Example sentence(s):
  • "Like the rest of the audience at Free Solo, which broke into applause multiple times mid-movie, I was TOTALLY CAUGHT UP in it from start to finish, and think it could and should be a real contender for best documentary feature."
  • ". It's strange but when I'm concentrating on a script, I'm TOTALLY CAUGHT UP in it and I either forget everything else or I steal everything that is around me."

    https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-pundits-telluride-roma-all-rest-1139384
    https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/aug/10/edinburghfilmfestival2003.edinburghfilmfestival
Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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