cinema

Hanuman_2000Hello,

1. Last sunday my whole family went to the cinema.

Why "the" has been used before the word "cinema"?

You can talk about 'the cinema' when you are talking about seeing a film in a cinema. (mainly BrE)

I can't remember the last time we went to the cinema.

(Collins

We tend to use "the" in this situation when the object is a common noun that is a place or destination.

"A" would be used to make clear what kind of place you are going to (as the subject):

"A cinema is a place that shows films."

The definite article 'the' is used when both the speaker and the listener know to which cinema the speaker went. Other wise we can use an indefinite article 'a'. Mind you, cinema refers to the place-the theater and not the movie which is shown in the theater.

Usually the definite article is used when talking about a specified noun, but in this case (in AmE) "the" is used for any cinema, and doesn't have to be previously discussed.

If I say "I'm going to the beach." Despite using the definite article, the listener wouldn't know which beach I'm going to.