03/16/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/16/2023 06:03
Watching TV in a new language can help you reinforce your language learning in a fun way. Hearing and seeing vocabulary and grammar in action can help you remember it better so you can start using it yourself! Here are tips and tricks for achieving your language learning goals by watching movies and TV.
Learning from TV is all about your audio and subtitles settings: You'll tweak these in different combinations to focus more on reading or listening, or to manage the difficulty level. No matter which setup you choose, be sure to pay attention to your target language when you're watching!
Audio: in your own language (e.g. English)
Subtitles: in the language you're learning (e.g. Spanish)
How it works: This setup is great for beginners who are learning how to express thoughts in the target language. Because the audio's in your own language, this setup makes it easier to follow what's happening in the show while giving you a chance to boost your vocabulary.
Pro tip: Look out for any familiar words or expressions in the subtitles! You might be surprised by how much you already know.
Audio: in the language you're learning (e.g. Spanish)
Subtitles: in your own language (e.g. English)
How it works: This setup is great for beginners and intermediate learners too, because it gives you easier listening practice, especially with identifying individual words within a longer stream of audio. With subtitles in your own language, it should be fairly easy to follow the show.
Pro tip: For a challenge, see how much you can understand without checking the subtitles, like when you run to the kitchen for a snack and can only hear the audio!
Audio: in the language you're learning (e.g. Spanish)
Subtitles: also in the language you're learning! (e.g. Spanish)
How it works: With this setup, you'll learn to match what you hear with what you read. This combination is great for advanced learners, and it's a good challenge for intermediate learners, too. You may not understand the show as thoroughly with this setup, but you've got the visuals of what's happening on screen to help you out, too!
Pro tip: Sometimes subtitles don't match the audio word-for-word, so don't doubt your listening skills if that happens! Instead, think of it as getting 2 expressions for the price of 1.
Audio: in the language you're learning (e.g. Spanish)
Subtitles: None (!!)
How it works: This option works well for advanced learners, those up for a challenge, *and* those already familiar with the show! So if you're looking for an excuse to binge-watch an old favorite, this would be an especially fun choice.
Pro tip: Facial expressions and gestures can help you fill in the gaps if you don't understand every word! This option is easiest when watching something you're already familiar with, but use any context you can to help support your language learning.
Audio: in the language you're learning (e.g. Spanish)
Subtitles: in *another* language you're learning! (e.g. French)
How it works: Advanced learners-and those hungry for a challenge-will be suppressing their own language and working on turning up the "volume" of other languages in their brain. This setup is also great for noticing what is similar or different across languages: You might notice words that are cognates or that expressions translate differently.
Pro-tip: This requires a LOT of brainpower, so you might want to start with a shorter episode or something you've already seen!
Here are our top tips for finding something to watch in the language you're studying:
At the end of the day though, the best thing to watch is something you're interested in so that you're motivated to pay attention to it! Here are some of our favorite movies and TV shows for learning different languages:
Remember that there's no single best way to use TV to learn a language! Choose what to watch and how to watch it depending on your own goals and interests. So next time someone tells you to stop watching TV, tell them you're learning!