Go back to a part you didn’t understand and say it out loud.
The beauty of watching a recorded movie online or on a DVD is that you’re able to pause and go back if you don’t understand – something you can’t do with your English teachers in the classroom. Watching a full movie in only English can be really overwhelming and also frustrating especially if you’re straining yourself to understand, which is why it’s a good idea to watch it in smaller parts. Grab a drink, eat something, check your inbox, whatever, it doesn’t matter as long as you can remain focused during the parts. After you’ve watched one part, do something else. If you find watching the movie in English tiring, break it up a little. Don’t know if you can handle watching an epic all the way through in English and understand it? Don’t watch it! Choose movie that is relatively short and avoid any movie that involves a deeper level of understanding of history or culture as its likely going to consume your thoughts and you won’t be able to focus on the language as much. You don’t have to follow with them word for word as this can be quite tiring, instead just use them to get the gist (the idea) of something if the speech becomes too fast or the language is too colloquial (casual language) that you can’t understand what the characters are saying. If you’re of a more advanced level, challenge yourself a little bit and step out of your comfort zone and watch a movie with English subtitles. If you’re of a lower level, use subtitles in your own language until you feel more comfortable watching the movie without them. Just because you’re using subtitles, it doesn’t mean that you’re cheating because you’re still hearing English audio. This time, you can focus on the language itself instead of trying to follow a new story. Why? It’s simple because you already know the plot (the main story). If you’re a beginner or a lower level, it’s best to choose a movie that you’ve already watched before. (“Kick back” means to lay back and enjoy.) Tips to Learn English Through Movies and Films …so what are you waiting for? Grab your popcorn and your friends and kick back and enjoy an English lesson. By listening to the dialogue, you’ll be able to listen to and perfect your English pronunciation….
It’s fast paced, with realistic native accents. So everything you hear is exactly how it is in reality. Instead they are made for English speakers. So, if your teachers, friends or family members ask why you’re watching so many movies instead of reading over your notes you can simply tell them: Movies aren’t usually made for English language learners like yourself.
Feel free to subscribe to the FluentU YouTube channel for more English learning tips, vocabulary, grammar and more! To seamlessly combine movies and learning English, check out our FluentU English YouTube channel where you’ll find videos like these two:Īnd if you’re still early on in your English language journey, you’ll enjoy videos like the one below, which recommends Disney films you should watch to enhance your English skills. And of course, improve your English at the same time. If you’re tired of books and learning difficult grammar and vocabulary, then take a break and watch some classic Hollywood movies. Watching movies in English is an awesome way of improving your English – especially your English speaking and listening skills. Try FluentU for FREE! Why Learn English with Movies and Films?