Are you wasting your time watching foreign language movies?

I bet you like watching movies or TV series. I love to! :-) Especially foreign movies and TV series. I think that it’s not only a great entertainment but also a perfect way to practice the language. And if you have the ability to learn the languages faster, in this way, you will learn quickly! By watching movies we’re not only listening to the language (often including spoken language, which is different from the language taught in school) but we’re also learning new words or entire phrases used in particular situations.

I just read an interesting article, which confirmed my belief that watching movies is even necessary when you study a language, and when you want to be fluent. I recite to you now some advices from this article (advices I tried and they really work) and I encourage you to read the whole article.

How Movies Can Help

• You can get used to the sounds and rhythms of the language, and certain cultural idiosyncrasies as well.
• You might notice certain words and phrases that crop up often.
• It helps to consolidate language that you have been learning elsewhere. For example, if you’ve learnt a word in a textbook and hear it later in a movie, that might help it to stick.
• Motivation is key to learning a language. You love French cinema? So that passion for the culture is going to motivate you to keep learning.
• Not only that, but you will probably continue to watch movies, which will increase your exposure to the language. That’s a great thing.
• Try to find movies that you’ve already seen, but dubbed in for example French. The fact that you know the story will help you understand what’s going on.
• Watch the same movie over and over, rather than a new one each time. The repetition will help you notice language and help words and phrases to sink in.
• A good trick is to watch a movie once with subtitles, so you understand exactly what’s going on, and then watch it lots more times with the subtitles turned off.
• Don’t stop and start the movie to look things up in the dictionary. Probably the biggest value in watching movies is exposure, rather than specifically learning new things. Just let it roll.
• Instead, you can keep a notebook next to you and jot down words and phrases that catch your attention. Don’t look anything up in the dictionary (you can do that later), just jot down things you want to remember.
• Whatever you do, watch things you enjoy!
• If you can find the script for a movie you like, move heaven and earth to get it! It will be one of the most valuable resources you can find.
• Whilst watching, try to engage with the story line. Ask yourself consciously: “What did he just say?” “What’s happening now?”
• If you do understand something that’s said, repeat it aloud…essentially try to find ways to make the viewing experience interactive rather than passive.

Obviously there are “wrong” sides of watching a lot of movies(you can also read about it in the article) which is for example the time we “probably” waste – I wouldn’t say that - but people think that. But for me the thing is not to watch ten films a day (if someone does that it is pretty impressive, especially when films last for about two hours or more) but, to watch movies in order to actually pull out something from them, also the language.

In summary, watch movies, and don’t keep your remorse that you're wasting your time, just do it wisely! :-)

This is the article:

Are You Wasting Your Time Watching Foreign Language Movies?

I hope you like this post. :-)

Bye!