How to effectively watch movies and TV series in English
Watching movies can be extremely helpful in learning English. How can you make this process as productive and useful as possible?
Watching movies and TV series is an enjoyable and relaxing pastime. However, it can also be a useful educational experience by running an English audio track.
Watching movies and TV series in English is one of the most highly recommended methods of learning a foreign language, because this process works to improve several major language aspects simultaneously.
- Vocabulary. When watching movies and TV series, we encounter many new words and expressions. At the same time, they are given to us in their immediate context. We immediately see the situation in which they are used, hear the correct pronunciation and can be sure that the phrase is relevant and used in real life.
- Listening. This skill is one of the most difficult to achieve for many English learners. In movies and TV series we hear live dialogues, phrases are not pronounced artificially, and this gives us the opportunity to accustom ourselves to the language. In addition, when watching different movies and TV series, we are exposed to both standard and regional accents.
- Immersion in English-speaking culture. Films and TV series allow us to become more familiar with the daily life and values of the English-speaking population. We can observe people's behavior and ethics, which in the future will make it easier for us to adapt when visiting or moving to a desired country.
It is important to remember that there are a number of tips that you should heed to ensure that watching movies and TV series in English really brings maximum results, and does not turn out to a waste of effort and time.
Which movie/series to choose?
First of all, the one that will be interesting to you! After all, if what is happening on the screen is not interesting, you will not want to watch it even in your native language. Some people even prefer to re-watch those movies and TV series that they loved earlier in their native language. This approach, by the way, relieves the stress caused by the fear of not understanding the main plot.
Secondly, it is necessary to choose something that suits your level of English. Remember that the chosen movie should not be too complicated, otherwise, there is a risk of simply not understanding anything. But the material should also not be too simple, because then we will not learn anything new. The ideal ratio is understanding about 70% of what is going on.
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