We all have heard that learning English from movies and series is a great way to become a fluent speaker.
Watching movies acquaints us with pronunciation, sharpens our listening skills, and familiarizes us with English culture and native speakers’ communication skills.
But how can you take out the maximum benefit from series and movies? How can you maximize your learning through it?
If you have a strategy and some rules for learning the language from movies, you can turn your movie time into language learning time.
Let’s see what this strategy or rules are.
1. Keep a Notebook with you:
One significant rule is to keep a notebook before starting the English movie.
This way, you can jot down every unfamiliar word or sentence in your notebook.
While watching a movie, you will come across a lot of phrases and words which are unknown to you.
So, you can pause the movie and write them down in the notebook to create a vocabulary list similar to the “A to Z list of verbs” type.
The list will help you to retain the unfamiliar words and phrases in your mind.
But it doesn’t mean that you should pause every time a phrase or vocabulary word comes in front of you. If you have missed any, it’s okay. Let it go so that you can enjoy the movie.
Moreover, you shouldn’t only focus on learning the new word or phrase; you should remember the context clues. Analyze the situation in which the actor has used a specific word or phrase so that you can use it in your daily life.
2. Use Subtitles:
If you are at the beginning of your learning phase, you should watch English movies with your native language subtitles.
These subtitles will help you to recognize English sounds in your language and will help you in knowing the meaning of different English phrases and words.
But, if you are a little bit further in your learning journey, you should switch to English subtitles.
These subtitles will enhance your reading skills and will familiarize you with different English words and phrases.
3. Repeat the phrases:
Repetition of the phrases will help you to remember them, so it is best to repeat some terms with the actors of the movie.
You can pause the movie when an interesting phrase comes in front of you, and you can repeat the phrase to yourself. This way, you will remember the term, and your tongue will get accustomed to some new words.
You can also rewind the movie and slow down its speed to repeat the phrase with the actors. This strategy proves effective in learning English through films.
4. Watch with your Friend:
Turn your movie nights with your friends into an opportunity to learn English. The company will speed up your learning pace and make it fun.
You can discuss the movie with your friend in English after it ends. This will allow both of you to improve your speaking skills.
Moreover, you both can share the words and phrases you both learn during the movie. Maybe, you miss a sentence and word that your friend has on their list.
So, sharing words and phrases will help you get the maximum benefit from a series.
5. Rewatch the movie:
Rewatching a movie or series will help you in grasping those English words and phrases which you have missed previously. As in rewatching your mind already knows the plot, it will focus more on dialogues and vocabulary.
If you have watched a movie with your native language subtitles, it is best to watch it again with English subtitles.
Even if you have watched a movie with English subtitles, it is best to watch it again after almost one month to learn something new.
If you are watching a series, you can rewatch specific episodes you love the most.
6. Select an Interesting Movie or Series:
Your learning from movies and series should be fun rather than boring. So, it is best to select a film of that genre that you love.
Your mind will resist learning if a movie is boring as it cannot concentrate on the plot and characters.
You should select the movie or series according to your English level. If a film or series has challenging English dialogues, it will become difficult for you to learn from them.
So, select a movie or series according to your taste and English level.
Wrap Up:
Watching movies can familiarize you with English slang and pronunciation and help you speak like a native speaker.
The tips we have discussed in this article will help you to gain more benefits from English movies and series. So, it is advisable to follow them when you watch anything next time.
