Entertainment

Thursday, 10 November, 2016 - 11:23

Can watching Netflix be productive?

by LeilaBlogger

We have all been there.

“Hey, have you watched The Walking Dead series?”
“No …”
“You need to watch it!”

Then, 1 week later, you haven’t had any human contact, you have watched all 7 seasons and your room is starting to smell a bit odd. 

The wonderful thing about Netflix is that you can change the language of practically every series or film you are watching. You can even change the language of the subtitles! A few months ago, I started watching my all-time favourite series, Friends, on Netflix in preparation for my year abroad in France. I am now currently working as a language assistant in the Poitou-Charentes region. The idioms and fast-paced phrases I picked up from Friends have honestly been a huge help. Also, I have noticed that students who watch their favourite Netflix series in English have a higher level of spoken English.

Why you should watch your favourite series in the language you are learning:

-          You get used to the sounds and different rhythms of the language.
-          You can pick up colloquial phrases and words that are repeated.
-          If you have already seen the episode or film, you already have an idea of the storyline. This will help you to learn new, specific vocabulary.
-          If you are already spending an evening watching TV, why not watch it in the language you are learning?

Tips for fellow Netflix lovers:

-          Relax! You don’t need to understand every single word. We work with context: use what is happening in the episode to work out what the word meant. I recommend letting the episode/film flow as it is likely the word will be repeated.
-          Find a film that you love. Then re-watch it in English (or the language you’re learning) and turn off the subtitles! This will help you concentrate on the pronunciation of words.
-          Watch something you enjoy, otherwise it will feel like homework. Remember that it will get easier the more you hear the language!

Now that both you and I are feeling a lot less guilty about our binge-watching weekends, I’m off to catch up on Orange Is the New Black

Language level
Discussion

Have you tried to watch a film in another language before? Did you find your language skills improved?

Submitted by Cristi on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 16:10

I like to watch movies or series in English because I can practice my pronunciation and my auditory system

Submitted by Jakeboot on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 16:03

I think this is a nice article and very interesting, I like it.

Submitted by jacqueline_alvz on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 15:47

Yes, if I have tried to watch movie in a languaje other than mine, it is usually always English, I used to watch them in my native langauge but I decided to watch them in their original language for a while, because I realized that it would help me more, and indeed yes, my skills have improved a lot, because now I connect words and they make sense to me, I really recommend that you do it, it is doing yourself a favor, it helps a lot and more when they are movies or series that you like, you manage to learn easier.

Submitted by Lengracia00 on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 15:27

Yes, I have tried to watch movies in other languages, I always watch the movies or whatever that I’m watching at the moment in the original language because I think it’s the best choice and at the same moment you can learn more about that language that u are listening watching the movie or whatever. And is important to put subtitle to understand better and if you believe that you got more vocabulary, remove the subtitles.

Submitted by Mgr on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 15:21

I think that its a great idea to see movies and series in Netfilx, because can help you improve your level of listening, also it can be a great disadvantage too, since it is an application that can distract you quite.

Submitted by Yayu on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 15:10

I think it is important to listen to the pronunciation of other people, and watching Netflix in other language is a really good way to learn not just pronunciation

Submitted by willihdez on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 14:56

I believe that watching Netflix is a good way to learn English, for example. We starting watching films in English a few years ago and I think it is very useful because you learn new words and phrases.

Submitted by Almendra_20 on Fri, 04/24/2020 - 14:51

I think this a good idea, I probably do that, because you can learn more if you se or do the things that you love do
English courses near you