[A collaboration post – all thoughts are my own.]

Since I’m a visual learner, I recently worked on improving my language learning through movies with Netflix and Disney+. It’s been a month since I decided to learn Spanish.

Let me be honest with you, you are not going to learn an entirely new language from solely watching movies. With its wide range of movies, people have chosen Netflix as one of their primary sources of entertainment. Many movies on Netflix are available in multiple languages from all around the world – and with a few tips and tricks, it can turn into a powerful language learning tool.

Language learning through movies can be a lot of fun and help you make faster progress in your target language. When using Netflix, I can create different profiles: for example, a different profile for different members of the family (parents or children) or a separate profile for language learning. This way, I’ll be able to use any different settings or watch list that won’t interfere with my regular Netflix or with the other users.

What is your best-translated movie 2022?

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Tips for language learning through movies

One key point to start language learning through movies is that you need to be watching movies you enjoy! You know what your favorite genres are, so use that to pick which movies you’ll like in your target language. If you can find a movie that gives you the amount of motivation to learn a language, then watching foreign language movies is very important for any beginner. Follow by many hours of study and practice before you will do anything close to learning the language. 

If watching a movie seems like a big step, I recommend starting small. You could start with vlogging channels on Youtube, short tutorial videos, or anything else that piques your interest. You can use short videos on all kinds of subjects combined with subtitles that let you look up new words as they come.

Here is a list of things you should do to make the most of your language learning through movies.

• Decide what to watch in advance: add movies to ‘My List’ and use likes or dislikes to help the algorithm recommend you more of what you enjoy. Choose the right movie that will most likely be left with a strong desire to learn the language.
• Try out using Netflix and set the profile to your target language for more practice.
• Use the subtitles to match your language level.
• Plan regular learning sessions: we learn by regular repetition. When I learned Japanese years ago, I repeatedly practice hiragana and katakana every week. You need to repeat vocabulary and grammar units and practice often enough to make your progress faster.
• Practice regularly: You can create a routine to learn a new language every 2-3 days for 30 minutes.
• Watch actively: there’s nothing wrong with just watching a movie while grabbing a snack or a coffee. You can relax and have good language practice. However, if you want to learn more effectively, watch the movie as learning material, and find useful vocabulary and grammar.
• Continue working with the target language you have picked up: Write down and translate new words.
• Rewatch the movies: some scenes may contain great language that you will benefit from hearing more than once. Start by watching a scene in your native language and then watch it in the original with subtitles in the target language.

This type of language learning requires much more effort, especially after a long stressful day at work. Not every language learning session has to be active, but if you combine regular passive viewing with some active one, you will make more progress.

Language learning through movies is a real possibility. It gives you a really fascinating insight into the culture of your target language, and even an interesting topic of conversation when you meet a native speaker for a language exchange. It’s time to get watching!