What to watch in english

How to Learn English with Movies | Top 10 Best Films

Watching films is a fun way to improve your English! In this ESL guide, we will show you 10 of the best movies for studying English and give you tips and resources to help you learn English through films. Ready? Lights, camera, action!

What you will learn:

Why learn English with films?

Watching films is a lot more fun than studying with a textbook! It can also be just as useful. Here is why sitting down with a movie in English will improve your fluency:

REAL ENGLISH – Textbooks are great for learning vocabulary or grammar, but nothing is better than listening to real native English. By watching British and American films, you can listen to native English actors speaking the language in a natural way. This will help you learn modern English and sound more like a native speaker in terms of vocabulary and style.

BETTER PRONUNCIATION – Sometimes it can be hard to know how an English word is pronounced. Hearing native speakers in movies will teach you the correct way to say things. Dialogues in films also provide good examples of how sounds in words change in connected speech.

LIVE CONTEXT – When you learn a word, it can be difficult to remember what it means or how to use it. In films, words are used as part of a story and this context helps you to learn and remember them more effectively.

NATIVE ACCENTS – Across Britain and America there are many different accents used to speak English. When watching films, you will hear many regional accents being used and this will help you to understand them better. Textbooks seldom provide information about English accents.

EXPLORE CULTURE – You can learn about the culture behind the language when you watch movies in English. Language and culture are closely connected. Why not study both at the same time by watching original films?

5 tips to learn English through movies

Top 10 best films for learning English

With so much choice out there, it can be hard to know which movies to use when learning English! Check out this top-10 list of classics that includes films in different genres. For each film, there is a description of the plot (story), an extract from the movie with an explanation of the language used, and a trailer showing a short clip of the film. Let’s take a look!

Animated films like Toy Story are a great way to improve your English. They are usually aimed at children, which means the vocabulary is simple. However, Toy Story has been written so that it is fun for adults too. It even includes some subtle adult humour that kids might not understand!

Toy Story is one of the most successful movies of all time, starring Tom Hanks as the voice of the main character Woody. There are three Toy Story movies, all of which are action packed, colourful masterpieces about the ‘secret life’ of toys that come alive when there is nobody around. In the first film, Woody meets a new toy, Buzz. All of the movies focus on friends Woody and Buzz as they go through various adventures together.

Woody: Hey! Who moved my doodle pad way over here?

Woody: Hey, how ya doin’, Rex?

Rex: Were you scared? Tell me honestly.

Woody: I was close to being scared that time.

Rex: I’m going for fearsome here, but I just don’t feel it! I think I’m just coming off as annoying.

One of the reasons Toy Story is such a good film to help you learn English is because it is really fun. In this scene, a dinosaur toy called Rex tries to scare Woody.

Lots of American slang is used in Toy Story. From the extract, you can see the phrase ‘doodle pad’, which is a toy that you can draw on. ‘Doodle’ is a funny word for casually drawing. Woody also says ‘How ya doin’?’. He is a cowboy toy, and so he often uses very American phrases like this one, which means ‘How are you?’.

From the extract, you can see how Toy Story uses quite simple language; making it perfect if you are trying to improve your English with movies. It does use some longer words, though, such as ‘fearsome’, which means something that is frightening or scary. You would expect a dinosaur to be ‘fearsome’, but instead Rex is just annoying!

What better way to learn English than with the King of England?

When the King’s Speech came out in 2010 it immediately became one of the biggest films of the year, starring Colin Firth as King George VI. The film follows King George as he tries to overcome a stutter before his first wartime radio broadcast. A ‘stutter’ is a speech problem when a person talks with repeated sounds or words.

This is a great movie to improve your British pronunciation because the whole film focuses on how to speak English correctly.

King George VI: Listen to me. Listen to me!
Lionel Logue: Listen to you? By what right?
King George VI: By divine right, if you must. I am your King.
Lionel Logue: No you’re not. You told me so yourself. You said you didn’t want it. Why should I waste my time listening?
King George VI: Because I have a right to be heard! I have a voice!
Lionel Logue: Yes, you do. You have such perseverance, Bertie. You’re the bravest man I know. You’ll make a bloody good King.

In this extract, King George is talking to his speech therapist, Lionel. A speech therapist is somebody who helps you speak correctly if you have problems with your pronunciation. You can see that Lionel calls King George ‘Bertie’. This is a nickname. These are often shorter forms of the person’s first name, but they can also be invented based on someone’s appearance or behaviour. Nicknames are common among friends in the UK and America.

The language in The King’s Speech is more complicated than in Toy Story. For example, you can see the phrase ‘divine right’. ‘Divine’ means godlike or holy, and so ‘divine right’ means that God has given the King the task of leading England.

As this is a film for adults, there is also some strong language (swearing). In this extract, Lionel uses the word ‘bloody’, a swear word used to emphasise something. Today, ‘bloody’ is commonly used, but in the time the film is set it would have been considered very rude.

Harry Potter is one of England’s greatest national treasures. Everyone loves it!

The movies are about Harry Potter, a wizard, and all of his magical adventures. The Harry Potter films are a must-see if you are learning English! All of the main characters go to a magic school called Hogwarts. The wizarding world of Harry Potter has its own animals and history, and it uses language from basic English to magical words made up by author J.K. Rowling. Some of these nonsense words are even used by fans! For example, ‘muggle’, which is an insult meaning ‘someone who cannot perform magic’.

There are eight Harry Potter films which are based on the seven books by J.K. Rowling, but it is best to start with the first (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone).

Hagrid: Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Of course, you’ll know all about Hogwarts.

Harry Potter: Sorry, no.

Hagrid: No? Blimey, Harry. Didn’t you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?

Harry Potter: Learnt what?

Hagrid: You’re a wizard, Harry!

This famous scene is in the first film, and it is the moment when Harry finds out that he is a wizard. You might have noticed that in this extract Hagrid says ‘learned’, whereas Harry uses the word ‘learnt’. Both ‘learned’ and ‘learnt’ mean the same thing here. They are both the past tense of the word ‘learn’ and it is okay to use either. ‘Learnt’ is the original British English form, but ‘learned’ is preferred in American English.

Hagrid uses the word ‘blimey’, which is a British slang word used to express surprise. In this scene, he is shocked that Harry has never heard of Hogwarts.

Hagrid also says that he is the ‘keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts’. This means he is a ‘groundskeeper’, or somebody who takes care of the land. In the movie, Hagrid is played by famous Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane.

If you want to watch a classic film in English, try The Shawshank Redemption. Many people see it as one of the best films ever made and it is famous for its “twist ending” (unexpected finale).

The Shawshank Redemption is based on a book by Stephen King, and it tells the story of a white, educated man who has been sentenced to life in prison for murder. Over twenty years, he makes friends with a black prisoner called Red, who is played by Morgan Freeman.

Parole hearing: Ellis Boyd Redding, your files say you’ve served 40 years of a life sentence. Do you feel you’ve been rehabilitated?

Red: Rehabilitated? Well, now let me see. You know, I don’t have any idea what that means.

Parole hearing: Well, it means that you’re ready to re-join society…

Red: I know what you think it means, sonny. To me, it’s just a made-up word. A politician’s word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and tie and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did?

As you might expect from a film about a prison, there is lots of legal language in The Shawshank Redemption. In this scene, Red is at a ‘parole hearing’, which is an official meeting to decide whether a prisoner should be released early or not.

Notice the word ‘rehabilitated’. This is often used to describe people who have recovered from a drug addiction. It means you have been helped back to normal life after something bad, such as a serious illness or time in prison.

This movie also uses a lot of American slang. In this extract, Red calls a prison official ‘sonny’. This is an informal word for ‘son’, but can be used to address a person when you are underlining your superior age (and wisdom) or when looking down on them.

For fans of film, The Graduate is a must-see. Many people say it is one of the most important movies ever made due to its use of camera work. It also has one of the most famous endings in film history.

Starring Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate is not only a brilliant movie, it also has a fantastic soundtrack. All of the music was written by Simon and Garfunkel. Released in 1967, The Graduate tells the story of a young man who has an affair with a married woman, and then falls in love with her daughter.

Benjamin: For god’s sake, Mrs Robinson. Here we are. You got me into your house. You give me a drink. You put on music. Now you start opening up your personal life to me and telling me your husband won’t be home for hours.

Mrs Robinson: So?

Benjamin: Mrs Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.

In this scene, Mrs Robinson, a family friend of the main character Benjamin, has taken him back to her house. He feels like she is trying to ‘seduce’ him, which means to try to sleep with someone. He says ‘for god’s sake’, which is an informal way of showing anger or shock. This expression is a little rude in English.

Mrs Robinson says ‘huh?’. People say ‘huh’ all the time in English. It is a colloquial way of saying ‘what?’.

Love Actually is a ‘rom-com’, which is short for ‘romantic comedy’. A lot of people watch this movie in the winter because it is a Christmas film.

This movie looks at eight different stories set in London, all of which are about love. This means that it is good to help you learn English accents as there are lots of characters, including Liam Neeson with an Irish accent.

If you are a fan of romantic films, Love Actually is a great choice to help you learn English.

Sam: There’s this big concert at the end of term and Joanna’s in it. And I thought, maybe if I was in the band and played absolutely superbly, there’s a chance that she might actually fall in love with me. What do you think?

Daniel: I think it’s brilliant! I think it’s stellar! Apart from the one, obvious, tiny little baby little hiccup.

Sam: That I don’t play a musical instrument.

In this extract, Sam is hoping to make Joanna “fall in love” with him. If you “fall in love” with someone, it means you are crazy about them and love them very much.

Daniel says that this plan is ‘stellar’, which means perfect or first-class. He then says, however, that there is a ‘tiny hiccup’. A ‘hiccup’ in this context means a ‘problem’. The problem with the plan is that Sam cannot play a musical instrument at all. This is actually a very big problem! When Daniel says it is a “tiny, little, baby little hiccup” he is being sarcastic. Brits are famous for this type of humour and it forms an important part of UK culture.

Forrest Gump’s entire life is shown in this film. Played by Tom Hanks, Forrest is a kind but slow man. ‘Slow’ in this context means that he is not very intelligent. Without realising it, Forrest takes part in some important moments in history, such as the Vietnam War, and teaching Elvis Presley how to dance!

It is a charming and funny film. One of the reasons it is a good movie for learning English is because Forrest Gump talks very slowly, meaning he is easy to understand.

Forrest Gump: Mama said not to be taking rides from strangers.

Dorothy Harris: This is the bus to school.

Forrest Gump: I’m Forrest, Forrest Gump.

Dorothy Harris: I’m Dorothy Harris.

Forrest Gump: Well, now we ain’t strangers anymore!

In this scene, Forrest is going to school for the first time. He is not sure if he should get onto the school bus because he has never met the bus driver before.

Forrest says ‘mama’, which is a kid’s word for ‘mother’. His ‘mama’ told him not to ‘take rides’ from strangers, which means ‘get in the car with’. He takes this to mean he should not get on the bus. In Britain and America, parents often tell their children not to talk to strangers because it can be dangerous.

Throughout the film, Forrest Gump uses a lot of American slang, so this movie is great for more advanced learners too. In this extract, he says the word ‘ain’t’, which is a short form of ‘are not’. This contraction is often used by Americans and you will hear it in many US movies and English songs.

Pulp Fiction is a ‘Tarantino movie’, which means it was directed by Quentin Tarantino – one of the most famous directors of all time. His films are loved for being creative, unusual and violent.

Pulp Fiction follows the stories of several criminals in America, from the view of the criminals themselves. Many consider this film to be a modern cinematic masterpiece. It is also a good film to improve your English because it has many funny and interesting dialogues between its characters. Try watching this movie with subtitles, pause it from time to time and write down any new slang expressions you find! If you want to know the meaning of a slang term, you can look it up on Urbandictionary.com!

Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it’s necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?

Vincent: I don’t know. That’s a good question.

In this extract, Mia uses two common American slang words: ‘bullshit’ and ‘yak’. ‘Bullshit’ is a swear word commonly used to mean something is stupid or not true. The word ‘yak’ literally means a type of big, hairy cow! However, in this context it means chatter or talk a lot about nothing important. If you say somebody is ‘yakking away’ it means they will not stop talking! We can also call them a ‘chatterbox’.

The Theory of Everything is a ‘biopic’, which means it tells the true story of somebody’s life, usually someone famous. This English movie tells the story of Stephen Hawking, one of the most famous scientists in the world. It focuses on his relationship with Jane Wilde and his illness, which paralysed him. Being ‘paralysed’ means Hawking cannot walk and is in a wheelchair.

One reason why The Theory of Everything is a good film to help you learn English is that its characters have very clear British accents. Parts of the movie are set at Cambridge University, one of the most well-known academic institutions in England. Many of the characters speak ‘the Queen’s’. This means upper-class or “posh” English, which is clear and correct.

When Stephen Hawking becomes paralysed he has to use a machine to help him speak, which means he talks slower. This makes the film easier to understand for learners of English because the main character does not speak too quickly.

Jane Hawking: What about you? What are you?

Stephen Hawking: Cosmologist. I’m a cosmologist.

Jane Hawking: What is that?

Stephen Hawking: It is a kind of religion for intelligent atheists!

This is the scene where Stephen Hawking first meets his future wife. You can see from the extract that this movie uses quite difficult English words. It is a good film to watch if you already speak English well and want to push yourself further.

The words in this scene are very scientific. Hawking says he is a ‘cosmologist’, which means he studies the beginning of the universe. He says this is a ‘religion for intelligent atheists’. This means it is like a religion for clever people who do not believe in god. The Theory of Everything is also a great film to watch if you want to learn more scientific vocabulary in English.

Submarine is an independent film, which means it was not made in a big film studio. Movies like this are sometimes called ‘indie films’. This one was a very successful independent film and won several awards.

Submarine is a “coming-of-age” film set in Wales, which means it is a movie about teens growing up. This is a good film to watch if you want to hear different regional accents in English.

The main character, Oliver Tate, is 15 years old and the movie shows him struggling to grow up. It is a very funny film, which also deals with adult themes such as love and sickness.

Oliver Tate: Ask me how deep the ocean is.

Jordana Bevan: Shut up.

Oliver Tate: Come on, just ask me.

Jordana Bevan: Why?

Oliver Tate: ‘Cause I know the answer.

Jordana Bevan: Oh! Do you?

Oliver Tate: Yes, I do.

Jordana Bevan: How deep is the ocean?

Oliver Tate: I’m not gonna say.

Jordana Bevan: I’m broken-hearted.

Oliver Tate: The ocean is six miles deep.

Submarine was praised for being brave and direct. Oliver Tate is an awkward character. In this extract, he is talking to somebody he loves and he should be serious, but instead he is asking her if she knows how deep the ocean is. This makes the situation funny!

As you can see from this scene, lots of slang is used in this film. Jordana tells Oliver to ‘shut up’, which is a rude way of saying ‘be quiet’ or ‘stop talking’. In the extract, Oliver uses informal short forms like ‘‘cause’ (because) and ‘gonna’ (going to). These are very commonly used by native speakers in everyday conversation.

Jordana says that she is ‘broken-hearted’. This means she is very sad or ‘overcome with grief’. It is often used to describe how people feel after the break-up of a relationship. However, in this particular context, Jordana is being sarcastic.

Learn English with short films

If sitting through a full movie in English seems too difficult, then it might be a good idea for you to start by watching short films. There are many short films in English, which can range from just a few minutes long to about half an hour.

Shortoftheweek.com uploads new English short films every week. There are thousands of films in categories, such as horror and animation. Try watching a few of these short movies to improve your listening and vocabulary skills.

There are also many short films on YouTube. To find them, try searching for a phrase like: ‘short films in English’.

Try watching Alone – a short film that has won awards for Best Cinematography. This piece is just six minutes long and only has one character. This means that it is simple and quite easy to understand for anyone learning English.

Alone is a post-apocalyptic film. This means that it is about the world after the end of our civilisation. There is only one person left on Earth, and this film follows him while he speaks about what it is like to be the “sole survivor”.

I had that dream again, when everything was normal. People working, people laughing. Years ago when it was all, well…before it all went to hell.

You can see from the extract that this film does not use complex language. It is good for remembering everyday English words, such as ‘working’ and ‘laughing’. The phrase ‘before it all went to hell’ is American slang, meaning ‘before everything went wrong’.

How to talk about movies in English

Talking about movies in English can be confusing. For one thing, there are different words for every type of movie! Here are some of the genres of films in English:

As well as different types of films, which are called genres, there are some other words that are often used to talk about movies. Here are a few of the most common, with examples:

Cast – all of the actors and actresses in a film
‘Harry Potter had a really good cast.’

Character – one of the people in a film
‘Hermione was my favourite character in Harry Potter.’

Plot/Storyline – the story of a film
‘Shawshank Redemption has a brilliant plot!’

Scene – a small part of a film with one location and one group of characters
‘My favourite scene from Pulp Fiction is the one in the diner.’

Cinema (slang: the pictures) – a place you go to watch movies ‘on the big screen’
‘Do you fancy going to the cinema/pictures tonight?’

Cheesy/corny – describes a film that is clichéd, too predictable or in poor taste
‘Jaws is just a cheesy film with a rubber shark!’

Learn English Through Movies and Film: The Complete Guide

Movies will have you practicing your pronunciation with its songs to falling in love with characters’ love stories.

That’s why I want to share my favorite films to learn English with movies, and give you some tips to help you learn new words and phrases while you watch.

But you can rest assured that you’ll enjoy watching the movies, while you’re doing such activities like repeating phrases or watching with (and without) subtitles.

Okay, let’s press play!

Contents

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The Most Highly Recommended Movies for Learning English

1. “Finding Nemo”

“Finding Nemo” is an animated English film about a clownfish called Marlin who loses his son Nemo. It’s a very popular choice for learning English through movies.

On the way, he meets another fish called Dory. Together, they set out on an amazing adventure to find Nemo across the huge ocean! I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but it’s a great film to watch for all audiences—one of the best animated films of all time!

2. “The Terminator”

“The Terminator” series is a story about a war between artificially intelligent (AI) machines and humans that is going on in the future. When the humans start to win the war, these AI machines send killer machines back to the past.

Their goal is to try and kill the leader of the human resistance, John Connor and his family. It’s a thrilling science fiction film that’s truly one of a kind in this genre.

3. “Titanic”

“Titanic” is one of the most celebrated films in the entire history of filmmaking. Based on a real life story, it retells a love story between Rose DeWitt Bukater (the daughter of a wealthy family) and Jack Dawson (a poor artist who sneaks onto the ship).

It also has some very exciting scenes showing the events on board the RMS Titanic before it sank (one of the grandest passenger liners at that time).

Titanic is also home to the famous song “My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion, which you might have heard of. A great all-time classic, and a masterpiece of great technical complexity! You’ll hear it in the movie trailer below.

Practically every English speaker on Earth has seen this film—and knows this song—so you’re getting a great cultural lesson if you watch “Titanic” when you learn English through movies.

FluentU, a video immersion platform, has the song available with interactive subtitles, can help you understand its complex lyrical meanings—which can be challenging to do on your own.

There’s also a review quiz for each video, and each includes multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and speaking exercises. In addition, you can add individual words to a multimedia flashcard deck for further practice.

Other content available on FluentU includes music videos, movie clips and trailers, to name a few. The program can be used on iOS, Android, or the web.

4. “Harry Potter”

If you like magic, you’ll definitely want to learn English with movies from the “Harry Potter” series. These beloved English movies will take you through the mysteries of Hogwarts and the wizarding world.

It’s a seven-part book series (and eight-part film series) about the battle between good and the bad wizards.

The story centers around the main characters Harry Potter and the evil Lord Voldemort. After you watch this, magic will never be the same again.

5. “Star Wars”

“Star Wars” is another epic film series, but it’s rather strange—the series wasn’t filmed in order. If you want to watch it from the beginning of the story to end, follow the list in this article.

Overall, this story follows the end of a long battle between two opposite forces of the universe—the Jedi Order and the Sith Lords.

In the Star Wars series, it is believed that there is a “Force” that holds together the universe. While the Jedi Order believe in compassion and kindness in using this “Force,” the Sith Lords believe in using the Force through hate, anger, jealousy and other negative feelings.

In this thousand-year battle between these two sides, the Jedi knights and the Sith Lords clash in a thrilling sequence throughout the six movies. There are no other movies like Star Wars… definitely a great set of movies to learn English with!

6. “Lord of the Rings”

“Lord of the Rings” is another one of the greatest film series in the magic category. Set in the lands of the Middle Earth, there are three primary races—dwarves, humans, elves as well as other races such as Hobbits, orcs and werewolves.

The series follows the dark plot of a rebellion led by Sauron, the most evil being across all lands at that time. To oppose this evil, a small group of fighters take on a brave mission—to destroy a ring that is said to hold the powers of Sauron himself, which would mean the fall of Sauron with its destruction.

7. “Pirates of the Caribbean”

“Pirates of the Caribbean” is a film series about… pirates! Each film follows the adventures of Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl (the name of Jack’s ship), and it starts off in the first film following Jack’s attempts to get his ship back, which was stolen from him.

In the next films, Jack goes on to find the Dead Man’s Chest, which contains the heart of Captain Davy Jones, someone he owes a favor to. Finally, Jack is forced to looks for the Fountain of Youth, which is a magical fountain which promises the drinker eternal youth.

Never has there been a film where you can have so much fun with pirates.

These are probably better movies to learn English when you’ve reached the intermediate or advanced stage. Some of the accents and slang can be difficult to understand.

Practice Tips to Really Learn English with Movies

Choose an interesting movie.

This probably sounds obvious, but if you choose a boring movie, you’ll be bored. And if you’re bored, it will be difficult to pay attention for more than one and a half hours!

I remember when I was a child, I had to watch hours and hours of really old movies like “Singing in the Rain” and “Mary Poppins” to learn English. If you don’t know these films—you’re welcome to check them out—they’re really old! I didn’t exactly hate them, but I didn’t feel excited at all when watching these films.

And because of that, I highly recommend you choose movies you like. To do this, you can go to a website called Rotten Tomatoes, which is a website with many great critics and reviews on many tens of thousands of movies. It’s the perfect way to learn English through movies you love and know will be great.

Select a movie that matches your current English level.

For example, for beginners in English, I usually recommend you learn English through animations. The main reason is because the English is usually very friendly, nice and easy to understand.

On the other hand, if you try to watch something like “Romeo and Juliet,” you will be very confused. Shakespearian English (which is English used many centuries ago) is very difficult to understand on screen, even for advanced English learners.

Bring your dictionary.

Maybe I’ll add point 3.5, too: choose a film with subtitles! So when you hear a word you’re interested in, check it up! Because you went through the trouble to understand it… you’ll be able to remember that word for a long time too!

It’s important, though, that you’re efficient about how you use a dictionary. Having to thumb through a heavy book for a while to look for a word is going to feel stressful. A dictionary app might work well instead. Another option is FluentU’s multimedia dictionary, which provides definitions as well as context.

Repeat short phrases!

Some times, you might hear something cool in the movie. For example, some short phrases, or slang like, “hell yeah!” or “sure thing” or “you betcha!” that are commonly used in English. If you like how it sounds, it really helps to repeat it! After saying it out loud a while, you will be able to remember it for a longer time! It’s a great and enjoyable exercise—one of my personal favorites.

Watch with and without subtitles.

I know it can be really challenging to watch a film in a foreign language without subtitles. So here’s my recommendation. When you watch a film the first time, just turn on subtitles. But if you get the chance to watch it a second time, try turning off subtitles.

This way, you already know the story from the first time you watched it. And this time, you can try listening to some individual words that you might have checked up last time. Or you might try to see how much you can understand the film without subtitles.

Use VLC player.

This is actually a video player I recommend for watching films on your computer. This is one of my favorite tools. Most people use it just to watch movies, but I use it a little differently. (And if you don’t have it, you can download VLC player, it’s free.)

If you download a movie online, and you play it, you know how you don’t understand English sometimes? Here’s what I do.

VLC Player allows you to play back movies at half speed or quarter speed. So if there are parts you don’t understand, you can play these back at a slower speed and try again! It’s very helpful to practice your English listening.

It’s okay to miss words… just let it go.

Last of all, remember what we said in the start? Watching movies should be fun… so if you miss a word, a phrase, or even many sentences, that’s okay! Just follow along the subtitles and learn that way. Don’t make yourself feel bad… watching films is supposed to be fun!

Why Learning English with Movies and Film Works

Perhaps you’re still wondering if you can really learn English with movies.

After all, watching movies is supposed to be fun, right? So, how can you learn while having so much fun with the film? And more importantly, why should you learn English with movies instead of with textbooks?

Here are three reasons I believe it works, and why I recommend learning the language this way.

You’ll get to learn real English… not textbook English.

The English you learn through textbooks or in ESL class is not what you’ll hear people say on the street. For example, in beginner English classes, you might have learned how to say “nice weather we’re having” or “it’s raining cats and dogs.” While these phrases are technically correct, we almost never say these in real life.

In contrast, the English spoken in movies is very natural. It’s also very close to what you’ll hear if you speak with native English speakers too. This will help improve your spoken English.

You learn English words in context.

This is one of my favorite aspects of watching movies. Let’s say that you like watching crime films (these are great!). After watching 10 or 20 movies, you’ll start to learn vocabulary related to the context, or subject, of crime.

Usually, when we learn words traditionally (e.g. in school), we study things like vocabulary lists. The problem with learning new words with vocabulary lists is that you can learn what words mean, but not where and how they are used.

For example, let’s say you learn the new word “detective.” From the dictionary, you’ll know what that it means “a person who investigates crimes”. But unless you use it, it can be easy to forget. It also doesn’t give you an idea where the word is used most frequently, and how it is used.

On the other hand, if you learn the word “detective” through watching crime films, you’ll know “detective” can mean many things. For example, it can be a title in front of a person (e.g. “Detective Beckett”). Or maybe it’s the noun referring to the job (e.g. he’s a detective). And maybe you’ll even hear things that will let you form opinions about the word (e.g. “you lousy detectives”).

This way, you won’t only learn what each word means, you will also know how it’s used.

You hear how things are said.

In English, people often say that only 7% of our communication is expressed through our words. So what about the other 93%?

Well, it’s all about how you say it. You know, things like your body language, your expressions (like a smile, a frown) and your tone of voice (like when you sound angry, or when you sound sad). As you can guess, the how is often more important than the what to English people.

Let me give you an example.

I’m sure that one of the first phrases you wanted to learn in English was “I love you.” But did you imagine that depending how you say it out loud, it can be very different?

“I love you” — You might hear this after two people (especially lovers) fight! One person may be trying to say to the other person “I really love you… why don’t you believe me!?”

“I love you” — A person might really want to say “I love you (and not anyone else…don’t worry!)”

“I… LOVE… YOU” — This might be a person saying “I love you” in a very loud voice… while trying to really confess their love!

“I LOVE YOU!!” — The person might be saying “I love you”… while they’re really angry!

If you hear these phrases out loud, they will make perfect sense to you!

Through observing actors in films, not only will you be able to learn new words, you will be able to understand how they are said. The characters might be sad, happy, surprised or angry. And you’ll understand this immediately.

And here we have it, our top seven recommendations for movies to learn English!

These are some of the most celebrated films in the history of film, so I hope you enjoy watching them!

As you can see, we are super excited about learning English through movies and other video resources. With this, I hope I have convinced you that you can learn English with movies—and have fun while doing it!

What are the best films to watch in English?

Top 12 movies worth watching in English

What films to watch in the original?

10 English-language films to watch in the original

What level of English can you watch movies?

Once you’ve reached a solid, fluent Intermediate (B1) or basic Upper-Intermediate (B2), watch movies with English subtitles to learn the language, start immersing yourself in English and abandon your native language while watching a movie.

What movie to watch for learning English?

The most enjoyable way to learn a language is watching your favorite films and TV shows in the original language.
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For advanced level:

What is the best watch for beginners in English?

20 films in English for beginners

On which site to watch films in English with subtitles?

The very first and probably the most popular site is the well-known Youtube for all of us, because there are not only various funny and music videos, but also full-fledged films and TV series in English and with subtitles in different languages. The second option where you can watch movies is the Megogo resource.

What to watch at the Elementary level?

Desperate Housewives Shameless Jeeves and Wooster Alf
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advanced level:

What films to watch with subtitles?

Movies with subtitles watch online

What TV series to watch in the original?

Learn words in the online trainer:

How to watch movies in English if you don’t understand anything?

To make learning English from movies and TV shows an enjoyable and rewarding experience, you need to follow these simple tips:

Why do people watch movies with subtitles?

Benefits of subtitles

What to watch for a teenager in English?

9 FILMS FOR TEENS IN ENGLISH

Фильмы на английском для уровня B1 Intermediate

Содержание

Современные методики все больше делают акцент на потребностях и индивидуальных чертах студента. Подход, при котором человек выполняет однотипные и монотонные упражнения, больше не считается эффективным. Сегодня учащимся должны быть интересно, поэтому живая разговорная речь в фильме уже не баловство, а полноценный инструмент обучения. Смотреть фильмы на английском уровня Intermediate – сегодня обязательное упражнение, которое совмещает приятное с полезным.

К тому же средний уровень английского В1 – именно та ступень, на которой человек сможет насладиться фильмом без судорожного поиска в словаре.

Польза фильмов в оригинале

Кино на другом языке – это настоящий кладезь жизненных выражений и новых слов. Кино не только пополнит словарный запас, но и познакомит вас с особенностями поведения, менталитета, характера и привычек англоговорящих людей. Итак, что даст вам качественный киносеанс?

Итак, давайте окунемся в уютную атмосферу пятничного вечера и выберем фильм, который стоит посмотреть тому, кто знает английский на среднем уровне.

Где смотреть фильмы на английском в оригинале и бесплатно?

Все сложнее и сложнее найти площадку, где можно насладиться высоким качеством и оригинальным вариантом, но мы придумали для вас лайфхак, который позволит смотреть любые новинки кино на английском. Для этого надо:

Как правильно смотреть англоязычное кино?

Триллеры уровня В1 на английском

Конечно же, вкусы у всех разные, поэтому мы постарались скомпоновать максимально разнообразную подборку, чтобы каждый нашел что-то своё.

Женщина в окне / The Woman in the Window (2021)

Стильный и драматичный фильм про загадочную женщину Анну, которая работает детским психологом. У нее несколько странные предпочтения: в свободное время она смотрит старые мелодрамы, пьет вино и следит за соседями. Однажды в идеальной соседской семье случается нечто, что в корне поменяет жизнь героини. Справится ли она? Наслаждайтесь англичанами, непринужденной настоящей речью и распутывайте сюжет.