8 Tips for Learning English While Watching Movies You Like: Go Fast, Not Tense!

Original Post: 8 Tips for Learning English While Watching Movies You Like: Go Fast, Not Tense! (Bindisway's Writes)

Post Editor: Danti (Englishpedia author)

Author:

Neneng Pratiwi

Link in Indonesian https://www.hipwee.com/sukses/8-trik-yang-super-berguna-untuk-belajar-bahasa-inggris-lewat-film-yang-kamu-suka/

Learning English can be both easy and hard. I deeply want to connect people by using this international language. However, there are many challenges that can make you lose interest in learning. Tenses, grammar, and vocab can be overwhelming when you’re just starting out. They might even make you feel unmotivated to learn English quickly.

But here’s the thing: English itself isn’t actually difficult. It’s possible that your learning method is super boring. In order to create your learning English more enjoyable, you can learn through movies. It seems like in a classroom, there’s a method to learn a language from movies. In order to make sure the sentences you hear in movies stick with you, let's check out these cool tricks for beginners learning English through movies. Sounds good to you, right?

1. Determine first which part of English you want to study. Vocabulary or pronunciation?

If you want to learn English and expand your vocabulary, you must be focused on the convos between characters in the movies you watch. Those dialogues will introduce you to new words you never know existed.

Meanwhile, if you want to get better at pronunciation, you have to pay close attention to how the characters speak. Let's take an example from how Judy Hopps in 'Zootopia' pronounces the word ‘savage’. From watching movies, more or less you've learned to speak fluent English.

2. Continuing from a cartoon whose story is close to your daily life because the dialogue is easy to understand

To learn conversational English, cartoon movies are highly recommended. For those of you who are confused about which film to watch, 'Up', 'How to Train Your Dragon', 'Frozen', and 'Zootopia' can be your choice at the start. Why do you have to come first with cartoons? Because the sentences used in the dialogue are fairly simple and are intended for children. It is suitable for those of you who are still at the beginner level.

Once you’re more advanced, you can tackle English structures in movies that are a bit tougher. Try 'The Danish Girl' or even 'The Dallas Buyers Club'. So, get pumped to watch ’em soon, alright?

3. While watching, make sure the English subtitles are available on the screen. At the same time, include the Indonesian subtitles as well

Well, English subtitles are useful for equating the sentences spoken by the characters with the subtitles. That way, you simultaneously learn how to pronounce words in English as well as how to write them. Yup, speaking and reading are the initial basis for learning English at the same time.

Even better if you also include Indonesian subtitle then you can find out the translation of English subtitle. How to set it up? You just have to set it in the settings. This is what learning English is called online~

4. Take notes so that you always remember. Place a small notepad to jotting down words you have never heard before

Don’t forget to prepare small notes. Yup, notepads are used to record difficult words that you’ve never heard before. Keep in mind the vocabulary. So, if you save it regularly, your vocabulary will increase.

Make it as a habit by always take your notes with you when you go out. When you are traveling, sitting on the bus, even waiting in line, you can make it more productive. Your English can level up too!

5. Remembering the punch line from a movie can also level up your English

I do usually remember the punch line from the movie I like. It is automatically added to my English vocabulary.

Maybe some of you accidentally remember the punch line or magic words that are typical of an English movie. Well, keep it up if this is your habit due to remembering the punch line from a movie can simultaneously add to your vocabulary. Especially for all of you who like updating status on social media. You can put a punch line film as a cool status, depending of tell your mood. Let it not be flat and same old, fill up your social media. While you can learn to form the English words, right?

6. The more the merrier! Watch a fun movie together, afterward discuss with your friends

The interesting part of watching movies with friends is that you have a partner to discuss with. After watching, you can discuss the characters, storyline, moral, background, and soundtrack with your friends. If there are parts that you don’t understand, surely a friend of yours will be happy to explain. Vice versa. Apart from exchanging knowledge, your learning process of understanding language through movies is also getting smoother and more enjoyable. It seems fun, right?

7. You can re-watch a favorite movie many times until you memorize the dialogue. Just after watching it without subtitles

One of the steps for upgrading your English skills is by watching one of your favorite movies over and over again. For example, you watch the film 'Up' with Indonesian and English subtitles included. Play it over and over again until you memorize all the dialogue. Only after you have memorized all the important dialogues per scene, you can watch the movie without subtitle. This method will help you a little bit to improve your English skills. Due to this movie is the one you like the most, this method won’t burden you. You won't need English grammar lessons anymore~

8. Make a timeline to summarize your learning process. After you’ve finished various films, it’s time to evaluate your English development

If you have often watched films with English subtitles, don’t miss to do an evaluation within a certain period of time. For example, you set the evaluation time to be once every month. This technique is useful for knowing how far you understand tenses, how much vocab you know, until your level of fluency in pronouncing sentences in English.

We hope that this method of learning English for free through films is useful for you. Good luck, and enjoy watching the movies you like! 🙂