Foreign films when learning a foreign language

calibri
calibri Posts: 439 Member
edited October 1 in Chit-Chat
Do you find listening to foreign language films assist when learning the language? I'm learning Russian and a friend recommended listening to Russian films for pronunciation. Since I only know a few words, I'm wondering if this is premature. As a French speaker, I listen to French films while I am cleaning my house to try to keep the translations fresh in my mind, but since I have a good understanding of the language, I think it has merit.

Any ideas?

Replies

  • It's a great ideal. I am doing the same with French, since I am learning that.

    I say, keep it up.
    Barbara
  • leftymac
    leftymac Posts: 169 Member
    I teach French. It definitely helps. You may not understand everything, but the more you surround yourself in the language, the more you pick up pronunciation, intonation, cadence, and rhythm. Each language has its own!
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    Great idea. I speak Spanish but I still listen to Spanish movies to keep up with it. I'm born and raised in England, so I'm not up with all the Spanish slang, which is in a lot of movies.

    Listening to songs/movies are good for learning languages :-)
  • Aeliyah
    Aeliyah Posts: 247
    I'll be taking French and Spanish this year in college, and of all the people I know who are fluent in 2 or more languages, have ALWAYS said that listening to movies, audio books, videos, etc. can be very beneficial and really does help you retain the vocabulary and pronunciation over time. :)
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    Hey I speak french and it definitely helped me when I was learning. Listen to as much of that language as you can. Even if 95% of it goes over your head immersion is the best way to learn and if you can't go to that country films, radio etc are a big help.

    Have a look and see if there is a Russian alliance in your town as well - they have meetings with people from that country and speakers/learners as well - Alliance Francais helped me immensely to just LISTEN and try and join in in real life :) x
  • bexp2
    bexp2 Posts: 41
    I've found listening to music to be helpful. I'm at kind of an intermediate French level and listening to Piaf (although not really my kind of music!) gets the language into my head.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    I do. I also find it helps to watch something like the news or soap operas in that language. You generally have an idea what is going on by what's on screen so the words are reenforced in your mind.
  • calibri
    calibri Posts: 439 Member
    Spaciba for all your comments!
  • It makes sense to listen to it to help you with learning it more. That is how we learn as babies. We don't know the English language the second we are born, but we are surrounded by it until we pick it up and the meaning of things and we start putting sentences together with what we have learned. It might take a while that way, but it does work :)
  • juliecat1
    juliecat1 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Yes absolutely. Immerse yourself into the language as much as you can. Im about to tackle French myself and this was part of the plan!
  • DRSRiley
    DRSRiley Posts: 26
    Yes this is an excellent idea. I began listening to Portuguese language music and watching Portuguese films as I prepared for my first trip to Brazil several years ago and it helped me a great deal with learning the language.
  • Tahru
    Tahru Posts: 58
    I like to listen to the German Radio (ich kann deutsch sprechen..!...a bit) when I'm just chillin'-- mentally translate what I can and learn a few more words from contex clues too.
    As for films, try listening to childrens movies. They're always simple words and basic vocabulary and grammar. <3
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    I recommend watching Disney movies or cartoons because they speak slow enough for you to try to absorb it. Foreign films are geat also though!
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
    i studied abroad in Chile when I was 15-16 (for 6 months) and only had 1 year of Spanish before I left. Watching movies (with subs) and listening to music helped A LOT!!!

    i am learning Japanese right now and studying abroad in Japan in 1 month (for 1 year), and also have only had 1 year of Japanese. Watching movies and listening to music is helping me still (although the language is much more difficult lol).

    So..I do this and highly recommend it! I think it will be good as you learn words to rewatch movies later on and see how much you have improved in the number of words/sentences you understand!

    Good luck :D
  • I'm not trying, but I'm starting to pick up some Korean from watching so many Kdramas.

    Netflix has tons of foreign films. That's all I ever watch.
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
    My cousin is half Romanian and his Romanian cousin learned to speak Spanish by watching Mexican soaps in Romania.
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
    Do you find listening to foreign language films assist when learning the language? I'm learning Russian and a friend recommended listening to Russian films for pronunciation. Since I only know a few words, I'm wondering if this is premature. As a French speaker, I listen to French films while I am cleaning my house to try to keep the translations fresh in my mind, but since I have a good understanding of the language, I think it has merit.

    Any ideas?
    Definitely a good idea and if you have closed-captions (subtitles) and can put them on in Russian all the better too!

    I'm a polyglot - Scots & English mother tongues, bilingual Dutch, fluent German & Swedish, understand most Western European languages too. I frequently listen to music, mostly Swedish pop (my favourite genre) but Dutch and German too. HUGE fan of the Eurovision Song Contest (which used to fuel and satiate my thirst for languages, but so many countries sing in English now :grumble: ) Also love watching European-language TV shows & movies (which we call "readies" because of the subtitles... and I sometimes put on the foreign subtitles when watching an English-language film (because ever so I'm slightly hearing impaired and don't like the TV volume up too loud, especially if I'm up early and doing the ironing).

    I did Russian at high school and got A+ grades in my exams, but that was 25yrs ago now and I've forgotten more than I ever learnt although I still remember bits (Меня зовут Кайл. Я живу в большом доме на берегу моря в Шотландии. :laugh: - I had this whole penpal letter memorised off-pat for the exam and that was the introductory line.)

    Удачи вам в ваших изучения русского языка :flowerforyou:
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