Turn the subtitle on

[whnuien]

When I was still learning English I used to turn the English subtitle on to see what the correct sentences are in English when saying something in my own language. Even when I'm watching English or American movies I will turn the English subtitles on to see how exactly they pronounce every words.

I must say that this method had helped me so much in the past and I'm sure it will help others too.

[GingerSpice]

Using the subtitles is really helpful! I've been doing that while learning Japanese, and it's nice to hear exactly how they pronounce everything. Sometimes I turn the subtitles off, and then after I've translated turn them back on to see how close I was.

[Trellum]

I love doing that as well, I actually found a really nice English web site that allows you to watch videos in English with all and subtitles.  Plus allows you to pronounce the words in the video and allows you compare your pronunciation to the teacher's pronunciation.  Sadly this site isn't free and very expensive!  I used the first 10 lessons and had to leave. 

[g2narat]

I have to agree that it is pretty useful in learning the written language. It's a problem for me though when I'm trying to learn the verbal/spoken language. When I put the subtitle on I tend to get lazy and just read the subtitles instead of trying to listen to the language and compare it to written words.  :doubtful:

[Miya]

When I first started studying Japanese, I watched my dramas and shows with English subtitles. Now that I'm a little bit more advanced, I've started to use Japanese subtitles. You have no idea how helpful it is. Even if you can't actually understand the story fully, it's nice to see the grammar structure and the vocab and such.

[Sly14Cat]

That's a great idea I'd like to try out sometime. The only problem I have is that some people in my house might find it a bit annoying, but otherwise subtitles are great for helping correlate words spoken to words written, and I notice that subtitles are the norm for Chinese television viewers.

[Miya]

^Maybe you can watch them privately on your computer? There are lots of streaming sites that provide subtitles for movies. They are subbed in different languages too so you can pick which one you want to turn on.

[Lasonax]

Oh yeah, I used to do this all the time when I was learning English. I still am learning english, but as I'm very fluent in it at the moment, the focus lies on very complex grammar.

It's definately a great method for people who are starting out to learn english!

[LauraM]

I agree.  Subtitles can be extremely helpful to get the fine points and nuances of speech that can go by so quickly especially the first time around.  I think having something there to read also helps in focus and concentration. 

When I was studying Spanish intensely I found subtitles in movies also helped me to pick up some new vocabulary words that I would later look up to solidify the meanings and help me remember. 

[sidney]

Yeah I think that's a good and easy way to learn a new language, by turning the subtitle on. I'm already fluent in English, but I actually prefer to watch movies and tv shows with the subtitle on, because I get to see the words clearly when the actor whispers, and during that time I can't really understand what they're saying if they speak in low or muffled voices

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I love watching videos with subtitles, because I love to learn new expressions that I haven't learned yet. I feel that movies and dramas have a different way of speaking than how I was taught. I also like to try ignoring the subtitles and seeing if I could understand what they were saying without it.

[Baburra]

I like turning on the subtitles as well because it's a good way to see the word and pronunciation being used in a semi-realistic situation. I think it helps best with pronunciations and accents because you would at least have an idea of the general tone of the language in context to particular situations.