Tv Series

[clod]

Hello Forum,

I'm an English learner, and I have been wondering if it is better watching tv series with subs or not.

Do you have any suggestions?

With subs I'm able to understand 95% of the episode, but without only a 60% / 70%

[FlagOnce]

It is a good start. Watching every TV shows with subtitles would be better to not be only in one style of vocabulary, because you don't use the same words in a talk show rather than in a TV serie, itself not the same than a TV game show. Also, it is a method tested by many countries with a not strong enough language, basically governments knows that without knowing other languages enough, they will stay isolated in a creepy way for their economy, so they broadcast content with subtitles.

However, it will help you more for pronunciation and vocabulary than initial learning of English. Having some bases can help. But you can still give it a try.

[Chris_A]

That`s how I learned English, along with what I learned in school: Watching cartoons with subtitles. It is a great way to learn a language, because you associate what you hear with what you read and learn words and sentences with ease. Keep it up!

[kurdapia]

Do not make it harder for you go with the ones that have subtitles. Instead of checking your notes it has been made ready with sub texts for you so use it. That is one of the good ways to learn and be entertained at the same time. Sometimes I find it too dragging reading books or listening to audios.

[lushlala]

I've never really learnt a language this way, but from what I understand, it's a very effective way of learning a new language. I would say you're doing really well so far, so just continue with it because before long you'll probably understand 99% You could maybe progress to reading material like newspapers and magazines in the English language, and see how you get on.

[Tyrell]

Even though I can understand what's said pretty well without subtitles, I do prefer having it on. The reason for this is that because sometimes I get too distracted with what's happening that I stopped paying attention to what the characters said - and when you're watching series with strong storylines like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, etc it's very crucial because you don't want to miss anything out. Occasionally, it also helps you expand your vocabulary which is never a bad thing. The drawback? You might feel insecure when you watch movies without subtitles - because you're relying on them so much you have this belief that without them you wouldn't understand what's happening at all, and also the growth of your communication skills might be a little stunted, because you're so used to reading and there won't be any floating subtitles anywhere.

So, in my opinion it really comes down to what your priority is.

- If you want to expand your vocabulary, improve your spelling, etc (anything written) go with having the subtitles on.

- If you want to be better at communicating with other people in real life, stick with having the subtitles off.

- Or you can just switch between them from time to time until you're adept at both. If you're a huge TV/movie nerd like me, it probably won't take very long.

[clod]

Thank you for the answers

I was thinking to bring forward the subs of 1 second, in this way, I would be able to read first and then, I will able to focus on listening, what do you think about that?

[FlagOnce]

Doing so might break the association of words with the right sound, or emphasize it, it depends. I guess it would be more disturbing than helping for you, because the main benefit of this way to learn is to be almost worry-free: you just passively learn as you watch, smoothly. If you start to do much efforts, your entertainment will start to be an effort and will no longer entertain you, pushing you to other activities or to watch it rather dubbed in your native language. So don't overthink it.

I would still continue to have the subtitles on, not because you shouldn't disable the subtitles after awhile, but because 60% is not enough to be entertained. You will miss probably half of  the jokes and half of the story (or, well, 40% of the story), which is pretty huge.

[missbookworm]

One of the reasons why learning English has been quite easy and convenient for me is because of the help of television shows. I love watching series and movies, and aside from the enjoyment they are providing me, I could also learn more about the English language. I would say, it would be much better for you to watch shows that have subtitles so you wouldn't get confused and you'll be able to gain knowledge about sentence patterns, grammar, punctuation marks, spelling, and so on.

[misskrystal1982]

I had never thought of this, but it seems like a great idea.

I would think watching it once with subtitles on and then again without would help quite a bit.  The first time would allow you to get an idea of what would be said, while the second you can work on understanding better.

[kmars]

Continue learning the language with subs. After awhile you should be confident enough to do without the subs. After all, the ultimate objective really, is for you to be able to listen and understand the language without any form of help.

[lushlala]

I can definitely see this working. I think watching the second time round would give you the chance to enjoy the show/film without the distraction of the sub titles. You would also have had time to get the full meaning and understanding of the content the first time you watched it, so that the second time round you wouldn't be exerting yourself trying to understand. This would leave you free to enjoy it with much less distraction. I like this idea very much

[Trellum]

I personally love watching series with subs, that gives me an idea of how to use certain words and expressions I've already encountered in dutch, and since the material I am using to learn the language isn't sufficient most of the time   So watching movies and TV shows with dutch subtitles gives me a good idea of how certain words are used, also it helps me get more familiar with the language in general... because at first I had such a huge issue with the word order. 

[lingualbabe]

I've learned many words in English just by watching certain television series with subtitles in it. Sometimes, it is difficult to comprehend what the actors are saying without a subtitle. They have this slang and also they talk very fast sometimes. So subtitles are a must for people who are just learning the English language. But of course, it can be distracting trying to read the subtitle and then trying to keep up with the scenes in the series. You just have to find your pace so that you can enjoy the show while also learning the language. Good luck!

[danica]

It depends on your fluency level. I'd say going from beginner to advanced, this is how you should watch shows in foreign languages:

1. Subs in your own language

2. Subs in the target language

3. No subs

[Chris_A]

It depends on your fluency level. I'd say going from beginner to advanced, this is how you should watch shows in foreign languages:

1. Subs in your own language

2. Subs in the target language

3. No subs

That`s exactly it. First watch shows and series with subs that are in your own language. Then, once you feel you have a grip on the language, put on subs that are in the language of the show. And finally, you will see that you can understand the language without using subs at all. It might take a while, but this method surely works.

[Wanda Kaishin]

I'm assuming subs are in L2 (English for this case).

60-70%? If you only have time to watch it once, watch it without subs. Continuing to only watch it with the subs on will slow your progress. Your goal is to be able to understand it very well with no subs, so it's time to start trying to do just that.

If you have time to watch it twice, watch it without subs first, then with subs. The reason you watch it without first is that you need to make your brain work hard while you're still very focused and interested in what you're watching. If you watch it with subs first, the first watching doesn't help much, and during the second watching you will become lazy and not pay nearly as much attention. 

[hungary93]

I totally recommend subs first, but after a while you could just forget about them. Sometimes try without them because even if you don't understand everything you can learn new ways and sayings. While you concentrate on reading the subtitles they can easily pass of you.

[clod]

Thank you for your advices

Just to be clear, I use english subtitles... and since I am addicted with tv series I have started to watch some episodes without subs..it is ok with easy series  ( like Once Upon a Time) but what about with the harder one? (With slang etc..) it's very hard to figure out the meaning of the words without reading.

[Wanda Kaishin]

Harder shows? Even if you understand less than 60-70%, if you're trying to improve your listening you are better off without subtitles. If you're mostly trying to improve your reading, or if you care about understanding the show more than language studies, use subtitles.

Remember that when you read subs you're getting very little listening practice; it's almost a pure reading exercise unless you just occasionally read them or something. It requires about 2000 hours of active (no sub) listening to adequately parse a language at the C1/C2 level. Reading doesn't require nearly as much of an effort, so take this into account when you decide what you need to be doing. 

The 2000 hour figure comes from a nice little free ebook called The Word Brain. It's full of other helpful information, much of which I agree with. From my personal experience, I agree with the 2000 hr number.

[Lingua Franca]

I think the easiest way to learn any language is seeing the language being used in a context that you enjoy. The program you choose to watch does have some importance. Sometimes the shows may contain contain slang or regionalisms. The fact you are looking at the program with subtitles, means you will be able to connect the words you are seeing to the words in your own language, and thus increase your vocabulary.