How I Learned English from Watching Movies (and How You Can Too)

 I grew up in the suburbs of Rabat, Morocco and learned English predominantly from watching movies. I would watch three or four movies in a day, and after a few years, I realized I could speak the language. It shocked everyone, including me.

My goal is to help you do the same, in a much faster time. In this article, I’ll show you how to learn English from watching movies and give you ways to structure your learning process.

Follow your (film) interests

I learned English as a byproduct of my interest in American culture and cinema. More specifically, I enjoyed real-life stories and indie dramas that didn’t have a lot of plot but realistically portrayed how people live. One of my favorite such movies is Your Sister’s Sister with Emily Blunt.

Letting yourself get carried away by your interests is key to learning English from movies. Don’t ask “how can I learn English?” (yet), ask “what English-language movies would I be interested in?” Some people like horror, others documentaries; some people prefer British comedy to American, etc. It depends on each person. Answering this question is key to your English learning journey.

Turn on the (right) subtitles

It goes without saying that you need to turn on subtitles in your mother tongue to learn from movies at the beginning. What is key here is making sure you enjoy movie watching, and for this you need to understand said movies.

Many people assume that to learn English you need to watch English movies with English subtitles. In my experience, this takes away the fun from watching the film as each new word you don’t understand will look like a giant obstacle in front of you.

Repeat your favorite expressions

I would always find myself mumbling DeNiro’s “You talkin’ to me?” or Jack Nicholson’s “Here’s Johnny!” to myself. The reason I did this was because these expressions were fun to say, but in the way I was improving my pronunciation and speaking skills.

Try to repeat expressions in movies you think sound cool. Whether it is Matthew McConaughey’s “Alright, alright, alright” or any other, repeat it to yourself for a while. You will find that your accent will improve.

Review movies online

Go on online film forums like Letterboxd or IMDb and review. Review, review, review. Write anything but make sure it’s in English. This will help you get started on your writing.

Make sure you review movies you either loved or hated, as that will push you to express yourself better in writing.

Organize your time to watch more movies

I’ve always been a big proponent of watching at the very least one movie a week (Sunday is my personal movie night). It’s simple, the more movies you watch, the more you’ll learn.

Start with a weekly movie night. If you don’t have a big TV to watch movies, no problem. Watch on your phone, computer or laptop and just enjoy the film. If you develop a passion for film, you will find yourself watching more. The key is to watch consistently.

Every once in a while, watch a movie with a native English-speaker (if you can)

If you have a native English-speaker friend or colleague, watch a movie together and discuss it afterwards. It’s a fun exercise to test your understanding of the language and have a chat with someone in English.

In Morocco I made English-speaking friends by enrolling in a journalism class. If you don’t have English-speaking friends, it doesn’t mean you can’t make new ones!

And bonus: in my case, those people I met in Morocco are now some of my best friends.

Watch the same movies more than once

Try watching a movie twice or more. I’ve always found that doing this helped me understand the movie better and improve my listening skills.

Most of the movies I watched were through a channel called “MBC2”, which played American movies 24/7. I couldn’t choose which movies to watch (and they didn’t have a lot of money to license new movies), so I ended up watching some movies many times over.

You probably have access to a much more practical way to watch movies. Pick your favorite actors, directors or writers and let yourself become obsessed with their work. Usually, movies you want to watch more than once are good movies. And good movies make learning English fun.

Use new apps

There are so many apps out there that can help you learn English, and some of them harness the power of movies. Language Reactor is a completely free one that I recommend to anyone who wants to learn English. The app works by employing the same technique I’ve been explaining throughout this article: movies with subtitles in your native language, which you pause on every new word so that you can practice it. Lingopie is another app that prides itself as being the “Netflix of language learning” but they currently don’t offer English. Maybe one day.

That’s all for how to learn English through movies. I hope you found this article useful and interesting, and that it will make your English learning (or teaching) journey more fun.

Speaking of fun, I made this database of words that are unique to each language. Here is the list for English words that don’t translate. Words like “catch-22”, “gun-shy”, or “kitty-corner”.

📎 https://www.englishclub.com/efl/articles/www/learn-english-movies/

How to get your language learning back on track after a break

Learning a language can be hard work, and it requires a fair amount of dedication. Taking a break is completely understandable, and in fact, it can even be helpful. Studies found that spacing out learning may mean slower results, but the content will stay in our memories for much longer. That means that there’s no wrong moment to kick off your studies again.

Keen to get your language learning back on track but not sure where to start? We’ve got a few tips to help you make a successful comeback.

1. Don’t be discouraged

Instead of berating yourself for taking a break, reframe the scenario. A break gives you a chance to focus on yourself, put energy into other hobbies, and return with renewed motivation. It doesn’t mean it’s over, or you’ve failed, it’s simply a pause in time. Even Michael Jordan took a two-year hiatus from basketball, before returning to win three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

2. Start passively

Learning a language shouldn’t be (and doesn’t have to be) a bore! So pick something that will hold your interest, and restart there. This might be listening to a podcast or watching a TV series in your target language. Or you could find some content creators on YouTube or TikTok who speak your target language and start following them. Basically anything that doesn’t feel like studying. Then, if you notice you missed the language and culture, you’ll know it’s time to ride that wave of motivation and jump back into more active study.

3. Embrace the return learner effect

If you’ve taken a break from study, whether it’s one month or ten years, you’re probably dreading getting back into it over fears that you’ve lost it all. But, if you pick something fun to start with, you may feel like you know more than you thought. Somehow, your language skills are even better than you remember!

This is called the return learner effect. Your brain is always processing and building connections, even in your sleep, so even if you thought you were on a break, your brain wasn't. On top of that, immersing yourself passively in a language takes all the pressure off, leaving just the fun bits. So surpassing your own low expectations will spark something in your brain and give you a boost of positivity and confidence you need to get back into it.

4. Immerse yourself 

Consider why you stopped learning last time. Perhaps you didn’t find the right teacher? Maybe you weren’t seeing results. Or it could be that the learning style just wasn’t right for you. A fresh approach might be just the thing to jumpstart your language journey. 

Immersive language courses abroad  offer just that, combining classroom learning with real-world experiences. Imagine learning new vocabulary in class, then putting those new words and phrases straight to use at a local market around the corner. Or learning about cultural holidays, then sharing the occasion with a host family that evening. Study abroad courses are the best way to get your language learning back on track and make unforgettable memories along the way.

5. Set a goal

Ever heard the saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably go somewhere else”? Goal setting is important in all aspects of life, especially when it comes to language learning. Think about why you are learning, and set goals based on that. Is it to pass a test, or finish a course? Is it to communicate with friends, family, or on a trip abroad? Maybe you just want to challenge yourself with a new skill. Either way, defining your goal and writing it down will help you stay on track. Some examples might be:

“I want to reach B2 level by the end of the year.”

“I want to spend two hours a week studying and one hour listening to a language podcast.”

“I want to speak to my grandmother without needing a translator the next time I visit her.”

“I want to spend a month learning English in London before the end of the year.”

“I want to pass my next language test with a score of 80% or more.”

Armed with these tips, you’ll breathe new life into your language learning journey. Take it step by step and just keep showing up. Happy studying!

Christmas Lessons, Songs, Worksheets and Teaching Resources

 

🔗Visit the following link to find the activities:  https://www.esolcourses.com/topics/christmas.html

3 Tips to Improve Your English Writing

Learning to speak a new language is difficult. Couple that with learning to write in a new language and you've got yourself a whole new set of obstacles. Luckily, we're here to help you traverse those obstacles with these 3 tips for improving your skills as an English writer.

1. Read in English as Much as You Can

Remember when you first started speaking English? How did you go about it? Maybe you took English lessons, maybe you hired a professional teacher, or maybe you tried to learn English online.

If you think back far enough, you will probably recall that your first introduction to speaking English was hearing other people speaking it. Whether it was listening to dialogue on television or hearing people around you speaking English in conversation, hearing the English language being spoken likely helped you build a foundation for everything from your pronunciation skills to your vocabulary.

The same principle applies for writing in English.

One study found that students who read just six minutes more per day than their fellow students were able to achieve a much higher level of literacy. As such, if you want to become good at writing in English, you have to be a committed reader! Since you're reading this article, it's pretty safe to assume that you're well on your way.

You should make reading in English something that you do on a regular basis. What you choose to read is entirely up to you! Consider reading a few news articles every day. Don't limit yourself to just one article.

However, if you read classic novels, keep in mind that they're outdated in terms of how they are written. No one writes like that anymore, so it wouldn't be good for you to try to emulate those texts in your own writing. 

2. Look for Fun Ways to Improve Your English Writing Skills

Practice makes perfect.

You've probably come across this phrase at some point in your life, and it's no surprise, considering how easily it can be applied to almost any goal.

If you want to be a better writer, you have to write!

The key here is to find an outlet for you to keep putting your skills to use so that you can improve them over time. Whether it's starting a blog, journaling, or messaging users on internet forums, there's a bunch of different ways for you to express yourself and improve your writing skills at the same time.

Popular apps such as Duolingo or Babbel provide an alternative way to improve vocabulary. With these apps, you can have day-to-day practice in a comfortable, gamified way. They can't replace the professional teacher who'll explain to you all the ups and downs of the language. However, using Duolingo and similar apps is a great way to make language learning part of your daily routine.

3. Use Inclusive Language

Using inclusive language in your writing ensures that your content is respectful and relatable to a diverse audience. Start by adopting gender-neutral pronouns such as "they/them" instead of "he/she" when the gender of a person is unknown or irrelevant. 

In addition, replace gender-specific terms with inclusive alternatives; for example, use "firefighter" instead of "fireman" and "chairperson" instead of "chairman." 

Respecting cultural diversity is another crucial aspect; avoid stereotypes and generalizations by being specific in your descriptions, like referring to "Japanese," "Thai," or "Indian" cuisine instead of broadly saying "Asian cuisine." You can also acknowledge various cultural practices and holidays (e.g., use "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" to respect different traditions). 

Engaging with diverse audiences for feedback on your writing can help identify and correct unintentional biases or exclusions. Continuous learning is key, so follow reputable language and writing blogs, attend webinars, and participate in workshops focused on inclusive language. 

These strategies will make your writing more inclusive, respectful, and effective in reaching a broader audience.

Source: https://www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/three_tips_to_improve_your_english_writing.en.html

Listening activities

 

Comprehension exercises

Find the exercises at the following link:  https://agendaweb.org/listening-exercises.html

The 9 Weirdest Things About The English Language

I before e, except for in a bunch of random words that don’t rhyme with “neighbor” or “weigh.” English is hard. Let’s discuss.

English is hard. English is a baffling language to learn. And without the trials and tribulations of people who had to learn English as a second language, us native speakers would probably never realize the true extent of its utter nonsense.

🔔 https://youtu.be/134EMstdwO4

Perhaps you’ve seen this particular ode to English weirdness in an email chain your uncle forwarded to you, but it seems appropriate to recall right now that “you may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice / yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.”

If you can write an entire poem devoted to confusing inconsistencies in plural noun forms and pronunciation, imagine what you can do with the rest of the language!

Here are nine weird quirks of the English language that make it one of the hardest languages for non-natives to learn.

1. Words that look like they should rhyme, but don’t (at all)

It’s perhaps one of the hallmarks of English that words can be spelled similarly with absolutely no guarantee of sharing a similar pronunciation. Think: cough, rough, though and through.

2. Words that look exactly the same, but with different meanings and pronunciations

There are some words (like “record”) that mean two completely different things when used as a noun versus a verb. And on top of that, we use different stress patterns when we say them out loud: “REcord” for your Dad’s old Beatles album, and “reCORD” for when you’re leaving a voicemail.

3. Words that don’t sound like they look, because why should anything make sense

Exhibit A: “queue.” Because why not? Apparently, we have 16th century academics to thank for a lot of this, though. Words like “debt” and “doubt” inherited a “b” as a reminder that they came from the Latin debitum. A similar thing happened with “receipt.” But on top of this, some spellings were changed to match completely unrelated Latin words. The Old English “iland” became “island,” for example, as a nod to the Latin word insula.

4. That “i before e” rule leaves a lot to be desired

Almost everyone is familiar with “i before e, except after c, and except as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.'” It’s a rule that almost every English-learner is taught to make things “simpler.” But that doesn’t account for words like weird, heist, leisure, ancient, efficient, neither and conscience.

5. Some nouns have corresponding verbs, and others, well, don’t

“Why is it that writers write and painters paint, but fingers don’t fing? Why don’t grocers groce, why don’t hammers ham, and why don’t dumpsters dumpst?” — Author unknown

6. Adjectives must go in a very specific order (or else!)

This is one of those intrinsic “rules” that you never really think about as a native English speaker — somehow you just know that it’s supposed to be “big, bad wolf,” not “bad, big wolf.” But for everyone else, there’s this order of adjective placement to contend with: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose. This is why it sounds right to say “that nice little old plump white dog,” but it sounds plain weird to say “that old white plump little nice dog.”

7. We have a whole extra sound you have to get used to

Would it surprise you to learn that in most other languages around the world, the “th” sound you hear in “father” is pretty much non-existent? This is known as the voiced dental fricative, and it’s a stumbling block for a lot of learners who want to master their pronunciation.

8. Tenses can be…tense

If the past tense form of “complete” is “completed,” then why wouldn’t the past tense of “go” be “goed?” Tenses can be a really tough topic for English learners. Some languages (like Mandarin) don’t use verb tenses at all, so this concept can be a bit of a mind game for some learners. We’ve got at least eight different ways to express future tense alone. Eight!

9. Do you even phrasal verb, though?

Most native speakers never even think about this, but another reason English is hard is because we have these things called phrasal verbs, where two or more words strung together as a verb have a totally different meaning than their individual component words. If you “go over” someone’s homework, you’re reviewing it, not literally moving over it. And if you “run something by” someone, you’re briefly updating them, not literally running past them with an object in your hands.

👉 https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/weirdest-english-rules

How can I improve my English pronunciation?

Try these simple and effective activities to improve your pronunciation.

Pronunciation is really important for communication and making sure people understand your message. 

Pronunciation is also helpful for your listening skills. When you know what words sound like in a sentence, you'll understand much more of what you hear.

So, how can you improve your pronunciation? Here are some ideas.

1. Listen and write

Take a short clip from a song, film, show or audio file. Write down the words that you hear and replay it until you have got them all. Play it at 0.75x or 0.5x speed if you need to.

Then compare your version with the lyrics, transcript or subtitles. Did you get it exactly? Note any differences. This really helps you to focus on particular pronunciation features.

Finally, say the words yourself, copying the same sounds that you heard. Repeat the practice until you can pronounce the sounds smoothly and comfortably.

2. Speak and check

This is the reverse of the previous tip. Now, you say the words and let a dictation app or website write down what you say.

If it writes down what you said correctly, you must have pronounced it well! But if it doesn't, check those misunderstood words because you might not have pronounced them clearly. (Note, however, that dictation programs do sometimes make mistakes.)

For this tip, you'll need a dictation app or website. Many phones have voice dictation functions. You can also use websites such as https://dictation.io/ (make sure you set the language to English).

3. Record yourself

Prepare a few sentences and record yourself saying them, using your phone. Then listen to the recording. Are you satisfied with your pronunciation? Were any sounds unclear? Was it too fast or slow? 

You can also try saying the sentences that you listened to for tip 1 and compare your recording with the original.

Many people dislike listening to their own voice! But if you can get past this reaction, it's a good way to identify things to improve in your pronunciation.

4. Learn pronunciation symbols

Did you know that English has 26 letters but over 40 different sounds?

We use special symbols to show pronunciation. For example, the word enough is /ɪ'nʌf/. This helps us see that the first sound of enough is actually an /ɪ/ sound, not an /e/ sound, even it's spelled with 'e'.

It's worth learning these symbols because then you can identify individual sounds more precisely. Learning the symbols takes a little work, but it's not too hard – in fact, many are obvious. You can probably guess what sounds /n/ and /f/ represent!

Most dictionaries use these symbols. You can also see and hear all of the symbols in the Sounds Right app.

5. Focus on confusing sounds

We suggest focusing on sounds that can cause confusion for listeners if they are pronounced incorrectly. Here are some examples.

• Long and short vowels, e.g. I want to leave here (long /i:/ sound) vs I want to live here (short /ɪ/ sound)
• /r/ and /l/, e.g. Can you correct the file? vs Can you collect the file?
• Consonant clusters, e.g. clothes – some people say it like close or closes.

When you practise English, make a note of any confusions like these and practise pronouncing them clearly.

Now you've read our advice on improving your pronunciation, go and try out some of the ideas. Good luck!