10 Best Films or TV Shows for Learning Foreign Languages

by Melissa Mauro

Watching movies and TV shows is not always about sparing your time. There are lots of films that are capable of providing the audience with useful life lessons, experiences, skills, and knowledge in different areas, one of which is foreign languages. Basically, if you watch any movies in the original language but unknown to your language, it will teach some basic words and phrases. Not to get lost in the tons of different films and TV shows, we prepared for you a compilation of the movies where foreign language learning will be the most efficient. If you have already seen these films but in your native language, then we recommend watching them once again in the original version.

Emily in Paris

Emily in Paris is a kind of new Netflix TV show that already counts two seasons. It tells us a story about an American girl who works as a marketing manager and had to convert to the French branch of the company in Paris. Emily has never encountered or learned French before, so the first months in Paris seemed terrifying for her, as she could not understand even a word and her French colleagues were not very friendly to help. This TV show might really be helpful for people who have only started to learn French and face many complexities on this path.

Narcos

This is a true-based story about Pablo Escobar, the globally known drug trafficker and criminal from Cuba. These TV series are completely in Spanish, and only two-three characters are Americans. By watching the original version, you can easily learn the basic Spanish vocabulary and also find out jargon and dialects peculiar to that area. The lexicon of the characters is pretty clear and understandable even for beginners. This TV show has three seasons, during which you can sharpen your language skills and learn the correct stresses of the words and their pronunciation.

Amelie

Amelie is an exceptionally beautiful French romantic drama that shows the audience a wonderful story of love. The main character Amelie discusses everything that happens to her and the emotions and feelings she has in detail. It is a very educational movie where viewers can learn the basic vocabulary, words, and expressions that may come in handy in different life situations while visiting a French-speaking country. The narration is easy to understand and not hurried, which gives the possibility to focus on the works, their context, and sound. 

Harry Potter

You will hardly find a person who has never watched or heard of the Harry Potter movies. This saga is a great selection for learning British English, as all characters speak with an excellent but understandable British accent. Surely, Harry Potter is full of fictional words and items, but nevertheless, viewers can replenish their knowledge of specific dialects and expressions they probably haven't heard before. Besides, the movies are very engaging, so you definitely will feel bored while watching each episode one after another.

The Hunger Games

If the previous movie focuses on British English, The Hunger Games movies will greatly suit people who are willing to expand their knowledge of American English and its peculiarities. Basically, British and American versions of English don't have significant differences—the diverse sounding of some words and expressions, simplified tenses in American versions, and also local dialects. Sometimes the American expressions might be really unclear and absolutely even for people who are proficient in British English, and vice versa.

Taxi

This is a quite old but engaging Belgian movie about the taxi driver who joins the local police to help them investigate crimes more efficiently. Basically, Belgium is bilingual where people officially can speak French and Dutch, but French is supposed to be primary. Belgian French is a bit different from the France one, including local dialects and unique expressions. This movie would be a great lesson on French peculiarity for Belgium.

Eat, Pray, and Love

This is a wonderful movie based on a self-titled book. It tells us a story about a young woman who has just got divorced and decides to travel the world. Her path starts in Italy, which gives viewers the opportunity to learn Italian vocabulary. Then she moves to Indonesia where people primarily speak English with a special accent and also there are characters who can ask the Indonesian language as well.

Three Meters Above Heaven

This is a Spanish romantic drama about a young couple who fall deeply in love with one another. However, this story doesn't have a happy ending as all in all they break up. This movie is a great guide in the Spanish language that probably suits better people who already have the basic knowledge in Spanish to clearly get the point of conversations. 

Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives is a multi-season TV show about the saturated and so different lives of five housewives who are trying to resolve their daily challenges together and help each other under any circumstances. Each of the characters has a diverse American accent. This TV show is full of rare expressions and words that will surely expand and brighten your English vocabulary. 

The Stranger Things

This Netflix TV show is a combination of British English, American English, and Russian languages. Each episode is literally filled with unique local phrases, dialects, and jargon peculiar to school students. In addition, the plot of this show is very engaging for the audience of different ages—from 10-year-old  kids to adults.

To conclude

Overall, for beginners, we recommend selecting films and TV shows where the language is completely clear and understandable. When you feel your level of knowledge has advanced, you can boldly select films with complex vocabulary, where rare words and phrases are used. Additionally, you can create your own vocabulary and write down the words to memorize them better and repeat them anytime you want. Surely, watching films will not replace the full-fledged learning course, but it is a great add-on to your main education to make it more effective.