How To Understand English Movies

Hi, I'm Jennifer, certified English teacher and communications expert.

In this video, I'm going to share 3 tips on how to understand English movies.

At the end of the video, I'll share with you a bonus exercise that you can do to instantly

improve your listening skills.

Alright, let's get started.

Tip 1 Listen for the Main Idea

So let's make it simple.

When you're listening to an English movie, you don't need to understand every single

word in order to understand the overall idea.

And in fact, this is how native English speakers watch movies.

I don't listen to every single word, and I don't understand every single word.

In fact, many times when I'm watching a movie, I'll turn to my friend and I'll say: what

did they say.

what did they say.

And my friend will say.

I dunno.

We both didn't hear what they said.

Now, do you think we're going to pause the movie, rewind, turn on subtitles, or start

saying Ohh I guess we'll never know how to do it.

No, of course not.

You know what we do.

We keep watching the movie.

We don't care.

The only time I would remind the movie is if it was the vital moment.

They just revealed a big secret or a big plot twist.

And I didn't understand.

That's the only time I would rewind and listen again.

So don't worry if you don't understand every single idea.

But you should be able to follow the overall plot.

The overall movie.

If you're watching a movie and you realize you don't understand it, well then likely

that movie is just too complex for you at this time and I would suggest stop watching

it and try something different.

Or try a short TV show instead.

Tip 2 Don't Rely on Subtitles

Ok, subtitles are a band-aid fix.

Which means they don't actually solve the problem, they just temporarily cover up the

problem.

But, your problem is, you're not able to understand fast English.

Natural English.

When you use subtitles, you're actually not improving your listening skills anymore.

At that point you've switched and your brain is now focusing on reading.

Your brain cannot focus on two different things at once.

So while it's focusing on reading, it is not focusing on your listening skills.

So, to be honest, I think relying on subtitles is the worst thing you could do.

And it doesn't solve the problem.

It's an easy fix, a quick fix, but not a long term solution.

Because the reason why you want to understand English movies is so you can also understand

fast paced English conversation.

Because the language they use in movies, is the same language that's used in everyday

situations, like a business meeting, ordering food at a restaurant, going to a networking

event.

All of these use the same style of English in movies.

So when you're at a business meeting you cannot ask for subtitles.

When at you're at a restaurant, you cannot ask the waiter to write down everything they're

saying and give it to you.

So because of that, don't rely on subtitles.

It doesn't solve the problem.

Tip 3 Practice with Short Clips

Because I said you can't rely on subtitles, at the beginning watching a 2 hour movie is

probably going to overwhelm you.

It's just too long.

It's too much practice.

It's like if you were starting to speak English and instead of just having a short 30 second

conversation you gave a 2 hour speech.

That's just too much.

It's over whelming.

So instead, find a short clip on YouTube.

So maybe it could be the movie trailer.

The movie trailer is going to be about 3 minutes long and it's going to be a combination of

graphics and speaking so that 3 minutes is not speaking the entire time.

Or you can just watch a clip of an older movie that's now posted on YouTube and just watch

a very short portion.

And at that point you can watch it again and again and really study it.

And become familiar with the type of language they're using.

Listen for the expressions.

Listen for the pronunciation changes.

Hear those reductions.

And from there, if you can understand a short clip, there's no reason why you can't understand

longer and longer clips.

But first start small, become comfortable with the style of English and work your way

up towards longer and longer clips until you're finally able to watch a full movie without

subtitles and be able to understand the overall idea.

That's your goal.

Bonus Exercise Transcribe Short Clips

Ok, this is the best thing you can do to improve your listening skills.

Step 1, find a clip on YouTube that uses natural English.

So a fast paced clip.

I recommend using the TV show Friends, because there are so many different Friend's episodes

available on YouTube and the language they use in Friends is the same language you'll

hear in everyday English.

Step 2 Listen to 10 seconds of the clip.

That's it.

Just 10 seconds.

But step 3.

Write down exactly what you hear, word for word.

That's transcribe.

Transcribe the clip.

Write it down word for word.

Listen to the prepositions, the pronunciation changes, get everything.

And step 4, is listen again and again until you have the 10 seconds.

You're not going to be able to transcribe a 10 second clip the first time you watch

it.

In fact, when I do this exercise, with English clips, it takes me 3, 4, 5 times to hear every

single word.

And then, step 5, is turn on the subtitles and see how close you were to the actual clip.

And then watch again and listen along with the subtitles.

So you're listening to subtitles as practice.

It's ok to use subtitles when you're practicing English, but not in a real situation when

you're just watching a movie for a leisurely activity.

That's when subtitles do more harm than good.

But when you're practicing, absolutely use the subtitles.

Do this exercise every single day.

It will only take you 5 minutes.

But you're going to learn so much.

Your brain is going to pick up on all these pronunciation changes, expressions used, you're

going to train your ear to hear the natural reductions, and the expressions and it is

such great practice.

And it only takes 5 minutes.

So there you have it.

You're well on your way to understanding English movies.

Just listen for the main idea, don't rely on subtitles, and start with short clips.

And then to practice, every day spend 5 minutes transcribing clips.

Alright, so I'm dying to know.

What's your favourite English movie.

Let me know in the comments.

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Thank you so much for watching and until next time, happy studying.