Do you remember our blog about 5 TV series that will upgrade your English level? By popular demand, we’ve now taken a look at the 5 best movies to help you absorb spoken English.
Combining regular English lessons with entertaining ways of learning is the most effective approach to improving your proficiency. Watching movies gives you a breath of fresh air and you don’t feel like you’re putting this much effort into it. It’s a great way to get familiar with native pronunciation and the vocabulary and idioms used in real-life situations. You can also learn a lot about cultural trivia and historical background.
It is likely that you have seen them in your native language already - no problem! Watch them in the original version now, and you’ll have the advantage of already understanding the context. Let’s watch! ??
1. Love Actually
A feel-good romantic comedy featuring ten love stories. They all have one thing in common: they are incredibly heart-warming! The movie is entertaining and effortless, but also quite moving. It’s Christmas-oriented, but good all year round.
Perfect for: getting exposed to proper British English accents and getting familiar with a little bit of British slang. Love Actually is also great to get familiar with the typical British sense of humour: sarcastic, dry, and absolutely hilarious. If you’re a beginner, it might be hard to comprehend all of the stories at once, so you can try to focus on following one story at a time… and then watch it again!
2. Grease
The late 70s classic! The story takes place in the 50s and tells a love story between a good girl, Sandy, and a bad boy, Danny. Very American and very positive at the same time. We can guarantee that you won’t be able to stop humming!
Perfect for: People who are auditory learners and love music. Musicals are a great approach to enhancing your vocabulary, because the lyrics are likely to stick in your mind along with the melodies.
3. The King’s Speech
This is one of the best historical movies about the pre-World War II era in Britain. The story focuses on the future King George VI and his struggle with stammering (or stuttering, as it’s called in the US). This movie is worth watching a couple of times! It contains some more advanced vocabulary, but you can learn a bit of history and enjoy tons of superb British English accent.
Perfect for: Both beginners and advanced learners, particularly those with an interest in history. Because of his stammering, King George takes speaking lessons, so you can without a doubt learn a lot without even pausing the movie. Subtitles (in English, of course!) are recommended, though.
4. Die Hard
A classic that is American to its core. John McClane, an NYPD officer must save his wife and other hostages taken by the evil Hans Gruber during a party in Los Angeles. Dialogues are quite easy to understand and the plot is not very demanding. The movie itself is easy to approach and – let’s face it – very absorbing. Oh, and there’s Bruce Willis.
Perfect for: Getting in touch with American accent and everyday American English. There are also some quotes that made their way to the history of cinema – not too suitable to quote here, though ?.
5. The Social Network
A story of a Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, who creates a world-famous social network site later known as Facebook. The story involves a conflict between Zuckerberg and two brothers, who accuse him of stealing their idea.
Perfect for: Adolescents and adults who want to see a bit of the background of American colleges and the lingo that is used there. Great for technology lovers as well, as we can hear a lot of tech terminology! The movie is not too technical though, and the lines are written in a funny way, so the movie is easy to access for everyone.
Ready for some language learning? Which movie will you start with?