1. So, how to watch foreign films correctly and useful. Before watching a movie, arm yourself with a piece of paper and a pen – do not forget that if you are watching a movie in a foreign language, this is not quite “relaxation”, but still some kind of work, but pleasant.
2. To begin with, if you are a be
ginner in learning English (1-3 level) – select a movie that you have already seen in translation and remember the general storyline, but not literally, otherwise it will not bring the desired effect (you simply will not pay attention in English).
3. Those who understand English well can choose any film (however, if this is an unfamiliar film to you, it would not hurt to create motivation for yourself: for example, choose a film of an already well-known and attractive director or actor, well, or at least a genre, otherwise fascinating and useful viewing can turn into real torture).
4. Make sure the movie has subtitles. If not, you can always download them online. If you watch an entire movie without subtitles, you are unlikely to learn anything. This applies to everyone, regardless of the level of knowledge of the language. If you download subtitles, make sure that they are synchronized with the dialogues in the movie, otherwise it will be terribly distracting or simply annoying.
5. Watch the movie in episodes – usually before the end of a scene or situation – from 5 to 20 minutes (depending on the level). The first time you watch a movie in English without subtitles at all – try to catch the general meaning. If you are watching a movie with a company, you can try to discuss who understood what after the first viewing: what familiar words and phrases they heard. During the first viewing, it would be good to write familiar phrases immediately on a piece of paper. This will help you better navigate what is happening.
6. Next, watch the episode with English subtitles. Stop the video at incomprehensible moments, write out unfamiliar words and phrases, use a dictionary to translate them. Pay attention to the situations in which phrases are pronounced: if these are situations at the airport, store, bank, you can write out whole sentences so that you can use them later in real life in similar situations.
7. Don’t worry if the first couple of episodes in the film take you more time than you planned: you need to get used to the characters’ speech – intonation, tempo, accents. After the first 15-20
minutes, it will be easier for you to recognize their speech.
8. Don’t worry if you can’t make out the entire movie in one go. Sometimes this can take 3 times longer than the length of the movie itself. You can devote to watching a movie in English from half an hour every day to an hour and a half a couple of times a week, especially if you have already seen the film in translation and know the outcome.
9. Movies that you have already disassembled, you can after some time revisit in English without subtitles (especially if these are films you like). Thus, you will refresh the words and phrases you have passed through and get the most out of the movie without stopping.
10. Finally, if you do not add up with the films and you do not want to languish for weeks in anticipation of the finale – watch the series. At one time, you just have time to disassemble a series of 20 minutes long, or twice a series of 40 minutes long.
Remember that you need a wide vocabulary to understand the film. It is very important to know how words are pronounced correctly, otherwise it will be difficult for you to recognize them in the flow of speech, so when the teachers correct you in the classroom, do not ignore their comments, but mark the accents or sounds in words. This is useful for your colloquial speech as well.
