Learning a Foreign Language Through Entertainment: How Movies, Music, and Games Can Boost Your Skills

Author: Lorena Sabljak

Learning a new language should be considered having fun, not feeling like doing a chore. Vocabulary, grammar and flashcards can be learned through entertainment, not only strict studying. The most enjoyable way to boost language skills is through having fun. If you watch movies, TV shows, listen to music and play games in your target languageyou will learn faster and more naturally. Not only will you learn new words but you will pick up the right pronunciation and the cultural aspect of the country where that language is being spoken.

Movies and TV Shows

Movies and TV shows are definitely one of the most enjoyable ways to practice a new language. You can learn while eating popcorn.

At the beginning, you can start with the subtitles in your own language to help your brain get used to how words are pronounced and what they mean. As time goes on, you can switch to subtitles in a language you are trying to learn. Then when you get used to that, you can switch off subtitles completely to test how much you can comprehend.

Watching different genres helps you learn different things. For beginners, romantic comedies often include everyday conversations and slang. On the other hand, dramas and docu series give you more formal and advanced vocabulary. Moreover, animated shows or children's movies are great because they use simple language and clear pronunciation.

Not only will you learn how people speak, but how they joke, live and express their emotions and all those things are hard to find in textbooks.

Music and Songs

One of the ways to learn a new language is through music. If you sing along to songs, you are improving pronunciation, your rhythm and fluency without being aware of it. Often in lyrics there are repeated phrases, which makes remembering new words and grammar easier.

Moreover, through songs you are introduced to slang, idiomatic expressions and usage in real life. If you are learning Spanish you can benefit from listening to artists like Shakira, Maluma, Rosalia and many others. If you are trying to learn French you might enjoy Stromae, Maitre Gims or Aya Nakamura. A lot of songs come with lyrics in their videos or translations online which makes them easy to follow along.

If you are just starting to learn, you might want to try slower songs or genres like pop or ballads that tend to be easier to comprehend than the ones with fast pace like rap or rock. Spotify, Apple Music or even YouTube can help you with finding playlists that are tailored to learning a new language.

Language Learning Games and Apps

There is a whole new world with apps to help you learn new things. Duolingo, Babbel and LingQ are apps that turn learning into a game. In these apps you earn points, complete daily challenges and unlock levels. Not only is it fun and addictive but also very effective.

Platforms like this use gamification to keep you entertained. Duolingo's green owl is not just cute it is persistent and keeps you motivated. Streaks, repetition and rewards make it feel more like you are playing a game on your phone than studying vocabulary.

Some of these apps use dialogues from real life and voice recognition, so it is not that you are just learning words, but actually practicing speaking and listening. There are also a lot of full-on games available in your target language, if you are into traditional gaming. If you are playing a story-based game in a language like German or Japanese it offers you hours of immersive exposure.

Conclusion

Learning a new language can be fun, it does not have to be just books and tests. If you include entertainment in your learning routine, you are way more likely to stick with it. Watching a movie or a TV show in French, singing along to a Spanish song or even leveling up on Duolingo will turn your free time into a productive time.

Remember next time you are watching Netflix to consider switching to your target language. You might pick up many new words while watching your new favorite drama or singing in the car.

Language learning does not have to be boring since it is a long term journey. With a little creativity and a lot of fun you will be surprised to how much you can learn without even noticing it.