Hey guys! How's it going? In today's episode, I have an awesome tip for you to work on your
English fluency, especially to help you with your listening.
You know, English listening skills can be really challenging because English just doesn't
sound the way it looks. It looks one way and then it sounds completely different. It's
just totally crazy. But using subtitles when you're watching your favorite movies, your
favorite TV shows, or even your favorite songs, can help so much, and it's a fun way to learn
the English language. I've used this technique to help me to learn Spanish, Portuguese and
other languages, because I love music and I love movies. Maybe you do too! So, turning
those subtitles on when you're watching something in English and using the English subtitles
will help you in many ways. Here's how: First of all, it activates two
parts of your brain. So, not only are you listening and using your brain for your listening
skills, but you're also reading. So you're activating different parts of your brain.
So, this actually helps you to learn better and to remember new vocabulary or just to
become aware of new vocabulary, because you might hear a new word, but kind of miss it,
because you're not sure what it is, you're not sure how to spell it. But if you listen
to it and read it in the subtitles, it's going to stick in your mind much better.
So, English spelling is notoriously difficult. Being able to hear the word or phrase and
read the subtitles is an excellent way to learn how to spell in English and to check
your spelling, to learn new words, to be able to understand what that new word is and how
to spell it; so that maybe you want to look it up in the dictionary, or ask your native
English speaker friends about how to use that word in different situations, not only in
the phrase or situation that you see in the movie or hear in a song.
Also, what's really great about subtitles is that when you have a phrase, words can
sound really different. For example, "Whatchu doin'?" I might say instead of "What are you
doing?" So if you hear in a movie, "Whatchu doin'?" and you see on the screen, "What are
you doing?" you're going to realize, "Oh my gosh! These words, when we put them together
in a phrase, they sound totally different!" But this will help you so much to make your
English more natural. Also, when you use subtitles, you can pause
the video when there's a new phrase or something confusing and you can check the subtitles.
So, this is really, really helpful. As I mentioned, you're not only hearing the word, but you're
reading it too. Another important point is that seeing the
words written down will help you to write them down in your notes. So, maybe you have
an English notebook, on paper, or on your laptop, on your computer, or even just in
your smartphone, and it will help you to write down your new words. It's a really good idea
to write down new words so that you can find out more about them. Maybe look up the meaning.
Ask your friends about them. See how to use the words in different situations. And, of
course, to review them because we have to see a new word or a new phrase, about twenty,
thirty, even forty times, before it really sticks, before you're confident about using
it yourself. So, don't get down on yourself, don't get
frustrated, if after the first time you hear a new word in a movie, you can't remember
it and know how to use it in any situation. It's just not realistic. Now, I know you're
smart, but be patient with yourself, because it really requires repetition, it's really
important. So, a lot of English learners have asked me:
"Should I use subtitles? Should I not use subtitles?" I say, try both. First, try listening
to material, or try watching the movie, without the subtitles. Why not challenge yourself?
If it's really not possible to catch most of the movie, that's okay. Turn on the subtitles.
They're a great way to learn. And it's a much more rich experience watching the movie with
subtitles as a language learner. So, it's up to you. I'm giving you the suggestion.
You have the power to choose. Subtitles, or no subtitles?
Now, if you really want me to give you a strong suggestion, as I said, try first without the
subtitles. See how you do. If you can understand more than 70% of the movie or the sitcom or
the song without subtitles, then you don't need subtitles. In general, you don't need
them. But if you can only understand 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% of the movie or the song, then
turn on the subtitles. Use it as a great learning tool. And you'll benefit a lot.
So, if you enjoyed this episode and the tips, share it with a friend. Subscribe to Go Natural
English too, so you never miss an episode. Every week, I have new episodes to share on
how you can become fluent and confident, and a more natural English speaker.
Also, come visit me at gonaturalenglish.com/7steps and I have a free video course for you showing
you the seven steps that you need to master fluency in English the Go Natural English
way. I hope to see you there! Bye for now!