Watching movies is fun. Well, ok… it really depends on the movie (or who picks it). But most of the time it’s fun, right ?
And you probably know that watching movies in a good way to pick up some French.
What? Having fun and learning French at the same time? Impossible…
Actually, by watching movies in French here’s what you’ll probably learn :
- French Vocabulary
- Idioms
- Expressions
- Most used French sentence structures
- Customs and French traditions
- Culture references
I’m saying ‘PROBABLY learn’. Because, there’s a certain way to do it.
Putting on a French movie, turning on the subtitles in English and browsing on your phone at the same time is not going to improve your French much. At best, you’ll hear some French and hopefully get used to some of its particular sounds. But that’s about it.
So, how can you use movies to learn French? What's the technique?
I mean, it’s not an exact science. And there’s nothing magic about it either. So don’t expect overnight results.
In fact, watching movies is NOT going to make you fluent. Because it won’t replace a course, a class, or whatever more focussed way to learn French.
The key really, is to be active and do it often.
So, I gathered a few tips and tricks to help you make the most of those movies night:
Always watch the original version, if not it's not language learning
I needed to say this. Because if you go in a cinema in France, you’ll notice that ALL the movies are dubbed.
FIY, it’s one the reasons why our English is not that great. Even amongst younger people.
So you should always watch the original version. For obvious reasons 😉
(And not so obvious reasons too – because it gives you also a great sense of accomplishment, and a deeper understanding of the culture – yaaaayyy).
When it comes to subtitles, do better than what you think, to learn even faster
It does depends on your level. If you are a total beginner, I’ll advice to start with English subtitles. But only for a short while.
Switch quickly to French subtitles once you can understand basics sentences.
And, once you get to a B1 level (which is the beginning of the intermediate level), it’s time to ditch the English subs! Yes, you CAN do it.
Once you are a little bit more comfortable, you should watch your movies without subtitles.
Go by topics or genres
One of the characteristics of efficient learning is repetition. In fact, Donovan Nagel, from The Mezzofanti Guild, was pointing out recently, that what’s even more effective, is ‘repetition in a unfamiliar context’. So what you could do, is either rewatch the movies, or watch another movie on the same subject or a similar genre.
If you’re unsure, go with romantic comedies. You’ll probably encounter the same vocabulary in most of them.
Want the complete method?
I’ve gathered my method in a masterclass, that take you step by step to learn how to learn French with movies.
If you want to seriously step up your game, check the masterclass here.
MASTERCLASS - The Art of Learning French with Movies
To help you, you can download a list of French movies for French learner (and which one you should watch depending on your level)
Which French movie are you going to start with?
The key really is to do it so you like it. To include watching French movies in your habits, because you ENJOY it.
If you try watching French movies and you don’t enjoy it at all, that’s ok.
I know the hype is high and everyone is telling you to watch movies… but there are other ways to learn French that are as fun to do!
3 thoughts on “How to use movies to learn French 🎬 + 40 of the best french movies”
Thanks for sharing! <3
You don’t list Manon of the Spring…and the other one..they are amazing movies.
Nancy
Thank you for the suggestion Nancy 😊