Why you CAN’T understand TV and movies without subtitles (and how to fix that)

0:00 Native speakers talk too fast
4:00 "Friends" is a difficult TV show to understand
4:45 Native speakers use slang and informal expressions
7:27 Watch movies and TV shows with Lingopie
9:18 The problem with accents and dialects
11:55 You don't know a lot of cultural references

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Hey there 👋🏼 Welcome to my channel! 🎥 I'm a native Russian speaker trying to navigate life between the three languages I'm learning: English, Spanish, and Chinese. And I'm excited to share all my secrets with you! Let's explore the enchanting world of language learning through my heartwarming stories, helpful tips, and engaging challenges. Welcome to my Language Diaries, where learning foreign languages becomes an unforgettable experience 🥰

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This video is sponsored by Lingopie. Some links here might be affiliate links.

[guitars]

I started learning English 1 year ago, and i was very surprised when I understood you! At all 😅

[apdorafa-rafaelalmeida]

I grew up in Canada, English is my native language and even native speakers do need subtitles sometimes. Some actors just mumble the words, or there is a lot of background noise like explosions, shootings, etc. Besides that, some dialects are really hard to understand. Game of Thrones for instance...it's almost impossible for North Americans to watch it without subtitles because of the accent of the actors. I don't have trouble understanding British people when I talk to them...but, British movies are hard to understand without subtitles. Ask any American and they will say the can't understand all words in a movie.

[MiguelCristaldo]

Your pronunciation is so good! It seems like a really native speaker!! Congratulations!

[Osbulk]

Why I understand every single word you are saying but I can’t understand native speakers ? What a magic is this??

[saiprasadganji]

Sorry veronika, but I am watching this video with subtitles 😅

[uyennguyennuto]

I tried to seeing your video without subtitiles, I can undertand 70% what you say. That is small result I practiced every day for 6 months ❤

[melaniavondro]

Your English and your pronunciation is brilliant!

[Crismelycc]

My first language it’s Spanish, I’m learning English and I could understand this video 100% without subtitles, but when I’m watching a tv show or a series I just can’t understand without subtitles, I always turn on the subtitles in English and I understand almost everything. I found your channel now and I am loving it

[jenka]

Estoy en un nivel en que puedo entender vídeos como estos en inglés sin subs, pero cuando veo series o películas es como escuchar otro idioma y me cuesta mucho entender hahahas creo que tenemos el oído tan acostumbrado a la buena pronunciación, que cuando escuchamos pronunciación "real" es algo totalmente nuevo

[jesusborregosierra]

¡Mucho ánimo con tu español, Veronika! Es duro aprender un nuevo idioma pero merece la pena. El saber no ocupa lugar.
Keep up the good work! 💪

[jamesasmith]

First let me say, thanks for uploading a great video! After watching hundreds of videos on youtube by linguist and polyglots, this is some of the best information I have heard. I am impressed by the content in this video. Your advice makes so much sense. It's practical, concise and revelatory. Your ability to communicate and your depth of your knowledge in teaching a foreign language is really refreshing.

[YorikVsemogyshchiy]

Couldn't agree more. I feel pretty chill while watching videos on YouTube in English and can even do other things simultaneously not watching at the screen (not all the time though), but when it goes to films and shows I find myself completely lost without subtitles. The most freaking out experience for me was "No country for old men" which appeared to be a quintessention of unfamiliar to me Texas dialect and accent. It took me not more than 20 minutes to give up trying to understand what characters are talking about _even with English subtitles_

[SaianaOchirova]

Thank you Veronika for this useful video! It’s so helpful and I feel like I’m getting better and better at English watching your amazing videos!

[svetlanapodkheni]

I can understand roughly 85% of TV shows of my interest without subtitles. Maybe it could even peek at 95% depending on the subject, accents, my mental state, but I always keep them on, cos' why not? Sometimes I wonder whether it makes me rely on them too much, but whenever I go watching an English movie in a Finnish movie theater, I get a reality check. I understand perfectly enough without subtitles. Missing a few words here and there doesn't impact my understanding. On top of that I would zone out for a second or two even in my native language, so I consider that normal. Subtitles in my case - English. I never put them in my native language, it messes with my brain. 😂

[ernestorevollar]

I didn't grow up in an English-speaking environment either, but I can already speak English more confidently and smoothly than ever before. My first language is Spanish and I'm still learning English owing to my strong preference and love for the language. We language learners should always remember that language learning is an enjoyable, captivating, and endless journey, not a destination because there's always something new to learn, take in, and keep forever. Any language learner just needs to get loads of exposure to the language, so that we can potentially speak like native speakers depending on the accent we're focusing on. I believe that's completely achievable, rewarding, and fulfilling as if we were born in an English-speaking country so that we can understand at least most native speakers no matter what kind of content we're consuming or the real-life situation we're involved in. I've decided to only focus on English because it's the language I love and I'm interested in the most. My brain's capacity for learning additional languages is certainly limited, and I think I wouldn't be able to manage more than two languages effectively, but I hope I'm wrong. I would love to pick up Italian pretty soon, it's a relatively easy language for a Spanish speaker to learn, so it shouldn't be very hard for me. Keep up the great work on your language learning journey, Veronika. We always struggle to learn anything new like language, it's part of the learning process, and I guess there's nothing wrong with most of us at least. Thanks so much for sharing it all with us ❤😊.

[Lilyeh-OMJ]

Your linguistic encouragement and wisdom really helps. I'm working on Italian. Thank you for sharing. 😊👍🏾

[balensdiq]

I would never have learned English without you. ❤ Thank you so much.💙

[carpintero__]

that's exactly the reason i'm watching your youtube content, i'm able to undertand you without subtitles so i found a good way to practise leasening. Thank your 🙂🙃😊

[TheHoppyBlack]

Why I can understand you so well but I have so many struggles with movies and series 😩😩😩😩😩 you are so good I really like listening your video 💐

[freyastories]

i truly agree with you, veronika! just focus on one accent has helped me a lot with speaking and it feels like learning english at ease without getting overwhelmed by it. thanks a bunch for sharing this with us!!! :))