5 Practical Tips To Learn Spanish by Watching TV
Believe it or not, it took me just three months to learn English at a level I could watch any movie, TV show or radio station and understand 99% of it. And I did it mostly by the Shrek movies.
TL;DR
1. Get asbplayer
2. Get Anki Flashcards and upload subtitles on it
3. Study the Flashcards
4. Watch TV
5. Repeat
6. Use AI tools to accelerate the process
I was a college senior and I decided it was about time I could speak and write in English. My biggest motivation? I wanted to watch films, especially Shrek (the best film ever), in the original language.
So, I decided to cut out the middleman. I watched Shrek in English with English subtitles, and my only teacher was a trusty old web dictionary.
It took ages to finish the film. I’d watch one line of dialogue at a time, then look up every word’s meaning. It was a very slow process. I spent 2 to 3 hours a day, and by the end of each session, the movie had barely advanced by five minutes.
But it worked. By the tenth day, I didn’t need the dictionary as much. Words and concepts started to stick, and I was finally understanding even if I didn’t understand all the words, what the characters were saying.
I finished the film after a month or so, and then I replayed it. I didn’t understand everything, but I grasped a lot—enough to start watching Shrek 2. This time, it only took me fifteen days to finish.
It was amazing. After that, I started watching all kinds of movies and TV shows in English. Little by little, I began to understand everything!
But it was hard work—too hard for anyone who isn’t as obsessed as I am.
So, here are my Tips To Learn Spanish by Watching TV to help you learn faster, with less stress, and in a more entertaining way.
Here are the 5 Practical Tips To Learn Spanish by Watching TV
1. Get asbplayer so you can download the subtitles
Go to the chrome web store and download the asbplayer plugin, thank me later. With this open source plugin you’ll be able to download the spanish subtitles from any TV show or Movie you’re watching on any streaming service! Disney+, Max, Netflix, Prime, and even YouTube!
This plugin alone will save you hours, you won’t need to be pausing the show every sentence, just use the plugin to help you study better and faster. Check the tutorial down below to understand how to use it. It helped me a lot. It is as simple as asking ¿Dónde está la biblioteca?
Download asbplayer here:
asbplayer: Language-learning with subtitles
If you’re having trouble setting it up check this tutorial:
The BEST video player for language learning? – ASBplayer Tutorial
2. Use Anki Flashcards to accelerate learning process
This is another open source software that will help you a lot in your learning journey. With Anki Flashcards you’ll be able to study every word from the TV show or movie you’re planning on watching.
This is my recommended framework: first you need to download your subtitles, once you have them you need to upload the words and create your own flashcards with the help of Anki. Here’s the tutorial: The EASIEST way to create Anki cards with ASB Player, after that you’re all set, just make sure to study your cards.
I would recommend to study scene by scene, then press play and watch the scene, press pause and study the next cards for the new scene.
It doesn’t matter you didn’t understand it all, that is the beauty of this method, it is with time that all the pieces fall on its place, and before you know it, you’re speaking Spanish with your neighbor, client, or colleague.
3. Watch stuff you already enjoy
'Do what you love, love what you do, and with all your heart give yourself to it.
Make sure you watch something you enjoy, it will help you keep motivated, and give you that extra push you really need. When I was learning English all my motivation came from this single desire:
I wanted to be able to laugh with new jokes from the Shrek movies, because yes, the dubbed version is amazing, but somethings do get lost in translation, I watching the original was almost like watching Shrek for the first time.
4. Learn with AI
If you want a basic Tips To Learn Spanish by Watching TV there is no easier answer that ChatGPT.
Tools like ChatGPT are powerful tools that can help you in your learning process. Here are some ways you can learn with AI: If you use ChatGPT make sure to use the GPT called ‘Language Teacher | Ms. Smith’ this GPT will help you with any doubt you may have about any line of dialogue you have an issue with. Just ask it anything, and it will give you a reasonably accurate response.
It may not be perfect, but it is the closer you’re gonna get to a private tutor, and it’s FREE!
Share This Post
Learn Spanish Watching Tv
Easy, Fun & fast
Proven method to become fluent in Spanish, or any language for that matter. Backed by science, language learning had never been easier and faster.
Free Spanish Course
Watch all our classes
- Curated Flashcards for better retention of vocabulary
- Popular tv shows for all levels and ages
- An immersive approach to sentence structure
- Perfect pronunciation with native speakers
- And much more!