How To Learn A Language by Watching Netflix

To learn a language by watching Netflix one needs to find a movie or tv show by using the filtered search option by audio and/or subtitles or through category codes. They then need to decide if they are going to watch with or without subtitles, depending on their language level, and then actively watch the movie using methods outlined in this article.

Benefits of watching movies and tv shows on Netflix in your target language

1. You will be exposed to new cultural situations 
2. You will observe common nonverbal cues and body language 
3. You will be exposed to more authentic vocabulary than what you would find in a textbook 
4. You will be exposed to colloquial language that you would not learn at school 

How to find a movie or tv show to study 

Find content with audio

If you are watching Netflix on a computer you can follow this link www.netflix.com/browse/audio to find movies and tv shows that have audio in the language you are learning. You can do this by clicking the drop down menu on the page and then select the language you are learning. As you look through and find something that sparks your interest click the “+” to add it to your watch list. 

Find content with subtitles

To find content with subtitles follow the link www.netflix.com/browse/subtitles. It is the same process as the audio explanation above. Click on the drop down menu and then select the language you are learning. Again, as you scroll through the options add content to your watch list by clicking “+”. Just keep in mind that because a movie or tv show comes up saying that it has subtitles in the language you are learning, it doesn’t mean that it has audio in the language you are learning. If this is the case, you should keep on looking for something that has both audio and subtitles. 

Use category codes 

For a limited number of languages you can use category codes to narrow your search. You can find category codes on: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/library/categories/.

I made a list of commonly learned languages and their codes below:

(Just keep in mind that the codes listed below are subject to change by Netflix and might not work in all regions)

• Chinese – 3960
• Czech Movies – 1697
• Dutch Movies – 10606
• French Movies – 58807
• German Movies – 58886
• Greek Movies – 61115
• Italian Movies – 8221
• Japanese Movies – 10398
• Korean Movies – 5685
• Korean TV Shows – 67879
• Russian – 11567
• Spanish Movies – 58741
• Thai Movies – 1098

If you also know specific names of actors, actresses or directors from the country of the language you are learning, you can also search up their name on the website linked above and find their codes. 

Should I watch with or without subtitles ?

It depends on your language level for whether or not you watch Netflix with subtitles. 

There are 4 different ways you can watch with subtitles:

• No subtitles (advanced learners)
• English subtitles (beginner learners)
• Target language subtitles (upper intermediate learners)
• Both English and your target language subtitles at the same time (lower intermediate learners) 

You might be wondering… how do I display two sets of subtitles at the same time? 

There’s a really cool google chrome extension called learn a language with Netflix which will do that for you! The two sets of subtitles lets you pair translations with dialogue so you can learn vocabulary easier during the process. It offers subtitles for Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. 

It also has an awesome feature where you can hover over a word which produces a pop-up dictionary so you don’t have to go search up the meaning of words elsewhere. (If you do come across new vocabulary I highly suggest that you make a list in a digital language learning planner).

Other stand out features include the ability to slow down dialogue, a feature where you can automatically pause playing at the end of every line of dialogue and also the catalog of recommendations for movies and tv shows sorted by language. 

How to watch a movie/tv show properly on Netflix (and actually learn something!)

#1 Do not watch Netflix (for language learning) sitting in bed or on a couch

By sitting on a bed or on a couch you automatically put yourself in relaxation mode rather than learning mode. To overcome this I suggest sitting at a desk or at a table to watch Netflix. By doing this you will be able to concentrate better and you also will be able to make a list of new vocabulary you find from the movie or tv show episode which is super important for active learning! 

#2 Make an effort to actively watch the movie or tv show 

To get the most out of watching a foreign language movie or tv show on netflix, you need to actively watch it. An example of passively learning would be watching it and not doing anything else. It is very simple to avoid this. Here is a list of ways that you can actively watch foreign language netflix: 

• pause and rewind dialogue so you can listen to it again to improve your pronunciation of words or to gain a better understanding of what was said
• make a list of new vocabulary and phrases as you watch the movie/tv show 

#3 Choose a movie that you already know the plot line and also interests you 

It is much easier to use a movie that you already know the storyline of as a language learning resource. Instead of keeping up with the storyline while watching you can instead focus on the language. An example of a movie that you would know the plot of and would also be available in other languages is a Disney movie. 

The other point that I was making here is that you need to find a movie that interests you. This is mainly because you will spend so much more time with the movie than an English movie that you would watch for entertainment. This is due to constant pausing and rewinding and time spent writing down new vocabulary and finding definitions. 

#4 Split the movie/tv show into smaller sections 

My final tip for watching a movie or tv show in a foreign language is to split it into smaller sections before you start watching. For example roughly 20 minutes give or take for scenes to finish. I recommend this because it is a lot more laborious watching a foreign language movie and if you spend too much time you will slip into passively watching it. It’s best to watch it over a few days to make sure you fully concentrate and get the most out of it. 

How to learn vocabulary from Netflix 

While watching a movie or tv show episode on Netflix it is super important to make a vocabulary list. If you have the intention of learning a language from Netflix you have to actively watch your programs!

My favourite method of actively learning while watching Netflix while language learning is to use my digital language learning planner or printable language learning planner! There are two pages that are really helpful for learning vocabulary from Netflix – the vocabulary revision page and the resource worksheet page. This is a screenshot of a vocabulary page I have filled out from my personal digital language planner:

As you can see there are three sections to the vocabulary revision page for the word, the definition and also a revision tracker. While you are watching you can write down new vocabulary you see in the subtitles and then write a definition next to it. The best thing about this template is the fact that it encourages you to study your vocabulary through the revision tracker. For each word you can go back and study it and tick the circle in the corresponding row. Once you have revised the word three times you should know it pretty well! 

The second template option that I recommend for language learning with Netflix is the resources page. On this page there is a section where you can fill out the information about the movie or tv show episode you are watching. You can fill out the title, type, date, difficulty and rating. Here is a screenshot of a resource worksheet that I filled out for a YouTube video that I watched, however it is the same concept for a tv show or movie:

If you are interested in learning about how to language learn with YouTube I suggest you check out my article I wrote about it here.

Another aspect of this template that makes it suited to Netflix language learning is the table at the bottom of the page where you can write 5 interesting phrases that you heard. 

As you jot down vocabulary don’t be afraid to pause, fast forward and rewind the movie or tv show episode as necessary so you can get the most out of it. I also recommend that you do not write down every single word that you don’t know (especially as a beginner) as it will make language learning a chore. You need to be a good judge for the amount of vocab you write down. 

Asking yourself these questions can help: 

• Do I recognise this word but don’t know the meaning?
• Does an actor/actress repeat this word a lot? 

Alternate ways of learning a language from Netflix 

Making vocabulary lists is not the only way you can learn from Netflix! There are heaps of other ways that you can learn such as:

• Using the shadowing technique AKA pretending to be a character and repeating their lines of dialogue. I suggest choosing your favourite character, listen to them say their lines, pause the video, rewind it and then repeat the lines as they say it. This is a great activity to improve your pronunciation. 

How to integrate language learning through Netflix into your regular language study routine 

Learning a language with Netflix is definitely one of the funnest ways to learn a language. As you have probably heard thousands of times – it is really important that you do a little bit of language study every single day. Instead of making it a chore by doing grammar exercises or vocabulary flashcards you could watch part of a movie on Netflix. It won’t even feel like hard work! 

In my printable language learning planner and digital language learning planner there is a full page dedicated to language habit tracking. These habit trackers include vocabulary revision, grammar revision, textbook work, language app/website, YouTube, podcasts, MOVIES and TV SHOWS! If you do watch a movie or tv show in a foreign language on Netflix I recommend that you use this page. All you need to do is put a cross or colour in the box that corresponds to the day that you did some language study. 

Here is a screenshot of the habit tracker page in my personal digital language learning planner:

Also if you are into bullet journaling I suggest that you check out my printable movie tracker which you could use to track the foreign language movies you watch on Netflix! 

Before You Go!

Don’t forget to check out the language learning resources mentioned in this article!

• Digital Language Learning Planner
• Printable Language Learning Planner

Join more than 1,212,346 people from 192 countries and learn a new language at your own pace at Rocket Languages!

Check Out The Online Courses Below:

Or Join A Live Online Language Learning Class With Real Teachers On Lingoda!

Check Out The Online Courses Below:

• Learn French
• Learn Spanish
• Learn German