Ask anyone who is fluent at speaking more than one language and they will tell you just how significant pop culture was in their journey. People who grew up in a country speaking French may have watched hours upon hours of American and British TV, picking up the language as they went. Unlike formal learning, this taught them to speak English as English speakers do.
As such, streaming TV and movies can be a fun and natural way of learning a language. Here are the best streaming sites for doing so.
Lingopie
Lingopie takes the cake as the best streaming site for learning languages because this is precisely its purpose. Unlike the other sites on this list, Lingopie was actually designed as a way to optimize informal language learning. A subscription provides access to thousands of hours of TV in foreign languages, making binging an educational experience.
Lingopie does not simply provide access to foreign series. Its subtitles are interactive, giving you the option to pause at any point and delve into the meaning behind certain words and phrases. These terms are then saved for you in a directory that you can reference once you are done watching.
You can read a comprehensive review of Lingopie, including the ins-and-outs of exactly how the app works.
Netflix
Netflix is certainly not a language learning site. However, it is one of the best streaming sites for second language learners because of its range. English-speakers have plenty of content for casual viewing. But with the help of subtitles, you can find endless hours of content in languages from across the world.
In particular, there is a lot of content in European languages such as French, Spanish, and German. There is also a ton of South Korean content that is extremely highly rated, spanning genres such as horror, comedy, drama, and romance. However, the highest volume of non-English content is actually made up of Hindi series and movies.
Netflix does offer dubbed versions of many of these shows, but that is obviously not a viable way to learn a foreign language. It also takes away from the acting as well as the overall atmosphere and experience.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is another great streaming site with foreign language content. In particular, there are a lot of Bollywood movies available to stream. If you are trying to improve your Hindi or were raised speaking only English, these titles can supplement your learning experience.
Bollywood titles provide a particularly enjoyable way to learn a language, considering that they span so many styles of acting and plot. Most of your learning will come from the dialogue spoken between characters, but don’t write off the songs.
Bollywood songs are often subtitled in a fairly interpretive way, as they can be quite metaphorical. This gives you the chance to compare your knowledge of the language with what comes up in the subtitles, giving you the impetus to engage with the content.
Watching streaming content is probably the most enjoyable way to learn a language. Subscribe to the above sites to start learning immediately.
