How to Learn English With Netflix (Recommendations Included!)
Created: Jan 16, 2025
Last Updated: Jan 16, 2025
Whether you’re new to language learning or want to practice your English skills through film, Netflix is a great platform for learning languages. Not only can you select from a library of thousands of movies and TV series, but you can also watch with subtitles in multiple languages, improving your listening skills, expanding your vocabulary, and familiarizing yourself with how native speakers use tone and expressions in all kinds of contexts.
In this blog, we’ll share our expert tips on using Netflix to practice language learning, along with some series recommendations to get you started!
Popular Netflix series for practicing English
There are many amazing TV series on Netflix that are great for learning advanced English. Here are our top picks that have helped learners just like you:
- The Crown: This Netflix original is based on the British monarchy. It’s a dramatic retelling of the late Queen’s life and family. It’s a brilliant choice for those who love traditional English accents with a dash of history and drama.
- Breaking Bad: This crime drama is loved across the globe for its gripping storyline and stellar acting. It’s packed with memorable lines, diverse accents and rich vocabulary related to crime, science and even business negotiations.
- Bridgerton: This Netflix original is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys period dramas, extravagant costumes and mystery. It follows characters based in Regency-era London as they face love, scandal, and societal expectations. Enjoy elegant British accents, witty dialogue and the occasional spicy scene!
- 13 Reasons Why: If you enjoy teenage dramas, this one’s for you. While the themes in this show are emotionally intense and serious, it’s a good way to pick up conversational American English, especially the slang and expressions used by teens.
How to learn English with Netflix
Committing to upskilling in English is made much easier with a platform like Netflix. You can keep track of the various movies and series you’ve been viewing, add favorites to your watch list, slow down playback, and expand your vocabulary in different genres all from the comfort of your own home
Use Netflix in conjunction with Flurret to learn before you watch, and build your personal library of vocabulary until you become confidently fluent. This learning method is flexible, engaging and self-paced, what's not to love?
To start using Flurret alongside Netflix, explore our huge directory of films that are available on Netflix to find the movies tailored to your interests and proficiency level.
Add popular series and movies to your watch list
When you’re faced with a platform as big as Netflix, it can be difficult to choose the best movies to learn English. However, the platform is very user-friendly and allows you to browse by genre, so you can begin that way to find something that appeals to you.
Turn to search engines for a brief synopsis (in your native language) of the movies or series that look interesting, then add them to your watch list!
After adding 3-5 titles to your watchlist, check the ratings, reviews, and comments on different forums to figure out whether they are loved or hated by viewers, especially for language learners - you don’t want to waste any precious time!
We highly recommend referring to language learning forums to find comments from people who have used Netflix for language learning, as they tend to highlight series or movies that they’ve found particularly helpful.
Imitate characters for pronunciation practice
The great thing about English titles on Netflix is that you can discover pretty much every accent, as well as different tones and speech patterns. With time, binge-watching will help you pick up new accents and favorite characters to practice with.
Tip: Pick a dialogue-heavy scene, focus on a character, and play the scene for 10 seconds before pausing. Use the ‘skip back 10 seconds’ feature to replay the lines, giving yourself time to listen closely and repeat them. Try to mimic their pronunciation, paying attention to intonation, rhythm, and natural flow of speech.
We recommend choosing to repeat dialogue that includes unfamiliar words until you begin to recognize their meanings and context.
Some famous and beloved characters from English TV series that you can try imitating from Netflix include:
- Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders): Known for his sharp tongue and broad Birmingham accent.
- Eleven (Stranger Things): An emotive American-English character who starts as an outsider, making her a relatable choice for language learners.
- Rachel Green (Friends): A comedic character who uses everyday English to build relationships.
- Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock): A character with a clear British accent and a distinctive way of speaking, often using detective-related terminology.
Start with subtitles
Language learning studies show that watching an English movie with native-language subtitles has little to no impact on improvement. On the other hand, those who watch with subtitles in the target language see significantly greater improvement.
When you’re just starting, watching without subtitles can feel quite overwhelming and scary. You should switch to English subtitles and attempt to read along as you watch.
Using Flurret before you watch something allows you to learn the exact vocabulary that appears in each movie, speeding up the learning process and minimizing the amount of time you spend feeling confused by the words you’re hearing/reading.
Watching with subtitles as you’re becoming more fluent enables you to match the spoken words with the written text to improve comprehension skills.
Top tip: As your confidence builds, turn off the subtitles for short stretches of the movie until you can eventually understand spoken English without assistance. This is easier done with titles you’ve watched numerous times and those with very simple language such as kids’ cartoons.
Pause, Guess, Continue method
Learning English with Netflix doesn’t have to be as rigid as watching along - turn it into a fun game!
Pause what you’re watching at random points, try to describe the scene or guess the interactions that the characters are about to have, and then play it to confirm accuracy. This method makes you actively engage with the language and test your understanding in real-time. By playing this game, you’ll probably realise you know more than you realised!
Top tip: Many TV shows and movies you’ll encounter on Netflix include lots of idioms, slang, or cultural references that may not be immediately familiar to you. Replay scenes to absorb these nuances and deepen your understanding, making it easier to use them in future conversations.
Keep your notes on hand
As you discover new Netflix series and films, you’ll naturally come across new words and phrases almost every time you watch something. This is completely normal and all part of the journey, but be proactive in writing down anything interesting that you’re keen to learn more about.
Create a dedicated note on your phone or computer where you can quickly jot down new words. After each watch session, look up definitions and practise using them in conversations or write sentences to reinforce your learning.
(psst.. You’ll learn many new words and definitions by using our platform!)
Binge in short bursts
Becoming fluent in any language takes time and patience. There’s no pressure to binge 7 hours of English-speaking movies each day. In fact, this approach can be less effective than watching short snippets each day.
Start by concentrating on 15 minutes of a series. This way, you can fully absorb what you’ve watched without feeling overwhelmed - anything too long can force you to lose focus and interest. You’ll likely find that you learn more in a short episode than you do in a full movie when you’re new to the language, as psychology experts claim that the brain retains information better when it's exposed to small chunks of content.
Netflix series with short episodes include:
- Adventure Time (cartoon comedy)
- Love, Death and Robots (animated short stories)
- The Good Place (dystopian comedy)
Tip: Netflix has a handy 30-minute laughs’ category that filters down all the short and snappy comedies, so it’s easy to find your new favourite short series!
With Flurret and Netflix, language learning becomes more than just study - it’s an adventure. Start your journey today and see how fun and effective mastering English can be!
