Learn English with Moonlight

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Why learn English with Moonlight?

"Moonlight" tells the story of Chiron, a young boy growing up in a tough neighborhood in Miami. The movie follows him through three important periods of his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. As you watch, you'll learn vocabulary related to family ("mama," "daddy"), school ("teacher," "student," "detention"), and difficult life situations ("drugs," "trouble," "police"). You'll also see how Chiron's relationships and experiences shape who he becomes. The movie isn't always easy to watch, but it's a beautiful and important story. The movie explores complex themes like identity, sexuality, and poverty. You'll hear characters expressing a wide range of emotions – from love and happiness to fear and anger. The language used in the movie is a mix of standard English and African American Vernacular English (AAVE), which includes some slang and different grammar. Paying attention to how characters speak in different situations can help you understand the nuances of English conversation. While the language might be challenging at times, it offers a valuable opportunity to learn how people speak in real-life situations. Watching "Moonlight" can be a rewarding experience for English language learners. It exposes you to different accents and dialects, expands your vocabulary, and helps you understand complex emotions in English. The movie's powerful story will keep you engaged, making the learning process more enjoyable. While the specific dialect might not be appropriate for all situations, understanding it can broaden your comprehension of spoken English. Ultimately, "Moonlight" provides a window into a different culture and way of speaking, enriching your overall understanding of the English language.

Words from Moonlight

Here are the first 15 of the more difficult words in Moonlight:

dawg: a way of calling a male friend
bro: a casual word for brother or a friendly way to address a male person
bruh: used to show friendly surprise, disagreement, or when speaking to male friends
yo: used by young people to say hello
faggot: a ball of meat cooked with bread
stranger: a person that you do not know
dope: an illegal drug taken for pleasure, sometimes used to affect performance or make someone unconscious
apologize: to say sorry to someone for causing them problems or unhappiness
crackhead: a person who uses the illegal drug crack cocaine
til: until
liberty: the freedom to live as you choose or go where you want to
mama: a casual word for mother
daddy: often used by young children as a name for their father
privilege: a special right or advantage that only certain people or groups have
revoke: to cancel something officially so that it is no longer legally accepted or allowed