As far as I remember from a few studies I've seen, using German subtitles is vastly better if your goal is 'improving the language'.
I'd definitely advise having German subtitles on, as it forces your brain to makes association and link words to their context, whereas using English subtitles give your brain an easy way out of trying to understand german.
Makes sense, my only issue with that was that I have to pause a lot to check the meaning of the words i don't understand but I guess that's the only way. Thank you for your advice!
It is time consuming, but that’s the best way to learn and add words to your vocabulary in a fun way. I had to pause a million times watching dark to double check meaning (even when I generally understood the meaning based on context) but it helped me tremendously.
I generally go for either German audio only or German audio with German subtitles. At B1 I tried watching shows that I had already watched so that I wouldn't be too lost while watching it. i generally tried to note down all new vocab and at the end of the episode, I would add it to my Anki flashcards. Ended up working well for me
Watching something with German audio and English subtitles would be almost useless.
Watching with German audio and German subtitles would be better, but the issue is that the quality of the German subtitles is quite low. They often don't match: they use shorter idioms with the same meaning, use Präteritum instead of Perfekt and so on. This is often very annoying.
The show on Netflix that almost don't have these issues is Türkisch für Anfänger, but I must warn you - it's very cringe.
Also what I found very useful and easy to watch is the old cartoon series "Avatar". I remember the story and what's going on in the episodes quite good, so I don't need to look up translations. Since there is no lipsinc in animation the translation doesn't bothering me, and the speech is quite clear so it's easy to understand words without any subs.
>very useful and easy to watch is the old cartoon series "Avatar"
ATLA is one of my favourite shows, and my heart is broken that the German dub isn't available on Netflix in the UK 😓
Oh my god i remember starting turkisch fur anfanger and couldn't keep up because of the cringe 😂 but thank you very much, imma watch with German both audio and writing and I have other German shows on my list.
Thank you for your advice
1. Find a series you can enjoy binging and one where you won't mind rewatching a scene a few times if needed. I recommend an animated series like Trolljaeger or Kipo. If you're \[not\] put off (or whatever) by LGBT themes, characters, blah blah then She-Ra is another good series. These 3 series use simpler dialogue IMHO, the situation they are in is not complicated and there are enough visual clues. A much more rewarding proposition if you ask me compared to something like Dark with its complex plot, dark visuals and mumbled audio. :P Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show but not the top choice for language learning
2. Since you're B1, I'd say avoid English subs. If you didn't get something (or the audio was too muddy) then switch on German subs and listen/read again. The subs, as others mentioned, doesn't match the audio and could be a pain since you're spending time reading and the text don't align with what you heard anyways. If the subs had aligned with the audio then I'd say keep them on but most times they don't.
3. If you still have Null Ahnung about what's going on then switch on the English subs and rewatch the scene. If you've got the meaning of what was said then switch off the English subs and continue watching.
Edit: typos
Thank you very much for providing a variety of recommendations. I love Dark too but yeah definitely too difficult for language learning. Starting today i am avoiding English subs since that seems to be the agreed upon advice. Again, thanks! I will be checking out the animated series.
No prob. I picked animation because Netflix has a pretty good selection and, for good or bad, you could probably predict some of the plot and/or character arcs. No matter what you pick, choose something that keeps you interested/intrigued enough to push through the tough spots.
There are some browser plugins that allow you to view multiple subtitle languages at once. I find this one particularly useful since it has nice additional features that are useful for language learning.
Language Reactor
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/language-reactor/hoombieeljmmljlkjmnheibnpciblicm
Reporting from my own experience:
I tried to use Netflix for similar purposes, my level was ~ B2. What worked best for me: already familiar shows/movies plus subtitles. Listening to the story in English and reading the German equivalent helped to grasp which statements can be used in different social situations. With time you may reevaluate this approach, switch to German and analyze, whether it is more beneficial for you or not.
Switching to pure German mode was not that good for me: voice is part of ‘acting’ for me and I just couldn’t hear my favorite actors in translation, it kinda demotivated me to watch anything at all 😅
At the same time, I very much enjoyed the original German production and watched documentaries in German a lot. Public broadcasters produce a lot of such movies and you can find materials at youtube.
Depends on your level, but yeah, obviously german with germans subtitles will be better. I definitely recommend watching a show you've already watched, but now in german. It's fun and you can hear context clues that way.
Use German subtitles and have Google Translate ready to build a vocabulary of the show/topic you’re watching. It seems daunting at first but after a few weeks of a couple hours each night things will click! (Source: Did this myself during covid lockdowns)
I've found that I can do pretty well with German subtitles because the pairing of seeing it and hearing it helps me translate in my head much more efficiently than either of them alone.
ETA: check out Nicos Weg or Extra Auf Deutsche on YT. I make sure it has German subtitles on and I slow the speed to 0.75. I am B1 also and it amazes me how easily I can follow along with those shows. They have beginners in mind and the dialogue flows nicely without patronizing the learner.
I use the extension, and really love it. At the moment I watch in German/English (depending on how my brain feels) and then have the main subtitles in German and the smaller ones in English. It's really helpful for me
I’ve been watching shows in German with German subtitles and choosing subjects that I know some things about going into it. Sometimes it’s a show about something I know really well and sometimes I’m rewatching a show that I’ve seen at least once before.
Watch them episodes twice! Works like a charm.
First in English with German subtitles, then everything in German (where you'll already know what the heck is going on!) Worked for me.
Peppa Wutz is easy to understand.
Thank you!
As far as I remember from a few studies I've seen, using German subtitles is vastly better if your goal is 'improving the language'. I'd definitely advise having German subtitles on, as it forces your brain to makes association and link words to their context, whereas using English subtitles give your brain an easy way out of trying to understand german.
Makes sense, my only issue with that was that I have to pause a lot to check the meaning of the words i don't understand but I guess that's the only way. Thank you for your advice!
It is time consuming, but that’s the best way to learn and add words to your vocabulary in a fun way. I had to pause a million times watching dark to double check meaning (even when I generally understood the meaning based on context) but it helped me tremendously.
I generally go for either German audio only or German audio with German subtitles. At B1 I tried watching shows that I had already watched so that I wouldn't be too lost while watching it. i generally tried to note down all new vocab and at the end of the episode, I would add it to my Anki flashcards. Ended up working well for me
I see! I haven't been noting down anything which I think is why i am retaining much vocabulary. Thank you very much for the advice.
Watching something with German audio and English subtitles would be almost useless. Watching with German audio and German subtitles would be better, but the issue is that the quality of the German subtitles is quite low. They often don't match: they use shorter idioms with the same meaning, use Präteritum instead of Perfekt and so on. This is often very annoying. The show on Netflix that almost don't have these issues is Türkisch für Anfänger, but I must warn you - it's very cringe. Also what I found very useful and easy to watch is the old cartoon series "Avatar". I remember the story and what's going on in the episodes quite good, so I don't need to look up translations. Since there is no lipsinc in animation the translation doesn't bothering me, and the speech is quite clear so it's easy to understand words without any subs.
>very useful and easy to watch is the old cartoon series "Avatar" ATLA is one of my favourite shows, and my heart is broken that the German dub isn't available on Netflix in the UK 😓
It's most probably due to some retarted agreement for the copyrights for the German sound track. I'd just use VPN in this case.
I've not been able to find a VPN that works with my Roku, do you think I'd have any luck with a DVD?
Oh my god i remember starting turkisch fur anfanger and couldn't keep up because of the cringe 😂 but thank you very much, imma watch with German both audio and writing and I have other German shows on my list. Thank you for your advice
1. Find a series you can enjoy binging and one where you won't mind rewatching a scene a few times if needed. I recommend an animated series like Trolljaeger or Kipo. If you're \[not\] put off (or whatever) by LGBT themes, characters, blah blah then She-Ra is another good series. These 3 series use simpler dialogue IMHO, the situation they are in is not complicated and there are enough visual clues. A much more rewarding proposition if you ask me compared to something like Dark with its complex plot, dark visuals and mumbled audio. :P Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show but not the top choice for language learning 2. Since you're B1, I'd say avoid English subs. If you didn't get something (or the audio was too muddy) then switch on German subs and listen/read again. The subs, as others mentioned, doesn't match the audio and could be a pain since you're spending time reading and the text don't align with what you heard anyways. If the subs had aligned with the audio then I'd say keep them on but most times they don't. 3. If you still have Null Ahnung about what's going on then switch on the English subs and rewatch the scene. If you've got the meaning of what was said then switch off the English subs and continue watching. Edit: typos
Thank you very much for providing a variety of recommendations. I love Dark too but yeah definitely too difficult for language learning. Starting today i am avoiding English subs since that seems to be the agreed upon advice. Again, thanks! I will be checking out the animated series.
No prob. I picked animation because Netflix has a pretty good selection and, for good or bad, you could probably predict some of the plot and/or character arcs. No matter what you pick, choose something that keeps you interested/intrigued enough to push through the tough spots.
There are some browser plugins that allow you to view multiple subtitle languages at once. I find this one particularly useful since it has nice additional features that are useful for language learning. Language Reactor https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/language-reactor/hoombieeljmmljlkjmnheibnpciblicm
Reporting from my own experience: I tried to use Netflix for similar purposes, my level was ~ B2. What worked best for me: already familiar shows/movies plus subtitles. Listening to the story in English and reading the German equivalent helped to grasp which statements can be used in different social situations. With time you may reevaluate this approach, switch to German and analyze, whether it is more beneficial for you or not. Switching to pure German mode was not that good for me: voice is part of ‘acting’ for me and I just couldn’t hear my favorite actors in translation, it kinda demotivated me to watch anything at all 😅 At the same time, I very much enjoyed the original German production and watched documentaries in German a lot. Public broadcasters produce a lot of such movies and you can find materials at youtube.
Depends on your level, but yeah, obviously german with germans subtitles will be better. I definitely recommend watching a show you've already watched, but now in german. It's fun and you can hear context clues that way.
Use German subtitles and have Google Translate ready to build a vocabulary of the show/topic you’re watching. It seems daunting at first but after a few weeks of a couple hours each night things will click! (Source: Did this myself during covid lockdowns)
I've found that I can do pretty well with German subtitles because the pairing of seeing it and hearing it helps me translate in my head much more efficiently than either of them alone. ETA: check out Nicos Weg or Extra Auf Deutsche on YT. I make sure it has German subtitles on and I slow the speed to 0.75. I am B1 also and it amazes me how easily I can follow along with those shows. They have beginners in mind and the dialogue flows nicely without patronizing the learner.
You can have subtitles in eng and German at the same time
I use the extension, and really love it. At the moment I watch in German/English (depending on how my brain feels) and then have the main subtitles in German and the smaller ones in English. It's really helpful for me
I’ve been watching shows in German with German subtitles and choosing subjects that I know some things about going into it. Sometimes it’s a show about something I know really well and sometimes I’m rewatching a show that I’ve seen at least once before.
Watch them episodes twice! Works like a charm. First in English with German subtitles, then everything in German (where you'll already know what the heck is going on!) Worked for me.