Movies/TV Shows

[KyleZ]

Hi everyone. I'm taking Spanish in college, and my professor recommended we start watching movies or TV shows to start getting a feel of the language. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Only Spanish movies that I have seen are [REC] and Pan's Labyrinth. Really liked both of them.

As for TV shows, I'd like to find something other than soap operas. I'd much rather watch something with crime, violence, action... you know, guy stuff.

I hope someone has some ideas! Thanks!

[CrOtALiTo]

I don't what country you are.
But you can search them in Youtube website, and well you can watch the soap opera of Televisa Mexico, here on my country there're a lot of kind to soap opera spoken in Spanish.

I hope you fin the you need for learn the Spanish.

Greetings.

[KyleZ]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm from the United States. I don't know if I really want to watch soap operas, because they're really aimed more at a female audience. I was hoping for some Spanish shows that are more... prime time. You know?

But I appreciate the advice! I'll watch soap operas if it comes to that.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yeah, I know that the soap opera are more the audience female, but they can work for you for the translate in the words.

Then if you want not watch soap operas, then I consider you can start to watching movies without subtitles.

Really I see much Discovery channel, already what the channel teach me new things for my own knowledge, that channel are show programs spoken in English and Spanish too.

[JPablo]

Hey Kylez,
I am from Spain, but one excellent program (even if old) where you can get excellent Spanish (from Spain) is "El Hombre y la Tierra" (narrated by Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente). These are a series of documentaries about the Spanish fauna, but even after 30 years these were created (80s or so), they are still very appealing and interesting to me...
In terms of LANGUAGE, you can search any TELEDIARIO, type of thing, where you get the news in Spanish and you can relate with the day to day news you heard in English... in this way it is really easy to get words and expressions...
When I started learning Arabic (only one year, I don't remember anything) our professor recommended to start reading the Arabic newspapers... duh! A bit too difficult... but in the case of Spanish, you can spend hours with YouTube, listening to Spanish language, even if you take your favorite American series and look for the versions with Spanish subtitles, or dubbed...

[chileno]

My recommendation is that you get ready to examine your DVD collection and look at the back of each box if it comes with the Spanish audio track.

If worse comes to worse, just go out to buy some DVD's that have the Spanish audio track. Just check for the features in the back of the box.

[Chris]

That's a good suggestion chileno. We have DirecTV and it has two or three channels in Spanish. I often turn over to them. Some of the comedy shows are funny even though I don't understand what they are saying. Everyone speaks too fast, and the few words I do know and hear, once I think of them they have finished the sentence. It's frustrating and if I hadn't taken a half year or so break from learning I'd be able to understand more.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Chris

That's a good suggestion chileno. We have DirecTV and it has two or three channels in Spanish. I often turn over to them. Some of the comedy shows are funny even though I don't understand what they are saying. Everyone speaks too fast, and the few words I do know and hear, once I think of them they have finished the sentence. It's frustrating and if I hadn't taken a half year or so break from learning I'd be able to understand more.

Well, that's why I recommend to watch a movie and not regular TV to begin with.

If it is a DVD you can watch it 1000 times if it is necessary.

[droe82]

Originally Posted by chileno

My recommendation is that you get ready to examine your DVD collection and look at the back of each box if it comes with the Spanish audio track.

Hablando de esto, ¿alguien sabe dondé vendéis DVDs de idioma Español con subtitulos Español? Encuentro ellos sólo con uno o otro.

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Speaking of this, does anyone know where they sell DVDs in Spanish with Spanish subtitles? I can only find them with one or the other.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by droe82

Hablando de esto, ¿alguien sabe dónde venden DVDs de idioma Español con subtitulos Español? Encuentro ellos sólo con uno o otro.

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Speaking of this, does anyone know where they sell DVDs in Spanish with Spanish subtitles? I can only find them with one or the other.

No se.

Una pregunta. ¿Por qué quieres con subtítulos en castellano?

Hoy en día muchos de los DVD vienen con la pista de audio en castellano.

[droe82]

Originally Posted by chileno

Una pregunta. ¿Por qué quieres con subtítulos en castellano?

Para leerlos.

Leo mucho... ¿«castellano»?, pero no es escucho (o escribo es o hablo es) mucho. Si mire Univisión, esté como «¿lol k?» Mismo como cualquier película. Si lea y escuche es... imagino... sepas...

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To read them.

I read a lot of Spanish, but don't hear it (or write it or speak it) much. If I watch Univisión, I'm like "lol wut?" Same with any movie. If I read and hear it... I figure... y'know...

[chileno]

Originally Posted by droe82

Para leerlos.

Leo mucho... ¿«castellano»?, pero no es escucho (o escribo es o hablo es) mucho. Si mire Univisión, esté como «¿lol k?» Mismo como cualquier película. Si lea y escuche es... imagino... sepas...

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To read them.

I read a lot of Spanish, but don't hear it (or write it or speak it) much. If I watch Univisión, I'm like "lol wut?" Same with any movie. If I read and hear it... I figure... y'know...

Forget about that.

Movies are made to be watched and heard. Books to be read.

Do that and you'll be improving your listening skills a whole lot in almost no time.

[CrOtALiTo]

Chileno.

Tell me your commentary.
Please you light me my doubt.

What is more important for the learning of the language.
To see movies, To read books, to hear persons speaking English.

Tell me.

[droe82]

Originally Posted by chileno

Forget about that.

Movies are made to be watched and heard. Books to be read.

Do that and you'll be improving your listening skills a whole lot in almost no time.

I can't improve my listening skills if I don't know what I'm hearing.

[JPablo]

Well, you can check "Spanish movies" with English subtitles... so you get used to the sound of the language...

I had a French teacher who used to tell us to listen a French radio channel to get familiar with the sound of the language... Even if you don't understand anything at first... as you hear more and more, you start recognizing more and more...

Like a baby, when he/she is few months old... can say "ma-má" "pa-pá"... but he/she is "submerged" on that language... Well, same deal...

(Go for things you like most, and you'll see how you start recognizing more and more...)

[chileno]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Chileno.

Tell me your commentary.
Please you light me my doubt.

What is more important for the learning of the language.
To see movies, To read books, to hear persons speaking English.

Tell me.

All of the above.

Originally Posted by droe82

I can't improve my listening skills if I don't know what I'm hearing.

hmm

I know you don't mean that....

Do the following "experiment":

Get a movie, in English, start it and turn down the volume so that you cannot hear a peep out of it.

Watch the entire movie. Do you think you can tell me what was the movie about?

All this, coupled with what JPablo described is what happens naturally.

[droe82]

Originally Posted by chileno

hmm

I know you don't mean that....

Do the following "experiment":

Get a movie, in English, start it and turn down the volume so that you cannot hear a peep out of it.

Watch the entire movie. Do you think you can tell me what was the movie about?

All this, coupled with what JPablo described is what happens naturally.

I don't want to watch the movies because I want to know what it's about. I want to watch it so I can practice understanding Spanish. Just because I can read a word doesn't mean I can speak it or understand it when it's spoken. I want to connect what I read to what I hear.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by droe82

I don't want to watch the movies because I want to know what it's about. I want to watch it so I can practice understanding Spanish. Just because I can read a word doesn't mean I can speak it or understand it when it's spoken. I want to connect what I read to what I hear.

Exactly. You read and write in Spanish and translate. And watch and hear movies, so your mind can make the connection.

[JPablo]

In other words, if you get into a "Tarzan and Jenny" situation, "Me: Tarzán - You: Jenny" you could say in Spanish,
"Yo soy el señor Tarzán y tú eres Jenny"
Or in English,
"I am Tarzan, you are Jenny".
Well... with practice you can get (or Tarzan can get) to the point of saying "Hi there... or yo baby, I am Tarzan, who are you?"
I mean, you can get sophisticated...
But if you see the film on the Bounty... (or wathever) you can start recognizing the fact that "barco" is "ship" "sail" is "vela" and so on and so forth... The advantage of the movies is they give you the IMAGES, and you can more easily associate the MASS connected with the words and the MEANING or SIGNIFICANCE of them... making the process of learning a lot more certain...

If you go and live in Spain for a month, the "necessity level" will teach you faster than anything else. (I know Americans who had never studied Spanish who were able to start talking in a matter of a month, just not having anyone to interpret and/or translate for them...)

No es tan difícil. Es sólo práctica, práctica, práctica... y una cosa más: práctica.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by chileno

All of the above.



hmm

I know you don't mean that....

Do the following "experiment":

Get a movie, in English, start it and turn down the volume so that you cannot hear a peep out of it.

Watch the entire movie. Do you think you can tell me what was the movie about?

All this, coupled with what JPablo described is what happens naturally.

Yes it is indescribable when you are able to hear a movie without subtitles in the cinema or in your own home.

When I understand a movie without subtitles, I feel me very haughty of myself because I have achieve much in so short time with English.

Chileno.

Thank you for your contribution.