Best Movies To Learn English: GuruLab’s Top 10 Picks
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You’re probably thinking: surely watching movies isn’t the best way to learn English? Well, it’s not the best – but movies can certainly teach us a few things a textbook-only learning experience can’t!
Ready to study English the fun way? Grab your popcorn and read on to discover ten GuruLab-approved films for learners and learn our top tricks to watching them effectively!
10 Best Movies To Learn English - According To Us
The Sound of Music
This is an old film but will forever be a classic, and one of the best movies to help you learn English as a beginner. The Sound of Music is a musical drama about a woman who becomes the governess to a retired naval officer’s seven children.
From catchy songs to the lead, Julie Andrews’, perfect enunciation, The Sound of Music makes it simple to pick up everyday English.
2. Toy Story
There are five Toy Story movies, all of which are action-packed and full of heart, humour and friendship. It’s about the ‘secret life’ of toys that come to life when no one is around.
Animated movies like Toy Story are made for children, and that means the vocabulary is simple. Throughout the film, you’ll hear lots of easy-to-use American slang. On occasion, there are longer words that are handy for students to learn – making this movie helpful for English in the classroom and everyday life.
3. Curious George
This is an animated movie for children about a funny little monkey named Curious George. He often gets a little too curious and finds himself in tricky situations.
Given it is a children’s movie, the English is easy to understand. The phrases used in the film are very useful in real life - especially for primary school students or English beginners. Beyond this, the plot is also quite simple, so even non-English speakers can follow the film easily.
4. The King’s Speech
Is there a better way to learn English than with the King of England? This British film follows King George VI as he tries to overcome a stutter (a speech problem) before his first radio broadcast.
This is also one of the best movies to learn English as the whole plot focuses on how to speak English correctly. This movie is more suited to students in secondary school or intermediate English speakers as the language is more complicated.
5. The Theory of Everything
This movie is all about Stephen Hawking – one of the most famous scientists in the world. The movie tells the story of his relationship with Jane Wilde and the fatal illness he was diagnosed with in his early twenties.
A key reason why The Theory of Everything made it on our list is that the characters have easy-to-understand British accents. Otherwise known as ‘The Queen’s English’, it’s upper-class English that is clear and correct. This movie is also more appropriate for secondary students and intermediate learners.
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6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
You might want to have some chocolate within reach when you watch this – especially if you have a sweet tooth! This movie follows young Charlie Bucket’s magical adventure as he visits the mystical Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.
Delicious adventures aside, this movie introduces a lot of new words to help improve a student’s vocabulary. The film includes lots of interesting illustrations to show you what the words mean, which makes learning new terms a breeze.
7. Akeelah and The Bee
If you’re in the mood to learn new words and get inspired to spell well – this movie is for you! Akeelah and The Bee follows a young girl on a journey to win the National Spelling Bee.
Given the movie is all about spelling, this is the perfect film to help grow your vocabulary while witnessing the journey of an academic competitor. You’ll also be left with a newfound determination to spell everything correctly – making this one of the best movies to learn all about spelling in English!
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
This isn’t an ordinary Christmas story – that’s why this is a must-watch every time December comes around. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a story about a grumpy anti-Christmas character who likes to live alone in a cave just moments away from a small town of Christmas-loving people.
This movie makes the list because the characters like to speak in rhymes; a catchy, creative way for students to learn new words and phrases. The rhyming coupled with the wonderful lessons throughout the film makes this the perfect movie for young English learners.
9. Harry Potter
As England’s national treasure – it’s no surprise that Harry Potter is one of the best movies for students to learn English. The film series follows a young wizard as he navigates the wizarding world in rivalry with Voldemort, the murderer of his parents.
Equipped with giant spiders, flying brooms, and dragons, these films are not only extremely interesting but they were made for a young audience. The dialogues are slow and easy to understand, especially in the first two Harry Potter movies.
10. Back to the Future
Rewriting the past and a time-travelling car are just two things that made Back to the Future a must-watch film for people of all ages. The story follows Marty McFly as he travels back in time with the help of his scientist friend, Doc Brown’s, machine.
This film is the perfect choice for secondary school students or intermediate learners as the show deals with science. Occasionally, the conversations can seem slightly complex, however, the message of the story can be understood quite easily.
Recommended Approach To Learning English With Movies
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Tip #1: Switch on the English subtitles
I know it’s tempting to watch an English movie with subtitles in your native language, but don’t! With English subtitles, you won’t just be listening to new words and phrases, but reading too. Trust us, this will make it much easier to pick up new words and understand the film.
Tip #2: The shorter the better
The best movies to learn English from are often shorter as you won’t become overwhelmed with new words or feel tempted to stop watching halfway through. Unfortunately, this means avoiding the King Kongs and Titanics (read: over 3-hour long movies) when you’re starting out.
Tip #3: Don’t rely solely on movies to improve your English
We hate to break it to you but while movies are great, you’ll only improve your English if you’re practising your speaking, reading, and writing skills too. All hope isn’t lost – another fun way to learn English is with apps! Find all the best apps to learn English reading, writing, speaking, and listening here.
Tip #4: Pick movies you’ll enjoy
Call us Captain Obvious but our best advice for learning English with movies is to pick the films you’ll be interested in. Do a quick Google search or visit IMDB to look for interesting movies by genre, title, or even your favourite actors.