By Jennifer Trend
There are many ways to learn a language, but it’s hard to learn one without daily exposure to listening to it. Here are some shows on Netflix for learners of all steps. Animated shows, especially Disney movies and a handful of animations, have foreign languages available.
The ones below are all watchable for viewers in high school or younger depending on the show and there are countless other great shows that have higher ratings not mentioned here.
Spanish
Pocoyo – Even though it is targeted for young children, it is a great show to watch if you’re beginning to learn Spanish. The episodes are 30 minutes and broken up into three 10-minute segments, perfect for learning a bit even if you don’t have the time to watch the full 30 minutes. The animation is also very cute, in my humble opinion.
The Little Prince – The novel has already been translated into 300 languages, but this version of the film is only translated into Spanish. But the work as an animation and story is absolutely stunning and worth watching, given that it does delineate a bit from the original story. I may or may not have shed a tear watching this.
Gran Hotel and Velvet – Unlike the previous two, these two are dramas, containing 39 and 55 episodes, occurring in Spain and Madrid respectively. Since they are dramas, it contains a more realistic insight to the lifestyle and culture in those areas. And due to the multiple dialects of the Spanish language, these two can help to train an ear to a certain dialect or become more accustomed to different ways of speaking.
Japanese
With anime, depending on what you watch, it can do more harm than good. The more fantastical it is, the more unlikely it is that you are going to be able to understand it well. Why? Because there will be vocabulary that may not be taken from the English language and may be hard to understand or comprehend without English subtitles. And the more realistic the anime is, the more likely it will have cultural tendencies from Japan.
Some animes that are more realistic and may be easier to understand: Forest of Piano, A Silent Voice, Haikyuu!!, Violet Evergarden, Anohana, Your Lie in April
Some animes that are more fantastical and more so recommended for those who have a background in Japanese: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fate, Code Geass, Blue Exorcist
Erased – this drama takes place in Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan. Because of its location, it allows viewers to not only practice their listening skills, but also presents a look into the Hokkaido dialect, which varies greatly from the general Tokyo dialect.
Terrace House – this is an unscripted reality show that brings three males and three females together to live under the same roof. It follows their lives as they interact with each other and whatever drama or love that insues. Because of the variety of people from all over Japan are on the show, it is a good chance to not only understand the culture of Japan, but also listen to the different dialects.
French
Miraculous Ladybug – Yes, it may be a cartoon, and yes, it may be targeted towards young children, but it’s perfect if you want a short 20 minute episode to watch. It even has options to watch in Spanish, Italian and Portugese, even if it was originally created in French. For a kids show, it is really interesting and worth watching.
Lady J – This is a movie taking place during Louis XV’s reign, and follows a story of romance and drama. Due to it being a live action, viewers have the ability to practice their listening skills with real people and real dialects.
