Listening to English at home: FILMS

Hello guys,

I'm writing today to post a very useful link to practise listening at home: www.cuevana.com. There you have all the films and tv series you can think of in original version. The website is very updated: sometimes you can watch films that haven't even been released in Spain!

You have two possibilities to watch the film/series:

• You can watch it online: in this case you can activate or deactivate the subtitles -normally they're in Spanish, but sometimes you have more than one option-. And the best of all, there is no time limit, so you can watch the entire film or tv series without stopping.

• You can also download it to your computer with the subtitles. If the subtitles are not in the language you want, then go to www.tvsubtitles.net (subtitles for tv series) or www.opensubtitles.org (subtitles for films) or simply write "name of the film English subtitles" in google, e.g. Django English subtitles. When you play the film, the computer will automatically take the subtitles, but it's essential that both files have the very same name, e.g. TheKarateKid.mp4 (this is the video), TheKarateKid.srt (these are the subtitles). 

Some classmates have asked me if it's better to watch the film with or without subitles and if the subtitles should be in English or Spanish. First of all, forget the idea that watching films with subtitles is "bad". It is not. Quite on the contrary, it is very good practice because you associate spelling and pronunciation which, as you know, does not always coincide in English. Therefore, the ideal thing would be to watch films in English with English subtitles until your level is high enough to eliminate subtitles completely.

Now, very important: choose something that you like. This way, the language will unconsciously become something secondary and you will enjoy what you're watching. This is essential. Nobody likes picking up a CD with listening practice on a Friday evening; it's not natural and you get bored quickly. That doesn't happen with films.

So, what film are you watching this weekend? :)

Ps: It would be a very good idea to leave a comment with the films you've watched in original version recommending it (or not) to your classmates.