15 TV Shows To Learn A New Language

There are many reasons why people want to learn a new language.  Meeting new people, job opportunities or emigrating are just a sample of these.  Traditionally, languages are learned in a school environment or through an online course.  Whilst these are tried and tested methods, some people are turning on their TV and watching shows and programmes instead.  Here we discuss using these 15 TV shows to learn a new language.

Let’s kick things off with French.  There are quite a few recommended shows for improving French skills.  

Show 1: Les Revenants AKA The Returned - French

There are 16 episodes available so plenty of opportunities to learn.  The series is basically about dead residents returning to their rural town.  It is based on a film from 2004 and comes highly recommended by viewers.  UK residents can catch it through Amazon where those in the US should check out AMC.

Show 2: Skam France - French

There have been lots of Skam remakes over the years.  It is based upon a Norwegian teen drama and now boasts a whopping 82 episodes.  No wonder people use this to improve their French.  The plot of Skam France is based around the daily lives of high school students who are living in Paris.  Each episode focuses on a different character.  

Spanish also proves to be a popular second language and there are lots of options available in terms of TV shows.  

Show 3: La Casa de Papel AKA Money Heist  - Spanish

This show has 36 episodes available through Netflix.  The Professor, a mysterious criminal mastermind, leads a gang through various robberies and heists.  The first episode really hits the ground running as the gang attempt to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. 

People have suggested watching this with subtitles initially and then rewatching without them.  Because there is so much tension in each episode, people enjoy watching it again and again which only increases levels of understanding around Spanish.

Show 4: The Family Chantel - Spanish

Sticking with Spanish for this one.  Watch (and learn some Spanish) Pedro and Chantel begin their newly married lives together.  Pedro shares his culture with Chantel and their families become closer.  Only 18 episodes are available through TLC but it’s worth watching.  The Family Chantel is a continuation of the show 90 Day Fiancé which features both Chantel and Pedro.

Now, sticking with Europe for the next couple of shows, we move to Sweden.  

Show 5: Bonusfamiljen AKA Bonus Family - Swedish

Netflix is the place to watch these 31 entertaining episodes.  

‘This show is great for picking up key vocabulary rather than full on conversational Swedish,’ reports Sophie Christine, a leading business writer at Eliteassignmenthelp and UK Top Writers.  ‘After a couple of basic classes this is a great show to listen out for pieces of vocabulary you have learned.’

Follow the lives of Lisa and Patrick who are both recently divorced from separate relationships.  Complicated?  Absolutely, as the show features kids, exes, and stepkids.  Very entertaining to watch and to try and follow.   

Show 6: Kärlek och Anarki AKA Love & Anarchy - Swedish

There are only 8 episodes of this show which is a shame as the storyline sounds entertaining and exciting.  It features workplace dares between Sophie (married mum) and the IT temp called Max.  Things become rather risqué and out of control very quickly.  The use of anarchy in the title of the show is no accident! 

Show 7: Skam – Norwegian

Just across the border from Sweden is Norway and another great example for using TV shows to learn a new language.  Skam has already been featured in our list (French).  This Norwegian version is where it all started and features a group of teenagers from a wealthy neighbourhood in the capital of Oslo. 

Like the French version, each episode focuses on one member of the group.  Expect to see relationships, mental health issues and a whole lot more in these 43 shows.  People who have watched the shows think they are great and have led to people pursuing Norwegian as a place of work.

Show 8: Dark – German

Sticking with the European languages here, and a very watchable series set in the fictional place of Winden.  Not the jolliest of series as it centres around the disappearance of two children.  Disturbing memories of the past emerge and the backstories of 4 different families begin to unravel.  People have used this to build on their basic German language and find it great to watch

Show 9: Am Dro – Welsh

If you like Come Dine With Me, then these shows could be right up your street.  What is good about using Am Dro as a language tool is that it features people from north and south Wales so different dialects are included. 

Basically, a small group of people take each other on their favourite walk around Wales.  The winner receives the quite appropriate prize of some brand new walking equipment.  Eighteen episodes are available through BBC iPlayer if you want to watch a nice little series.  

Show 10: Friends – American English

This is the go-to show for people who are wanting to learn English. Follow the chaotic lives of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey in this hilarious classic. 

The show is very informal so is a great way for informal and conversational English to be learned.  Enjoy 236 episodes through Netflix (UK) or HBO Max (US).  Each episode brings something slightly different and features love, friendship, and hilarity in equal measure, all mixed in with a coffee at Central Perk.  

Show 11: Sherlock – English

Unlike Friends, Sherlock is set in England.  People report that they watched these shows and improved their pronunciation of the language. 

There is a much more formal version of the English language throughout the episodes. Set in London, viewers enjoy the brilliant mind of Sherlock Holmes and his trusting, loyal assistant Doctor Watson.  Only 13 episodes are available, but all are gripping and thought-provoking.  The government and the public employ the services of the pair who solve complex murders and crimes.

Show 12: Al-Rawabi School for Girls – Arabic

Let’s move across the globe for this next language.  This show, set in Jordan, has been described as Arab Mean Girls.  It features a group of girls who don’t fit into quite a prestigious school, and how they get their own back over bullies.  This show has been used by those who had been learning Arabic for a long time and were spurred on by this show, even though there are only six episodes to watch.

Show 13: Return of Superman – Korean

Moving towards the East of the globe for this next show and no it doesn’t feature a cape-wearing superhero.  It actually shows celebrity dads looking after their own children whilst their wives go away for a few days.  Putting people out of their comfort zones is a major feature of the 372 episodes but it is great for learning basic vocabulary.  

‘The dads often point at different objects and repeat the name for their kids,’ observes Daniel Richard, a world-renowned technical writer at Best British Essays and UK Services reviews.  ‘This means that you cannot help but learn some Korean vocabulary from watching the show.’

Show 14: Sen Çal Kapımı – Turkish

People report that Turkish is a hard language to learn and must be covered slowly.  This show is great for learning basic words and phrases and is also very entertaining. 

Bingeable is one way it has been described previously.  For quite a basic sounding plot, there are actually 156 episodes of this show which could be why people use it to reinforce their Turkish language skills. 

A young lady named Eda loses her scholarship and is then unable to complete her degree.  The man responsible for this (who happens to be very wealthy) offers to pay for Eda to complete her scholarship.  There is a catch.  Eda must pretend that she is his girlfriend.

Show 15:  Switched At Birth – American Sign Language

This show has inspired people to pursue careers in American Sign Language (ASL).  What works quite well with this show is that some of the signings aren’t 100% accurate which means people who are studying it must watch carefully.

Being more aware of the deaf community is also a huge positive of using this show as a language tool.  In the show, Bay and Daphne are switched at birth and have very different upbringings.  Eventually, the hospital realises and contacts both families. 

This brings them together to try and rectify the situation.  One hundred and three episodes to follow the plot and to grasp ASL here.  

Ready To Start Using TV Shows To Learn A New Language?

Learning a language the traditional way has its merits and is very successful.  By watching TV shows, pupils are able to use their classroom knowledge in a much more real-life setting. 

Different dialects and speed of speech, which are part of native TV shows, compliment academic learning.  The key to this is choosing a show that keeps your attention and doesn’t feel like a language lesson at all. 

Sara Sparrow works as a skilled, technical writer and project coordinator at Assignment writer and Urgent assignment help.  In her spare time she enjoys walking her dog Buster and writing about their adventures.  She has recently begun to take part in tech and marketing conferences and consults with other businesses.  Her contributions to articles for online magazines and blogs, such as Study demic are highly respected across her industry.