Learn languages with movies - fun!

Have you ever learnt languages by watching movies? It's a great tool to learn new words and new expressions in the language you're learning. However, there are some do's and don'ts.

First of all, the genre of the film should be suited to your language level. Action movies and animated movies are best for beginners, because those use simple words and sentences. Especially if they're movies for kids. More advanced students are better served with the many puns and expressions of comedies.

Second, prepare well by printing the script. Check which words are used most, and learn those you don't know yet. You can find the most-used words also by using Wordle or WordCounter.

Third, never watch dubbed movies. This may be obvious, but what's the point of watching a movie if not even the language is the language you're learning?

Fourth, avoid watching with subtitles in your language. You'll be more concentrated on reading your own language instead of learning new words.

Fifth, put subtitles in the language you're learning. These are mostly used by deaf persons, but you can enjoy them too.

Sixth, find movies in the language you're learning on IMDb. Go for the search option and select the language you're learning under the option 'languages'.

More tips in my book and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

The 3 main tenses in Dutch

Let's see the basic rules for the 3 main Dutch tenses: the present, past and future tenses.

The present:

Most infinitives end with -en, like werken. This is the plural. For the singular, remove the -en and add a -t for second and third person.

Ik werk (I work)
Jij werkt (you work)
Hij / Zij werkt (he/she works)
Wij werken (we work)
Jullie werken (you work)
Zij werken (they work)

The future:

Use the verb gaan (to go) in front of the infinitive.

Ik ga werken.
Jij gaat werken.
Hij / Zij gaat werken.
Wij gaan werken.
Jullie gaan werken.
Zij gaan werken.

The past:

Use the verb to have (hebben) in front of the past participle (ge - t/d). In some cases, verbs will use  to be (zijn) instead of to have.

Ik heb gewerkt.
Jij hebt gewerkt.
Hij / Zij heeft gewerkt.
Wij hebben gewerkt.
Jullie hebben gewerkt.
Zij hebben gewerkt.

Want to learn more? Here's an excellent start...