TV series for learning English

Learning English by watching a TV series is a relatively new form of language learning. Nevertheless, it is becoming more and more popular and it has proven to be quite effective. Here is our list of the 6 best English series for language learning!
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Learning a language can be boring, tedious and monotonous… but it doesn’t have to be! Watching a TV series while learning English not only allows you to familiarize yourself with the language in its natural, everyday use, but also expands your vocabulary and helps you to learn many useful phrases and idioms. Undeniably, however, the biggest advantage of learning a language by watching a TV series is the fact that it is also a pleasure!
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Pros of learning by watching a TV series

Why is it worth watching a TV series while learning English? First of all, watching a TV series is a very enjoyable form of learning. What is more, it allows us to hear different accents and natural speech. Moreover:

• we practice listening comprehension – it is extremely useful during all kinds of exams, especially during certification exams,
• the excellent diction of the actors and lack of linguistic errors is a great advantage, thanks to which we can quickly learn the correct pronunciation,
• we have the opportunity to learn slang and colloquial language,
• we can learn new vocabulary and idioms,
• watching a TV series helps us to remember new vocabulary and grammatical structures, because learning is accompanied by visual associations,
• it allows us to learn about the culture of an English-speaking country,
• when you start learning with a TV series, it’s a good idea to turn on the original language subtitles to follow the actors’ statements. This makes it easier to get used to their way of speaking and pronunciation, or the accent of native speakers. We shouldn’t be discouraged if we don’t understand everything right away – it will come with time,
• it is also worth having a notebook at hand and writing down words, phrases or grammatical structures that you find particularly interesting. Thanks to this, we will be able to review them and check their meaning in a dictionary or grammar textbook.
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When choosing a TV series, it is worth taking into account the language level used in it. We should not throw ourselves into the deep end, starting with a historical or popular science series, in which the vocabulary will be too sophisticated, or archaic in the case of a costume series. A drama series is the best choice as it is usually based on everyday situations, and thus – colloquial vocabulary. However, in order for this form of learning a language to be as effective as possible, we should choose a series that we like the most – thanks to this, learning will simply be a pleasure.

Our list includes both American and British TV series. These countries differ not only in terms of culture, but also in accents and pronunciation, as well as in vocabulary and spelling. If you want to learn to speak with a specific accent, e.g. American, you should watch TV series from this country and become familiar with this pronunciation.
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The best American series for learning English

Friends

Let’s start with a classic that will definitely be a good place to start – the sitcom Friends. It is a comedy series about a group of friends living in New York, or more precisely, in Manhattan. Each episode presents the daily adventures and problems of the characters, including their romantic endeavours, with a large dose of humour. A definite advantage of the series is the everyday language and multitude of linguistic and cultural jokes. Although the series was created in the 1990’s, it still is a sensation among viewers, and its excellent atmosphere makes many people still return to it, watching all 10 seasons over and over again.
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Orange is the New Black

Everyone has certainly heard about this series at least once. Orange is the New Black tells the story of Piper Chapman, who is imprisoned in a female prison for 15 months for possessing money from a drug deal that belonged to her ex-girlfriend, smuggler Alex Vause. Her life is turned upside down. In addition to the captivating story and interesting characters, the language is, of course, the advantage of this series. Every day English from different ethnic groups and a variety of accents is used. With this series, we can expand our knowledge with vocabulary related to crime and law.
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Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy is a series about the lives of resident doctors working at the Seattle Grace Memorial Hospital. The main character, Meredith Grey, and her friends try to reconcile their professional and personal lives, which is no small feat for this group of young doctors. In addition to the medical plot, the series also features numerous love plots and personal dramas. It is a great choice for people interested in this specialized language – in this case, medical. In addition to everyday language, we will come across vocabulary related to medical procedures, human anatomy, surgical tools, and medical specialties.
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The best British TV series for learning English

After Life

After Life is a TV series for fans of classic British humour. The series tells the story of a journalist trying to come to terms with the death of his wife. Tony, the main character, through his unpleasant behaviour, starts to push people away who try to help him through his loss. Additionally, he struggles with suicidal thoughts. The linguistic advantages of the series include everyday language and vocabulary, as well as the presence of sarcastic British humour. During each episode, we can listen to the British accent of the actors and learn first-hand about British culture.
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Skins

Skins presents the adventures of a group of teenagers who struggle with everyday teenage problems. Each episode is dedicated to one of the heroes and presents their personal dilemmas. A definite positive side of the series is the presence of slang and youth language, as well as different accents from different parts of England. At first, it is worth watching it with English subtitles, as actors often speak very quickly, which when combined with a strong British accent, may be incomprehensible to the untrained ear.
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Game of Thrones

We recommend Game of Thrones to people with higher language skills as well as to fantasy and medieval enthusiasts. The series is an adaptation of George R.R. Martina’s saga and tells the story of a power struggle for the throne of the fictional kingdom of Westeros. Although the events in the books and in the series are fictional, the author was inspired by the history of English and Scottish rulers. While watching the series, we can hear a wide range of accents from different parts of Great Britain because the regions of the fictional kingdom of Westeros correspond to the regions of England. We will also hear long monologues and both every day and sometimes even archaic language.
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New standards of learning

Watching a TV series while learning English is a great way not only to enrich our vocabulary, but also to become familiar with the language, learn interesting grammatical structures and colloquial speech. This form of learning should, of course, be an addition to standard learning with language courses and textbooks that will clear up grammar and lexical doubts. Now, there is nothing else for us to do but to wish you a pleasant evening watching your new favourite English TV series!