There are hundreds of good Spanish-speaking movies and series/telenovelas on DVD these days and here are some tips so you can get the most out of them.
1. Get your materials ready: pen, notebook and a dictionary. If you’re watching the DVD on your computer, you can also use your text editor.
2. Choose a scene no more than 5 minutes long.
3. Watch the scene in Spanish, without subtitles. Try to write down the words that you understood.
4. Watch the scene in Spanish again, without subtitles. Write a little paragraph (in Spanish or English) about what’s happening in the scene.
5. Now watch the scene with the subtitles in English. Compare the script of the scene with the words and the paragraph you wrote down.
6. Watch the scene in Spanish, without subtitles, a third time. Try and write down more words or expressions in your list.
7. Now watch the scene with the subtitles in Spanish without using the Pause button. Try and add more words/expressions to your list.
8. Watch the scene with the subtitles in Spanish once again and stop to write down words and new expressions.
9. Now that you’ve watched the scene 6 times, try to find out, through context, the definition of the new words that you wrote down.
10. Finally, use your dictionary (Spanish-Spanish if you’re an intermediate or advanced student or bilingual if you’re a beginner) to check for meaning. Remember to always write down words/expressions with the sentences, so they are now out of context.
This is it for today!
Nos vemos prontito.
