Movies in English are a great way for you to learn as a beginner, especially with subtitles in use. You are able to watch how in many cases, native English speakers interact with each other and exchange dialogue. You are able to see both audibly and visually how words are pronounced. Plus, you can attain cultural knowledge based on what values are portrayed in film. Now there is a film starring Tom Hanks from 2004 named “The Terminal.” Not only can you learn English from watching it, but you can see the main character taking on the same task as well. This movie shows the english language journey of an Eastern European tourist with zero english speaking experience. Many english as a second language students and speakers can relate to his methods. 

The film follows protagonist Viktor Navorski, fresh off the plane at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. The problem is, he cannot speak English and his passport is invalid. His homeland is also in the midst of a civil war, so the United States would not let him return home. His only choice was to stay in the airport until he was allowed to go to the city or forced to return home. During his time in the airport, it became his personal mission to learn English. He uses what is around him and is able to do so in several months.

Click here to watch methods Viktor uses to learn English

Viktor was forced into an environment where everything around him was in English or where English became the bridge language for the many cultures who passed through the airport. He had to start small, so he began watching the news feed playing in the airport. They were reporting on the ongoing civil war in his country. Using phonetics, he sounded out the words that he could read and interpreted the name of his country. Then he began interpreting phrases on the captions below the news report. The news is a perfect way for a non-native speaker to learn English, it shows proper language and diverse vocabulary for huge issues.

Later on Viktor picked up a magazine in his native language and then english. He used it to compare the vocabulary being used in each language in order to learn the english side of it. The pop-culture knowledge in the magazine became extremely useful for Viktor’s learning experience. He also was able to meet people of different backgrounds in the airport, which is a great tool for success. 

He also had a love interest that spoke English, so he needed to learn in order to flirt with her. Having more reasons to learn a language than just learning itself can really motivate you to take the extra steps to actually learn. He also had a cultural reason to speak English, he came to America to complete his late father’s jazz autograph collection. This was a great motivation for him to have a greater understanding of what surrounds the culture of jazz.

After months and months of these steps, Viktor is fluent enough to use English loosely by the end of the movie. He can hold a conversation without a huge struggle. His methods are very common and very useful. They are tried and true. Watching this film in particular can give you some great ideas on ways to improve or learn English. Getting stranded in an airport isn’t one of them, but I am confident the rest will work!