Is watching German TV helpful in learning German?

Hello, I am going to Germany to learn German this summer; I am a total beginner and will be taking a language course for about 3 months.
I found a nice flat close to my language school and was seriously considering it, but apparently there is no TV/cable in the house (this is a studio so I will be alone, not WG). I think I read some people on this board saying watching a lot of German TV helped - so I am wondering, would not owning a TV hinder my lanage learning process? The landlord suggested I watch DVDs because there is a DVD store close by.. would this be equally effective? I do have quite a bit of German movies myself, can I use that as a substitute for watching German tv everyday?

thanks in advance..

p.s. anyone know if there is a way i could watch german tv through the internet??

Watching TV to learn a language will only work if you have learned the basics of that language first. For the first month of your language course, you may not understand anything at all. But it will get better, and by the end of the third month, you will have improved. Might still need a dictionary, but that's normal.

If you watch DVDs, you can also watch a German film in its original language, with the German subtitles turned on. It could help you with spelling and general comprehension of the story. Both watching TV and DVDs will teach you the everyday language that the Germans use, whereas if you only learn from the course, you may not get colloquial/slang phrases and words.

However, be forewarned that German TV is not very entertaining. The programmes are mostly German versions of US and UK television series, and they're not doing a very good job at it. Watch German films from the 70s, like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner Herzog, etc. That's the golden era of German films. After that, it's mostly rubbish.

I came to Germany the first time with some high school German under my belt and realized I was lost. The people spoke so fast, at least it seemed so at the time, that I could barely follow what they were saying. I found TV watching/listening useful in that it helped me become used to the pace of the language and helped make it easier to follow a conversation in which more than two people take part. Talks shows are very good for this.

I was surrounded by people who would speak English with me, which in the short run is good for getting to know the people but bad if you want to learn the language. Of course with time you will be able to hold a conversation and the more chances you have to actively use the language the better. But I would recommend getting a TV if at all possible, it's a big help in the beginning. Once you get to know people and spend more time out and about you can always sell it

There will be in no time ... if you buy one of those DVB-T TV sticks ...

It depends on what you watch. I still real German programs hard to understand at times, fast speaking and slang.
Dubbed versions of shows like the Simpsons are good, but things like Fresh Prinz can be tough at times as well because of the pace.

I learned a lot by watching Reich und Schön... Bold and the Beautiful, no shit. They tend to speak more slowly, they always repeat themselves and they think aloud all the time... 'I wonder where Stallion Steele is... i need to find him because he knows where Summer Breeze is hiding'

Watching DVDs is a good idea, just remember that there is that region code problem.

The Digital TV sticks are great, assuming you are in a bigger city... it doesn't work in Bayreuth, for example, even though they sell the things at MediaMarkt.

watching repeats of normal shows from the US, helped me with some of the regular every day words and phrases. Helped to improve my vocabulary.

No TV?!?! but what will you do??? what will you dooooooo???

I agree with the other Yes responses. After a couple months of looking at a small (30 cm) TV, I bought a much bigger one with language acquisition one big reason. Football games was the other.

do germans use youtube as well? like.. do you think it's possible i can find german dubbed tv-shows?

i just did a search and i don't find much.. for instance for spanish i can find a ton because most of their shows are dubbed, how about in germany??

Turn on the radio and try to surround yourself with the German Language as much as possible.Found it helps that way a lot

Try the German Youtube version ...

Sitting in the house watching TV will not help you much, but getting out and interacting with the locals (who can't speak English) will. If they can speak English, you are doomed to watching TV to learn.

Well, you'll save on not paying TV tax at least...

I don't think TV is the way to learn German and you won't suffer from not having it.

I would recommend that you allready start to listen to German webb radio, even if you dont understand you will get accustomed to the "tone and rhythm" of the language.

And personally i started with the German Krimis (detective stories) and the news, The Krimis because they are quite easy to follow, and the news since its short and clear.

Watching German TV is good for improving your comprehension and learning new, up-to-date vocabulary, but if you rely too much on that without actually getting out and meeting people then your speaking skills will lag behind. Being able to understand a language won't automatically make you able to speak it.

I am such a product of T.V.
All I do when I watch German T.V. is say "What does that mean?" every 30 seconds... and eventually I build up more German.

the German used on dubbed American shows is not the same style as spoken in German shows or in everyday situations. I can tell if a show is dubbed or real German by just listening to a few sentences without even looking at the tv.

I don't think it helps all that much to learn German. German news is also spoken in a way that is different from everyday German. If you really want to use TV for learning German I'd stick to the German produced soaps but it really isn't a substitute for real conversations.

thanks everyone! i'm just going to forget the TV and take the flat, and spend more time outside i suppose.

I agree you should forget the TV. My daughter's teacher told me that TV is definitely not the best way to learn a language. Reading the language and speaking it with others are the best ways

well, a telly got some advantages (even though you dont get the words you can still get the story coz of the pics), anyways if you go out with ppl you will learn much more quickly, plus if there are words or whole frases you dont get you can ask them to explain it to you in easier words til you learn the difficult ones, and yes it will take time but you will get there in no time at all chatting away

I watch a lot of DVDs in German (usually with the English subtitles on) and I've found it greatly improves my comprehension skills. This only works if you have some basic competence in the language to start with, if you don't it will just come across as meaningless babble.

But to develop speaking skills you really need to force yourself to talk to native speakers. Yes it's hard but how else can you learn? It is very frustrating when you reach the stage when you can understand what people are talking about but can't contribute without getting hopelessly tongue-tied. But everyone goes through this stage...practise makes perfect.

TV and films are certainly useful learning aids, but not the complete solution.

Solid advice.

When starting to learn a language, watching TV probably doesn't help much. People speak too fast, and often the spoken text and the pictures don't correspond, so you only have a vague idea of the topic – and many people find German TV boring anyway. Movie DVDs with a plot you already know are a better idea, and simply listening to the radio.

This is the hp of one of the two national public TV/radio services: ARD. News programs ("Nachrichten") are available as livestream or video, and some other programs as videos. In the bottom left corner, there is a link to all the regional public radio stations ("Radiowellen online hören").

Deutsche Welle is a public broadcasting service with an international scope; there is also a language course.

TV, especially the German-produced soaps can help you to get a feel of the language and to understand the slang. Radio, the newspaper and novels are much better. Of course there is no substitute for actual interaction with German speaking people, especially those who don't speak English at all. You need to start speaking as soon as possible, even if you make a lot of mistakes. Don't be shy and don't take it personal if you feel 'excluded' from conversations because you can't understand what is being said. Trust me, this is the best way to learn if you are really motivated to get the language under your belt. I am far from perfect but after 7 months here I can understand and speak the language after having used the tips I gave above.

Go to your local pub.
The one is at the corner of your street.

My husband, born in Canada to German parents, spoke only German until he entered school. His father then bought the family a TV and my husband claims he learned English by watching "Batman" reruns.

His English is perfect but he does tend to say "Kerpow!" a lot.

True, but the advantage of watching dubbed American shows is that if you've seen them before in English you're more likely to know what's going on and be able to pick up vocabulary from the context.

Other people's mileage may vary, but it worked well for me, watching dubbed versions of shows like Airwolf, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and ST:TNG.

Ofcourse and obviously, its helpful albeit it tests your patience. Sometimes, I do watch some of the German soaps or any other series that comes on telly. Some of 'em are Rosenheim Cops, Quiz Taxi, Dr.House, King Of Queens, etc stuff. I dont follow them regularly.Only once in a while.

I always used to watch James Bond films on German TV. I knew the story and much of the dialogue already, the plots are not very taxing, so you can concentrate on the words being used, worked for me!

"Nein Mr.Bond, ich erwarte, dass Sie sterben!"

The guy who played Goldfinger was a German who didn't speak English very well, and his lines were all dubbed by another actor. So if you watch it in German, he's been dubbed over twice.

[babble]Books, don't talk to me about books - oops, maybe that was on another thread but what the heck it's a babble. I arrived here last year with a copy of Hammer that looked like it had been through the washing machine, and exactly zero practice in speaking and comprehension. Oh you didn't, arf arf what a plonker. The folk I'd been writing to were gobsmacked when all I heard was "blah-blah-blah" and all they got back was "Ich habe - oh nein, bin - um, er" ... five hours to translate the Kaufvertrag, about three weeks to buy a pound of mince without the Marcel Marceau routine - hmm, suppose it's like learning what each bit of an aeroplane is for, then trying to just hop in and fly the thing.

Back on topic then - sanity's been kept vaguely afloat by a handful of films with rewatchability (e.g. Interview with the vampire, A few good men, Tremors) that I can watch now and then, understanding more and more. It also helps that most folk in this area are so friendly, when my eyes start to glaze over they're willing to say "blah-blah-blah ?" then smile and try again. Sport on TV has been good for at least the feeling of getting somewhere - you know generally what will be said, nicely colloquial, plenty repetition - ski-jumping and snooker spring to mind.

Rightio, that's me done for another year or so. Cheers [/babble]

I'm only a couple weeks into trying to learn German (again). I was a good student in this language in school over 20 years ago and in my youth I could pick up languages quite easily. I'm an old (just turned 40) man now and my brain is fighting me.

Thad said, I have a very old course: German, how to speak and write it. I'm also buried in podcasts and video pod casts, mostly news related stuff.

I have to say they DO help. A lot. for one thing they place me in a mood to think auf Deutsch, rather than in English. I've learned the conditioned of public toilets in a US mens room was schlect (i agreed). I can almost get useful information about the weather thanks especially to the video casts.

I'm not saying the pod/video casts are teaching me but they put me into a conversation as a voyeur where I may be able to learn from the masters.

I'm taking what I learn from my 60 year old text and trying to apply it to the media I can get. I've also dragged my younger Sohn into the excersize so he can help me lears (and by extension, his pretty obvious language muscles get a needed workout).

What brings me here not was my search for German DVDs.

I'd reccommend you avail yourself of any tool you can afford the time and money for. I have three months to learn passably German. I want to show my office hosts as much respect as I can by learning their language. Plus there's this cute waitress in Düsseldorf I met last October. Maybe showing my effort will make her fall to her knees in awe, or at least a coughing and laughing fit. Either will suffice to ask her out to coffee.

If I've made serious grammatical mistakes, please forgive me. My Ambien is kicking in as I have been writing this.

Can't say it's helped me much

watching the news is good,that old guy he's ( For Cruiser) retired now he spoke great German