­　　We often talk about how important it is to watch movies without subtitles to really maximize your oral comprehension and vocabulary。 But as I say in my article The Best Movies to Watch to Improve Your Spanish， we have designed a method using TV shows for learning English。 American researchers have concluded that watching movies with subtitles helps comprehension （except for ultra beginners）。 Personally， I alternate between movies and TV series without subtitles， but I think that series have two distinct advantages：

­　　我們常常談論，看不帶字幕的電影對最大程度擴大提升口語理解和詞匯量是何其重要，但是正如我在《最佳電影：提升的你的西班牙語》一文中所說的，我們設計了一種通過電視劇來學習英語的方法。美國研究者總結道，觀看配字幕的電影有助于理解（對于完全初學者來說除外）。就我而言，無字幕的電影和電視連續劇我輪流著看，但我認為電視劇有兩大明顯優勢：

­　　TV series are ideal for learning step-by-step： we start with subtitles in your language， which are eventually replaced after a few seasons by subtitles in English。 Eventually， you watch the show with no subtitles。 With series， you can take the time to get used to characters’ voices and accents。 The situations often involve repetition， and little by little， your understanding improves。

­　　電視連續劇有助循序漸進地學習：從選擇母語字幕開始，幾季之后換英文字幕。最終你可以不用字幕就看劇。看電視劇的時候，你有時間適應角色的嗓音和口音。電視情景時有重復，漸漸你的理解力會提升。

­　　Series are engaging and often create a “dependence effect”： If you choose a good series that fits your taste， it’ll be hard to stop watching！ You’ll be exposed to hours upon hours of a language without even noticing how much you’re learning。

­　　連續劇引人入勝，時常營造出“依賴效應”：如果你選的電視劇合你胃口，你想停下來也難！置身語言環境數小時，你不知不覺間便受益匪淺。

­　　Like I do for movies without subtitles， I will periodically publish lists of shows to watch to improve oral comprehension。 Below is a list of series in English that I particularly enjoy。 They are all educational in a certain respect， too：

­　　和對無字幕電影一樣，我會定期列出劇目清單，幫助人們提高口語理解能力。以下就是我列出的我特別喜歡的英語電視劇的清單。從某種程度上說，都頗具教育意義：

­　　TV Sitcoms for Learning English

­　　為英語學習者推薦的情景喜劇：

­　　Comedic series known as “sitcoms” （like Friends） are easier for beginners：

­　　電視情景喜劇（比如《老友記》）對于初學者而言較為容易：

­　　The episodes are not long， so you can stay focused， despite any problems you may have understanding。

­　　每一集都不會很長，因此，盡管你在理解上可能會遇到問題，但是你也能夠集中精力。

­　　There are usually not a lot of characters， but the ones who are in the show have a lot of dialog。 You get the chance to get used to their voices and accents。

­　　情景劇中通常不會有許多人物角色，但是在劇中的人物都會有大量的對白。因此你就有機會去適應他們的聲音和口音。

­　　The vocabulary is from everyday conversations。 It’s more useful to learn common vocabulary， obviously， as opposed to more specialized jargon。

­　　情景劇中的詞匯來自日常生活的對話。顯然與學習專業術語相比，學習常用詞匯更為有用。

­　　I had formed a bad impression of sitcoms。 I never really had followed one。 The automated laughter and poor quality of some can be a turn off。 But a few years ago， I forced myself to watch the first 5 episodes of Friends。 Since then， I’ve really learned to appreciate sitcoms， to the point of not being able to turn them off sometimes。 And I can tell you that my English has considerably improved。 Now， I truly believe in the power of TV shows for learning English or any other language。

­　　我之前對情景喜劇印象并不好，從未真正追過哪一部。自動化的笑聲和部分低質量的作品實在倒胃口。但就在幾年前，我強迫自己去看了《老友記》的前五集。自此以后，我真正學會了欣賞情景喜劇，到了無法自拔的地步。而且我可以告訴你，我的英語水平大幅提高。現在我真的相信電視劇的力量，有助英語和任何其他語言的學習。

­　　Friends

­　　《老友記》

­　　[United – States – 1994/2004- 10 seasons – Sitcom/Comedy] Few people don’t know Ross， Rachel， Chandler， Monica， Joey and Phoebe， the famous cast of Friends。 The story follows the lives of a group of New Yorkers in their 30s。 With 10 unbelievable seasons， the show is full of wit and laughter。 It’s perfect for a relaxed evening。 You quickly get attached to the 6 people， and I will admit that I felt rather sad when I watched the last episode of the last season。

­　　[美國-1994/2004-10季-情景喜劇/喜劇]很少會有人不知道羅斯、瑞秋、錢德勒、莫妮卡、喬伊和菲比吧——《老友記》中演員陣容膾炙人口。故事圍繞著一群而立之年的紐約人的生活展開。不可思議的是，這部劇詼諧機智、笑聲不斷，共拍攝了十季，妙得令人難以置信，非常適合心情放松的夜晚。你會很快愛上這六個角色，我也不得不承認，觀看最后一季最后一集時我很難過。

­　　Language Concerns

­　　語言要點

­　　Like Friends， the English is not too difficult （although there is a lot of slang）。 You get plenty of practical vocabulary relevant to socializing。 Other sitcoms： There are loads of different sitcoms for every taste。 If you don’t like shows like Friends， take a look at this list。 I also suggest The Simpsons， The Office， and Modern Family。

­　　和《老友記》一樣，劇中英語不難懂（雖然有大量俚語）。你能學到許多和社交有關的實用詞匯。其他情景喜劇：對于不同的喜好都有各色各樣不同的情景喜劇。倘若你不喜歡《老友記》這樣的劇目，可以看看這張單子。我還推薦《辛普森一家》、《辦公室笑云》和《摩登家庭》。