Watching TV shows won't make you fluent

6 Mar 2025 · 1 min

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Hadar Shemesh argues that while watching TV shows and extensive listening improve comprehension and passive vocabulary, they will not produce speaking fluency unless paired with deliberate speaking practice. The speaker warns that passive vocabulary learned from listening is not readily available for active use and recommends integrating regular speaking practice alongside listening.

Chapters

Watch movies and TV shows to get fluent. Now listen. While listening and exposing yourself to English as much as possible is good, and it's going to help you improve your comprehension. It is not going to get you fluent if you don't practice speaking. You're not going to get better at speaking. If all you do is practice listening, you're going to get better at listening. It's not going to help you with your speaking, so it might help you with passive vocabulary. But still passive vocabulary. It's not available for you to speak when you speak. So make sure you don't follow this advice without putting into practice what you learn. Without integrating a lot of speaking practice as well as listening practice.