Should I actually not put subtitles when I watch something?

Frustration interferes with learning. If putting on \*English\* subtitles helps you understand things well enough to enjoy what you're watching, then that will help a lot. If you are using your native language subtitles, I would say that is not helpful because you do need to learn to think through things without having to translate every word.

Just to be sure, you are talking about English subtitles right? If that’s the case I would recommend starting with stand-up comedy. Hear me out because this will take a second to understand. If you are going to start listening to native speakers speak naturally it will always take time to adjust and tune yourself in to their own pronunciation. A bad example is friends, six main characters, each with their own distinct voice, mannerisms and pronunciation and on top of that most of the delivery is pretty fast paced. After multiple episode you might still not be used to their voices. If you choose stand-up comedy you get the best part of an hour to get used to that one person speaking and helps greatly. Some comedians are more laid back than others for example Dave Chappelle and Anthony jeselnik have specials on Netflix. And you can even try to find comedians who have a similar ethnicity to yourself, for example if you are Asian, Ali Wong or Ken Jeong might help by having an accent that you can identify with. If you’re Spanish/mexican Gabriel Iglesias would be a good starting point. After that the key point is repetition watch more of their material then try watching the same material again without subtitles.

Early on it's useful. But after a while it's better to turn it off because you will rely on it and not develop listening skill.

It depends why you are watching in my opinion. Is it study? As in you are watching a clip repeatedly to study it? Then no subtitles or only after none and in the language. Is it fun with the bonus of being in the language? Then whatever helps you enjoy watching

From what I’ve learned, having both subtitles and audio in the target language are the most efficient to learn the language through video

There are two ways to approach subtitles in your language learning journey. If you are watching for entertainment and enjoyment then reading along with the English subtitles can really enhance your experience and help build learner confidence. If you are watching specifically as a language learning aid then subtitles are only interfering and impeding the opportunity to push your skills and build upon your listening comprehension.

you should. you're practicing both listening and reading at the same time. and reading is an all too common skill that people ignore. here's Stephen Fry explaining it better: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-zISnJ-oao](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-zISnJ-oao)

Now yes,later no :)

I would argue that if you're trying to study/learn English, you should watch the content at least three times. Once - with the subtitles. Once - without. Then, again - with. Watching content casually is not the same as studying.

I’m a native English speaker and professional writer and editor. Outside of movie theaters, I won’t watch *anything* without subtitles on, especially with how awful sound mixing has become in the streaming era.

Too much of what happens on TV is dependent on you having a decent sound setup. Add in the fact that volume varies between streaming services and even individual shows and I can't watch anything in any language without subtitles. Also, my French teacher actually encouraged us to watch things with both French audio and subtitles for exactly the reason many people gave here--to help you connect the written word with how it sounds. I think your teacher is likely wrong on this one.

Just watch everything twice, with subtitles and then without subtitles, for a while, and then start watching things without subtitles and see if you can understand them.

I would say it depends on your level. If you’re sufficiently advanced to not use them then don’t but for what it’s worth I’m a native English speaker and i use subtitles for most shows I watch anyways. If you’re still early on learning English I would watch a show in English with English subtitles Then watch the show again without subtitles and see how you do Once you feel sufficiently advanced to know what’s happening then start a new show without subtitles.

I'm a native speaker and I find it difficult to understand without subs too. The sound on modern televisions makes dialog very quiet and difficult to understand. I catch only half to three quarters of what is being said A lot of native speakers use Englush subtitles for that reason. If English isn't your primary language, it seems like subtitles would be a must. BTW, you can hear the dialog much better when watching on a laptop with earbuds on. I don't even watch TV anymore because I don't want to have to blast it just to make out the dialog.

I used to tell my students to try and not use subtitles but I quickly realised it was not very helpful. Now this is what I tell them: Listening without subtitles is the "best" listening exercise if you want to be challenged. With nothing to read you will dedicate all your attention to listening. It can be very hard, and very frustrating - start with simple things like TV shows for kids, before moving to adult shows and then maybe films. Watching with subtitles in English is a great exercise as well. Be aware that you will read more than listen, but with a bit of effort you can listen AND read. This will help you with pronunciation and intonation, because you can see the words you are trying to hear. Even watching with subtitles in your own language is still a good exercise. Try to match the spoken words to the written translations. Write down new words and check them later. Be aware that subtitles are usually shortened, and translated subtitles might be completely different to what you hear. However it is still good to hear the English language used. Countries which don't dub all their TV into their own language but use subtitles a lot (like a lot of Nordic countries and The Netherlands) also tend to have a very good knowledge of English, and I don't think it's a coincidence. TLDR: it's all good. Doing anything is better than nothing.

My impression is that most native speakers need subtitles for most movies and shows. The people in charge of mixing audio for movies and shows seem to have been doing it for too long. It's as if they no longer hear the way most people do and are, therefore, incapable of doing a good job. The comment suggesting stand-up comedy is good for another reason. It's usually 100% about what the person is saying. The only background noise will usually be people laughing, and the comedians usually wait for that to finish before they continue.

Fuck 'em! If you notice that it helps you improve, then keep doing it. really , anything that helps and works for you is good , even if it doesn't help others improve.

If you're following what's going on better with the subtitles, by all means keep using English subtitles. Watching without really understanding isn't going to help, just frustrate you. Your listening comprehension may or may not pick up after a while, so that you don't need the subtitles to understand anymore. It's fine either way. I have actual hearing/processing problems, and usually need them in my native English--never mind dealing with other languages. Not everybody learns exactly the same way, either. If you're taking in English language media, of course it's going to be helpful for learning. Nobody else gets to dictate how you do engage with it.

Its simple. They offer different level of learning of reading and listing skills. En sub on: Reading: high, listening: medium En sub off: Reading: low, listening: high Translated sub on: Reading: none, listening: low Dubbed: Reading: none, listening: none Also you can do it dynamically, i sometimes watch yt without cc on and when i dont understand a part, rewind and turn it on

YES use subtitles. We process language in different ways, and seeing the words and hearing them is useful. Sitting there not knowing what's going on is deeply unpleasant, and no teacher would suggest you should do that.

Side note: keep in mind that captions can have typos, especially if they're automatically generated.

Use them, but phase them out. They are obviously useful, but also a distraction as you are reading them and not fully concentrating on what is being said. Try to listen more than read.

my only problem with subtitles is that they always take shortcuts and never include all of the dialog. So, the words on the screen don't actually match up with what people are saying. I am constantly thinking - that's not what they are saying! I do this when I watch a show in a foreign language and turn on the subtitles (I don't use subtitles watching something in English, because then it is truly maddening...to me, at least!). If I know that language, even a bit, I can tell that what they are saying is not what is written. So, I am not a huge fan of subtitles. But if they help you, go for it. Just know that the subtitles don't usually match up with what is actually being said.

I find that subtitles sometimes paraphrase or use synonyms. It will still convey the main message of what’s being discussed. However I would not recommend using subtitles as word-for-word replacements.

I think it's good to have them on. For me personally, my listening skills are weak in any languages I speak aside from my native language. Ignoring automatically generated subtitles, pre-made subtitles can catch utterances that most viewers (including native speakers) wouldn't have heard without turning up the volume significantly or playing the video in slow motion. The subtitles can help you connect people's pronunciations to the written words on the screen. You can hear how words actually get pronounced in sentences (as opposed to in isolation or in the audio of an English listening test). You can try removing them from time to time if you feel in the mood for a challenge.

I have difficulties in listening for long time. but keeping reading casual conversations in subtitles helped a lot. Your brain will store a lot of conversational collocations. I would say keep reading. feeling frustrated at my inability to listen is what I would avoid.

Try not to rely on them too much. If you find yourself having to read the subtitles to understand what's going on, consider choosing an easier program so you can develop your listening skills without subtitles.

I've heard the opposite, at least when it comes to other languages, that engaging in media with captions helps connect the written and spoken word. just, at some point, you shouldn't rely on captions as a complete crutch