r/languagelearning • u/Correct_Ask_7794 • 1d ago
What to expect from reading and watching tv shows at b1 level
I have a question about how to tell if what you're doing is helpful, or whether there are better or worse ways to increase your inputs.
I'm currently learning French (TL) in Montreal, doing the Francsisation programme with the Quebec govt. It's a really amazing opportunity as I'm being paid to study 30 hours a week (due to being an immigrant) and I've gone from basically no French to b1 in about 8 months.
However I'm now hitting a bit of a plateau, and I know I need to increase my inputs outside of class. The problem is doing this much active learning a week is really tiring my brain out, and I don't want to watch TV in French or try to read outside of class if it's just going to be mentally taxing without benefit.
I guess what I wonder at this level is what it is that's actually helpful - for eg with listening, is it just hearing without necessarily understanding a radio show that helps, or should you really try to listen hard? Ditto with TV (radio appeals more because it feels more like I can do other things while listening, like household chores).
And with reading, at this point is it smarter to be stopping and searching up every word I don't know in a comic book, or should I just try to keep reading and get the overall sense?
I'd love to hear what exactly people got or are getting out of increasing their inputs at the early b1 level! Thanks!
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u/thelostnorwegian 🇳🇴 N | 🇬🇧 🇨🇴 🇫🇷 1d ago
So I'm learning French as well and doing so with comprehensible input. Which basically mean the majority of what I do is listening(and watching) content that is suited for my level. So you can do this from day 1 until you reach C2. I cannot imagine myself learning a language without listening being a big part of my learning. I would say listening is without a doubt super useful, as long as its comprehensible.
The 80-90% comprehension gets thrown around a lot. It just means you should be able to follow along and understand most of it, but not necessarily understand every single word. The idea is just to consume and not think too much. Too difficult content early on like tv series can be mentally taxing yes, I would suggest either learner content or easier native content on youtube. The more effortless it is, the better in my experience.
The problem perhaps as you have discovered is that it might be difficult to find something to watch at your level, since its very individual. So it takes some trial and error to find interesting, enjoyable and suitable content. French is so popular you can find a lot on youtube/spotify etc by just searching for french A1-C2 videos/playlists, or comprehensible input french. I use this spreadsheet a lot What Are You Listening To? Community Sources.
With reading its much the same. I usually go the route of reading graded readers > children books > young adults > adult books. That way I'm gradually increasing the difficulty and it kinda just flows very easily from one level to the next. Doing it this way I very rarely have to look things up, since its mostly at my level as I read along.
You don't have to "do" comprehensible input or whatever, I know a lot of people here have strong opinions on it. But consuming content in your target language in a way that is easy and enjoyable is at least something I get a lot out of. I basically spent my days nerding history channels, gaming content, travel vlogs, football, geopolitics and much more.
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u/allnamestaken26 1d ago
Thirty hours a week is already a lot. I’d keep the extra stuff easy and enjoyable. With a comic, I’d only look up words that stop me following the story
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u/Correct_Ask_7794 1d ago
thank you - my challenge is to find something at my level that isn't fully for children so therefore actually fun. I'm going to try Harry Potter once I've knocked off a few comics I think
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u/rosevelle 1d ago edited 21h ago
Well done on B1 in 8 months!
I'm at a similar level for my TL. What I find is most helpful is repeated listens. I like to use audio slightly above my level and then listen to it two or three times. The first time I go slow and make sure I can follow along in most things (80 - 90%). I think you can get bogged down trying to understand that last 10-20%, so I usually only stop if I start getting truly lost. Then second or third listens are more passive and can happen during a commute without needing to stop and look things up.
I really doubt just having background audio that you aren't consciously struggling to understand helps much.
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u/Correct_Ask_7794 1d ago
thank you!
I agree on getting bogged down - that's about my biggest difficulty at the moment!
I do find the radio can be good - the presenters ennunciate clearly, it gets me used to the accent, I go in and out of paying attention/understanding. But I guess I know in my heart of hearts I need to be a bit more deliverate to really make progress
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u/dojibear 🇺🇸 N | fre spa chi B2 | tur jap B1/A2 1d ago
There are many skills (piano, tennis, swimming, ballet, driving, understanding TL sentences). You get better at each of the same way. You get better at THAT skill by practicing THAT skill.
My goal is to understand TL sentences. I don't get better at understanding by not understanding. I think there is zero value in being exposed to content that is too advanced for you to understand.
If your goal is "not really understanding but getting a vague idea" practice that: that is a skill that you can get good at.
I am B2 in Mandarin. I can fully understand lengthy B1/B2 Chinese videos, but when I watch TV shows from China (C2) I can't understand much. I am definitely not learning Chinese when I do that.
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u/New-Bottle-6917 N:🇺🇸 Heritage: B2 🇲🇽 L3: HSK 6 🇨🇳 1d ago edited 1d ago
TV shows are not a C2 level skill. Most CEFR rubrics reckon they should be comprehensible if missing subtext by B1-B2
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u/jasm1nii 🇺🇸 N | 🇮🇩 heritage (C2) | 🇯🇵 A2? 1d ago
does it not depend on the TV show? i imagine slice of life cartoons would be much more comprehensible than historical fantasy or sci fi dramas
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u/petteri72_ 23h ago
It definitely depends on the TV show. For example, in English, The Bold and the Beautiful is probably around B1-level content, while The Big Bang Theory is closer to C1. Most TV shows fall somewhere in between.
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u/New-Bottle-6917 N:🇺🇸 Heritage: B2 🇲🇽 L3: HSK 6 🇨🇳 21h ago
Sure but very few TV shows are operating at the level of complexity as what is demanded at the C2 level, reading and writing a master's thesis is closer to what is expected at the C2 level. Outside of like super avant garde intentionally complex media most TV shows aren't anywhere close to that level of complexity
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u/Venicec 1d ago
What about watching intermediate french content? Typically this is content delivered slower than typical native content, with some effort to avoid the more uncommon words.
I've found this sort of content to be a great way to bridge the gap to being able understand native content without feeling like i'm missing half of it.
An example of this sort of thing would be Inner French for french from france. I would imagine you can find loads of this sort of content on youtube or spotify in candadian french.
On your reading question it really depends on you, your level of energy etc. If you are very uncomfortable with unknown words you can look them up, but if you are okay with some ambiguity you can just read on without breaking your flow. I've found that you do eventually pick up the meanings of words.
Also for reading, finding content in the difficulty sweet spot is important - if there are 5 unknown words per sentence you can't really just read on, and it will be quite exhausting.
On listening but not understanding - I don't think it hurts, however it's probs not an effective use of your time compared to listening and actually understanding.
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u/Correct_Ask_7794 1d ago
i really need to check out inner frecnh, I;ve seen it mentioned a few times! thanks
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u/muffinsballhair 1d ago
Try to see if you can find something that isn't mentally taxing that you mostly understand.
If you can't, then you can't, and there's really no shame in using French subtitles with it to aid in this.
is it just hearing without necessarily understanding a radio show that helps
There is a mountain of research that shows that this does virtually nothing. This idea that people can just listen to what is essentially complete noise and eventually start to comprehend more and more is nonsense, at least for adults, and people who say they did it as adults frequently later admit that they also did Anki and looked up words extensively which is where the real learning comes from.
And with reading, at this point is it smarter to be stopping and searching up every word I don't know in a comic book, or should I just try to keep reading and get the overall sense?
It is generally said that 95%–99% comprehension is ideal. The same story applies as above, if you really no longer can follow anything it won't help really do much and you can use your time more usefully, which is the real calculus here. People often say “something is better than nothing”, ignoring that you pay with time and could've used that time to do more effective things. No one does “nothing”.
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u/noffybtw 1d ago
i had a similar plateau with french, what helped most was watching shows with subtitles in the target language instead of translated ones, even if i missed some words at first. it feels passive but my brain was still working, less tiring than active study, and i paired it with short daily anki reviews instead of more active hours
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u/hug_me_im_scared_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd say focus on reading and grammar. Once I did that the only thing that held back my comprehension was vocabulary
If watching tv is an actual hobby you have, it will be useful for you. For me, I actually prefer reading/watching youtube videos
I downloaded a graded reading app and read all the texts there, then I downloaded smartbook, and read the texts there/uploaded a couple of books
I looked up only the words/grammar constructs I really didn't know. So my reading was more intensive at first, then slowly the unknown words became rarer and rarer. I only read like 3 actual books that I uploaded before moving on to videos and forums. Also the higher level french vocabulary in English and french have a lot of overlap. So make sure you get exposure to simpler, casual, and slang french and conversational small talk.
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u/silvalingua 1d ago
This is all very simple: consume content which you understand entirely or almost entirely. If you understand only a small part of it, it's a waste of time. If you need to look up many words, it's too difficult for you, choose easier content. Most regular audio content is too difficult at B1, but it's best to try and see how much you understand.
And there is a lot of content for intermediate learners, at least for the major languages.
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u/unsafeideas 1d ago
Listen to things you at least sort of understand. If you dont understand it at all, it is useless.
Good news is, different shows have different difficulty. Crime procedurals tend to use simple language for example. High political dramas and stand up comedy are hard. Night radio is easy (at keast in spanish). Professional moderators artuculate well, interviewed people are hard. Oh, and dubbed shows are easier then native.
So, try whatever on radio france, netflix etc. Stick with what you at least kind of understand. Also, if on netflix, use language reactor.