Watching youtube videos is actually a great way to improve your listening skills and to learn new vocabulary.
And since I get asked about this quite a lot, here's my list of my favourite youtube channels.
This short list is about video channels which cover topics of general interest, not about channels specifically geared towards learners of English.
I will write about that in another blog post soon.
Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive, and possibly a little bit biased, because they're my favourites 😉
But, it'll give you a starting point, from which I'm sure you'll discover lots of other interesting channels too. Because on Youtube, whatever floats your boat, I'm pretty sure there's a channel for it!
So, without further ado, here's the list:
- TED Talks: I love TED Talks! They're versatile, thought-provoking and super interesting! Depending on your language abilities, I'd recommend to start with shorter videos and then work your way up to the longer ones.
- Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell: Another channel I really like is Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell. This channel covers mostly scientific topics, but does so in a very accessible way. And the animations are really cool too!
- Numberphile: If you're into numbers and mathematical problems, Numberphile offers great content and even a podcast!
- Vsauce / Vsauce2: Do you want to learn more about popular science, technology and the world around us? Then Vsauce and Vsauce2 are my channels of choice.
- Atlas Obscura: If you want to explore the world from a different perspective, Atlas Obscura might be the right channel for you.
So, how can those channels help you improve your English vocabulary and how can you maximize your learning outcome?
Well, first of all, by activating closed captions (that's the little white CC button at the bottom right hand corner of the videos), you'll get subtitles, which make the videos easier to understand. Of course, it's best to use English subtitles, but sometimes, there are subtitles available in other languages (like German) too.
Another thing which really helps you remember any new vocabulary is by writing it down, but also either writing a short summary of what you've just watched or alternatively, discussing the video with somebody.
What are your favourite Youtube channels?
Vocabulary (in alphabetical order and always in context)
- accessible: zugänglich
- biased: voreingenommen
- closed captions: Untertitel
- to cover: behandeln (Thema)
- exhaustive: vollständig
- geared towards: auf etwas ausgerichtet sein
- to be into something: auf etwas stehen / etwas mögen
- learning outcome: Lernergebnis
- maximize: maximieren
- subtitles: Untertitel
- thought-provoking: nachdenklich machend / zum Nachdenken anregend
- topics of general interest: Themen von allgemeinem Interesse
- versatile: vielseitig
- whatever floats your boat (idiom): was auch immer dir gefällt (es gibt im deutschen keine direkt entsprechende Redewendung, ausser vielleicht "worauf immer du Bock hast", bzw. "Jedem nach seiner Façon")
- without futher ado (idiom): ohne weitere Verzögerungen / Ausschweifungen
- to work your way up to something: sich zu etwas hocharbeiten / auf etwas hinarbeiten
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