Watching shows is the part of language learning people actually look forward to. The hard part is turning an episode into words you remember the next day, and the apps below solve that in very different ways.
TL;DRTo study on Netflix and YouTube for free, pick Language Reactor. For a ready library of shows with clickable subtitles, pick Lingopie. For a full course built around the show or anime you love, pick Slova. For serious anime and sentence mining, pick Migaku. For importing any video or podcast, look at LingQ.
We spent a month watching with every tool on this list, on paid plans where there was one, on a laptop, an iPhone and an Android phone. Each evening we watched about twenty minutes in Spanish, French, Japanese or Korean, saved what we did not know, and checked a week later how much of it was still there.
Please do not read the order as a score. A tool that is perfect for a Netflix fan on a laptop can be useless for someone who only watches on the bus. Read the short "best for" labels and stop at the one that sounds like your evenings.
Comparison table
✓Yes◐Partly✕No
| App | Best for | Your own shows | Clickable subtitles | Saves words for review | Where it runs |
|---|
| Language Reactor | Netflix and YouTube, free | ✓ | ✓ | ◐Pro only | Desktop Chrome |
|---|
| Lingopie | A ready TV library | ◐Netflix extension | ✓ | ✓ | Phone, web, TV |
|---|
| Slova | A course around your show | ✓any interest | ◐in lessons | ✓one list | iPhone |
|---|
| Migaku | Anime and sentence mining | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Browser, phone |
|---|
| LingQ | Importing video and podcasts | ✓via import | ✓transcripts | ✓ | Phone, web |
|---|
| EWA | English through film scenes | ✕ | ◐ | ✓ | Phone |
|---|
| Teuida | Korean scenes you act in | ✕ | ✕ | ◐ | Phone |
|---|
| Memrise | Short clips of native speakers | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | Phone, web |
|---|
| Yabla | Slow, looped video study | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | Web, iPhone |
|---|
How we chose
- Real content. Whether you watch something made for native speakers, or a scene written for learners.
- What happens to a new word. Whether you can tap it, keep it and see it again later, or it is gone when the credits roll.
- Level fit. Whether a beginner can follow along, or the tool only works once you already understand half of what you hear.
- Where you watch. A laptop, a phone on the bus or a TV on the sofa. The best tool is the one that fits your screen.
- Price for what you get. What a year costs, and what the free version really lets you do.
The best apps to learn a language with TV shows
1
Language Reactor
Best for studying Netflix and YouTube for free
Language Reactor is a browser extension that adds two lines of subtitles to Netflix and YouTube, one in the language you are learning and one in yours. You can click any word for a translation, pause after every line and replay a sentence with one key. It is for people who already watch on a laptop and want to learn from the shows they would watch anyway.
On day three we watched a Spanish series on Netflix with auto-pause on, and every line waited for us. When a character said ¿Qué está pasando aquí?, we clicked pasando, saw the meaning and heard the line again twice before moving on. It felt like watching with a patient friend who speaks both languages. The limit is the screen: it lives in desktop Chrome, so it does nothing for us on the sofa with a phone.
GoodThe free version is very generous, and nothing beats it for studying real Netflix shows.
Watch outDesktop only, and saving words for later review needs the Pro plan.
- Free, or about 6 dollars a month for Pro
- Any language with subtitles
- Desktop Chrome
2
Lingopie
Best for a ready library of shows with clickable subtitles
Lingopie is a streaming service built for learners, with thousands of shows, films and music videos in about 15 languages. Every subtitle is clickable, and the words you tap turn into flashcards and short quizzes after the episode. It suits people who want to press play and learn, without setting anything up.
We started a French comedy on day five and tapped d'ailleurs the second time we heard it in ten minutes. After the episode, Lingopie showed it again in a small review, with the sentence it came from, which made it easy to remember. The shows are real, but they are Lingopie's library, not Netflix, so you may not find the series everyone is talking about. A new Chrome extension brings the same tools to some Netflix shows in Spanish, French, Italian and German.
GoodReal shows, clickable subtitles and review in one app, on phones, the web and smart TVs.
Watch outNo grammar lessons and no one checks your speaking, and the library is thinner for Asian languages.
- About 7 to 14 dollars a month
- 15 languages
- iPhone, Android, web, smart TVs
3
Slova
Best for a course built around the show or anime you love
Slova starts with one sentence about why you are learning, and it works for both kinds of reasons: a goal, like a new job or a move to Seoul, or something you love, like K-dramas, anime or Spanish football on TV. From that sentence it builds a path of lessons. Behind the path sits a full A0 to C2 curriculum, made by language learners and computer scientists, and every lesson can be done visually at your own pace or out loud with our AI tutors, who listen and correct you.
This is where it differs from a subtitle tool. The other apps here help you understand a show you are already watching. Slova makes the show the course, so if your reason is K-dramas, your first words come from the cafés, family dinners and polite apologies you see in K-dramas, from lesson one, not after weeks of textbook phrases. You can describe a scene and Slova draws it and labels every object in Korean, or ask for a short podcast or story on your show's world at your level. It is the only app on this list where you make your own practice material with AI.
That is also why it shows results fast. The words you learn today are the ones you will hear in tonight's episode, so you use them straight away, and that is what makes them stick. Every word from lessons, tutor talks, pictures and texts you read lands in one list, the Lexicon, and comes back for review. And because the course is about something you already love, it is much easier to open in week six than a course written for everyone.
We tried it with the goal "watch K-dramas without subtitles". The path opened with polite speech, café orders and family words, and in the first tutor lesson we greeted an older character with 안녕, which the tutor changed to 안녕하세요 with a short note on politeness. We described a convenience store at night, the most K-drama place there is, and got a labelled picture with 라면 and 계산대. On day ten we caught 잠깐만요 and 괜찮아요 in an episode with the subtitles off, and both were already in our Lexicon.
GoodImmersive from the first lesson, quick to show results and built around what you watch, so you keep coming back.
Watch outNewer than the big names, and 10 languages today rather than 40.
- 10 languages and growing
- A0 to C2 curriculum
- AI tutors in every lesson
4
Migaku
Best for anime and sentence mining
Migaku is a browser extension and app for people who want to learn from anime, Netflix, YouTube and websites by turning real lines into flashcards. You click a sentence, and it becomes a card with the audio, a screenshot and a translation. It is loved by Japanese learners who watch a lot and want every good line to count.
Setting it up took us most of an evening on day one, with the extension, the deck and the settings. After that it was fast: on day two a character said 何してるの？ (nani shiteru no?), we clicked it, and a card with her voice and the frame from the scene went straight into our deck. A week later the card came back and we could hear her saying it. It is the most satisfying way to keep lines from a show, if you are willing to learn the tool first.
GoodCards with real audio and screenshots, and the best set of tools for Japanese immersion.
Watch outA steep start, and it works best once you can follow some of what you hear.
- About 10 dollars a month
- 11 languages
- Browser extension, iPhone, Android
5
LingQ
Best for importing any video or podcast
LingQ turns videos, podcasts and articles into lessons you read while you listen. New words show in blue, words you are learning in yellow, and you watch the blue fade as your level grows. It suits learners who want to study a YouTube channel or a podcast they already like, not only shows.
On day six we imported a twenty minute Italian YouTube video about cooking, and LingQ made a transcript with the audio. The first screen was almost all blue, which was a bit scary, but tapping soffritto and mescolare and marking them as known felt good. It is slower than watching, because you are reading line by line, and that is the point.
GoodImport almost anything, and see exactly how many words you know.
Watch outBusy screens and a lot of reading for a beginner, and nothing checks your speaking.
- Free plan, or about 10 to 15 dollars a month
- 50+ languages
- iPhone, Android, web
6
EWA
Best for English through film and series scenes
EWA teaches English, Spanish and French with short scenes from films and series, plus books with audio and games. It is built for learners who want English that sounds like the shows they watch, from Brazil to the Philippines to Japan. The lessons are short and very friendly.
On day four EWA played a short scene and then asked us about I'll be right back and figure it out, two phrases every series uses. We said them out loud, got a quick check, and the words went into our list. It felt more like a game than a class, which is why it is easy to open. What it does not do is let you bring your own show; you learn from the scenes it has chosen.
GoodFun, short lessons with real film lines and a big book library.
Watch outYou cannot add your own shows, and the prices and plans shown vary a lot by country.
- Free to start, paid plans vary by country
- English, Spanish, French
- iPhone, Android
7
Teuida
Best for Korean scenes you act in yourself
Teuida films short scenes from the learner's point of view, in Korea and Japan, and you answer the actor out loud. The app checks your pronunciation and moves the scene on when you get it right. It is made for K-drama and K-pop fans who want to speak, not just listen.
On day two we walked into a filmed Seoul café and the barista asked what we wanted. We said 아이스 아메리카노 한 잔 주세요 three times before the app was happy with the ending, and by the third try it came out without thinking. It feels like being in the drama for thirty seconds. It is not a way to watch real shows, though; the scenes are made for learners.
GoodYou speak in every scene, with pronunciation checks, and the scenes feel real.
Watch outOnly Korean, Japanese and Spanish, and it teaches set scenes rather than real shows.
- About 15 to 18 dollars a month
- Korean, Japanese, Spanish
- iPhone, Android
8
Memrise
Best for short clips of native speakers
Memrise mixes flashcards with thousands of short videos of real people saying words and phrases on the street. It is a good fit if you want to hear how locals actually talk before you are ready for a full episode. Its AI chat partners are in the paid plan.
On day seven of the Mexican Spanish course a clip showed a young man in a market saying ¿Qué onda? with a shrug, and the card after it asked us to pick the meaning. Hearing the same phrase from three different people made it stick better than any recording. It is a warm-up for shows, not a replacement: the clips are seconds long.
GoodReal faces and voices, with review that brings words back at the right time.
Watch outClips, not shows, and the monthly price is high unless you pay for a year.
- About 5 to 25 dollars a month
- 20+ languages
- iPhone, Android, web
9
Yabla
Best for slow, looped video study
Yabla is a video library of interviews, music, documentaries and TV clips, with a player that can slow speech down and loop a line. Translations are written by people, and games after each video test what you heard. It suits careful learners who like to take one clip apart.
On day eight we played a German street interview at half speed and looped Das ist mir egal until we could hear every word. Then a fill-in-the-blank game asked us to type the line from memory. It felt old fashioned in a good way, like a language lab. The site looks dated, and one plan covers one language.
GoodSlow-down and loop tools, and careful human translations.
Watch outOnly six languages, one language per plan, and there is no Android app, only the website.
- About 10 to 13 dollars a month
- 6 languages
- Web, iPhone
Best app by goal
| Your goal | Our pick | Also good |
|---|
| Learn from Netflix on a laptop | Language Reactor | Lingopie |
|---|
| Press play on a phone or TV | Lingopie | Yabla |
|---|
| A full course built around a show | Slova | EWA |
|---|
| Japanese from anime | Migaku | Slova |
|---|
| K-dramas and speaking Korean | Slova | Teuida |
|---|
| Learn from YouTube and podcasts | LingQ | Language Reactor |
|---|
| English from films and series | EWA | Language Reactor |
|---|
| Hear how locals really talk | Memrise | Yabla |
|---|
| Spend nothing | Language Reactor | LingQ |
|---|
Subtitles: which ones, and when
Subtitles are the biggest choice you make when you learn with TV, and most people pick the wrong ones for their level. Here is the simple version.
Beginners (A0 to A2): watch with subtitles in your own language, and keep the episode short. At this stage the show is for motivation and for the sound of the language. Save a few words an episode, not thirty. A course that picks words from your show for you, like Slova, or a clip app like Memrise, will teach you more per minute than a full episode.
Lower intermediate (B1): switch to subtitles in the language you are learning, or two lines at once with Language Reactor or Lingopie. You will pause a lot. That is fine. Twenty minutes with pauses teaches more than a whole season in the background.
Upper intermediate (B2 and up): try subtitles off for scenes you have already seen once. Rewatching is not cheating; it is how your ear learns to split fast speech into words.
One rule works at every level: a word you tap and never see again is a word you will forget. Whatever you use, make sure saved words come back later, in a deck, a list or a review session.
Which one should you pick
If you already watch Netflix on a laptop, install Language Reactor tonight. It is free and you will know in one evening whether this way of learning suits you. If you watch on a phone or TV and want everything in one place, Lingopie is the easier choice.
If you love anime and do not mind a setup evening, Migaku will turn every good line into a card. If your favourite content is YouTube or podcasts rather than shows, LingQ lets you bring it in. For English, EWA is the friendliest way to learn from film scenes, and for Korean speaking, Teuida puts you inside the scene.
If what you want is not just to understand a show but to learn the language through it, from zero, Slova is the one we would start with. It builds the whole course, the speaking practice and the word list around the show you love, or around a goal like a job or a move, if that is your reason.
Conclusion
TV is one of the best reasons to learn a language, and the tools have never been better. Language Reactor and Lingopie are the strongest ways to study real shows, Migaku is unmatched for anime, and LingQ is the most flexible for your own videos. If you want a full course where the show is the lesson from day one, give Slova a try.
Related reads: the best immersive language apps and the best vocabulary apps. Coming from Duolingo or Babbel? See Babbel alternatives. Or browse the best AI language learning apps.
Frequently asked questions
Can you learn a language just by watching TV shows?
Shows alone will train your ear, but most people also need a way to keep new words and some practice speaking. Pair a subtitle tool with review, or use an app that turns what you watch into lessons.
What is the best app to learn Japanese with anime?
Migaku is the favourite of serious anime learners because it turns lines into cards with the real audio. If you are a beginner and want a course built around anime from the first lesson, with AI tutors and one word list, Slova is a good place to start.
Does Language Reactor work on a phone?
No. It runs as an extension in desktop Chrome. If you watch mostly on a phone or TV, Lingopie has apps for both.
Should I watch with subtitles in my language or the one I am learning?
Use your own language as a beginner, switch to the target language around B1, and try no subtitles on scenes you have already watched once you reach B2.
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