How to watch cartoons and learn English: 9 cool animated series to help

A selection of useful and interesting animated works for adults.

It so happened that watching cartoons is perceived by many as a frivolous occupation, justified only for children. In fact, the usefulness of animation is largely underestimated, especially when learning a foreign language. Cartoons are brighter and more fun than films, their characters often speak the same phrases (which means they are automatically remembered faster), and their pronunciation is clearer. Learning English from cartoons is an example of combining business with pleasure.

In order for cartoons to really help you with your studies, you need to choose them correctly. Better to start, of course, with determining the current level of language proficiency. If it is still not high, then do not hesitate to watch cartoons for children - they use simple words and grammatical turns, and you also will not have problems with understanding the speech of the characters. But you are well trained to perceive English by ear, and it will be easier for you to gradually increase your level. Many cartoons for beginners are presented on the Multimedia English portal. They can be sorted by duration, complexity and even accent.

If you are a fan of TV shows and you are interested in watching the development of events, pay attention to a selection of nine cool animated series for different levels of English proficiency.

Beginner

Gogo loves English

Almost all English-speaking children of the planet know this dragon Gogo. He is very cute and helps to learn basic English vocabulary and the basics of grammar. The cartoon is perfect for all ages: in just a couple of episodes, you will learn how to get to know each other (My name is

.), ask questions (What's her name? What's this? - "What's her name? What's this?") and maintain simple dialogs (Do you like ice-cream? - "Do you like ice cream?").

Muzzy in gondoland

A rather old animated series, created back in 1986 by the BBC channel, which, however, has not lost its relevance today. In the 90s, it was even shown on Russian television as a video textbook for English learners. The main character is an alien Muzzy, who feeds on watches and other equipment. He finds himself in various situations and, together with his friends, finds the right solutions. As in any classic textbook, short learning inserts appear in the cartoon, emphasizing new words or explaining grammatical nuances. Interestingly, with Google users, this series is still gaining 87% of the rating.

Elementary

Ben and holly's little kingdom

The authors are the creators of the famous Peppa Pig. The main character is the fairy Holly and her best friend Ben, who always fall into ridiculous situations due to the fact that Holly's spells do not work correctly.

The advantage of this animated series in the purest British voice acting and subtle English humor, and with very little childish sarcasm. For example, the elf king categorically does not accept excuses if something suddenly breaks. He simply says: "I don't need to know these little details! Just fix it!" ("I don't care about the details. Just fix it!"). What others around with a joyful smile and applause exclaim that they have a great ruler ("What a great and clever leader!").

Martha speaks

Great cartoon for building vocabulary. Here you will observe the life of a cute dog Martha, who ate noodles in the form of letters and suddenly learned to speak. Each series will give you about 20 new words on one topic, most often it will be synonyms. A very useful cartoon, but it’s better to include subtitles and write unfamiliar vocabulary in a notebook or notebook, so that you can refresh them in memory if necessary.

Pre-intermediate

Over the garden wall

Not very long (10 episodes), but a magical and beautiful cartoon about two brothers who ended up in a fairy forest and looking for a way home. Of course, they will have to overcome many difficulties along the way. By the way, one of the brothers was voiced by Elijah Wood, and the main song was performed by jazz singer Jack Jones. The cartoon is very stylish - it is based on the motives of children's works of the 19th century, and maybe therefore the product turned out to be so intelligent and truly smart. Thanks to him, your vocabulary will be replenished with beautiful book phrases from the series "This is my lot in life, this is my burden" ("This is my fate, my burden").

English at work

As the name implies, this is a cartoon about specialized business vocabulary. Another bright project of the BBC. It was made without frills: the graphics are completely simple, there is no special plot. But the characters use modern colloquial phrases, which is an undoubted advantage for all learners of the language.

For example, did you know that if your laptop freezes, then you can just say "The screen keeps freezing"? Or what if they say “Let me show you the ropes” at a new job, then they’re not going to show you the ropes, but simply put them in the know. In general, a very useful animated series.

Archer

Cool animated series about cool special agent Sterling Archer - a kind of collective image from professional James Bond, cynical Deadpool and just a big child. But keep in mind that this is an absolutely nonsense cartoon: it has constant 18+ drinks and jokes, as well as Nazis, KGB agents and other “adult” characters.

Like many cartoons for adults, this one is filled with numerous references to famous shows, series, films or books (which, by the way, is very useful for both general development and language). There is even a separate selection of the best puns from the cartoon. The series can be an ideal assistant for those who want to pump their informal language and learn how to joke sparkly.

Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate

Bojack horseman

The events of the animated series take place in a parallel universe, where people and anthropomorphic animals exist together. The main character, the horse Bojack, is struggling with a midlife crisis, but cannot cope with alcoholism and limitless laziness.

A very vital series in terms of vocabulary (also for adults, of course). He is rich in various phrases like “in one sitting” or “on the drive home”. If you are not afraid of a rather gloomy humor - be sure to check out this work.