Having an accent when speaking Spanish as a second language is nothing to be ashamed of. But improving your native accent is necessary for some things, especially for others to understand you better. If not, they might ask you to repeat yourself many times or there might be a misunderstanding. Nobody wants that.
But how can you improve your accent? It’s very difficult, right? Well, that’s usually what people think. But is it? Though it’s not a walk in the park, accent training can be easier by doing an interesting and simple activity, like watching Netflix
Just think about it, watching TV is an effortless and casual way of acquiring knowledge, vocabulary, and accents. Your ear will train itself by listening to native Spanish speakers and without noticing you’ll absorb and imitate the pronunciation.
So, if you’re studying Chilean Spanish, that’s the accent you should practice. To make your study life easier, here are 3 Netflix films to work on your Chilean accent.
1. Nadie sabe que estoy aquí
“Nobody knows I’m here” is the first Chilean movie originally made for Netflix. The film won the Best New Narrative Director award at the Tribeca Film Festival. It’s about Memo Garrido, a man who lives far away from society due to his past as a child singer and the trauma he faced.
It’s starred by Jorge García, so if you’re a fan of the TV series LOST you’ll recognize him. Though he was born in the U.S.A, he is of Chilean descent. There are, of course, other talented Chilean actors, like Luis Gnecco and Millaray Lobos.
The film doesn’t have too much dialogue or unnecessary chitchat. Though this might seem weird for an accent training movie option, it’s perfect for complete beginners. Because this will make it easier to truly concentrate on what they’re saying and the pronunciation.
You won’t be worried about getting lost in a fast conversation full of one dialogue after another. Let’s leave that for the most advanced learners. It also makes it easier to remember specific vocabulary and Chilean everyday expressions.
A great plus is that you’ll get to see the amazing landscapes of Lake Llanquihue in Chile, as the main character lives there.
Watch the trailer: Nobody Knows I’m Here | Official Trailer | Netflix
2. La Once
This is a Chilean documentary about five old ladies who, once a month, gather to have tea. These gatherings have been going on for sixty years. They discuss their lives and the world. You’ll get an intimate look at how they lived and grew up and who they are now. Including their perspectives on those topics that have and continue to change with time. This is very interesting. Through learning about them, you’ll also get to see how some people from Chile live.
The director of the documentary, Maite Alberdi, is the granddaughter of one of these old ladies. Maybe that’s why this film comes as very personal.
Hearing these five old Chilean ladies speak and discuss different important topics and everyday matters, will help your accent tremendously. Because even when it’s the same accent they all have different voices and talking speeds. The more native Chilean people you hear speak, the better your ear will get accustomed to the accent and the variations of it.
A plus is that you’ll also get tons of vocabulary for all kinds of situations. This is because of all the things they talk about. By hearing the conversations, you’ll learn how to pronounce each word you’ll learn.
Casual conversations with friends like the ones in “La Once” are perfect for accent improving. Because it’s the way you learned your first language. You first heard the people surrounding you talk about a million different things, and gradually picked up the sounds and emulated them.
You’ll find it on Netflix with its English name: “Tea Time”.
Watch the trailer: Tea Time (La Once) by Maite Alberdi | Trailer
3. Ardiente paciencia
If you’re looking for something more romantic, this is your movie. It’s about a young Chilean man who has his future already destined as a fisherman. But he changes jobs and starts working as Pablo Neruda’s mailman. All the while he’s in love with a young Chilean woman and tries to gain her love with poetry.
A romantic movie like this one will make acquiring the Chilean accent a fun, emotional, and relaxing process. You will hear the differences between how they speak during a normal conversation to how they relate to poetry. When you want to say a poem out loud, it should sound different from a casual conversation. You have to put emotion and great diction into the poem. You’ll also learn Spanish vocabulary for love.
The best of it all is that you’ll also get to know about one of Chile’s most popular poets, Pablo Neruda. Though he’s not the main character, he’s a big part of the main character’s adventure and development. So, of course you’ll learn about him, his poetry, and even some historic events Neruda lived. This will get you closer to a huge part of Chile’s culture.
Oh, and this movie is based on a book of the same name by Antonio Skármeta. Skármeta is a Chilean writer who won the Premio Nacional de Literatura (National Literature Award). Reading it will help you increase your Chilean vocabulary and improve your reading comprehension and grammar skills.
See? You can upgrade all your Spanish language skills by reading the book and watching the movie. Ardiente Paciencia is a whole language journey!
Watch the trailer: Ardiente paciencia | Tráiler oficial | Netflix
Sound Like a True Chilean with the Help of TruFluency
You’ve watched all the movies, series, and documentaries possible to improve your Chilean Spanish accent but still haven’t improved much? That’s okay; it’s normal! Learning how to speak a brand-new language is complicated, especially because each language has different sounds. So, pronouncing everything exactly like a native can be very difficult if you’re not used to those sounds. Movies and shows can help a lot because you’re hearing natives speak like they would in a real-life situation. But you might still need the help of a professional.
TruFluency has the best Spanish lessons for that. Our classes not only consist in learning vocabulary and developing listening comprehension but also in speaking. We teach through our Bellieu Method, which consists of speaking to practice everything you’ve learned and become fluent. That is our main goal for you. Remember that through speaking you’ll practice your accent over and over again.
We also have native Chilean teachers. So you’ll learn from the best and will get used to hearing the correct pronunciation. They have the best tips and tricks for accent reduction.
Choose one of our language packages and schedule lessons to fit your schedule. Or take a two-hour trial class. You’ll sound like a true native Spanish speaker sooner than you expect!
