TV shows for everyday English conversation, by level

The English used in everyday conversation is not the long sentences of an exam. It is a set of small things that come up again and again: greetings and small talk, making and changing plans, saying how you feel, agreeing and saying no, apologizing and comforting, and telling something that just happened. When you learn everyday English from shows, the test for a show is how much of this small talk it has, and whether you can follow it right now.

The short answer: at the start, watch Peppa Pig and Bluey. With some base, watch Modern Family, Heartstopper, and Schitt's Creek. To sound more natural, watch Friends, Ted Lasso, and Normal People. With a stronger base, watch New Girl, The Office, and Fleabag.

First, find your level

Choose by how much you understand, not by how popular a show is.

• Peppa Pig cannot be followed without subtitles: start at the beginner level.
• Peppa Pig is clear, but Modern Family is hard without subtitles: start in the second half of the beginner level, with Bluey and Extr@.
• Most of Modern Family is clear without subtitles: move to the intermediate level.
• Most of the jokes in Friends land without subtitles: move to the natural level.

The right difficulty is a show where you understand 60 to 70 percent without subtitles. Understanding everything means it is too easy. Understanding less than half turns it into guessing from the pictures.

Beginner level: short sentences, slow speech

1. Peppa Pig. The shortest sentences, with all the basics: greetings, requests, and thanks. There is nothing embarrassing about adults watching it. Episodes are a few minutes long, good for opening up the ear from zero.
2. Bluey. Australian accents, and the talk between family and friends sounds natural. Many adults love it too. Everyday lines like Can I ...?, That's not fair, and I'm sorry come up again and again.
3. Extr@ (Extra English). A sitcom made for English learners, with slow speech and simple words, but the story is about adults sharing a flat, which is closer to adult daily life than cartoons.

Intermediate level: everyday comedy and gentle drama

1. Modern Family. American pronunciation, the daily life of three families, about 20 minutes an episode. Characters often speak to the camera about what they think, one view plus one reason, which is easy to copy.
2. Heartstopper. British pronunciation, friendship and first love at high school, with short sentences, moderate speed, and very everyday dialogue.
3. Schitt's Creek. A rich family ends up living in a motel and dealing with the people of a small town. Lots of small talk, complaining, helping out, and making up.
4. Queer Eye. A reality show where five hosts help ordinary people change their lives. Lots of compliments, encouragement, advice, and talk about feelings, and it is real conversation, not scripted.
5. The Great British Bake Off. British pronunciation, steady speed, and gentle chat, encouragement, and feedback between hosts and bakers.

Natural level: faster, closer to real chat

1. Friends. The classic for everyday conversation, with making plans, complaining, comforting, and joking. It is fast and full of jokes, so you do not need to get every one on the first pass.
2. Ted Lasso. Both British and American accents, with a lot of encouragement, apologies, and heart-to-hearts between colleagues. The words are not hard, and the feelings are expressed in fine detail.
3. Normal People. Irish accents, long conversations between two young people, quiet and full of pauses. It is very close to the rhythm of real conversation, and good for hearing how someone slowly puts their feelings into words.
4. This Is Us. American pronunciation, a family drama with many heart-to-hearts, arguments, and reconciliations. Slower than the comedies.
5. How I Met Your Mother. Hanging out with friends, dating, and storytelling. Good for learning how to tell a story in an entertaining way.

A level higher: fast, joke-dense, more accents

• New Girl: daily life with flatmates, fast and full of jokes.
• The Office (US): awkward moments and small talk between colleagues, where much is left unsaid. Good for hearing what people really mean.
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine: a very fast pace, for learners whose listening is already strong.
• Fleabag: British pronunciation, with the main character often talking to the camera. Fast and sharp, with adult content.
• Gavin & Stacey: Welsh and Essex accents, for learners who want to understand accents from around the UK.

Cartoons are not only for kids

Apart from Peppa and Bluey, these cartoons also work for adults practicing everyday English:

• Bob's Burgers: a family runs a burger restaurant, with lots of family and customer talk at moderate speed. Fits the intermediate level.
• Inside Out, Toy Story, and Zootopia: animated films with clear language for feelings and friendship. Good for studying one or two scenes on the weekend.

The Simpsons and Family Guy are not great for everyday conversation. They are packed with cultural jokes and slang, and even when you understand them, you may not be able to use them.

Films: one film, one kind of conversation

• Before Sunrise: two strangers go from small talk to a heart-to-heart. The whole film is almost all conversation.
• The Intern: polite, appropriate conversation at work and in life, at moderate speed.
• Notting Hill and About Time: British pronunciation, with dates, dinners with friends, and family talk.

Find a show by kind of conversation

• Greetings and small talk: Before Sunrise, The Great British Bake Off, Schitt's Creek.
• Making plans, changing times, and turning down invitations: Friends, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl.
• Sharing feelings and comforting others: Bluey, Ted Lasso, This Is Us, Queer Eye.
• Agreeing, disagreeing, and giving reasons: Modern Family, Heartstopper.
• Apologizing and making up: Ted Lasso, Schitt's Creek, Friends.
• Telling something that just happened: How I Met Your Mother, and the to-camera moments in Modern Family.

How to watch one episode

1. First pass with no subtitles, to understand what happened.
2. Second pass with English subtitles. Pick 3 to 5 lines you would also say in your own life, such as lines for making plans, saying no, or comforting someone. Skip rare words.
3. Third pass with subtitles off. Pause on those lines and repeat them, copying the tone and pauses, then say them about something in your own life.

You do not need to study the whole episode. Two or three minutes of conversation through these three steps leaves you with a few lines you will actually use.

When to switch shows

• You understand more than 80 percent without subtitles and can say the common lines along with the characters: move up a level.
• You understand less than half without subtitles: move down a level instead of propping it up with first-language subtitles.
• Staying with one show for a long time is fine. Knowing Friends or Modern Family well builds more speaking than starting a new show every week.

FAQ

American or British shows?

It depends on who you talk to most, or which accent you like. Both work for everyday conversation. Pick one as your main source and listen to the other now and then, so your accent does not end up mixed.

Is Friends still good for everyday English?

Yes, but it is fast, full of jokes, and from the 1990s, so a few expressions sound dated. Watch it once you have some base. At the start, Modern Family or Schitt's Creek are easier.

Should subtitles be on?

Off for the first pass, English subtitles on for the second pass to note lines, and off again for the third. Use first-language subtitles only now and then, when you cannot follow at all.

How long should I watch each day?

15 to 30 minutes a day is enough. What matters is having a few lines each day that you can say along, not watching many episodes at once.

Next step

Today, pick one episode of Modern Family and watch the first ten minutes without subtitles. If most of it is clear, make it your main show. If not, switch to Bluey or Extr@ first. Afterwards, note one line you can say to someone today.