Watching foreign language films is one of the best ways to improve your language skills, especially when they are subtitled. Not only do you get a chance to improve your vocabulary, but you get a real glimpse inside another culture.

German language cinema is particularly strong. Many of the most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful German films of recent years are based on dark themes of war, repression and Germany’s troubled twentieth century. But don’t let a little misery put you off!

Here are five great German language films:

Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) Germany 2006 IMDB

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

The Lives of Others is an Oscar-winning portrait of life in 1980s East Germany. In an environment where all creative output is filtered by the Communist government and an estimated one in six East Germans informs for the Stasi (secret police), paranoia reigns.

The film tells the story of dyed in the wool Stasi agent Gerd Wiesler (played by Ulrich Mühe) as he carries out an assignment on liberal playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch).

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s debut feature film was nominated for 11 German movie awards and is often cited by critics as one of the finest films produced in any language. Highly recommended.

Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters) Austria 2007 IMDB

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky

The Counterfeiters tells the story of the number one counterfeiter in 1930s Berlin, Salomon ‘Sally’ Sorowitsch, and his wartime experiences in the Mauthausen and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. The tagline “It takes a clever man to make money, it takes a genius to stay alive” gives some indication of the plot, which is based on the real life attempts of Nazi Germany to forge foreign currency as their war effort failed.

Another Oscar winner and not as bleak as the subject matter may suggest.

Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (The Edukators) Germany 2004 IMDB

Director: Hans Weingartner

Attractive young anti-capitalists make a stand against those mean fat cats that, like, own everything, man. But everything does not go according to plan as history, self doubt and Daniel Brühl’s irresistible charm become issues.

An enjoyable drama with a message.

Indien (India) Austria 1993 IMDB

Director: Paul Harather

A light-hearted tale of two Austrian health inspectors who are forced to work together and end up becoming fast friends. Although you may struggle to find a copy with English subtitles, fear not… because of the sometimes unintelligible Austrian dialects, the film was also subtitled in Germany!

A great film if you want to discover Austrian culture.

Das Boot (“The Boat”) Germany 1981 IMDB

Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Long before the days of settling down to watch a whole series of The Wire in one sitting, came Das Boot.

Nominated for six Oscars, 293 minutes long in its full, uncut glory, Das Boot is the big daddy of German cinema. Telling the story of 42 recruits on a German U-Boat, it’s a masterpiece in suspense, emotion and taut writing.

Don’t be put off by the length; you could always watch the edited version at a mere 149 minutes.

When playing Scrabble, a seven or eight letter word, especially through a “Triple Word Score” can be a decisive moment, possibly something to tell the grandchildren about.

Fans of television show Countdown – hello students – may think that a nine letter word is the ultimate in human achievement and just cause for another Digestive (14 points in Scrabble).

But, when it comes to long words, English is left trailing in the shadows by a number of the world’s languages. Discounting technical terms and those which have never made it into a respected dictionary, there are some spectacular words out there, such as:

Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft (79 letters), which was cited by the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest German word, although longer compounds are technically possible. It means “Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services,” if you were wondering. It would fill more than two thirds of a scrabble board.

Speciallægepraksisplanlægningsstabiliseringsperiode (51 letters), meaning “Period of stability planning for specialist doctor practice.” It’s the longest Danish word that has been used in an official context.

Kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamheden (49 letters), meaning “preparation activities for a children’s carnival procession,” was cited by the 1996 Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Dutch word.

…which all goes to make our own antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters) seem rather lightweight. But then the disestablishment of the Church of England never did happen, so the antidisestablishmentarians did ok!

Other languages may also suffer from a little size envy:

The longest French word is anticonstitutionnellement (25 letters), meaning “unconstitutionally”, and anticostituzionalissimamente (28 letters) is the longest grammatically correct Italian word. Anti-constitutional behaviour in France or Italy? Never!

Debate rages in Spain as to whether superextraordinarísimamente (27 letters), meaning “extremely superextraordinary” is used enough to qualify as the longest Spanish word. Electroencefalografistas claim that their profession should be recognised as the longest word, but then they’re a fairly small group, without much clout in the world of grammar. And, as their name is highly technical, we’re plumping for superextraordinarísimamente, which sounds better anyway.

In Greece, λοπαδο τεμαχο σελαχο γαλεο κρανιο λειψανο δριμ υπο τριμματο σιλφιο καραβο μελιτο κατακεχυ μενο κιχλ επι κοσσυφο φαττο περιστερ αλεκτρυον­οπτο κεφαλλιο κιγκλο πελειο λαγῳο σιραιο βαφη τραγανο πτερύγων (183 letters) is a popular dish. Ok, that’s not strictly true. It was made up by Aristophanes for his play Assemblywomen, but it’s kind of catchy!

Finally, what are hiccups officially called in Swedish? Hyperneuroakustiskadiafragmakontravibrationer (45 letters).

Have we missed any?

Spanish. Language of sun, sea and more sun.

We offer Spanish courses all over the world, from Bariloche to the Basque Country. Among our most popular destinations are those where you can attempt that “difficult” juggling act between nailing those 84 Spanish verb endings and frolicking in the sea, mojito in hand.

Our top five beach destinations are selected in a purely subjective and unscientific way, but anyway…

Vamos a la playa!

San Sebastian (Spain) – Best City Beach

San Sebastian is a city dedicated to good living. For years, gourmets have been going crazy for the quality and quantity of restaurants that pepper the city and its surroundings, which have earned more Michelin Stars per head than anywhere else.

But many people overlook the quality of the beaches in and around the city. Playa Concha is the largest and most popular of the city centre beaches. Looking out onto the Bay of Biscay, you can sunbathe within touching distance of the city centre’s bars and restaurants.

Barcelona must get an honourable mention in this category, for offering a city beach with the added bonus of warm water, but the sand isn’t as nice as in San Sebastian and Barcelona’s beaches can be a bit grubby.

Learn Spanish in San Sebastian

Ibiza (Spain) – Best Variety

Ahhh… so many to choose from. Whether you are a hip young thing, family with kids, a celeb looking for somewhere to moor your yacht or an ageing hippy, Ibiza has a beach for you.

Cala Jondal,  in the extreme south west of the island, is arguably the most serene place to spend an afternoon, with white sand, clear water and a natural border of pine trees.

Cala Benirras is the hippy’s hangout of choice and possibly the best kept secret on the island. There is no bus from Ibiza Town so you’ll have to befriend a local/hippy to get there. Bring your bongos and watch the sun set in paradise.

Las Salinas is perennially popular with people who are much wealthier than you.

Aguas Blancas is the natural choice for the naturist. Work on your Spanish wearing nothing but sun lotion.

Learn Spanish in Ibiza

Bocas del Toro (Panama) – Best for Getting Away from it All

If you’re looking for a picture postcard beach to yourself, Red Frog Beach on the Bocas del Toro islands has got to come pretty near the top of your list.

Sitting a few kilometres off the Panamanian coast, the isles are surrounded by stunning, quiet beaches, but hop on a water taxi to Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimentos and you won’t believe your eyes.

Learn Spanish in Bocas del Toro

Playa Jaco (Costa Rica) – Best for Surfers

Years ago, Playa Jaco was virtually unknown outside of Costa Rica. Ticos (Costa Ricans) from the capital city San Jose would relish the chance to make the short bus journey to the coast to Jaco at weekends for fresh air, good food and easy living.

Now, the town has become one of the top surfing destinations in the Americas, renowned for its impressive waves and party atmosphere.  A couple of minutes down the road, Playa Hermosa is the beach of choice for more experienced surfers and you can find head-high waves all year round.

Learn Spanish in Playa Jaco

Tenerife (Spain) – Best for Year Round Sunshine

Many Central American beaches offer great weather throughout the year, but if you’re looking for something a little closer to home, nowhere beats the Canary Islands.

Technically, you will be sunbathing on the Sahara. As Tenerife is a fairly young volcanic island, the majority of the beaches – all of the ones with yellow or white sand – are man-made, with sand imported from the desert. Playa de las Teresitas (4 million sacks of Sahara) is the most popular beach in Santa Cruz and is great for swimming, especially early in the day.

On the north coast of the island, some of the finest natural beaches are to be found around Puerto de la Cruz.

Over 20°C and sunny in January? Yes please!

Learn Spanish in Tenerife

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have noticed that we are currently living under a volcanic ash cloud.

Thanks to the wonderfully named Eyjafjallajökull, flights across Europe are being grounded, holidays are being prolonged and news reporters are contorting their mouths in never-before-seen constellations. And it seems likely that this will be continuing for a while yet.

Has the seismic activity in Iceland stirred your imagination? Interested in combining language study with volcano exploration?

Here are our five top language travel destinations for volcano lovers:

1) Sainte Anne, Guadeloupe

Sainte Anne in Guadeloupe is tropical paradise. White, sandy beaches, palm trees, warm, turquoise waters – they’re all here.

Just 40km away, on the other wing of the butterfly shaped island is 1,467m tall La Grande Soufrière, which last erupted in the 70s. The volcano is criss-crossed with paths and makes an excellent day trip from Sainte Anne.

Find out more about our French courses in Guadeloupe.

2) Tokyo, Japan

On a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji from downtown Tokyo, which is little over 100km away.

The currently dormant volcano is one of Japan’s most popular destinations and can be climbed during July and August each year.

If you want to see the volcano up close, without leaving your seat, take the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Tokyo in the direction of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka and look out of the right hand windows around Shin-Fuji Station, 40 to 45 minutes after leaving Tokyo.

Find out more about our Japanese courses in Tokyo.

3) Tenerife, Spain

At 3718m above sea level, Pico del Teide is Spain’s highest point. Known as Echeyde before Spanish colonisation in 1495, the volcano is a great day trip if you want to get away from the beach.

Find out more about our Spanish courses in Tenerife.

4) Fukuoka, Japan

Fukuoka is a vibrant city in the far west of Japan, within easy reach of Shanghai and Seoul. Check out our Japanese courses in Fukuoka.

115km away, Mount Unzen is one of the world’s great live volcanoes, attracting geologists, artists and explorers from all corners. It last erupted in the mid-nineties.

5) Wellington, New Zealand

2,797m tall Mount Ruapehu is 233km from Wellington. That’s just as well, really, as Ruapehu is one (well, technically three) of the world’s most active volcanoes and has seen minor eruptions on more than 60 occasions since 1945.

Don’t let that put you off though… the kiwis certainly don’t! Whakapapa on the northern side and Turoa on the southern slope are New Zealand’s largest ski areas and are usually open from June to October.

Find out more about our English courses in Wellington.

Five great volcanoes, five great destinations!

When you hear that little voice in the back of your head saying…

I’m too old!

This is the most common misconception and one that is simply wrong.

It is doubt, rather than age itself, that is the major stumbling block for adult learners. If you get it into your head that you are too old to learn a language, you will keep on falling back on that as an excuse when something doesn’t “stick” immediately. This is bad.

The opposite is necessary for language learning; getting out there, making some mistakes and the odd grimace/flailing arms combo is the best way to advance (and measure the progress you are making).

Studies have repeatedly shown that adult learners are at no disadvantage when it comes to learning a second language. True, you are unlikely to progress to native-speaker fluency that a child could achieve, but that needn’t stop you speaking a new language at an excellent level.

I hated school.

Put your hands up if you enjoyed learning a language at school? No takers?

That’s not surprising. It can be hard to see the value of learning a new language when you are distracted by, well, everything else that goes on around that age.

But, after getting out there and seeing the world, does that second language seem like such a waste of time now? Or is it something more tangible?

If you didn’t enjoy language learning when you were at school, bear in mind two things. Firstly, language schools (or indeed one-to-one tuition) are nothing like learning at school was. Classes are a great chance to meet people from all over the world who are brought together by a desire to learn.

Secondly, are you the same person you were at the age of thirteen?

I can’t “do” grammar.

As Barack Obama might say, yes you can.

You just don’t realise it.

Very often, a good language teacher will teach you grammar without you even realising it. Who cares that the “ing” form of an activity (running, eating, burping, etc) is known as a “gerund”? Good to know as a teacher, no doubt, but not really relevant when you’re trying to learn a new language. You know how to use gerunds and do so every day. The same is true with adverbs, pronouns and any number of grammatical mechanisms.

Don’t let the idea of grammar put you off. Language teaching has come on a long way in recent years and the focus is very much on building confidence as opposed to learning by rote.

Everyone speaks English anyway!

Maybe in tourist destinations, but there’s a big, wide world out there.

A friend of mine works for a top consultancy firm in his industry. His firm recently lost a large potential contract with one of the largest manufacturers in his industry because they didn’t have native German speakers within the company and the client demanded this.

On a more personal level, there is no feeling like the first time you really communicate in another language. Of course it can be frustrating getting to that point, and it’s certainly a challenge, but it’s not beyond anyone.

There’s an old proverb (not an English one, it must be said) that goes, “you live a new life for every language you speak”. Are you ready to give yourself a chance?

Arnold Schwarzenegger

– English & German

Arnie fact no. 1: He wanted to dub his own voice for German versions of the Terminator films, but the film studio thought his rural Austrian accent didn’t match the tough-guy role and employed a German voice actor instead.

Arnie fact no. 2: In the Spanish dubbed version of Terminator 2, the catchphrase “Hasta la vista, baby” was changed to “Sayonara baby”. In Latin America, they kept “Hasta la vista”.

Arnie Bonus Soundboard.

Audrey Hepburn

– Spanish, French, Dutch/Flemish, Italian

Not only a famous beauty and style icon, but a dab hand with languages.

Cesc Fabregas

– English, Spanish, Catalan, French
The captain of the Premier League’s most multilingual squad has helped with Arsenal’s “Double Club” language project, which encourages local schoolkids to learn languages. He gives a Spanish lesson on the accompanying DVD series.

Clint Eastwood

– English & Italian

“Go ahead, make my day” in Italian is “Coraggio, fatti ammazzare”.

Daniel Brühl

– German, Spanish, Catalan, English, French

Or, to give him his full name, Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo, says:

Thanks to my family I have been able to work in many different places and in different languages. I am proud to work in European Cinema.

Brühl was born in Barcelona to a Catalan mother and a German father, but grew up in Cologne. As a result, he is not only fluent in German and Spanish but has also mastered Catalan, French and English.

David Beckham

– English & Spanish (just about)

Bless him, old Goldenballs got there eventually!

Gary Lineker

– English, Spanish and some Japanese

My wife and I learnt Spanish and Japanese when I played at Barcelona and Nagoya. We spent hours and hours in tuition – yet we could have learnt either language at school. Modern languages prepare you for modern life… As the world gets smaller, there’s never been a better opportunity to get into languages.

Gary may be on wife no. 2 now, but you can bet he still has his language skills.

Johnny Depp

– English & French
Married to French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis and resident in France, Johnny Depp speaks decent, but not fluent French. Apparently, his young (bilingual) daughter is often heard correcting him!

Morgan Freeman

– English & French

Morgan Freeman gave a speech in French to the crowd of extras gathered in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium to portray the Baltimore Super Bowl audience in 2002 film The Sum of All Fears.
To make up for that slightly boring fact, here’s the Morgan Freeman Chain of Command.

Roger Federer

– English, German & French

When hearing Roger Federer speak in English it’s sometimes hard to remember that German is his mother tongue. And, being Swiss, his French is also fluent. And he can do this.

Sandra Bullock

– English & German

Check out her 2009 acceptance speech at the Bambi awards. Pretty impressive, huh? Bullock spent much of her childhood in Germany and German-speaking Europe.

Tony Blair

– English & French

Tony Blair learned French while working at a Paris bar during his gap year before university and is only British Prime Minister of recent times who will give interviews in the language.
He once recalled how his most embarrassing moment as British PM was, when asked (in French) at a press conference whether there were any French policies he would like to imitate; he replied “I desire your prime minister in many different positions.”

Oh well Tony, we’ve all been there. Err…


In order to find out what face you risk putting on if someone speaks to you in a language you don’t understand, consult the most explicit grimaces on http://grimaces.eslcompany.com/en ! And if you send a photo of you in these circumstances, you may be in with a chance of winning one of the prizes coveted by all photography lovers – LOMOGRAPH cameras, considered as being very “in vogue” by the world of photography!

Our partner school, Escuela de Idiomas, has its premises in a well-equipped building at the heart of the old town of Nerja. Thanks to its ideal location, you will be able to take classes in the morning and enjoy the sun in the afternoon. After all, the beach is only 5 minutes away!

Click here to find out more

Our partner school, Global Village, is located only a few minutes away from Byron Bay town centre and close to the magnificent beaches of the region. You will be welcomed in an entirely renovated building for your English classes in the best conditions.

Click here to find out more

The winners of the competition launched by ESL at the beginning at the year met up from 18 to 20 June in order to enjoy electro sounds underneath the Spanish sun! Here, on the famous Plaça Reial, from left to right: Coralie Matthey (Switzerland), Michael Klein (Germany), Charlotte Bourghelle (France) and Rita Valentina (Italy), who had the opportunity to participate in the largest electronic music festival in Europe, Sónar.
Each winner was able to fly off with a friend, as the prize included: 2 return flights for Barcelona, 2 passes for the 3 days of the festival, 3 nights in an apartment in the city centre, as well as €100 pocket money.