Exercising the linguistic skills you are learning in school can be difficult and daunting, especially when it only seems to add to your workload. As a way of applying the verb tenses and vocabulary loosely scattered in your brain, watch an international tv show in your language of study to increase your fluency.

French

The unbelievably long soap opera, with over 3,000 episodes aired, has been directed by 15 individuals since August of 2004. It is set in a small, French port deemed “Le Mistral,” based off of the Marseilles neighborhood of Panier. Crime, romance and social status are the epicenter of this drama.

High class families, Chaumette and Frémont, meet lower class families, Marci and Torres, in continuous criminal intrigue, as the local police station and its officers drive the plot. Love and status keep the viewers engaged in other subplots throughout the series.

If you want to start watching now, but do not want to put aside time for a 3,000 – episode premise, an enormous fan base has you covered with blog posts that summarize every episode and will be sure to keep you updated on all of the new drama. With a cast list almost too extensive to follow, the French have been dedicated to this series for years as new episodes continue to air. Immerse yourself in a pinnacle of French media and language with Plus Belle la Vie.

Japanese 

If you’re looking for a good tear jerker but could use some cleaning up on your Japanese, get out some tissues and turn on 1 Liter of Tears. The Japanese TV series first aired on October 11 of 2005, and followed a once a week airing schedule, officially finishing on December 20th the same year. It ran for one season following the true events of the life of Aya Kito, a young Japanese girl born in 1962 who journaled her entire struggle through life with spinocerebellar ataxia.

Spinocerebellar ataxia is a degenerative genetic disease that causes slow changes of the cerebellum, affecting ability of basic movement and coordination. Diagnosed at the age of 15, Aya Kito was just a normal girl living with her parents and three siblings in Toyohashi, Japan. After her diagnosis, and as her condition worsened, Aya’s ability to complete everyday tasks became much more difficult. She kept herself busy by keeping a journal of her life and symptoms which was published following her death at the age of 25. The show follows the writings of Aya’s personal journal, her first days of high school and her close knit relationship with her father.

Spanish

Las Chicas del Cable, loosely translated to its American name Cable Girls, is an eight episode television series on Netflix España. It follows four different women as they navigate the realms of love, work and acceptance in1920s Madrid.

In the 20s in Spain, the newest technology is the telephone. With the earliest developments of the telephone came the operators, las operadoras, the women behind the lines, connecting you with whomever you wished to speak to. Cable Girls is about the lives of four women: a lesbian, an estranged wife, an introverted romantic and the main character con artist, Alba Romero. After she is falsely accused of murder, Alba is forced to go into business with a dirty cop. Her only way out of his blackmail is to steal the newest technology from the National Telephone Company, the largest telephone operation at the time. Upon stealing another woman’s identity, Alba takes on a new name and presents herself as Lidia Aguilar. Her job seems to run smoothly at the start, until she meets her boss, an old friend, who can see right through her facade.

Although the show takes place in the 20s, the language remains contemporary and easy to follow with or without subtitles. The plot takes twists and turns that will make you want to binge every episode.

Mandarin

With an impressive repertoire of 47 episodes since airing in June of 2017, The television series Rush to Dead Summer is trending in Chinese culture. It has already gained lots of attention from the media since the release date, so viewers will find that each episode draws you in immediately.

Based off the writings of popular romance novelist Guo Jingming, the new and popular drama follows tumultuous friendship dynamics spanning over ten years. The main characters’ lives converge in secondary school, where young and beautiful Li Xia meets the illustrious Xiao Si and Lu Zhi Ang. Their characters grow and diverge post graduation as their talents propel them into the future.

Two other pillar characters, Qi Qi and Yu Jian, follow a parallel path, coming of age with the other young adults. Singing and artistic skills primarily drive the careers of the characters, and even provide them with experiences overseas. Imprisonment, love, departure and betrayal put their long lasting friendships on the line as they begin to accept the idea that their lives have grown apart. A classic coming of age drama, Rush to Dead Summer is a fresh pick for Chinese television that will aid you in solidifying your Mandarin fluency.