Langvie / Learn German with movies / It's a Wonderful Life
Learn German with It's a Wonderful Life.
The German dub of It's a Wonderful Life is rated B2 in Langvie. Learn the words you are missing first, then watch it without pausing.
The words to learn before you watch
These are the 20 words at B1 and above that It's a Wonderful Life says most often. Each one comes up between 5 and 16 times, so a card for each pays off several times in one evening.
| Word | Level | Meaning | Said |
|---|---|---|---|
| fröhlich | B1 | cheerful, merry | 16 |
| der Flügel | B2 | wing | 15 |
| der Krieg | B1 | war | 12 |
| retten | B1 | to save, to rescue | 12 |
| das College | B1 | college | 10 |
| der Engel | B1 | angel | 10 |
| heim | B1 | home, homewards | 9 |
| rein | B1 | in, inside | 9 |
| der Cent | B1 | cent | 8 |
| der Augenblick | B1 | moment, instant | 7 |
| herein | B1 | in, inside | 7 |
| das Recht | B1 | right, law | 7 |
| die Sorge | B1 | worry, care | 7 |
| beten | B1 | to pray | 6 |
| bieten | B1 | to offer | 6 |
| verrückt | B1 | crazy, mad | 6 |
| bluten | B1 | to bleed | 5 |
| der Bursche | B2 | lad, fellow | 5 |
| die Chance | B1 | chance, opportunity | 5 |
| hassen | B1 | to hate | 5 |
The full list in the app has all 1,365 words, each with its plural or past forms, a recording, and the line from the film where it is said.
How hard It's a Wonderful Life is in German
Langvie counts every word the film uses and how often each one is said. The level is the band that covers 80% of what is said, and for It's a Wonderful Life the words from A1 to B2 make up 84%.
| Level | Words | Share of what is said |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 287 | 45% |
| A2 | 204 | 16% |
| B1 | 311 | 18% |
| B2 | 108 | 5% |
| C1 | 324 | 12% |
| C2 | 131 | 4% |
The count leaves out function words, greetings, numbers and names, so it covers the words a learner has to learn. Of those, as the film says them, 39% sit above A2 and 21% above B1. Learning the list above first cuts both numbers most, because those are the words said again and again.
How to learn it in Langvie
Open It's a Wonderful Life and press Learn Top-50 words for this movie. The fifty words it says most enter your deck at once. They come back tomorrow, then after 6 days, 13 and 29, and a word you miss returns before the session ends. Once the list stops surprising you, watch.
Other films at B2
- 12 Angry Men, 1957
- Catch Me If You Can, 2002
- Das Leben der Anderen, 2006
- Der Pate, 1972
- Der Pate 2, 1974
- GoodFellas, 1990
Learn the words from It's a Wonderful Life tonight.
The full list is free in the app, with the meaning in English, Spanish, Ukrainian or Russian.
Questions
Is It's a Wonderful Life good for learning German?
Yes, from about B1 up, if you learn its word list first. Words from A1 to B2 cover 84% of the words it says that a learner has to learn, and 39% sit above A2.
Where do the words come from?
From the German subtitles of the German dub, matched to what is said. Names of characters and places are left out, and every word is stored in its dictionary form, so ging and gegangen both count as gehen. The levels are estimates, taken from the Goethe Institut lists up to B1 and from how common a word is above that.