My little sister is a BIG fan of Jane the Virgin, at first I thought this would be another latin soap opera, but after watching a few episodes I saw a bit more than just that.

I’m a bilingual latina and if you read some of the previous posts of this group, you know how much TV and movies helped me to perfect my English. That’s the reason why today we are going to talk about Jane, not another soap opera, but a very good tool to perfect Spanish.

Having teenagers can be hard, they are going through a very weird and dark phase and there is no way to get around them. Maybe you have a teenage kid struggling with Spanish and you don’t know how else you can get them interested in learning a new language. Well… Jane the Virgin is the answer to you prayers.

https://youtu.be/3JPNVHRNCrY

This is your typical “Telenovela” but the twist is that they are actually making fun of “telenovelas” and that is just hysterical. Jane is a young girl who is accidentally artificially inseminated and, you guessed it, she is still a virgin. She comes from a Venezuelan family and she is very close to her hispanic roots and traditions, so it’s a nice way to approach a new culture or stay in touch with your heritage.

Even if this is an american production, the “abuela” never speaks a word of English, and she represents a learning bonus because she comes with English subtitles. You will find tons of spanglish too, so that’s another plus.

https://youtu.be/5Z-tvLN_81I

BIG SPOILER: Jane’s father is a famous “telenovela” actor (but you will find out about the identity of her missing dad at the middle of the first season) the point is that when he is acting for Mexican soap operas, he will give you tons of Spanish to learn from (again, with subtitles)

Trust us, you might recomended to your teenager and I guarantee that he/she will absolutely love it as much as I do now, and you will love it too. So you will be learning and bonding and that’s a treat.

Another HUGE plus: avoiding the awkward conversation

This tv show talks a lot about sexuality, but it has a modern and Christian focus. So watching it together is a nice way to approach such an uncomfortable topic. Alba the “abuela”, teaches Jane from a very early age about the importance of waiting to find your one true love.

One extra tip: Once you see Rafael Solano, you’ll thank me. It’s never too bad to daydream a bit.