I'm watching The Crown right now and I just can't deal with the accent at all. I have fewer problems with American English, but the British speak so fast and unclearly. Is that because I've learned too much American English? How can I get used to British English?
Don't waste too much time trying to "retrain" yourself - it's really just about getting used to it and has less to do with how you've learned so far, but more with the fact that British English is actually spoken faster and the pronunciation is different. The Crown is honestly a bit tricky for beginners though, because the actors deliberately speak very precisely and quickly 😅. Try watching something easier in British English (comedies or dramas that aren't so high-society), watch with subtitles and replay individual scenes a few times - after a while your ear will just train itself and it'll feel more natural.
Are you watching The Crown with German or English subtitles?
That's actually the key issue - British English sounds faster and "blurry" because the pronunciation is less distinct than American English. Americans articulate more clearly, that's true. But it has nothing to do with you having learned too much American English. Your ear just isn't trained yet on these intonation patterns. The accent itself isn't faster, but the vowels are shaped differently and consonants are pronounced more softly - it feels like mush when you're not used to it.
Here's a practical tip that a lot of people forget: watch scenes without subtitles, but not to understand them, just to listen. Really just 5-10 minutes at a time, several times a week. Don't try to catch everything - just let the language wash over you. Along with that, it helps to watch British YouTubers or podcasters where normal people are speaking (not actors doing that overly artificial RP). After two or three weeks you'll notice your brain starting to pick up on the patterns, and suddenly The Crown flows a lot more smoothly.
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