Shadowing Practice: 2698 - In a While or For a While? Tricky English Grammar Explained - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creando lección...
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Hello, Lindsay.
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How are you today?
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Hey, I'm doing great, Aubrey.
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What is something that you've done for a while?
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I've been going paddleboarding for a while.
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We just went Sunday to the Salt River.
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And even in the dead of summer here in Arizona, this is something you can do outside.
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So you're in and out of the river.
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It's much cooler on the water.
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So there's not a lot we can do outside these days.
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But so the river's kind of packed, but it's really fun.
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And you've got your cooler and your radio and what radio?
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Right on your paddleboard.
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I love it.
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Yeah.
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It's kind of amazing.
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What about you?
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What's something you've done for a while?
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I would say I've been going to Orange Theory for a while.
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So it's the way it's like HIIT training and some weightlifting.
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But when I was pregnant, I kind of stopped doing a little bit of the weightlifting towards the end.
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So I need to regain my muscle mass now.
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Yes.
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Right.
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I know we need to be lifting heavy speaking of pregnancy
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this episode was inspired by something I said to Michelle you guys know she just and
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if you missed the episode she had some exciting news stay
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to the end we'll share details about the episode in case you missed it
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but what I was saying to her I had texted her I won't see you in a
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while and then I corrected it
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and changed it to I won't see you for a while
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and I was like wait yeah let me think about this
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and this inspired this great episode because this is really interesting tricky grammar
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and yeah we want to dive into how we use these today
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i love when episodes are inspired by real text messages
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or real conversations that is how you know
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that you're learning real english right here on allers english aubrey
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so good yes so true so guys hit follow
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if you missed michelle's exciting news you might not be following
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the episode you're missing amazing episodes you can definitely listen to that after this one we'll share all of the details, but hit follow so you never miss an episode.
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Absolutely.
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All right.
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Good stuff.
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So let's get into it.
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Let's tell us, tell us, Aubrey, were you right or wrong?
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Or what was the right thing to say in that moment?
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Let's dive into both of these.
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So it sort of depends on what you mean, right?
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Right.
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When you say for a while, let's go into for a while first.
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This means during a period of time
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so the emphasis is on the duration of the time right
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so for example i lived in chicago for a
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while you're talking about how long you lived there okay yeah i lived in chicago for a
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while or she worked quietly for a while before taking a break
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so it's all about duration is what you're telling us yes exactly
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and then in a while is more about the future right i'll call you in a
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while has nothing to do with duration of time it means
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at some point in the future i'll call you in a
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while i'll call you in a while or i'll see you in a
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while right so you know in a while
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when you'll is more about like when you'll arrive and for a
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while is like how long you'll stay there
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so what's interesting is what i was texting michelle really could be either because if i'm saying i won't you know,
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it'll, it'll, I'll see you in a while means sometime in the future.
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And if I say, I won't see you for a while, I'm talking about the duration of time that we won't see each other.
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Right.
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So it sort of depends.
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Right.
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The key piece is that you use the negative.
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So I will not see you for a while would make more sense.
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Right.
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Right.
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If you said, I won't see you in a while, you're saying, I won't see you in the future.
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Right.
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Exactly.
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So if you're using the negative right I won't see you for a
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while I will see you positive I will see you in a
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while so here's a pro tip
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if you can replace it you know the for a while
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or in a while with an amount of time like 30 minutes
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or for two hours use for a while you know we chatted for a
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while I won't see you for a while because I could say
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if it's a few weeks I could add I could put time in there but But, you know, if it's in a while, then you can't replace it with an amount of time.
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You'd replace it with like in the future, sometime in the future, right?
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Right.
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In 30 minutes or soon would be replacements, right?
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For in a while.
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Exactly, right?
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If you can replace it with soon or in the future, in 30 minutes, then you'd say in a while.
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But here's the other thing that's tricky we have some fixed expressions with a while that we use really often, which have different meanings.
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So we're going to share a couple of those as well.
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Yeah.
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Interesting.
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All right.
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So we have an expression once in a while, right?
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So not to be confused, but what does it mean here?
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Yeah.
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It means occasionally, right?
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Oh, I eat fast food once in a while.
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So this is a very different meaning than in a while by itself.
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Yes, exactly.
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You can't split them.
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You can't leave off part of this phrase you really need this chunk right
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or the phrase in a little while in a little
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while meaning in a short amount of time so I'll see you in a little while
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that essentially means the same thing as in a
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while right we're just short maybe a shorter
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because it could be you know in a
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while could mean further whereas in a little
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while you mean not much time at all right exactly
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and then a while ago what does that mean yeah
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so this means sometime in the past I saw her a
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while ago you're intentionally being vague you might not even remember how long it's been right
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so yeah all of these chunks we use with these a
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while and this is interesting too a little grammar note here
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that for all of the phrases we've talked about
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so far it's written as two words a while
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but we also have a while written as one word right a single word adverb
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that means for a short time for example I need to rest a
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while I've been sleeping a while and it doesn't matter luckily
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when you're speaking because they sound the same but
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when you're writing yes they're written differently this is definitely one of the things
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that i have been confused about in the past you're not
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alone lindsay i see mistakes all the time right this is
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very common a lot of people don't realize don't know there's a difference
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so just write it both
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and it's definitely not the end of the world even in you know business emails most people are not going to, right?
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It's pretty much just grammarians and English teachers that might notice.
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So not something to stress about too much.
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Right.
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So just to be really clear, we're asking the question here, when do you separate the A from the while?
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Like when you're writing it, right?
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In a written format.
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When do we separate it?
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So I'll bring, again, just to be clear, when do we separate, how do we know when to separate A with while?
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So for all of these expressions, everything we've said, it's two words, a while with a space between, right?
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The only time it's written as one word is
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when it's a single word adverb that is describing how long something would happen.
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It means for a short time, right?
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So for example, you would say, oh, I need to rest for a short time.
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If you replace that with a while, then it's written as one word.
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He's been sleeping a while means the same as for a short time or for a long time, that's when it's one word written.
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I feel like I usually say he's been sleeping for a while.
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I put for in there most of the time.
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What do you do?
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What do you speak?
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What do you tend to do?
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Oh, that's interesting.
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I think both.
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I feel like I do both.
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That's where it's tricky because once you add the preposition in a while, for a while, it becomes a noun phrase and these versions require
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that it be a while written as two words
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because now instead of this single word adverb you've made it
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a noun phrase really interesting really interesting i kind of feel
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like just leaving it alone uh i need to rest a
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while feels a little more whimsical a little more poetic to
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me i i feel like i'd be more likely to find
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that in a book or a poem
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or something yeah i see what you mean it does sound more conversational to say i need to rest for a while.
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They're both accurate.
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Yes.
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Right.
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It's interesting how it just sort of makes it slightly more casual to add the preposition.
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Yeah.
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So if you guys are struggling with that, if you're confused, don't worry.
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You're not alone.
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Most of the native speaking world is also struggling with that.
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Yeah.
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Most native speakers, they just think it's a mistake.
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If they see it written as one or two words, they probably wouldn't be able to describe why.
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Interesting.
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That's right.
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Exactly.
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Hey, quick question.
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Do you want to feel more confident when you speak English?
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If so, we made a free guide for you.
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It'll help you avoid those common mistakes and start speaking more naturally in real conversations.
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Go grab it in the description below.
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And if this is helpful for you, make sure that you like and subscribe.
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We're here five times a week to help you connect in English.
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All right, Aubrey, let's do a role play, put these into action.
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So who's Emma, friends here that haven't seen each other for in a
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while for a while or in a while um i will be emma
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and you are jack okay ready all right all right hey i feel like i haven't seen you for a
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while how have you been i know it's re it has really been right really has been a
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while since we caught up things have been crazy at work
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same here i've barely had a free evening for a while now.
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I've just been stuck in back -to -back projects.
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Yeah, I get that.
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I think the last time we hung out was dinner downtown, and that was a while ago.
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Exactly.
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So what have you been up to?
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Well, I'll actually be traveling next week, so I won't be around for a while after that.
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Oh, wow.
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So I'm not going to see you for a while after this weekend.
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Probably not, but we should definitely catch up before I leave.
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Yeah, we probably wouldn't find that quite as often in a conversation.
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I crammed a lot of them into this role play.
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We did, we did.
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And you put a little trick for me there.
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There was a mistake in our role play and I had to correct it in real time.
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Yeah, well done.
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We got it right.
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All right, let's share some of these.
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All right, Aubrey, so let's go through it.
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I started and said, I haven't seen you for a while.
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So it would be written as two words here.
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And I'm talking about the duration of time.
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Means it's been a long time i haven't seen you for a long time i haven't seen you for a
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while yep and then jake said i know it really has been a
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while since we caught up it has been a certain amount of time right a long amount of time
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and then i say i've barely had a free evening for a
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while now we'll often add now we've talked about this on the podcast before why we add now
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so it's not necessarily needed for sure you might just say, Oh, I haven't had a free evening for a while.
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This, you know, we'll hear and I'll use this to say for a while now for emphasis, right?
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I'm kind of emphasizing how long the time feels.
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Yeah.
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Great. And yeah.
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Did we talk about that recently?
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How, how we add now and a lot of different contexts as native speakers.
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That is a great episode topic.
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I'm glad that we've already done it.
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We've already covered it.
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So guys go back into our archives and check that out.
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Um, Um, Jake said, I think the last time we hung out was dinner downtown and that was a while ago.
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Okay.
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Yes, exactly.
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And then you also said, I won't be around for a while after that.
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So you're talking about an amount of time here.
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And then Emma said, oh, wow.
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So I guess I won't see you for a while again after this weekend.
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So this is where it starts to feel really repetitive with a while, right?
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This is one of those where we're like, maybe we need some other ways to say this, right?
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because it's true in a conversation we try not to repeat
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vocabulary repeat the same phrases would try to switch it up
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and there are other ways to say this of course right
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i could have said yeah oh i'm not gonna see you
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forever it's gonna be ages before we see each other again
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right ages you could take quite a bit of time maybe there's a lot of
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that we just didn't have time to go through them today guys
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but there are alternatives maybe we'll do a follow -up episode yes right Definitely.
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And we want to make sure that if you missed it, scroll up for $26 .94.
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We are ahead of schedule with Michelle's exciting news.
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So we won't spoil it here.
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Go back and listen to that episode if you missed it for Michelle's news.
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Such an exciting year here at Allers English with everyone's good news happening.
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Oh my gosh.
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So excited for you guys to hear that episode.
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Really good stuff.
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Aubrey, what's our final takeaway here for a while? this is interesting
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so as we were saying these are mistakes
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that even native speakers make right there are
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so many small details in english grammar
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that can trip us up spelling being strange like this
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or really similar phrases for a while in a
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while it's not a huge difference right
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but hopefully this breakdown gave you some more details some pro tips about
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when to use which one because we often talk about this, like how long it's been since we've seen someone, right?
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If you're running into a friend you haven't seen for ages, you want to mention that.
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Yeah.
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And connection matters.
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Don't get tripped up with, you know, if you're not quite sure in the moment, which one works, just go ahead and choose the, you know, whatever one comes to mind.
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Right.
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Whoever you're listening to probably doesn't know either.
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That's the good news.
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They don't know either.
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Exactly.
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All right.
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Great episode today, Aubrey.
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I'll see you very soon.
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I'll see you in a while.
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Right.
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I'll see Take care.
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Bye.
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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección
Este vídeo tiene 275 frases y 2642 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 13:33. El hablante habla rápido, unas 195 palabras por minuto, así que espera sonidos enlazados y reducidos. El 85 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.
Vocabulario clave de este vídeo
15 palabras del vídeo que vale la pena aprender, con su pronunciación y significado:
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| phrase sustantivo | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | frase |
| duration sustantivo | /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | duración |
| confused adjetivo | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | confundido |
| grammar sustantivo | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | gramática |
| sometime adverbio | /ˈsʌmˌtaɪm/ | al rato, algún día |
| inspire verbo | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | inspirar, infundir |
| tricky adjetivo | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | dificultoso, chungo |
| downtown sustantivo | /ˈdaʊ̯nˌtaʊ̯n/ | centro, centro/núcleo urbano/ciudadano/citadino |
| depend verbo | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | depender/pender (de), ser dependiente (de) |
| emphasis sustantivo | /ˈɛmfəsɪs/ | énfasis, hincapié |
| dive verbo | /daɪv/ | bucear, somorgujar |
| chunk sustantivo | /t͡ʃʌŋk/ | trozo, pedazo |
| noun sustantivo | /naʊn/ | nombre, nombre sustantivo |
| topic sustantivo | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | tema, tópico |
| naturally adverbio | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | naturalmente, a natura |
Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| caught up verbo | dejarse llevar por, envuelto | |
| go through verbo | atravesar | |
| catch up verbo | enredar | |
| follow up verbo | dar seguimiento, dar un seguimiento | |
| go ahead verbo | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | venga, adelante |
Gramática en este vídeo
Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:
| Estructura | En el vídeo |
|---|---|
| Oraciones condicionales if + oración, will/would + verbo — una condición y su resultado | if i'm saying i won't you · if I say, I won't see · If you said, I won't see |
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — una acción que empezó antes y continúa | I've been going · I've been sleeping |
| Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora | you've done · we've talked · have been confused |
| Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace | was inspired · are inspired · been stuck |
Pronunciación a tener en cuenta
El hablante usa 110 contracciones y formas reducidas, como you're, won't, I'll. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.
- Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/
- Palabras largas — cuida el acento: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/
Cómo practicar con este vídeo
- Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
- Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
- Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como phrase, duration, confused.
¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?
Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.