Shadowing Practice: 3 Surprising English Learning Lessons & Insights From a Plane Ride - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Being in planes, trains, and buses can be an uncomfortable experience for many people.
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Often there are small, cramped seats, not many things to do, and sometimes the experience is even scary.
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Despite this, you often see people working in these environments.
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How do they do it?
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In this video, you'll learn three tips to help you be able to study anywhere.
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The first one is, adjust to your environment.
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Most of us would probably agree that a plane or a bus is not the best place to study.
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These environments are usually dark and cramped, and you may have a crying baby next to you.
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But the point is, there's never a perfect time or place to learn.
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The reality is that a lot of us use transportation every day.
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We face environments that are typically considered unsuitable for study.
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Trains get crowded.
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You can't do much in your car.
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Even in your own home, you'll get distracted by the TV or Facebook or something.
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And some days you'll be sick.
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You'll be tired.
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You'll have dinner plans.
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Once you accept that there's rarely such a thing as the perfect time to study, you can start thinking about how to make the best of the environment you have at that time.
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For example, if you ride a train, you might stand up for a long time.
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It might be difficult to focus on a book.
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In a case like this, you can use the Innovative Language 101 app to study, listen to the audio lessons, or do the word of the day by email.
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There are ways that you can learn in just about any situation.
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The point is, you need to adjust your study method to your environment.
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So take a look at your day and see where your time goes.
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Are there any gaps in between your activities where you feel like you can't study?
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And is there any way you can adjust?
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2. Take advantage of your limited time.
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We've surveyed tons of learners over the years, and every year we find
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that the number one reason most people don't learn a language is they say they have no time.
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But there's a chance you may have some spare time to study.
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You might just not recognize it yet.
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Let's say you commute for 30 minutes every day.
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You can ask yourself, how do I put these next 30 minutes to use?
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Or if you finish work at 7pm and spend an hour doing nothing, you can think about what you might do in that hour that will help you work towards your goals.
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You don't have to use all 30 minutes of your commute or the full hour of your free time, but you can definitely fit in a short lesson or take other steps towards your goals.
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3. Have an on and off mindset.
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When you work, it can be really helpful to have a kind of on -off switch for
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when it's time to work and time to rest.
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You can apply this same idea to your language studies.
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When it's time to study, you can focus solely on that.
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You don't spend time thinking about doing it, you just do it.
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It doesn't matter where you are or what kind of studying you're doing, as long as it gets done.
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And when you're done with a lesson, reward yourself.
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It can be as simple as telling yourself, great job!
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When you're finished with the time you promised yourself for studies, feel free to focus on the next thing.
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In this video, we covered a few tips to help you study no matter where you are
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or how much time you have.
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It's all about having the right mindset.
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And for even more ways to study, check out our complete language learning program.
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Sign up for your free lifetime account by clicking on the link in the description.
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Get tons of resources to have you speaking in your target language.
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And if you enjoyed these tips, hit the like button, share the video with anyone who's trying to learn a new language and subscribe to our channel.
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We release new videos every week.
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I'll see you next time.
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Bye.

Who Is This Video For?

This video is perfect for busy English learners—whether you’re a beginner or intermediate—who struggle to find time to study. If you’re someone who commutes, has scattered free moments, or feels stuck because “there’s no perfect time to learn,” these tips will help you turn everyday moments into practice opportunities. It’s especially great for those focusing on english speaking practice and using methods like shadowspeak (repeating audio to mimic pronunciation) to improve fluency.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

  • Cramped: Tight or small (e.g., “The plane seats were cramped”). Useful for describing tight spaces.
  • Put to use: To use effectively (e.g., “I put my commute time to use”). A natural way to talk about using free moments.
  • On - off mindset: A way of switching between focus and rest. Great for explaining productivity strategies.

How to Get the Accent Right

The speaker uses clear, conversational English with a neutral tone—perfect for shadowing practice. To mimic their accent, focus on: - Stress in phrases: Words like “adjust” and “advantage” have stress on the second syllable. Repeat them slowly to catch the rhythm. - Reduced sounds: Phrases like “how do I put these” flow together; notice how “do I” becomes “d’I” in fast speech. - Pausing for emphasis: The speaker pauses before key tips (e.g., “The first one is… adjust to your environment”). Copying these pauses will make your speech sound more natural. Use a shadowing app to record yourself repeating the video’s dialogue—compare it to the original to fine-tune your pronunciation.

Learning English doesn’t have to wait for a “perfect” moment. With these tips, you can learn english with videos, turn commutes into shadow speak sessions, and make progress even on busy days. Start small—your future self will thank you!

¿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.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →