Shadowing Practice: 5 things I do to maintain my C2 English (and keep improving) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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There are five things I still do after many years to keep my level of English,

because language is not something you learn once and then you have that permanently.

We don't automatically keep the same level forever.

We need to take care of it.

For example, I can feel that if I don't use English for a week or two,

for example, over the Christmas holidays,

I can feel that my brain is a little slower and my fluency is not that great.

I have to search for words longer.

So, nothing dramatic but it is noticeable.

Today I'm going to give you tips on what I do to keep a C2 level.

But of course the things could be different for different people and that's totally fine.

And these tips could work for students who are at C2 or C1 as well,

just advanced learners.

I'm Eva or call me Eva.

I'm a non-native speaker of English and I studied English at university.

I have a master's degree in English.

Then I also passed the CPA exam a few years ago, C2 level certificate.

I'm now saying this to brag again.

I just want you to know who you are listening to and what my life looks like.

So I'm also a professional English teacher.

So I am in contact with English every day.

I speak every day.

But of course, my students are,

their level is lower than mine, which is natural.

So I also need to actively seek some opportunities where I can meet my needs and my level as well.

I live in the Czech Republic.

I don't have any native speakers around.

My husband is Czech, so it's really up to me what I do with my English.

First of all, number one,

I think it starts here.

It's my conscious decision to challenge myself,

to choose something that challenges me,

to choose difficulty on purpose.

Because at this level, even C1 or C2,

it's incredibly easy to stay comfortable.

I could sit down, watch a sitcom like Friends,

understand everything effortlessly because it's an easy concept and you get everything even from the picture,

from the actors.

So it's not that difficult to understand.

My brain is not really working.

I mean, it's a nice activity.

It's enjoyable.

Of course, I do these as well,

but I try to make sure that I also find something challenging that triggers my brain.

Something that pushes me.

For example, a podcast with complex ideas or books on miscellaneous topics

because I know that my brain will have to think and work a little more.

So that's why discomfort is important.

The second thing I do is really simple but I believe it's really powerful and it's this.

It's keeping a notebook with some English notes and vocabulary and I have a few older ones behind me somewhere over there.

It's not just about writing down a new vocabulary

because at this level you usually know a lot

but I know a lot of words passively and

when I for example watch something I see a word

and I'm like okay I think I know the word I think I understand from the context

but would I use that word actively do I know a hundred percent what

that means or am I just guessing based on the context even

if I see something and it's clear

and I understand I still write it down if I find it interesting and I think okay would I really use it,

would I not?

So, or an idiom, I'm like,

oh yeah, I understand, but I don't think I ever use that actively.

I write it down, I write an example sentence,

and then from time to time,

I get back to my notes.

On top of that, I think I use a lot of that as inspiration for my classes or videos,

so I kill two birds with one stone that way.

Number three, the thing I do is that from time to time I book a lesson,

either with a native speaker or with a Czech speaker who teaches English.

And the reason is simple.

It's refreshing.

I need to speak.

I need to react.

It's completely different than just watching something or listening to something.

I need to be active.

So that's important.

And it's also good for me as a teacher from time

to time to be on the other side to feel like a student and to understand how students might feel.

So I don't do that very often,

maybe once a month or if I have,

I don't know, in the summer,

if I have more free time,

I book a few classes, a package with someone.

And I must say, I enjoy that.

It's also enjoyable for me to see different people from different countries.

And these days with online learning,

it's so, so easy and convenient.

You can talk to someone in the US,

you can talk to someone here,

but it can be online.

I don't need to go anywhere and still I can get good practice.

But don't worry if it looks like a lot.

It's not really because it's really like from time to time or when I feel like that.

But from time to time,

it's good to do these things.

Let me know what you think.

Now let me move on to number four and

when it comes to tools

and apps the only app I still use is Quizlet again from time to time

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and if I really learn something completely new a new word i put it there

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because you can have your like your personally it's my personal

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set of vocabulary i update it i add some words

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or i can delete some words

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and again from time to time i just click through these games

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and flash cards and i review things maybe once a month

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or something like that or in a car or on the bus,

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I click through my Quizlet.

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And the last thing, number five, is not that frequent.

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Again, don't worry, but it's an exercise,

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a worksheet or something like that.

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Again, from time to time,

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for example, something like this CPE past papers,

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I just pick one exercise.

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It takes like 10 minutes,

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but it's really challenging because you need to choose the right word

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or thing of the word you're filling the missing gaps

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and you really need to think about the language actively 10

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minutes instead of you know scrolling on my phone i just do something like

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that as you can see none of these tips are groundbreaking it's nothing super special it's not rocket science

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but these simple things and the intention it really matters

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and it really helps me please share your experience and your tips

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if you're at c1c2 what do you do to keep an advanced level of english

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or what do you do to maintain your level of english

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please let me know also this episode is completely free for you as usual to watch

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and learn from so if you find some value here please subscribe

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or like this video because this way you can support this channel completely for free

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and we can spread beautiful English around the world at no cost.

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So thank you for that.

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So I hope this episode helps you as well to speak beautiful English.

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Take care.

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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel C2 se basa en el vídeo “5 things I do to maintain my C2 English”. Las palabras que más se repiten: english, word, example. Este vídeo tiene 130 frases y 1247 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 7:16. El hablante habla a un ritmo natural de unas 172 palabras por minuto, cercano a una conversación cotidiana. El 84 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
vocabulary sustantivo	/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/	vocabulario
enjoyable adjetivo	/ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪ.ə.bl̩/	agradable, ameno
effortlessly adverbio	/ˈɛf.ɚt.ləs.li/	aína, aínas
fluency sustantivo	/ˈfluːənsi/	fluidez, fluencia
groundbreaking adjetivo	/ˈɡɹaʊndˌbɹeɪkɪŋ/	rompedor, romper esquemas
learner sustantivo	/ˈlɜɹnəɹ/	aprendiz, aprendedor
miscellaneous adjetivo	/ˌmɪsəˈleɪnɪəs/	varios, misceláneo
passively adverbio	/ˈpæs.ɪv.li/	pasivamente
worksheet sustantivo		hoja de trabajo
refresh verbo	/ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/	refrescar
discomfort sustantivo	/dɪsˈkʌmfɚt/	falta de confort, incomodidad
notebook sustantivo	/ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/	cuaderno, libreta
noticeable adjetivo	/ˈnəʊtɪsəbl̩/	notorio, palmario
scroll sustantivo	/skɹoʊl/	rollo, pergamino
subscribe verbo	/səbˈskɹaɪb/	suscribirse, subscribirse

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Palabra	Significado
get back to verbo	responder / contestar (en un rato), volver / tornar a contactar
sit down verbo	sentarse
write down verbo	apuntar, anotar

Frases que vale la pena repetir

Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:

We don't automatically keep the same level forever.
I'm now saying this to brag again.
I don't have any native speakers around.
I mean, it's a nice activity.

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 18 contracciones y formas reducidas, como don't, I'm, you're. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

Palabras largas — cuida el acento: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, effortlessly /ˈɛf.ɚt.ləs.li/, miscellaneous /ˌmɪsəˈleɪnɪəs/, permanently /ˈpɜː.mə.nənt.li/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

/v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, passively /ˈpæs.ɪv.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 vocabulary, enjoyable, effortlessly.

¿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 →

Shadowing Practice: 5 things I do to maintain my C2 English (and keep improving) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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