Shadowing Practice: #96 At a swimming lesson (Med) | SBS Learn English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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You know, learning English makes swimming class less confusing.
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SBS acknowledges the traditional custodians of country and their connections and continuous care for the skies,
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lands and waterways throughout Australia.
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You stand outside the pool, watching kids laugh and run past.
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The bright blue pool looks big and a little scary.
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You really want to swim.
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But what if you don't understand the instructor?
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You worry that your English isn't strong enough to follow every word.
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I'm Josipa and my English isn't perfect.
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But that's okay, I'm learning all the time.
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I can do this, you tell yourself.
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Before your first swimming lesson,
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you've practiced some key words and phrases to help you feel ready and confident enough to join in.
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Your heart beats faster, but excitement wins over fear.
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Today you step closer to the water.
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Today you know how to listen and how to speak during a swimming lesson.
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Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the water.
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Alan is the instructor, teaching Claire how to swim.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a back float.
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I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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Okay, I think I'm floating.
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Fantastic.
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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Well, done.
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I'm tired already.
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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Claire worked hard to keep her head above water in her swimming today.
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You can also say someone is keeping their head above water when they are managing, even if it's tough.
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Actually, there is even a podcast with the same name, Head Above Water, where comedians and good mates,
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Sashi and Surin, dive into what Australians love about water.
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One of them loves swimming, the other doesn't even like getting wet.
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I'll share a preview with you later in the episode.
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Now, let's go through Alan and Claire's dialogue together so you can keep your head above water while learning new phrases.
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Alan first said...
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a back float.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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The shallow end is the part of the pool where the water is not very deep.
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If you don't know how to swim, that's exactly where you want to be.
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Alan also asked Claire.
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Try to do a back float.
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Here Alan is asking Claire to lie on her back in the water and float without sinking.
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A back float is when you lie on your back in the water.
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Your face stays above the water.
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Your body is relaxed.
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Your arms and legs are spread out a little so you can stay on the surface.
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That's what we call a back float.
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You can also do a front float.
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That is the opposite of a back float.
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You lie on your stomach in the water.
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You stretch your arms forward and keep your face in the water while you float.
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When I do a front float, I hold my breath or blow bubbles to stay relaxed.
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Clare then said, I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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Okay, I think I'm floating.
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We already heard that floating means staying on the surface of the water without sinking.
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For example, you can say, I'm floating on my back.
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Here, floating is a verb.
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The word float can also be used as a verb.
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I can float without moving my arms or legs.
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But when we say afloat, it's a noun. For example.
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I did afloat for a few seconds.
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Next, Alan said...
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Fantastic!
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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The deep end is the part of the pool where you usually can't touch the bottom.
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It's best for people who can swim well.
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Beginners often start in the shallow end to practice floating, kicking and swimming before moving to the deep end.
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At the end of the dialogue, Alan said...
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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Swimming freestyle.
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Freestyle is a swimming style or we can say stroke.
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Actually the word stroke also means one complete movement of your arms while you are swimming.
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We can also use it to talk about different ways of moving in the water or different styles of swimming like freestyle.
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So freestyle is a swimming style or stroke where you lie on your stomach
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and move your arms forward one after the other while you kick your legs.
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It's the fastest stroke or swimming style.
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If that sounds like your style, you could say...
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I mainly swim freestyle.
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There are many different strokes of swimming.
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Perhaps you have seen them when watching the Olympics.
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Have you heard of the backstroke?
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I usually swim backstroke.
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Or the breaststroke?
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I want to practice breaststroke.
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There's also the butterfly stroke.
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I try butterfly sometimes, but it's really challenging.
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At the end of our dialogue, Alan also said...
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Now, just tread water to rest.
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To tread water means to stay in one place in the water without sinking.
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You move your arms in small circles and kick your legs gently to keep floating.
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When I feel tired in the water, I tread water and take a break.
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Now that you have learned some key phrases and vocabulary, let's listen to Alan and Claire's dialogue one more time.
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After that, we can test the waters ourselves.
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By the way, to test the waters means to slowly and carefully try out something new before fully committing.
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Just like when we think the water in the pool might be very cold, so we test it out with one foot before jumping in.
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But you can use this expression to test the waters in many different situations.
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For example, before starting a new hobby, I like to test the waters by watching tutorials online.
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Maybe your new hobby could be listening to our bonus episodes,
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designed so you can practice speaking by repeating after Alan and Claire.
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Not sure yet?
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Why don't you test the waters first?
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I'll give you a chance to practice soon.
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But first, let's hear the dialogue.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a backflow.
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I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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OK, I think I'm floating.
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Fantastic.
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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Well, done.
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I'm tired already.
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually, you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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It's time to practice.
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See if you remember the meaning before hearing the answer.
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What does it mean to keep your head above the water?
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To keep your head above water means to manage things, even when it's tough.
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What does it mean to test the waters?
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To test the waters means to try something new carefully before fully committing.
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Now it's your time to speak.
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Just repeat after Alan and Claire.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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I did a float for a few seconds.
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I mainly swim freestyle.
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I usually swim backstroke.
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Before I go, I'd like you to check out a podcast called head above water.
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It answered a lot of my questions about Australian waters, whether it's lakes, rock fishing, or even dealing with a fear of swimming.
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We lost 323 people to drowning incidents in Australia,
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and a big percentage of those people who lost their lives were from multicultural backgrounds.
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Australia is surrounded by water.
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Wherever you look in this country, there's a new place to explore.
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There's so much coastline.
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There's rivers and waterfalls.
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It can be exhilarating, breathtaking.
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Or sometimes, to be honest, a little bit scary.
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What do you find scary, Saren?
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Well, the most terrifying thing in the world to me is I go to the beach
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and I end up on Bondi Rescue, wearing cargo pants.
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What about you, Sashi?
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I always worry as soon as I can't feel the ground beneath my toes when I'm swimming.
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Always makes me panic.
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Some of the things Aussies take for granted about water culture have made us laugh and scratch our heads.
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I could not get over the shark siren on Cottesloe Beach.
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Yeah, or those tiny little bathers.
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What do they call them?
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Budgie smugglers?
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I'm Sashi Pereira, a second generation Sri Lankan Australian comedian, writer, and recovering lawyer.
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And I'm Saran Jiamana.
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I'm also Sri Lankan Australian and I have never learnt to swim.
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Like, I'm a grown man.
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I'm 38 years old.
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I've got a bank account and a job.
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I know how to change a tyre, but I don't know how to swim.
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Don't worry, Saren.
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I'm going to help you and other new Australians to learn how to be more comfortable in and around the water.
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You can find the Head Above Water series as part of the Australia Explained podcast from SBS Audio.
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If you want to keep learning and practicing, check out more tips and resources on our website and socials,
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Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Just search for SBS to learn English and you'll find videos, exercises and bonus content made just for you.
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I'm Josipa and thanks for diving into English with me today.
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Keep swimming through new words and phrases and I'll see you next time.
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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección
Esta lección de conversación de nivel B1 se basa en el vídeo “At a swimming lesson”. Las palabras que más se repiten: swimming, float, Alan, swim, freestyle. Este vídeo tiene 170 frases y 1530 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 12:24. El hablante mantiene un ritmo constante de unas 123 palabras por minuto, cómodo para el shadowing. Solo el 77 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es exigente.
Vocabulario clave de este vídeo
Las 15 palabras más avanzadas del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:
| Palabra | Pronunciación | Significado |
|---|---|---|
| swim verbo | /swɪm/ | nadar |
| float verbo | /fləʊt/ | flotar |
| freestyle sustantivo | /ˈfɹiːˌstaɪl/ | natación libre |
| shallow adjetivo | /ˈʃæloʊ/ | no/poco/nada hondo/profundo, playo |
| tread verbo | /tɹɛd/ | zapatear, pisotear |
| dialogue sustantivo | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | diálogo, conversación |
| phrase sustantivo | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | frase |
| backstroke sustantivo | /ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/ | dorso, estilo espalda |
| scare verbo | /skɛɚ/ | asustar, atemorizar |
| podcast sustantivo | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | podcast, pódcast |
| sink verbo | /ˈsɪŋk/ | hundir, afondar |
| afloat adjetivo | /əˈfloʊt/ | a flote |
| breaststroke sustantivo | /ˈbɹɛstˌstɹoʊk/ | braza, estilo braza |
| verb sustantivo | /vɝb/ | verbo |
| butterfly sustantivo | /ˈbʌ.tə(ɹ).flaɪ/ | mariposa |
Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar
| Palabra | Significado |
|---|---|
| check out verbo | investigar, chequear |
| get over verbo | superar, sobreponerse a |
| go through verbo | atravesar |
| try out verbo | probar, ensayar |
Frases que vale la pena repetir
Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:
- But what if you don't understand the instructor?
- Let's start in the shallow end.
- I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
- Have you heard of the backstroke?
- Why don't you test the waters first?
Gramática en este vídeo
Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:
| Estructura | En el vídeo |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora | you've practiced · have seen · Have you heard |
| Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace | are spread · is surrounded |
| Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosa | people who can · people who lost |
| Verbo + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbos seguidos de la forma en -ing | loves swimming · practice floating · keep floating |
Pronunciación a tener en cuenta
El hablante usa 42 contracciones y formas reducidas, como I'm, I'll, don't. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.
- Los sonidos de “th”: breathtaking /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/, beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- Palabras largas — cuida el acento: comedian /kəˈmiː.di.ən/, multicultural /ˌmʌltiˈkʌlt͡ʃəɹəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/
Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:
- s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: swim /swɪm/, scare /skɛɚ/, smuggler /ˈsmʌɡ.lə(ɹ)/, scratch /skɹæt͡ʃ/
- /v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: verb /vɝb/, dive /daɪv/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, preview /ˈpɹiːvjuː/, wherever /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/
- /z/ — sonora, no /s/: phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/, confuse /kənˈfjuːz/
Cómo practicar con este vídeo
- Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
- Haz shadowing frase por frase a velocidad normal, repitiendo cada una hasta que tu ritmo coincida con el del hablante.
- Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como swim, float, freestyle.
¿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.