Shadowing Practice: Growing Up with My Stepdad - Learn English Speaking with Video

I know I tell a lot of funny stories on this channel, but this is not one of them.

I'm going to tell you about what I went through growing up with my stepdad.

I'm just going to warn you now, this is going to be a very painful video, but if you do choose to stay, when I tell this story, I want you to know the purpose of this video.

I don't want to blame him.

I don't want you to feel bad for me.

I just want to say how I feel, because for the longest time, I never told anybody.

So if there's just one person who feels seen when they watch this, then this video has fulfilled its purpose.

When I was six years old, my mom brought over a friend.

He was nice.

I remember he bought me my first gaming system and he would teach me how to play games.

I liked him.

But over time, he started staying over longer and longer

and eventually he moved in and he would hear from my mom that I would misbehave in school.

And my mom was tired of disciplining me.

So he started beating me.

I don't remember much when it started.

To be honest, I don't even remember the pain.

There were other things he did that hurt me more.

I was about eight years old

and I was already afraid of him by this point

but he came to my room and asked me

if I wanted to check out the ps3 he just bought

so we went into the living room and I sat across from him

and we looked at the shop together I was surprised

because he was being so nice to me I wanted to say something

so as we looked at the shop together I stuttered

and said do do they have any racing games

and he just looks at me like I asked him the

dumbest question ever he said you think I'm buying games for you go to your room

And so I went back to my room

and I just laid there thinking I just wanted to talk to him

and I messed it all up I just wanted to be his friend.

I cried myself to sleep that day Um, it's one of those memories where you don't realize you'll remember

this moment forever I've been able to push away a lot of bad memories, but that's one I can't forget I was 10 years old and he got really sick.

He needed a transplant or he would die I remember my mom was stressing

so much taking care of him He was turning yellow and he lost so much weight.

He hurt me a lot by that point, so when I heard he could die, in a weird messed up way, I felt relief.

I should have felt scared, but I didn't.

He got a transplant.

As I got older, it got worse.

I was 13 years old.

His temper was worse than before.

I was maturing and I would start talking back and disagreeing with my mom.

And he would start beating me because of it.

Anytime I would disrespect him or open my mouth when I shouldn't, he would get the belt.

One time he was hitting me so hard it broke and I stared him in the eye feeling strong for a second.

He smiled at me and went to grab another belt. That one didn't break.

I would cry now from the anger I would feel after he beat me.

The pain hurt but not as much as the humiliation I felt from being hit over and over again.

I would just lay there after he was done and out of breath.

I was left with nothing but shame.

One time, he was so angry at me, and I don't even remember what I did, but he pushed me to the ground, and he screamed in my face,

I don't even know why he called me that

and I asked him while I was crying on the ground why did you call me

that I'm not even black and he hesitated

and said no that's not what I meant so what did you mean

and he couldn't answer but I understood he just hated me

so much that the only word in the English language

that could paint the way he felt about me was that word My mom watched the whole thing happen from the doorway.

And you know what's the strangest part?

I don't even remember what we were fighting about.

I only remember what he called me.

What did I do to deserve getting called that?

I mean, I must have done something horrible, right?

That's the only reason he would say that.

I went to school that week, and one of the essays was about overcoming a challenge in your life.

So I wrote this story about how he called me that.

And my principal called me into the office that day and asked me if I was okay.

I told him I was fine.

In fact, I was even surprised it was a concern in the first place.

I didn't feel like I had any actual problems.

The next week, we had a parent-teacher conference, and all the way home, my stepdad was complaining about how my principal wouldn't stop staring at him like he wanted to fight him.

And that made me smile in the backseat.

It would be the only time someone held him responsible for his actions.

It was the day before my 16th birthday.

I was grounded, but I had been using my laptop to paint.

I would sneak away and paint digital art and hide the computer before he got home.

But my mom told him what I was doing

and he told me to show him where it was

But I wasn't going to let him take away my art

So I refused He then smashed my phone right in front of me Then he stormed into my room

and started tearing down my closet He was making such a mess

that he was going to rip my drawing

So I reached up to stop the shelves from breaking and he pushed me off And he said, you just put your hands on me, you're out of this house

And then he called the cops on me The police showed up

and I watched him complain to him that I put my hands on him when I never wanted to hurt anyone.

My mom didn't try to stop him, even when she knew he was trying to kick me out of the house.

So when I was alone with the cops, I asked them, did you ever fight with your dad?

What do I do?

All he said was, their house, their rules.

When you turn 18, you can move out and do whatever you want.

I'm 18 years old now.

Long story short, I was fighting with my mom, and this time it got so bad, I ended up kneeling on the floor in a ball while my mom held a knife over me, screaming how she's going to kill me.

My stepdad was watching us from the counter, not saying a word.

I looked at him and begged him for help.

I don't know why, I just thought the situation was so bad he would help me.

He did not.

He just watched.

And when I walked out of the house, I had to call the cops on my mom.

100

They found the knife on the floor, and they took her away.

101

And when I walked back upstairs to my room, he looked at me and said, You know you're not staying here tonight.

102

I said I know.

103

I didn't feel safe with him in the house anyway, but hearing that after what just happened It made me feel like it was all my fault.

104

I Was so tired of not being loved.

105

I'm 21 years old I moved out my roommate

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and I are at the gym

107

and he brought his boxing gloves I've never fought before

108

but I wanted him to teach me and so we end up sparring

109

and he hits me a little too hard and it stings But not that bad.

110

I do my best to handle it But for some reason, I still let out a few tears.

111

He asked me if I'm okay, and I'm like, yeah, I just don't know why I'm crying.

112

It didn't hurt that bad.

113

But as we were walking home that night, I start tearing up again.

114

Because I realized why I cried when he hit me.

115

And so I told him, the only time I've ever been hit in my life, it was my stepdad.

116

So when we were boxing, I didn't see you.

117

All I could see was him.

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I broke down in front of him crying.

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And no matter how far from home I was, I didn't realize that the scared little kid was still in there.

120

And it broke me remembering how scared I was, how powerless I felt.

121

I started going to the gym more after that.

122

I'm now taller and stronger than him.

123

And sometimes when I walk around the house and I'm next to him, I get these intrusive thoughts.

124

I realized that if I really wanted to, I could get revenge for all the times he hurt me.

125

It would probably only take me one good punch.

126

But why would I ever want to hurt someone weaker than me?

127

I don't know.

128

And I don't know why he did

129

when I was little we visited his dad's house

130

And he would joke and say

131

that grandpa used to beat him up all the time

132

when he was angry And so

133

when he was nice to us He would say it was weird

134

because his dad was so mean to him growing up

135

And I would just think about how funny it was

136

that he would continue the cycle with me if you knew how bad it was

137

Why did you have to make me feel that way too?

138

I don't know who to talk to about this stuff And

139

so I've never really told anyone not even my own sister knows everything every night Tonight, he goes up to her room and he talks to her before bed.

140

Last year, he told my sister that he's proud of me.

141

I had to hear that from her.

142

The man who beat me is afraid to tell me he's proud of me.

143

Growing up, I would hear my stepdad call me worthless and say it's all my fault.

144

And it just hurt to hear that because sometimes I already think those things about myself.

145

I'll be honest, when life doesn't have its meaning, when I feel alone, making something, anything just to make someone else smile or feel seen,

146

that's what keeps me going.

147

So when I pick up the pen, when I make that video, when someone's day gets better because of me, then everything I went through was worth getting through.

148

I know I talked about a lot of dark thoughts and giving up in this video, and there may be some of you who are suffering right now, but you are never alone.

149

There's always someone out there fighting the same battle that you're going through.

150

It's our responsibility to take our pain and turn it into something we can use to help others.

151

Every battle you overcome makes you stronger, and one day you'll be strong enough to help someone like you.

152

I'm making this video because I know what it's like to feel alone, to grow up scared, to never feel loved, to be hated by people who are supposed to love you.

153

Not everyone will understand what that feels like, and I'm glad they don't.

154

But for those of you who do, I made this video for you.

155

holy shit man like i gotta give you some like aftercare

156

that was quite a ride i feel like

157

that was such an emotional video

158

but the truth is i've always wanted to make this video

159

watching youtube growing up it helped distract me from all my

160

problems in my house it gave me a taste of the world outside all the abuse right

161

so this is why being youtuber was my biggest dream i

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just wanted to inspire people like I was growing up

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and um do I use humor to cope hell yeah man

164

I mean you gotta what else can you do I just

165

I want you guys to know I'm good like actually it kind of sucks

166

that my life was like that growing up

167

but deep down I knew I was better I was going to be great someday

168

And thanks to you guys I have the chance to do

169

that without you I wouldn't be able to accomplish my dreams I'm so glad that you guys are here.

170

Also.

171

I did mention my mom a little bit.

172

I Will talk about her at some point, but That's another video Anyway,

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I hope you guys have a good day

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Please go watch another video after this

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that is not as depressing do not end your night watching this video That's gonna be kind of rough.

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Okay, go watch my freaky principal story.

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That will probably help you.

178

Okay, I'll see you later Bye-bye.

179

Bye-bye Yes, I did you did it amazing.

180

Thank you for subscribing guys.

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I love you see you right here

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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel B2 se basa en el vídeo “Growing Up with My Stepdad”. Este vídeo tiene 181 frases y 2283 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 10:30. El hablante habla rápido, unas 217 palabras por minuto, así que espera sonidos enlazados y reducidos. El 86 % 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
scare verbo	/skɛɚ/	asustar, atemorizar
transplant verbo	/tɹænzˈplænt/	trasplantar, transplantar
stare verbo	/stɛɚ/	mirar fijamente, quedarse mirando
scream verbo	/skɹiːm/	gritar, alaridar
freaky adjetivo	/ˈfɹiː.ki/	friki, freaky
intrusive adjetivo	/ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/	intruso, intrusivo
misbehave verbo		portarse mal, comportarse mal
powerless adjetivo	/ˈpaʊɚləs/	sin poder / poderío / potencia
stutter sustantivo	/ˈstʌtɚ/	tartamudeo
humiliation sustantivo	/hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/	humillación, papeada
disrespect sustantivo	/dɪsɹɪˈspɛkt/	irrespeto, falta de respeto
distract verbo	/dɪˈstɹækt/	distraer, despistar
glove sustantivo	/ɡlʌv/	guante, maniquete (fingerless)
hesitate verbo	/ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/	vacilar, dudar
sting verbo	/ˈstɪŋ/	picar, pinchar

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
grow up verbo		crecer
go through verbo		atravesar
end up verbo		terminar, ir a parar
move out verbo		mudarse de acá, independizarse
check out verbo		investigar, chequear
get through verbo	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	aguantar, salir adelante
mess up verbo		desbarajustar, desbarahustar
pick up verbo		coger, asir

Frases que vale la pena repetir

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

I don't want to blame him.
I don't want you to feel bad for me.
I don't remember much when it started.
To be honest, I don't even remember the pain.
What did I do to deserve getting called that?

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

Estructura	En el vídeo
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace	being hit · was done · was left
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora	has fulfilled · I've been · I've never fought
Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosa	person who feels · man who beat · people who are

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 59 contracciones y formas reducidas, como I'm, don't, didn't. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: humiliation /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/, shelf /ʃɛlf/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, smash /smæʃ/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: scare /skɛɚ/, stare /stɛɚ/, scream /skɹiːm/, stutter /ˈstʌtɚ/, sting /ˈstɪŋ/
/v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: intrusive /ɪnˈtɹuːsɪv/, glove /ɡlʌv/
/z/ — sonora, no /s/: transplant /tɹænzˈplænt/, hesitate /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/, upstairs /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/, closet /ˈklɑzɪt/

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 scare, transplant, stare.

¿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 →

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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Frases que vale la pena repetir

Gramática en este vídeo

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?