Shadowing Practice: Learn 40 Basic French Phrases for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 83 sentences and 273 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:16. 42% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aide noun | /eɪd/ | An assistant. |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| congratulations | /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/ | Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| urgency noun | /ˈɜː.d͡ʒən.si/ | The quality or condition of being urgent. |
| sui verb | To commit a suicide attack. | |
| bonne noun | A French nursemaid. | |
| enchant verb | /ɪnˈt͡ʃænt/ | To attract and delight, to charm. |
| licitation noun | auction | |
| merci | /mɛːˈsiː/ | Thank you. |
| aider noun | /ˈeɪdɚ/ | A person who aids or assists. |
| beaucoup | /ˈbuˌku/ | Much, many, a lot of. |
| droit noun | /dɹɔɪt/ | A legal right or entitlement. |
| fait noun | Only used in fait accompli. | |
| perdu noun | /pəˈdjuː/ | One placed on watch, or in ambush. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like aide, meal, congratulations.
¿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.












