Shadowing Practice: Talk About Your Day in English | B1-B2 Vocabulary and Phrases | English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creando lección...
1
Hi friends, welcome back to Daily English Talk.
2
Hey everyone, I'm Tom and this is Lily and we are your English learning friends.
3
If you want the transcript, vocabulary, and slow audio version, check the join button below.
4
And today, today is a good one.
5
We are talking about something you do every single day in every language in every country in the world.
6
Talking about your day.
7
How was your day?
8
today.
9
But we will talk about all of these topics at a B1, B2 level.
10
These are some of the most common questions in English, and today you are going to answer them like a natural English speaker.
11
That's right.
12
By the end of this episode, you will have the vocabulary, the phrases, and the confidence to describe your whole day in English.
13
Morning, afternoon, evening, all of it.
14
And we are going to make it fun, as always.
15
So if you are new Welcome!
16
Hit that subscribe button because we upload a new English lesson every single day.
17
every single day.
18
We do not sleep, Lily.
19
We just make English lessons.
20
Honestly, that feels true sometimes.
21
OK, before we dive in, we have a question for you.
22
Here is today's question.
23
Earlier this week, I had a really, really terrible morning.
24
I mean, everything went wrong.
25
And Lily, she had the opposite.
26
She had a perfect morning.
27
That's true.
28
It was a very good morning.
29
Must be nice.
30
is this: What do you think happened to Tom on his terrible morning?
31
Think about it while you listen today.
32
We will tell you the full story, and at the end, you can see if you guessed right.
33
And leave your answer in the comments.
34
We love reading them.
35
Ah, it was a morning I will never forget.
36
Not in a good way.
37
Okay, let's get into it.
38
So Tom, let's just talk real talk.
39
Tell me about your morning this week, the terrible one.
40
So, Tuesday morning I woke up and the first thing I did was look at my phone.
41
My alarm had not gone off.
42
I overslept by 40 minutes.
43
No!
44
Yes.
45
I jumped out of bed.
46
I rushed to the bathroom.
47
I had the fastest shower of my entire life.
48
I think it was 30 seconds long.
49
I threw on my clothes.
50
I grabbed my bag.
51
I ran out the door. And then?
52
And then I realized I had forgotten my keys inside, and the door had locked behind me.
53
Tom!
54
I had to call my neighbor.
55
I stood outside for 20 minutes in my wet hair, waiting for her to bring the spare key.
56
It was cold, it was embarrassing, and I had completely missed breakfast.
57
Oh, that is awful.
58
I'm sorry, but also that is a little bit My morning on Tuesday was completely different.
59
I woke up before my alarm, which almost never happens.
60
I had time to make coffee slowly, like properly slowly.
61
I sat by the window.
62
I drank my coffee.
63
I watched the street outside for a few minutes.
64
It was so peaceful.
65
I hate you a little bit right now.
66
I then had a proper breakfast.
67
I got dressed without rushing, and I even left the house five minutes early.
68
Five minutes early.
69
I didn't even know that was possible.
70
It happens once in a while.
71
Tuesday was clearly your day and not mine.
72
Your day is coming, Tom.
73
Your day is coming.
74
I hope so.
75
Okay, so you just heard Tom and me talking about our mornings.
76
And you probably noticed we used the past simple tense a lot.
77
That is the main grammar tool for talking that are finished,
78
things that already happened, so we use past simple.
79
For example, I woke up at 7.
80
I had breakfast.
81
I went to work.
82
I came home.
83
simple right and for negative sentences we use did not or the short form didn't.
84
For example, I didn't sleep well.
85
I didn't have time for breakfast.
86
Tom didn't remember his keys.
87
Unfortunately true.
88
And for questions, we use did.
89
What did you do today?
90
Did you have a good day?
91
Did anything interesting happen?
92
One more thing.
93
When you are telling a story about your day, you can use sequence words to make it flow naturally.
94
Words like first, then, after that, later and finally.
95
So instead of just listing, you tell a little story.
96
First, I woke up.
97
Then I made coffee.
98
After that, I got ready.
99
Later, I went to work.
100
Finally, I came home and relaxed.
101
It sounds so much more natural.
102
And that is exactly what fluent English speakers do.
103
They don't just list, they tell.
104
Okay, now let's look at specific vocabulary and phrases for each part of the day.
105
We are going to go from morning to night, and Tom and I are going to share real stories for each one.
106
Let's start with the morning.
107
Here are some common phrases.
108
I hit the snooze button.
109
I got up right away.
110
Tom, did you hit the snooze button on Tuesday?
111
Ugh, no, my alarm never went off, which is even worse than hitting snooze.
112
Ah, more morning phrases.
113
I had breakfast.
114
I skipped breakfast.
115
I made coffee.
116
I got dressed.
117
I got ready.
118
I left the house.
119
And here's a useful one.
120
I had a rushed morning.
121
Or the opposite.
122
I had a relaxed morning.
123
I had a very relaxed morning on Tuesday.
124
Tom had a very rushed morning.
125
Perhaps that is one way to say it.
126
Here's a personal story for you.
127
A few months ago, I was visiting my sister in another city.
128
I had to catch a very early train, 6 in the morning, and I had set my alarm, but I set it for 6 in the evening by mistake.
129
No!
130
I woke up naturally at 5 :50, 10 minutes before the train.
131
I threw everything in my bag, I ran out in my pajamas practically, I did not have breakfast,
132
the station with literally two minutes to spare.
133
In your pajamas.
134
Almost in my pajamas.
135
I had managed to put on a coat at least. That counts.
136
That counts as getting dressed.
137
Okay.
138
Afternoon phrases.
139
I had lunch.
140
I ate at my desk.
141
I went out for lunch.
142
I had a meeting.
143
I finished a project.
144
I was really busy.
145
I had a slow afternoon.
146
I ran some errands.
147
What does run errands mean?
148
It's a really common phrase.
149
Running errands means doing small tasks outside the house.
150
Things like going to the bank, picking up groceries, going to the post office, things like that.
151
For example, after lunch, I ran some errands.
152
I went to the supermarket and picked up some things for dinner.
153
Here's another useful phrase.
154
I had a productive afternoon.
155
That means you got a lot done.
156
Or the opposite.
157
I had an unproductive afternoon.
158
That means you didn't get much done.
159
Maybe you were distracted.
160
Tom, when do you have unproductive afternoons?
161
Every day between 2 and 3 o 'clock.
162
It's scientifically the worst time for me.
163
He's not wrong, actually.
164
That afternoon's slop is real.
165
Last week, I had a really productive morning.
166
I got so much done.
167
And then after lunch, I sat down at my desk and just...
168
Stared.
169
We've all been there.
170
I made a lot of tea.
171
That was my contribution to the afternoon.
172
Evening phrases: I got home.
173
I came home.
174
Tired.
175
I cooked dinner.
176
I ordered takeaway.
177
I watched TV.
178
I went for a walk.
179
I called a friend.
180
I read a book.
181
I went to bed early.
182
I stayed up late.
183
And some more.
184
I had a quiet evening.
185
I had a busy evening I needed to wind down.
186
Wind down means to relax after a long day.
187
For example, I like to wind down by reading before bed.
188
Or I couldn't wind down.
189
I was too stressed to sleep.
190
Here's a story.
191
One evening last month, I decided I was going to cook a really nice dinner.
192
homemade sauce.
193
Oh yeah?
194
How did it go?
195
I burned the sauce.
196
I got distracted, I walked away, I came back and it was stuck to the bottom of the pan and the whole kitchen smelled like smoke.
197
What did you do?
198
I opened all the windows, I ordered takeaway and I told myself I would try again next week.
199
The cooking dream lives on.
200
Always.
201
Okay Tom, your turn.
202
Tell me about one of your evenings recently.
203
OK, so last Thursday I had a really long day at work.
204
I came home exhausted, and I just wanted to do nothing, so I cooked something simple, just eggs and toast.
205
I sat on the sofa and I watched a documentary about deep sea creatures for two hours.
206
Random, but OK.
207
It was fascinating.
208
Did you know there are fish that produce their own light in the deep ocean?
209
They glow in the dark.
210
That is actually really cool.
211
Okay, now let's put it all together.
212
Here are some great phrases you can use to describe your whole day when someone asks.
213
Number one, it was a pretty normal day to be honest.
214
This is great for when nothing special happened.
215
Number two, I had a really long day.
216
I'm exhausted.
217
This tells people you worked hard and you were tired.
218
Number three, it was one of those days where everything goes wrong.
219
This is perfect for days like my Tuesday.
220
Number four, actually today was a really good day.
221
I don't know why, I just felt great.
222
#5.
223
Something funny happened to me today, let me tell you.
224
This is a great way to start a story.
225
And number six, I didn't really do much today.
226
It was a quiet one.
227
Perfect for lazy days.
228
And when someone asks, how was your day?
229
You don't have to just say fine or good.
230
You can say pretty busy actually.
231
Not bad.
232
A bit slow.
233
Really good, actually.
234
I've had better.
235
It was great.
236
I'll tell you about it later.
237
These small answers sound so much more natural than just "fine," and they invite more conversation, too.
238
Okay, let's quickly review what we learned today.
239
First, use past simple to talk about your day.
240
I woke up, I had lunch, I came home.
241
Second, use sequence words to make your story flow.
242
First, then, after that, later, finally.
243
Third, we learned morning vocabulary.
244
Overslept, had a rushed morning, got ready.
245
Afternoon vocabulary.
246
Ran errands, had a productive afternoon, had lunch at my desk.
247
Evening vocabulary: wound down, stayed up late, had a quiet evening.
248
And finally, natural phrases for answering "How was your day?" Things like, "It was one of those days.
249
I had a pretty good one.
250
Something funny happened to me." Practice tip.
251
Tonight, before you go to sleep, describe your day in English, just to yourself, even three or four sentences.
252
First I woke up, then I had breakfast, after that I went to work.
253
It gets easier every single time you do it.
254
The more you practice, the more natural it feels.
255
That's how fluency works.
256
Okay, do you remember the question from the beginning?
257
We asked, "What do you think happened to Tom on his terrible Tuesday morning?" And now you know the full story.
258
I overslept.
259
I rushed.
260
I got locked out of my own house.
261
I stood in the cold with wet hair waiting for my neighbor.
262
And I missed breakfast completely.
263
Aww, it was a rough morning.
264
It really was.
265
But hey, at least I made it eventually, just very, very late and very, very hungry.
266
Let us know in the comments, did you guess what happened?
267
And tell us about your own worst morning.
268
We would love to hear your stories.
269
And if this lesson helped you, please give it a thumbs up.
270
It really does help more people find us.
271
And subscribe to Daily English Talk because we upload a brand new English lesson every single day.
272
Every morning, new content right here waiting for you.
273
We'll see you in the next one!
274
Bye for now!
275
Take care everyone!

Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación de nivel B2 se basa en el vídeo “Talk About Your Day in English”. Las palabras que más se repiten: Tom, English, phrase, breakfast, afternoon. Este vídeo tiene 274 frases y 2017 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 13:18. El hablante habla a un ritmo natural de unas 152 palabras por minuto, cercano a una conversación cotidiana. El 82 % 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:

PalabraPronunciaciónSignificado
vocabulary sustantivo/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/vocabulario
errand sustantivo/ˈɛɹənd/recado, mandado
oversleep verbo/oʊvəɹˈslip/quedarse dormido
pajamas sustantivo/pəˈd͡ʒɑ.məz/pijama, pijamas
snooze verbo/snuz/dormitar
takeaway sustantivo/ˈteɪkəweɪ/restaurante de manducatoria para recoger, jama para llevar
neighbour sustantivo/ˈneɪbɚ/vecino, vecina
distract verbo/dɪˈstɹækt/distraer, despistar
exhaust verbo/ɪɡˈzɔst/agotar
upload verbo/ˈʌpˌloʊd/subir, cargar
subscribe verbo/səbˈskɹaɪb/suscribirse, subscribirse
embarrass verbo/ɪmˈbæɹəs/avergonzar, abochornar
fascinate verbo/ˈfæsɪneɪt/fascinar
fluency sustantivo/ˈfluːənsi/fluidez, fluencia
scientifically adverbio/ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪfɪkli/científicamente

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

PalabraPronunciaciónSignificado
wake up verbo/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/despertarse, recordar
go off verboexplotar
pick up verbocoger, asir
stay up verboquedarse despierto, empalmar
get up verbolevantarse
run out verboagotar, quedarse sin

Frases que vale la pena repetir

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

  • How was your day?
  • I didn't even know that was possible.
  • What did you do today?
  • Did you have a good day?
  • Tom, when do you have unproductive afternoons?

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

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

  • Los sonidos de “th”: thumb /ˈθʌm/, cloth /klɒθ/
  • Palabras largas — cuida el acento: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, unproductive /ˌʌn.pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/, scientifically /ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪfɪkli/, supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

  • s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: snooze /snuz/, stare /stɛɚ/
  • /v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, oversleep /oʊvəɹˈslip/, unproductive /ˌʌn.pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/, dive /daɪv/
  • /z/ — sonora, no /s/: pajamas /pəˈd͡ʒɑ.məz/, snooze /snuz/, exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔst/, groceries /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

  1. Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
  2. Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
  3. Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como vocabulary, errand, oversleep.

¿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 →