Shadowing Practice: Why Does Confidence Disappear Around Certain People? | B1 English Shadowing - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Have you ever felt confident all day and then suddenly felt small when one particular person walked into the room?
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You know what you want to say.
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You know what you believe.
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But around that person, you become quiet.
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You think too much.
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You worry about every word.
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And later, you may wonder, why am I like this around them?
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The strange part is that your confidence may not have disappeared at all.
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Sometimes, certain people simply make you forget how confident you can be.
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In this Level B 1 shadowing practice, we will look at three reasons this happens and how you can take your confidence back.
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Listen to my voice and speak just behind me.
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Copy my pronunciation, rhythm, and emotion.
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If you miss a word, do not stop.
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Let's begin.
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Imagine you are in a meeting at work.
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You usually speak clearly.
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You share your ideas.
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You ask questions when you do not understand something.
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Then one particular co-worker starts talking.
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Suddenly, everything feels different.
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You check your words before saying them.
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You wonder if your ideas sound stupid.
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You listen to your own voice and think.
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Do I sound nervous?
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Maybe you say less than you wanted to say.
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After the meeting, you think about it again.
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You remember the small mistake you made.
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You think about what you should have said.
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But here is the important question.
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Did your ability really change?
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Probably not.
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You were the same person before the meeting.
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You had the same knowledge, the same experience, the same voice.
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What changed was the way you saw yourself?
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Around certain people, we can start looking at ourselves through their eyes.
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If we think someone is smarter, more successful, or more confident, we may give their opinion too much power.
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A simple look from them can feel like judgment.
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A short answer can feel like rejection.
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Even silence can make us think, did I do something wrong?
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But we do not always know what another person is thinking.
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Maybe they are tired, maybe they are busy, maybe they are thinking about something completely different.
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Still, our minds can create a story.
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And once we believe that story, our behavior changes.
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We speak less.
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We avoid questions.
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We stop sharing ideas.
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Then something interesting happens.
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Because we act less confident, we feel less confident.
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It becomes a cycle.
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We doubt ourselves, so we become quiet.
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Then our silence makes us doubt ourselves even more.
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So the first step is not to force yourself to feel confident.
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It is to notice the pattern.
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Ask yourself, am I actually less capable or do I simply feel less confident around this person?
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That question can create space between you and your fear.
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And sometimes, that space is enough to help you see yourself clearly again.
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Sometimes, a person affects your confidence because of your history with them.
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Maybe it is a parent.
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Maybe it is an old friend.
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Maybe it is a former partner.
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Maybe it is someone who criticized you many times.
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You may be a confident adult now you may have a good job you may make your own decisions
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but when you are with that person
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something changes you suddenly feel like an older version of yourself
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you become quiet again you try to make them happy you become afraid of making a mistake why
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because old patterns can be very strong.
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Imagine someone who often told you, you are too sensitive.
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After hearing it many times, you may start questioning your own feelings.
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Or imagine someone who always corrected the way you spoke.
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After a while, you may become afraid to speak freely around them.
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The person may not even say much anymore.
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You already know what you expect from them.
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Your mind remembers the old pattern, and your body reacts before you have time to think.
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This is why one person can make you feel completely different from another.
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With one friend, you laugh easily.
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You speak without thinking too much.
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You can make mistakes and move on.
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But with another person, every sentence feels like a test.
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That does not mean your confidence is fake.
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It means the relationship has a history, and that history can still affect you.
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But here is where things can change.
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You do not have to become the old version of yourself just because you are around an old person.
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You can pause.
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You can breathe.
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You can remind yourself, I am not that person anymore.
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You have learned new things.
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You have made difficult choices.
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You have survived situations you once thought were impossible.
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Your past may explain your reaction
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But it does not have to control your next one There is one more trap here
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Sometimes we lose confidence
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because we try too hard to make someone see our value
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We explain ourselves We defend every decision We work harder We want them to finally say You are good enough
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But what if they never say it?
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Does that mean you are not good enough?
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No. And that leads to the biggest question in this video.
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Are you building your confidence or are you waiting for someone else to give it to you?
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When we feel insecure around someone, we often try to fix the feeling by proving ourselves.
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We want to look smart.
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We want to sound successful.
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We want to say the perfect thing.
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We want that person to respect us.
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So we focus on their reaction.
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Did they like my idea?
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Did they agree with me?
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Did they notice my work?
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Did they think I sounded confident?
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Now something important has happened.
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Our confidence is in their hands.
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One smile can make us feel great one cold response can make us feel terrible
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that is exhausting and the more we try to prove our value the more power we give them
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so what if we stopped what if confidence is not about looking impressive what
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if it is simply being comfortable enough to be yourself
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you do not need to be the smartest person in the room you do not need everyone to like your ideas
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You do not need to win every conversation.
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You can simply say, I see it differently.
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You can say, I need some time to think about that.
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You can say, I do not agree.
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And you can say it calmly.
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That is confidence too.
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Sometimes confidence is not speaking louder.
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Sometimes It is staying calm when someone does not agree with you.
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Think about someone who always makes you feel small.
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You may spend years trying to show them that you are successful.
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You explain your choices.
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You defend your life.
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You hope they will finally understand.
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Then one day you stop.
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You stop trying to prove everything.
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You stop asking for approval.
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You still hear their opinion, but you no longer need it to feel good about yourself.
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That is, when your confidence starts coming back, not because they changed, because you changed your relationship with their opinion.
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Of course, this does not mean you should ignore all criticism.
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Good feedback can help you grow.
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But ask yourself, is this feedback helping me grow, or is it making me afraid to be myself?
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Learn to notice the difference.
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And if someone repeatedly makes you feel worthless or afraid to speak freely, you can step back.
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You can spend less time with them.
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You can share less.
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You can protect your peace.
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You do not have to prove your worth to someone who refuses to see it.
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Maybe there is someone who makes you feel smaller than you really are.
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Around them, you may become quiet.
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You may question yourself.
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You may try too hard to be accepted.
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But remember, their opinion does not decide your value.
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You were still yourself before they entered the room.
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and you are still yourself after they leave.
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So next time you feel small around someone, pause.
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Take a breath.
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Ask yourself, why am I giving this person so much power over how I see myself?
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You do not need everyone to understand you.
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You do not need everyone to approve of you.
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And you do not need to prove your worth every time you walk into a room.
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The goal is not to feel confident around everyone.
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The goal is to know who you are even when someone else does not see it.
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Your confidence may become quiet, but it is not gone.
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You may have simply forgotten that it was yours.
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You have completed this Level B 1 English Shadowing Practice.
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If some sentences felt difficult, listen again and follow the rhythm.
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Keep practicing and let your confidence grow with every repetition.

Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Este vídeo tiene 161 frases y 1454 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 11:03. El hablante mantiene un ritmo constante de unas 132 palabras por minuto, cómodo para el shadowing. El 93 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es fácil de seguir.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

15 palabras menos comunes del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

  • defend /dɪˈfɪnd/ (verbo) — defender, defensar. To ward off attacks against (something or someone).
  • silence /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ (sustantivo) — silencio. The absence of any sound.
  • shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ (sustantivo) — sombra. A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
  • feedback /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ (sustantivo) — valoración, comentario. Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.
  • breathe /bɹiːð/ (verbo) — respirar. To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
  • freely /ˈfɹili/ (adverbio) — libremente. In a free manner.
  • rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/ (sustantivo) — ritmo. The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
  • pause /pɔːz/ (sustantivo) — pausa. A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
  • ignore /ɪɡˈnɔː/ (verbo) — ignorar, desoír. To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
  • impressive /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ (adjetivo) — impresionante. Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress.
  • sensitive /ˈsɛn.sɪt.ɪv/ (adjetivo) — sensible. Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses.
  • worker /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ (sustantivo) — trabajador, obrero. One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor.
  • refuse /ɹɪˈfjuːz/ (verbo) — rehusar. To decline (a request or demand).
  • remind /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ (verbo) — (hacer) recordar/arrecordar, hacer acordar/arrecordar (se de). To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person).
  • trap /tɹæp/ (sustantivo) — trampa, cepo. A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body.

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

  • think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verbo) — pensar en, ocurrírsele. To ponder.
  • look at (verbo) — mirar, funar. To observe or watch.
  • ask for (verbo) — pedir. To request; to order.
  • move on (verbo) — superarlo, seguir adelante. To continue; to proceed; to go on.

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

  • Los sonidos de “th”: breathe /bɹiːð/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, worthless /ˈwɜːθ.ləs/
  • Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
  • Palabras largas — cuida el acento: differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, repeatedly /ɹɪˈpiːtɪdli/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

  1. Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
  2. Haz shadowing frase por frase a velocidad normal, repitiendo cada una hasta que tu ritmo coincida con el del hablante.
  3. Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como defend, silence, shadow.

Gramática en este vídeo

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

EstructuraEn el vídeo
Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosasomeone who criticized · someone who often · someone who always
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahorahave learned · have made · have survived
Posibilidad con “might / may” might/may + verbo — algo posible pero no seguromay wonder · may not have · may give
Verbo + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbos seguidos de la forma en -ingstarts talking · start looking · stop sharing

¿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 →