Pratique du Shadowing: 2698 - In a While or For a While? Tricky English Grammar Explained - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
Création de la leçon...
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Hello, Lindsay.
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How are you today?
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Hey, I'm doing great, Aubrey.
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What is something that you've done for a while?
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I've been going paddleboarding for a while.
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We just went Sunday to the Salt River.
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And even in the dead of summer here in Arizona, this is something you can do outside.
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So you're in and out of the river.
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It's much cooler on the water.
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So there's not a lot we can do outside these days.
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But so the river's kind of packed, but it's really fun.
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And you've got your cooler and your radio and what radio?
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Right on your paddleboard.
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I love it.
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Yeah.
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It's kind of amazing.
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What about you?
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What's something you've done for a while?
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I would say I've been going to Orange Theory for a while.
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So it's the way it's like HIIT training and some weightlifting.
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But when I was pregnant, I kind of stopped doing a little bit of the weightlifting towards the end.
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So I need to regain my muscle mass now.
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Yes.
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Right.
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I know we need to be lifting heavy speaking of pregnancy
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this episode was inspired by something I said to Michelle you guys know she just and
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if you missed the episode she had some exciting news stay
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to the end we'll share details about the episode in case you missed it
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but what I was saying to her I had texted her I won't see you in a
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while and then I corrected it
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and changed it to I won't see you for a while
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and I was like wait yeah let me think about this
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and this inspired this great episode because this is really interesting tricky grammar
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and yeah we want to dive into how we use these today
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i love when episodes are inspired by real text messages
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or real conversations that is how you know
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that you're learning real english right here on allers english aubrey
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so good yes so true so guys hit follow
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if you missed michelle's exciting news you might not be following
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the episode you're missing amazing episodes you can definitely listen to that after this one we'll share all of the details, but hit follow so you never miss an episode.
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Absolutely.
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All right.
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Good stuff.
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So let's get into it.
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Let's tell us, tell us, Aubrey, were you right or wrong?
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Or what was the right thing to say in that moment?
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Let's dive into both of these.
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So it sort of depends on what you mean, right?
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Right.
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When you say for a while, let's go into for a while first.
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This means during a period of time
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so the emphasis is on the duration of the time right
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so for example i lived in chicago for a
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while you're talking about how long you lived there okay yeah i lived in chicago for a
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while or she worked quietly for a while before taking a break
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so it's all about duration is what you're telling us yes exactly
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and then in a while is more about the future right i'll call you in a
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while has nothing to do with duration of time it means
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at some point in the future i'll call you in a
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while i'll call you in a while or i'll see you in a
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while right so you know in a while
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when you'll is more about like when you'll arrive and for a
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while is like how long you'll stay there
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so what's interesting is what i was texting michelle really could be either because if i'm saying i won't you know,
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it'll, it'll, I'll see you in a while means sometime in the future.
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And if I say, I won't see you for a while, I'm talking about the duration of time that we won't see each other.
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Right.
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So it sort of depends.
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Right.
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The key piece is that you use the negative.
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So I will not see you for a while would make more sense.
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Right.
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Right.
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If you said, I won't see you in a while, you're saying, I won't see you in the future.
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Right.
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Exactly.
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So if you're using the negative right I won't see you for a
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while I will see you positive I will see you in a
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while so here's a pro tip
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if you can replace it you know the for a while
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or in a while with an amount of time like 30 minutes
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or for two hours use for a while you know we chatted for a
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while I won't see you for a while because I could say
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if it's a few weeks I could add I could put time in there but But, you know, if it's in a while, then you can't replace it with an amount of time.
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You'd replace it with like in the future, sometime in the future, right?
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Right.
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In 30 minutes or soon would be replacements, right?
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For in a while.
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Exactly, right?
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If you can replace it with soon or in the future, in 30 minutes, then you'd say in a while.
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But here's the other thing that's tricky we have some fixed expressions with a while that we use really often, which have different meanings.
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So we're going to share a couple of those as well.
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Yeah.
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Interesting.
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All right.
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So we have an expression once in a while, right?
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So not to be confused, but what does it mean here?
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Yeah.
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It means occasionally, right?
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Oh, I eat fast food once in a while.
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So this is a very different meaning than in a while by itself.
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Yes, exactly.
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You can't split them.
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You can't leave off part of this phrase you really need this chunk right
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or the phrase in a little while in a little
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while meaning in a short amount of time so I'll see you in a little while
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that essentially means the same thing as in a
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while right we're just short maybe a shorter
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because it could be you know in a
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while could mean further whereas in a little
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while you mean not much time at all right exactly
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and then a while ago what does that mean yeah
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so this means sometime in the past I saw her a
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while ago you're intentionally being vague you might not even remember how long it's been right
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so yeah all of these chunks we use with these a
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while and this is interesting too a little grammar note here
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that for all of the phrases we've talked about
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so far it's written as two words a while
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but we also have a while written as one word right a single word adverb
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that means for a short time for example I need to rest a
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while I've been sleeping a while and it doesn't matter luckily
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when you're speaking because they sound the same but
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when you're writing yes they're written differently this is definitely one of the things
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that i have been confused about in the past you're not
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alone lindsay i see mistakes all the time right this is
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very common a lot of people don't realize don't know there's a difference
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so just write it both
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and it's definitely not the end of the world even in you know business emails most people are not going to, right?
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It's pretty much just grammarians and English teachers that might notice.
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So not something to stress about too much.
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Right.
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So just to be really clear, we're asking the question here, when do you separate the A from the while?
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Like when you're writing it, right?
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In a written format.
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When do we separate it?
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So I'll bring, again, just to be clear, when do we separate, how do we know when to separate A with while?
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So for all of these expressions, everything we've said, it's two words, a while with a space between, right?
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The only time it's written as one word is
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when it's a single word adverb that is describing how long something would happen.
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It means for a short time, right?
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So for example, you would say, oh, I need to rest for a short time.
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If you replace that with a while, then it's written as one word.
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He's been sleeping a while means the same as for a short time or for a long time, that's when it's one word written.
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I feel like I usually say he's been sleeping for a while.
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I put for in there most of the time.
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What do you do?
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What do you speak?
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What do you tend to do?
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Oh, that's interesting.
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I think both.
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I feel like I do both.
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That's where it's tricky because once you add the preposition in a while, for a while, it becomes a noun phrase and these versions require
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that it be a while written as two words
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because now instead of this single word adverb you've made it
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a noun phrase really interesting really interesting i kind of feel
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like just leaving it alone uh i need to rest a
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while feels a little more whimsical a little more poetic to
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me i i feel like i'd be more likely to find
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that in a book or a poem
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or something yeah i see what you mean it does sound more conversational to say i need to rest for a while.
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They're both accurate.
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Yes.
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Right.
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It's interesting how it just sort of makes it slightly more casual to add the preposition.
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Yeah.
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So if you guys are struggling with that, if you're confused, don't worry.
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You're not alone.
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Most of the native speaking world is also struggling with that.
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Yeah.
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Most native speakers, they just think it's a mistake.
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If they see it written as one or two words, they probably wouldn't be able to describe why.
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Interesting.
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That's right.
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Exactly.
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Hey, quick question.
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Do you want to feel more confident when you speak English?
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If so, we made a free guide for you.
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It'll help you avoid those common mistakes and start speaking more naturally in real conversations.
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Go grab it in the description below.
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And if this is helpful for you, make sure that you like and subscribe.
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We're here five times a week to help you connect in English.
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All right, Aubrey, let's do a role play, put these into action.
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So who's Emma, friends here that haven't seen each other for in a
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while for a while or in a while um i will be emma
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and you are jack okay ready all right all right hey i feel like i haven't seen you for a
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while how have you been i know it's re it has really been right really has been a
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while since we caught up things have been crazy at work
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same here i've barely had a free evening for a while now.
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I've just been stuck in back -to -back projects.
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Yeah, I get that.
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I think the last time we hung out was dinner downtown, and that was a while ago.
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Exactly.
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So what have you been up to?
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Well, I'll actually be traveling next week, so I won't be around for a while after that.
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Oh, wow.
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So I'm not going to see you for a while after this weekend.
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Probably not, but we should definitely catch up before I leave.
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Yeah, we probably wouldn't find that quite as often in a conversation.
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I crammed a lot of them into this role play.
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We did, we did.
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And you put a little trick for me there.
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There was a mistake in our role play and I had to correct it in real time.
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Yeah, well done.
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We got it right.
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All right, let's share some of these.
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All right, Aubrey, so let's go through it.
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I started and said, I haven't seen you for a while.
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So it would be written as two words here.
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And I'm talking about the duration of time.
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Means it's been a long time i haven't seen you for a long time i haven't seen you for a
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while yep and then jake said i know it really has been a
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while since we caught up it has been a certain amount of time right a long amount of time
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and then i say i've barely had a free evening for a
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while now we'll often add now we've talked about this on the podcast before why we add now
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so it's not necessarily needed for sure you might just say, Oh, I haven't had a free evening for a while.
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This, you know, we'll hear and I'll use this to say for a while now for emphasis, right?
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I'm kind of emphasizing how long the time feels.
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Yeah.
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Great. And yeah.
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Did we talk about that recently?
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How, how we add now and a lot of different contexts as native speakers.
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That is a great episode topic.
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I'm glad that we've already done it.
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We've already covered it.
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So guys go back into our archives and check that out.
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Um, Um, Jake said, I think the last time we hung out was dinner downtown and that was a while ago.
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Okay.
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Yes, exactly.
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And then you also said, I won't be around for a while after that.
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So you're talking about an amount of time here.
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And then Emma said, oh, wow.
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So I guess I won't see you for a while again after this weekend.
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So this is where it starts to feel really repetitive with a while, right?
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This is one of those where we're like, maybe we need some other ways to say this, right?
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because it's true in a conversation we try not to repeat
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vocabulary repeat the same phrases would try to switch it up
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and there are other ways to say this of course right
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i could have said yeah oh i'm not gonna see you
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forever it's gonna be ages before we see each other again
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right ages you could take quite a bit of time maybe there's a lot of
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that we just didn't have time to go through them today guys
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but there are alternatives maybe we'll do a follow -up episode yes right Definitely.
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And we want to make sure that if you missed it, scroll up for $26 .94.
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We are ahead of schedule with Michelle's exciting news.
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So we won't spoil it here.
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Go back and listen to that episode if you missed it for Michelle's news.
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Such an exciting year here at Allers English with everyone's good news happening.
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Oh my gosh.
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So excited for you guys to hear that episode.
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Really good stuff.
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Aubrey, what's our final takeaway here for a while? this is interesting
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so as we were saying these are mistakes
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that even native speakers make right there are
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so many small details in english grammar
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that can trip us up spelling being strange like this
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or really similar phrases for a while in a
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while it's not a huge difference right
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but hopefully this breakdown gave you some more details some pro tips about
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when to use which one because we often talk about this, like how long it's been since we've seen someone, right?
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If you're running into a friend you haven't seen for ages, you want to mention that.
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Yeah.
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And connection matters.
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Don't get tripped up with, you know, if you're not quite sure in the moment, which one works, just go ahead and choose the, you know, whatever one comes to mind.
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Right.
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Whoever you're listening to probably doesn't know either.
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That's the good news.
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They don't know either.
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Exactly.
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All right.
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Great episode today, Aubrey.
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I'll see you very soon.
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I'll see you in a while.
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Right.
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I'll see Take care.
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Bye.
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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon
Cette vidéo contient 275 phrases et 2642 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 13:33. Le locuteur parle vite, environ 195 mots par minute : attendez-vous à des liaisons et à des sons réduits. 85 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais ; le reste mérite d’être vu avant de commencer.
Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo
15 mots de la vidéo à retenir, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| phrase nom | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | expression |
| duration nom | /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | durée |
| confused adjectif | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | désorienté, perdu |
| grammar nom | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | grammaire |
| sometime adverbe | /ˈsʌmˌtaɪm/ | un jour ou l’autre |
| inspire verbe | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | inspirer |
| tricky adjectif | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | épineux, compliqué |
| downtown nom | /ˈdaʊ̯nˌtaʊ̯n/ | centre-ville, quartier d'affaires |
| depend verbe | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | dépendre |
| emphasis nom | /ˈɛmfəsɪs/ | accent, emphase |
| dive verbe | /daɪv/ | nager, plonger |
| chunk nom | /t͡ʃʌŋk/ | pièce, morceau |
| noun nom | /naʊn/ | nom, nom substantif |
| topic nom | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | sujet, thème |
| naturally adverbe | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | naturellement |
Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| go through verbe | traverser | |
| go ahead verbe | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | vas-y, allez-y |
| go back verbe | rentrer, retourner |
La grammaire de cette vidéo
Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :
| Structure | Dans la vidéo |
|---|---|
| Phrases conditionnelles if + proposition, will/would + verbe — une condition et son résultat | if i'm saying i won't you · if I say, I won't see · If you said, I won't see |
| Present perfect continu have/has been + -ing — une action commencée avant et toujours en cours | I've been going · I've been sleeping |
| Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant | you've done · we've talked · have been confused |
| Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait | was inspired · are inspired · been stuck |
Prononciation à surveiller
Le locuteur utilise 110 contractions et formes réduites, comme you're, won't, I'll. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.
- Les sons « sh » et « zh »: duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/
- Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/
Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo
- Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
- Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
- Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme phrase, duration, confused.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.