Pratique du Shadowing: A1 English Listening Practice - Cultural Customs - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Création de la leçon...
1
Hey English learners, welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
2
Today, I'm going to talk about some different customs in the US, and in Mexico.
3
I've lived in both of these countries,
4
and I have a lot of experience with the different customs in these different cultures.
5
So hopefully you find this topic interesting.
6
Many people like hearing about my experience living in Mexico,
7
because interesting to live abroad and experience these differences in culture and in customs.
8
So, that's what I'm gonna talk about today.
9
And remember that if you want my help,
10
to understand fast English make sure to sign up to become a Listening Time member,
11
so you can Watch my listening practice seminars,
12
in which I help you understand English when people speak fast.
13
So that link is down below.
14
Okay, let's talk about some different customs in the US and in Mexico.
15
The first thing I want to talk about is meals,
16
eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
17
These are meals.
18
Let's talk about the different meal times in the US and in Mexico.
19
In the US, Lunch is usually between 12 and 1 p .m.
20
usually.
21
it's usually not the biggest meal of the day.
22
So sometimes people eat a lot, but Often, it's not a heavy meal.
23
It's a light.
24
meal.
25
So perhaps someone might just eat a sandwich for example.
26
people can also eat hot meal.
27
maybe.
28
It depends on the person.
29
But lunch usually isn't the biggest meal of the day.
30
And sometimes people eat lunch at their office while they're working.
31
or in their car on their lunch break when they have a break from work.
32
So this is different in Mexico.
33
In Mexico, lunch is later in the day.
34
It's usually between two and four.
35
PM.
36
So, maybe around 3 p .m. on average.
37
it's usually the biggest meal of the day.
38
This is usually when people eat the most.
39
People might go to restaurants, around this time.
40
So you see a lot of people at restaurants at 3 :00 p .m.,
41
3 :30 p .m.
42
This is very Typical.
43
It's Comet.
44
In the US, you don't see as many people at restaurants at
45
that time because that's too late for lunch in the US and it's too early for dinner, right?
46
In the US, dinner is is Typically,
47
around six 6 :30, 7 :00 p .m dinner is usually served around that time.
48
And Dinner is usually the biggest meal.
49
of the day.
50
This is when people eat the most.
51
And When I was a kid, I always ate dinner with my family.
52
my parents, and my sister, and we ate Almost.
53
every day at the same time.
54
We ate dinner, around 6 :30.
55
PM and we sat down together,
56
and my mom cooked a big meal for us.
57
This was the most important meal of the day.
58
for me and my family when I was growing up.
59
Thank you and This is when restaurants are the busiest you see many people at restaurants,
60
around dinner time.
61
in the US.
62
In Mexico, dinner is later.
63
It's usually between eight and 10 p .m.
64
maybe, and usually it's not too heavy.
65
It's not a really big meal because lunch is typically the biggest meal.
66
And for example, my wife's family, often eats sweet foods for dinner.
67
Not everyone does that, but they often eat snacks and sweet foods for dinner,
68
but There are many different things people might eat for dinner in Mexico.
69
It's a little strange for many of us to think about eating dinner that late.
70
It's hard to imagine eating dinner at 9 p .m for example, that's not typical.
71
in the US.
72
Alright, let me talk about another custom.
73
The custom of arriving on time or arriving late in the US Most people think that it's normal.
74
to arrive on time for events,
75
parties, appointments, etc. They don't want to be late.
76
It's not good.
77
to be late.
78
in the US.
79
Of course, Sometimes people arrive late.
80
It's not always a problem,
81
but in general, People think that it's good to arrive on time to things.
82
In Mexico, this is less strict.
83
Many people arrive late.
84
to different events or appointments,
85
meetings, parties, and Often, the other people don't get mad.
86
And I remember arriving at a birthday party.
87
in Mexico that started at 6 :00 p .m.
88
or they told us that it started at 6 :00 p .m and we arrived
89
at 6 p .m and nobody was there and The host,
90
the person who was having the party,
91
they weren't even ready for us to come inside yet.
92
And this shows the difference in culture.
93
In the US, if someone says that a birthday party is going to start at 6 :00 p .m.
94
it's gonna start at 6 :00 p .m.
95
If you show up at 6 p .m you arrive, at 6.
96
that's normal but In Mexico,
97
it's normal for people to arrive late, and sometimes very late. to parties.
98
I remember that at that party, people came at like 7 p .m.
99
or later even.
100
But the party was supposed to start at 6 :00.
101
So, some people like when a culture is less strict about arriving on time,
102
Some people like Punctuality, meaning They like when people are on time.
103
People have different opinions about this and you probably prefer one or the other.
104
I like being on time.
105
But that's just me.
106
Alright, one other custom I want to talk about is greetings.
107
When you say, "hello" and "goodbye" to people.
108
In Mexico, It's common.
109
to give people a kiss on the cheek.
110
Usually, you don't touch your lips to there.
111
skin, but you make the sound, you touch your cheeks together,
112
and women do this with Other women, men, men.
113
Do it with women. as well.
114
And, People do this even if you don't know the person very well,
115
even if you don't know them that well, you probably still greet them with a kiss on the cheek.
116
It depends.
117
Sometimes you don't do this, but I did this many times when I lived in Mexico.
118
This was new for me.
119
It was something that I had to adapt to.
120
when I lived in Mexico.
121
Because in the US, This is not a common greeting.
122
Some people do this, but usually It's people who they're very close with and Typically,
123
older people might do this.
124
It's not common to see young people give a kiss on the cheek.
125
I don't remember seeing that in the US.
126
So this is not a common greeting in the US and so it can be a little strange
127
when someone from the US goes to Mexico, and people greet them like this.
128
You have to realize that this is a very different custom.
129
in the two countries.
130
In the US, It's common to give people a handshake, in some situations.
131
Or It's also common to give a hug different types of hugs depending on the situation,
132
It depends on how well you know the other person.
133
If you know them, really well, and you're really close to them,
134
you might have a different type of greeting than someone who you don't know well at all,
135
there are different types, different ways to greet people in the US but Normally,
136
People don't give each other a kiss, especially if they don't know each other well.
137
It depends, like I said.
138
There are many other examples of customs that are different in the US and in Mexico,
139
but Those are a few that I wanted to talk about.
140
Hopefully this video was helpful for you.
141
I know it was probably challenging, for some of you.
142
I don't only use A1 language in my A1 videos because the purpose
143
of an A1 listening practice video is to challenge you and help you get to the next level,
144
A2.
145
So, there are some things I say that are challenging, But that's okay.
146
If you are at an A1 level,
147
you should listen to things that are above that level.
148
Okay, thank you for watching and remember that you can check out my listening practice seminars that will help you
149
understand fast English.
150
If you want those, you can go down below and click on the link to sign up.
151
All right.
152
Thank you so much for watching this video, and I'll talk to you in the next one.

Context & Background

This A1 English listening practice session dives into cultural customs by the speaker who has lived in both the United States and Mexico. With a rich experience in observing the differences in traditions, meal times, and social customs, the speaker aims to enlighten English learners about these distinctive practices. Such knowledge not only broadens cultural awareness but also boosts engagement and understanding of conversational English, which is a vital component of successful language acquisition.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “What time is lunch?” - A common question reflecting cultural differences in meal schedules.
  • “Do you want to join us for dinner?” - A polite invitation that encourages social interactions.
  • “I’m running late.” - A phrase frequently used in both cultures to address punctuality.
  • “Let’s meet up at 6 p.m.” - Establishing plans highlights punctuality norms.
  • “A kiss on the cheek is common here.” - A phrase that explains a specific greeting custom, showcasing cultural nuances.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To improve your English pronunciation and listening skills using this video, follow this structured shadowing guide:

  1. Listen Actively: First, watch the video without trying to imitate. Focus on understanding culturally significant points.
  2. Pause and Repeat: Play segments that stand out to you. Use a shadowing app to repeat phrases while paying attention to pronunciation and intonation.
  3. Practice the Key Phrases: Take the top phrases listed above and practice saying them out loud. This will help reinforce your speaking skills and oral fluency.
  4. Record Yourself: Use a voice recording tool to capture your attempts. This will allow you to track improvements and adjust any mispronunciations over time.
  5. Engage with Cultural Context: Try to relate the customs discussed to your own experiences or research other cultural practices. This not only enhances your vocabulary but also deepens your understanding of context during conversations.

By applying these steps, you set yourself up for IELTS speaking practice as you become more conversant in English and comfortable discussing diverse topics. Consider leveraging your shadowing experience to move from the A1 to A2 levels in English proficiency effectively.

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.