Pratique du Shadowing: This 10-Minute Video Will Save You 10,000 Hours Of Language Learning - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
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I'm going to say something that's going to make a lot of language YouTubers angry, and honestly, I don't really care.
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The way most people are learning languages right now is fundamentally broken.
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Not because of Duolingo, not because of Netflix, not because of comprehensible input.
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The problem is much deeper than that.
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The problem is that you are spending 95% of your time learning things you will actually never use.
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You're memorizing vocabulary for situations that will never happen.
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You're learning grammar rules for conversations you will never have.
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You're watching TV shows in your target language to learn what exactly?
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A bunch of words
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that you don't need in contexts you don't care about for a future version of yourself that does not exist.
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And so today what I'm going to do is that I'm going to explain exactly why this approach fails,
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what to do instead, and the method that took me from false beginner in Spanish
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to a 30-minute conversation with a Colombian native speaker in just three months on 45 minutes of study a day, just like this.
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A mí me conviene usar mi aplicación,
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pero la utilicé hasta el final y me ayudó un montón para la expresión oral.
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Now, just a little bit about me.
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My name is Luis.
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I'm a language learning YouTuber, and I'm from Tahiti and French Polynesia.
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A few months ago, I set myself a public challenge.
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So I went from false beginner in Spanish, and I mean like I was really, really bad in high school, almost failed Spanish in school,
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to a live conversation with a native speaker on italki.
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And I have a job, I have a YouTube channel to run, I have a life.
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So I gave myself the same constraints as anyone watching this video.
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That is to say 30 minutes to 45 minutes of active study per day, and that's it.
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And let me tell you, I did not do it by binge watching whatever, you know, Spanish TV shows that run on Netflix.
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I didn't do it using Duolingo Streaks.
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I did it using a very specific approach that I now call hyper-targeted language training, HTLT in short.
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And that is what I want to talk about today.
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So let me talk first about the biggest lie in modern language learning.
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And that is the lie of passive immersion.
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So if you've been on YouTube for some time now, you've heard the pitch a hundred times.
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Just watch enough Netflix.
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Just listen to enough podcasts.
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Watch anime at the right level.
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Just consume enough so-called comprehensible input, and the language will somehow seep into your brain while you sit on your sofa.
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Learn like a child, they say.
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Relax.
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Don't try too hard.
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The magic will happen.
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It's all about immersion.
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It's all about acquisition.
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So the people who do that, they just immerse.
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They cannot hold a basic conversation.
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They recognize a few words.
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They know the opening theme song.
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They feel a connection to the language.
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And then a native speaker says hello to them, and then they freeze.
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Because passive consumption is not language learning.
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It's just entertainment with a productivity sticker on it.
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But here's the part that nobody is willing to say out loud.
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Even active learning fails when it's not targeted.
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So you can grind flashcards for an hour a day for two years, religiously, and still freeze the moment a real conversation starts.
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And why is that?
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Because the vocabulary you've been studying has nothing to do with what you actually need to say.
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And so the point is you've been learning the wrong things for your own life.
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So most language courses are built for a fictional average learner who has no specific use case.
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So they can teach you everything in case you need it.
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Everything in case you go to the doctor.
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Everything in case you rent a car.
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Everything in case you discuss the weather, the bakery, the post office, the train station.
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Just in case learning.
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And this just-in-case learning is the single biggest waste of time in your language learning journey.
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You're filling your brain with words for situations that will never come instead of preparing for the situations that absolutely will.
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Just think about it for a second.
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How much of your own native language do you actually use in a given week?
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You probably have a few hundred sentences that you recycle over and over.
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You talk about your job.
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You talk about your family.
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You complain about the same things you make the same jokes.
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Real fluency is not knowing every word.
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Real fluency is being instantly ready for the conversations you actually have.
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So here's the core principle of hyper targeted language training.
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You prepare as much as possible for your specific use of the language
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and you limit just in case learning to the absolute minimum.
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Everything else flows from that.
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And so let me break it down into three pillars.
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All right.
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So the pillar number one is going to be memorized sentences and speeches.
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So this is a technique that goes back to Professor Paul Nation,
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one of the most respected researchers in second language acquisition and vocabulary learning.
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So the idea is exactly what it sounds like.
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You write out the sentences and the speeches that you're going to need, and then you memorize them word for word.
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And so I know that people hear that and they laugh.
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They tell me it sounds stupid.
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They tell me it sounds robotic.
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They tell me real language doesn't work that way.
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But here's the thing though, it is supported by decades of research.
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And I can tell you from doing it, it works better than anything else.
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So when I prepared my final Spanish conversation, I knew almost exactly what was going to come up.
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The teacher was going to ask my name.
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She was going to ask where I'm from.
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She was going to ask about my work, about the YouTube channel, about why I was learning Spanish.
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And so I wrote down small speeches about each of these topics.
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I translated them.
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I drilled them.
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And by the time of the call, those answers were not vocabulary that I was just retrieving.
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They were reflexes.
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I didn't think.
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I just spoke.
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Now, pillar number two is going to be targeted listening.
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Most learners get listening wrong in exactly the same way they get vocabulary wrong.
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They listen to whatever is available, a random Netflix show, a generic podcast, whatever the algorithm recommends.
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And then they wonder why their listening comprehension is not improving.
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And here's the upgrade.
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Your listening practice should sound like what you'll actually have to understand.
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So if you're going to talk to Colombians, listen to Colombian Spanish, not Spanish from Spain.
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If you're going to meet your partner's family in Tokyo, listen to family style Japanese conversations,
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not anime, not YouTubers, not generic podcasts.
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And this is where AI really changes everything.
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With modern text-to-speech technology, you can generate hours of audio in the exact accent, register, and topic that you need.
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For my Spanish challenge, every single sentence and speech that I memorized
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and listened to had audio generated in a Colombian accent because that was the accent I was going to face.
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And so every audio file was custom-built for my actual situation situation.
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Pillar number three, extensive use of AI.
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So in my specific case, I had an AI tutor that I built myself called Island Koala.
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I had AI generated example sentences and speeches for every vocabulary word in contexts that I actually cared about.
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I had AI generated audio in the accent that I needed.
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AI is not the magic trick.
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AI is the tool that finally lets you build a language learning program
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that is 100% tailored to you instead of one that was built for a hypothetical average learner 10 years ago.
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All right, now here's the objection that I get every time I explain this approach.
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But Louis, what about the situations you cannot prepare for?
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What about the unexpected question, the conversation that goes off script?
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And here's the part that nobody's going to tell you.
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When you hyper-prepare for 30 different scenarios, you don't just learn these 30 scenarios.
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You absorb the grammar, the rhythm, the patterns, the vocab, and the language itself.
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The structures repeat.
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The connectors repeat.
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The thousand most useful words show up over and over in real meaningful contexts.
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And so without realizing it, you build a foundation that generalizes.
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Without realizing it, you're building a strong foundation.
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So in my case, after three months of hyper-targeted preparation, have my prepared conversation.
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But I could also do something else.
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I could improvise, not perfectly, not at the level of a native, but enough to handle the curveballs.
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Because the prepared scenarios had quietly taught me the language itself.
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And so that is a secret.
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HTLT, hyper-targeted language training, it looks pretty narrow.
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It feels very narrow.
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It produces broader fluency than the people doing endless passive immersion in a fraction of the time.
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So here's your action plan starting today.
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Number one, sit down and make a list.
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Write down every single situation in which you're actually going to use the language.
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And be specific.
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Talking to my partner's mother is specific, but travel is not.
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Number two, for every situation, write a one to two minute speech in your native language, then translate it into your target language.
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Use AI, obviously, then memorize it.
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Use AI to generate the audio in the right accent and listen to it on repeat.
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Number three, every single day, add one new scenario.
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After 30 days, you have 30 hyper-specific blocks of language.
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And after three months, you have about 90.
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And at that point, you're not a beginner anymore.
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You're someone who's ready for a lot of scenarios in that language.
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So I guess the point that I'm trying to make is stop trying to learn a language.
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Start preparing for the specific life you're actually going to live in it.
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And that is hyper-targeted language training.
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That is HTLT.
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That is the method
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that took me from false beginner to a Spanish conversation in three months on only 45 minutes a day.
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I'll see you in the next video.
Why practice speaking with this video?
If you’re looking to elevate your English speaking skills, this video serves as a crucial resource. The speaker emphasizes that traditional language learning methods often lead to frustration and stagnation, pushing you to memorize vocabulary and rules without context. Instead, engaging actively with the content can dramatically improve your ability to communicate effectively. By practicing speaking through techniques like shadowing, you can mimic native speakers and gain real-life conversation skills in a fraction of the time. Approaching your English learning journey with a focus on practical usage prepares you for actual conversations, making this video an invaluable tool for English-speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker utilizes several key structures that can enhance your understanding and use of English in conversation. Here are a few notable examples:
- Conditional Statements: The phrase “If you’re looking” sets a condition that indicates a potential outcome, underscoring the importance of context in English communication.
- Present Perfect Tense: Expressions like “I have a job” illustrate how the present perfect can show continuity and relevance to the present moment, a structure essential for fluent conversation.
- Colloquial Expressions: Phrases such as “let me tell you” bring a conversational tone, making your speech sound more natural and relatable. Learning these expressions is key for understanding spoken English.
- Direct Address: The use of "you" connects the speaker to the audience, fostering engagement and making the content feel more personalized. Recognizing when and how to use direct address can enhance your interactions.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you work on your English speaking skills, be mindful of certain pronunciation challenges presented in this video:
- “Language”: This word can be tricky; ensure to emphasize the second syllable /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/.
- “Immersion”: The 'sion' at the end can trip up learners. Practice it as /ɪˈmɜːrʒən/ to get the correct emphasis.
- “Conversation”: This word is often mispronounced; the correct pronunciation is /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃən/, focusing on the third syllable to sound fluent.
By paying attention to these nuances, you can improve your accent and clarity, essential components of effective communication in English. Integrate these techniques into your practice routine with the help of shadow speak or a suitable shadowing app, making the most out of your language learning experience.
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.