Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - 'Our Weekend Picnic' - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 21 sentences and 143 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:17. The speaker talks at a steady 112 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

14 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• picnic /ˈpɪknɪk/ (noun) — An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.
• sandwich /ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food.
• cookie /ˈkʊki/ (noun) — A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm.
• juice /d͡ʒuːs/ (noun) — A liquid made from plant, especially fruit.
• delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ (adjective) — Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
• duck /dʌk/ (noun) — Any of certain aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet, distinguished from swans and geese by generally being smaller and…
• swim /swɪm/ (verb) — To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means.
• basket /ˈbæskɪt/ (noun) — A lightweight woven container, generally round, open at the top, and tapering toward the bottom.
• blanket /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ (noun) — A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
• yummy /ˈjʌm.i/ (adjective) — Delicious.
• jump /d͡ʒʌmp/ (verb) — To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.
• pack /pæk/ (noun) — A bundle made up and prepared to be carried; especially, a bundle to be carried on the back, but also a load for an animal, a bale.
• orange /ˈɒɹɪnd͡ʒ/ (noun) — An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus such as Citrus sinensis which yields oranges (the fruit).
• cheese /t͡ʃiz/ (noun) — A dairy product made from curdled or cultured milk.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go down (verb) — To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
• go for (verb) — To try for, to attempt to reach.
• play with (verb) — To fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.
• sit on (verb) — To block, suppress, restrain (something).
• walk around (verb) — To walk with no planned destination; to meander.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like picnic, sandwich, cookie.