Pratica di Shadowing: English Small Talk: Start Conversations Easily - Impara a parlare inglese con i video
Scegli una modalità di pratica
Ogni modalità apre una sala di pratica a schermo intero.
341 frasi
Se le frasi sono troppo corte o troppo lunghe, clicca su Edit per modificarle.
1
How do you start a conversation in English?
2
Well, if you want to learn some natural English small talk so that you can start conversations easily,
3
you're in the right place.
4
Hello, this is Keith from the YouTube channel English Speaking Success, and I also run the website, The Keith Speaking Academy.
5
And I'm here.
6
Why am I here?
7
Oh yes, I'm here, well, not only to help you study English,
8
but also I really want to help you speak better English and become a better communicator in English.
9
Yes, that's what I would like to help you with today and the days coming.
10
And I think that's why small talk is important, right?
11
Because when we meet people, we often talk about unimportant things, what we call trivial things,
12
like the weather, And this is just a way to break the ice, or it's a conversation starter.
13
It's a way to get to know the person better sometimes.
14
Sometimes it's just a way of saying hello.
15
Sometimes it's just one sentence and then bye -bye.
16
Other times you want to get to know the person better
17
and find some common ground that you can talk about and discuss.
18
So I wonder, what do people in your country talk about
19
when you meet somebody or you meet a new person for the first time?
20
Let me know.
21
Leave me a comment down below.
22
So in this video, we're gonna be talking about three typical situations where you might use small talk,
23
the common topics that you might talk about, and I'll show you some natural,
24
easy to use phrases that you can be using and put into action well, right away.
25
Also, I have a bonus at the very end of the video because, you know, I think around the world,
26
by and large, people talk about the same things in small talk.
27
However, it does depend sometimes on the culture and the country.
28
There are certain topics that are more popular and there are certain topics which are taboo.
29
Taboo just means you shouldn't talk about them.
30
So the bonus is at the end of this video, I'm going to tell you some of the taboo topics for British people, right?
31
The things that you shouldn't say to British people when you're engaged in small talk.
32
And just before we move on, I'd like to say a big, big thank you to Cambly who are sponsoring this video.
33
If you don't know Cambly, it's an online platform where you can learn English with qualified native English speaking teachers.
34
Very practical, very easy to use, fantastic way to practice your English and become a better communicator.
35
I'm gonna tell you more about that later in the video.
36
Right now, let's get into that first situation where we may be using small talk.
37
Okay, so the first scenario, if you like, is parties and social events.
38
So maybe it's a birthday party or an office party, Christmas party, social events, you know, could be a wedding, could be a conference,
39
a networking event, that kind of situation where you're meeting people and you want to start conversations to get to know them better.
40
Now, there may be different things you can talk about.
41
And I think you can talk about location, about food, about people, about travel and hobbies,
42
to name a few, probably others.
43
But let's have a look at each of these in turn.
44
So first of all, the first one, when you're kind of wanting to break the ice,
45
the location can be a good thing to talk about location can be either where you are now or where you're from.
46
So for example, I mean, if you're at a conference, for example, have you been here before?
47
It's a classic sentence, right?
48
A classic question.
49
And also, what brings you here today?
50
Which is nicer than why did you come here today?
51
Which sounds a bit, why did you come here today?
52
Sounds a bit strong.
53
What brings you here today?
54
It's much softer and politer.
55
And of course you can ask about where people are from.
56
So where are you from?
57
Where are you from?
58
And just be careful with this one because sometimes people say, you know, I come from, well, for example, I come from China.
59
And the other person says, oh, right.
60
I met a woman once from China, a Mrs. Wang.
61
Maybe you know her?
62
It's like, come on, seriously?
63
And I think what happens is people are so eager to find this common ground and keep the conversation going.
64
They say rather silly things, right?
65
It's much better sometimes just to say, well, if you've never been there, right?
66
Well, oh, I've never been to China.
67
What's it like?
68
Absolutely.
69
And that's great because then you give them the opportunity to talk about where they're from.
70
People love talking about where they're from and their hometown.
71
Okay, location.
72
Next, food.
73
If you're at an event where they have put on some food
74
or they've given you some food or a dinner or a buffet or a finger buffet, of course you can say, how's the food here?
75
How's the food here?
76
Great.
77
Or even, it's a nice spread, isn't it?
78
It's a nice spread, isn't it?
79
A spread is a meal because you spread the food on the table.
80
That's a meal, typically like a buffet.
81
It's a nice spread, isn't it?
82
Isn't it is a very high level of English.
83
This, we call it a question tag.
84
It is a nice spread, isn't it?
85
is quite difficult to use.
86
And many learners of English find it very challenging to use naturally.
87
If you can, great, you'll show you've got a high level.
88
If not, you can just say, right.
89
It's a nice spread, right?
90
Next, people.
91
So you can talk about the other person or you can talk about yourself or about other people at the event, okay?
92
The first thing I always do when I introduce myself at parties is I keep it super simple.
93
Hello, I'm Keith.
94
And I say my name really slowly.
95
And that's it, because people are not going to remember.
96
I mean, you'll be lucky if they remember your name.
97
But some people go, hello, my name's Keith.
98
I'm an English teacher.
99
I'm from Manchester.
100
And at I'm living in Spain, and all the other person hears is and that's it,
101
that's all they get.
102
So keep it super simple.
103
Hello, I'm, right?
104
Now, if it's for example, Matthew's party or Matthew's wedding, you could say, so how do you know Matthew?
105
Nice question.
106
And then if you're digging deeper to get to know the person better, and what do you do?
107
Even deeper?
108
How did you get into that?
109
How did you get into that?
110
Meaning, how did you start that work or that job or that activity?
111
People love to tell their life story about how they started a business or how they started working in a certain field.
112
It's a great question.
113
How did you get into that?
114
And if things are going well and you're digging even deeper, right, you could say, and what are you working on at the moment?
115
What are you working on at the moment?
116
Notice the stress.
117
What are you working on at the moment?
118
Try.
119
Yeah, that's great.
120
And again, people love to tell you about the projects they're doing or what's keeping them busy at the moment.
121
It's a really nice way to dig deeper into the conversation.
122
Now, that's going quite deep.
123
You may at times want to switch and make things lighter, a bit more lighthearted, right?
124
So you You could talk about travel,
125
for example, and you could say, been anywhere nice recently? Been anywhere nice recently?
126
Great, good.
127
So been is been, it should be, have you been anywhere nice recently or lately?
128
But actually in natural spoken English, we drop the have you and just say been, been anywhere nice lately?
129
Been anywhere nice lately?
130
You'll see this more as we go through this video.
131
Or maybe you could talk about hobbies.
132
right?
133
And a nice question for this is, what do you get up to when you're not working?
134
What do you get up to when you're not working?
135
To get up to is to do something in a relaxed way, if you like, right?
136
Great question.
137
Not what is your hobby, which sounds a bit bookish and formal.
138
What do you get up to when you're not working?
139
Try it.
140
That's it.
141
Lovely.
142
So all of these topics can be great things to talk about when you're at a party or social event.
143
Right, the next situation is not quite as serious as the first one.
144
This is actually much more the kind of conversation where it's a hello, goodbye, right?
145
Very, very brief, small, really small talk.
146
So this may be when you bump into your neighbour.
147
Bump into means to meet by chance or by accident.
148
When you're maybe queuing in line or queuing in line, waiting in line or queuing, maybe at a shop, in the supermarket, at the bus stop.
149
We love queuing at the bus stops in England, honestly.
150
Maybe it's with a taxi driver or a shop assistant, just something very brief to be friendly, basically.
151
So the classic here is to talk about weather, right?
152
So you could say, nice day, isn't it?
153
Nice day, isn't it?
154
Remember the isn't it, you could just say, right, right?
155
Nice day, right?
156
And notice instead of saying, it's a nice day, we drop that and just say, nice day.
157
Nice day, right?
158
Nice day, right?
159
Lovely day, right?
160
Very simple, right?
161
Or if you're in England, looks like it's going to rain.
162
It looks like it's going to rain or drop the it, looks like it's going to rain.
163
Very simple.
164
Weather, classic, you can't go wrong with weather.
165
More generally, and a very easy question to ask, but can open up simple conversations.
166
How's everything?
167
How's everything?
168
How's everything?
169
Which is better than how are you?
170
Because how are you?
171
People just say, fine.
172
And that's it.
173
How's everything?
174
Maybe you're asking about the business, if they're a shop assistant, or if it's a neighbour, about things in their life,
175
and maybe they want help with something.
176
How's everything?
177
It's just going to open up a little bit more of the conversation, if you want to. So that's it.
178
That's Brief Encounters for really, really small talk.
179
Let's move on.
180
I would just like to take a moment to tell you more about Cambly, who are sponsoring this video.
181
Cambly is a fantastic online platform where you can find native English speaking teachers who can help you learn,
182
encourage you, correct you, give you feedback and really help you become a better communicator in English.
183
It's great because you can choose your own teacher.
184
You have the one -on -one classes.
185
You get to choose when you want to do the class and how often.
186
You can choose the content or the teacher can help you with that.
187
And you can also go back and watch the recording of the class so you can review what you've done,
188
which is so important to your learning.
189
Cambly offers lots of different plans.
190
You can choose the one that's flexible for you.
191
And also because you're following me, Cambly have some special discounts for you.
192
First of all, if you want to check it out as a first -time user,
193
you can get a 15 -minute free lesson to find out if it's right for you and what you really want.
194
Then if you go for a 12 -month plan, and that's really where you can start to become an effective and better communicator in English,
195
you can get a 40 % discount off any of the 12 -month plans.
196
40 % think about it.
197
It's a really good investment, great opportunity.
198
If it's what you're looking for, you can go and check out the link below.
199
So click on there, find out more about it.
200
Use the code there, newkeith, N -E -W -K -E -I -T -H.
201
And you can go and see what it's like.
202
If it's right for you, go and check it out.
203
You will absolutely love it, I'm sure.
204
Right now, let's get back into some small talk and how to start conversations easily.
205
Now, the final situation is actually for people that you already know.
206
So this could be friends, colleagues, classmates, and I call this at the water cooler because traditionally that's the kind of the,
207
it's where you go for water.
208
It's where you gather around, chat, have a chit chat, bit of small talk, killing time maybe,
209
but it could be down the pub or at the coffee bar.
210
And sometimes you're not sure how to start a conversation or you're not sure what to talk about.
211
And well, these phrases, tried and tested, guaranteed to work.
212
They're very easy, easy to use.
213
Try them out.
214
So first one is this one.
215
seen any good films lately?
216
Notice instead of have you, you can just say seen any good films lately?
217
Notice the intonation.
218
Seen any good films lately?
219
Try.
220
Great.
221
And that is great because most people watch films
222
and would love to tell you about a film that was great
223
and they recommend or a film that was terrible and they don't want you to watch.
224
Similarly, you could say, read any good books lately?
225
Or been to any good gigs lately?
226
Been to any good gigs lately?
227
A gig is just a concert, right?
228
Have you been to any good concerts lately?
229
Been to any good gigs lately?
230
So you can see that formula.
231
You can use it for magazines, books, concerts, TV series, all of that kind of stuff, okay?
232
Next, talking about the weekends, classic, dead easy to do.
233
What did you get up to at the weekend?
234
What did you get up to at the weekend?
235
Remember, get up to is when you do something in a relaxed way normally.
236
So that's a nice way to ask about what they did at the weekend
237
You could also ask about the future
238
Got any plans for the weekend?
239
Got any plans for the weekend?
240
Notice I'm dropping have you got any plans for the weekend?
241
Great, the weekends are really easy to talk about for most people
242
Now, you could, again, you could focus the conversation on work or study.
243
And again, you could say very simply, what are you working on at the moment?
244
Or what are you studying at the moment?
245
Easy conversations.
246
People often like to tell you about the projects that they hate, but they have to do,
247
or the exciting project they're doing and they really want to tell you about and spread their passion about what they're doing.
248
It's a nice question to ask.
249
The final or third part of these questions is all about, I was going to say gossip.
250
It's not exactly gossip.
251
Let's call it news, news slash gossip.
252
And this is where, because people love to talk about gossip, right?
253
People love to talk about what other people are doing, new places, new things.
254
And there are lots of questions you can ask here.
255
For example, have you been to that new Spanish bar, right?
256
Or even, you can drop the have you, been to that new Spanish bar yet?
257
Been to that new Spanish bar yet?
258
Have you met the new sales manager yet?
259
Have you seen the new product we're launching?
260
So all of these questions about have you been, have you seen, have you met, have you heard, Have you read the new policy about,
261
all of these are great questions because they're talking about recent news, recent events, finding out or exchanging your opinions about it.
262
And it's kind of touching on gossip almost.
263
I don't really like gossip, but it's a very, very easy conversation starter, right?
264
Let's call it news slash gossip.
265
So lots of things you can ask about.
266
Great, let's move on.
267
Right, and as promised, here's that bonus, all about those taboo topics, the things you shouldn't say to British people.
268
Now...
269
To be clear, right, this is when you don't know the people at all.
270
I think these are the kind of topics and phrases you wouldn't ask or say when you're meeting complete strangers, right?
271
It's just not safe.
272
Of course, as you get to know people and you know them better, you could start asking these questions.
273
But let's assume this is for people you don't know.
274
The first kind of taboo topic or delicate topic is family, interestingly, right?
275
Because you may think that's, you can ask about family, about, you know, are you married?
276
Do you have any children?
277
What does your wife do?
278
And probably 30 years ago, these would be innocent questions.
279
But I think in today's climate, in Britain, they can be delicate with strangers, right?
280
So for example, are you married?
281
but what if that person has just got divorced or they've had an engagement that has failed?
282
And you may be touching on a delicate topic.
283
Likewise, well, what does your wife do?
284
But maybe they've just lost their job.
285
They've been laid off.
286
They're unemployed.
287
And again, that's a really delicate topic you probably don't want to touch.
288
And again, what does your wife do? asking me, but maybe a man is married to a man
289
and they have a husband and they could feel a bit uncomfortable if you assume that they're automatically married to a woman.
290
So these are things that can be delicate, I think, with complete strangers.
291
I would steer away from, move away from this topic until you get to know them better.
292
I think otherwise it can be a minefield
293
Another topic is age, right?
294
Generally, we don't talk about age.
295
Women more so, but men also possibly.
296
So the question, how old are you?
297
Probably not appropriate, right?
298
And another one around work and salary.
299
In Britain, we tend not to talk about money too much.
300
We're not very comfortable talking about money.
301
So you certainly would not ask, how much do you earn?
302
Which is an interesting question.
303
I've been asked that question in a few occasions when I've traveled around the world and it's always shocked me.
304
And I feel really uncomfortable talking about it.
305
So be aware that in the UK, you may make people uncomfortable if you ask them, how much do you earn exactly?
306
Okay.
307
Another couple of topics that I would stay away from are politics and religion, right? politics.
308
Sometimes you're tempted to say, oh, I can't believe what your president did the other day.
309
And maybe you are shocked by what the president of that country did.
310
But you don't know if the other person maybe is a big advocate of their president and they love their president.
311
And by you could easily offend their culture, their country, their sense of nationalism, if you attack their president.
312
And likewise in religion.
313
Again, I've had several occasions on my travels where people have said, hello, my name's Tom.
314
Do you believe in God?
315
Well, that for me is a very personal question and one that I'm happy to discuss with people I know very well.
316
But with somebody I don't know, I would find that inappropriate.
317
So these are some taboo topics and questions, especially in Great Britain.
318
That's it.
319
Fantastic.
320
You've done a great job today with your practice.
321
So we've been looking at small talk, looking at parties and social events.
322
Then we talked about neighbours and queuing and taxi drivers and also small talk at the water cooler with your friends, colleagues or classmates.
323
And finally, of course, we were looking at taboos, kind of questions that you shouldn't ask if you're in the UK.
324
I hope all of this has been useful.
325
I hope it's helping you not only to learn English, but to become an English speaker.
326
I'd love for you to change your mindset from being a student to becoming an English speaker
327
and becoming a much more effective communicator in English.
328
And I think understanding areas of small talk is a small but important step in that direction.
329
Do remember, subscribe and turn on notifications to find out about upcoming videos from me.
330
Do remember to go and check out Cambly if you really want to become.
331
an effective communicator in English, go and find a teacher on Cambly, qualified native English speaking teachers who can really help you.
332
There are lots of different plans, but you can check out a 15 minute lesson for free.
333
Or if you go for any of the 12 month plans, you'll get 40 % discount.
334
Amazing.
335
Go and check it out.
336
It's well worth trying.
337
Go down below and click on the links to find out more.
338
In the meantime, keep practicing, stay safe, and I will see you just around the corner in the next video.
339
Thank you for spending this time with me, my friend.
340
See you very soon.
341
Bye -bye.
Scarica l'app
Tutto ciò che serve per parlare fluentemente
Pronuncia con IAVoto per ogni frase
Pratica IPAPadroneggia ogni suono
VocabolarioCostruisci il tuo lessico
Gioco di vocabolarioImpara giocando
Stesso Canale
B11
Are you responsible?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A11
English Travel Vocabulary: Beginners A1
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
A218
English at the Airport | Easy English Conversation for Beginners
British AccentTravel EnglishWorking Adults
B29
Improve Your Spoken English in Just 15 Minutes
British AccentIELTS PrepBusiness EnglishDaily Conversation
B113
How to Keep Talking in English Without Getting Stuck
British AccentIELTS PrepInterview EnglishDaily Conversation
B2How to Understand Native English Speakers: Advanced Listening Skills
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B24
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Band 9 TEMPLATES - #2. PEOPLE
British AccentIELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
B14
3 Simple Steps to Become Fluent in English
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B110
Don t Give Up
British AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
IELTS Speaking: How to Introduce Yourself - Tips and Tricks
IELTS PrepUniversity Students
C111
Don't Waste Your Time Learning English Like This
British AccentDaily Conversation
B11
How Squeezed Pronunciation Can Help You Sound More English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B28
Fluency in 10 Minutes a Day
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
10 Advanced Phrasal Verbs to Understand Native English Speakers
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B25
IELTS Speaking Band 7: Five Tips
British AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C224
How to go from B1 to C2 without the pain!
British AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
How to talk about CLIMATE CHANGE in English
British AccentIELTS Prep
B29
How to Answer Any IELTS Question Fluently
British AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Linking Words to Get Fluent in English
British AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A22
What Do You Do in Your Free Time?
British AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
FOR YOU
Video consigliato
B11
95 frasi
Small Talk | Useful Phrases & Questions for Everyday Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
86 frasi
Video
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
18 frasi
Natural Small Talk Everyone Gets Wrong #englishmistakes #conversationtips #speakingpractice
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
1444 frasi
Day 2: Speak English in 30 Days | 100 Most Common English Words Used in Daily Life
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B17
72 frasi
How Small Talk Can Improve Your English Speaking | Mr English Podcast Ep. 45
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
21 frasi
3 Phrases To Keep A Conversation Going #communicationskills
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
208 frasi
50 Small Talk Questions with the Answers. Practice English Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
765 frasi
How to Talk to Anyone in English with Confidence with These Small Talk Phrases
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
679 frasi
Learn 75 English Phrases You'll Actually Use in Real Life | Slow English (A2-B1)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B16
385 frasi
Real Life English Conversations to Sound More Natural | Podcast to Learn English!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A2276 frasi
English in Daily Life - Learn to Talk About Yourself in English | Easy English for Real Life!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabolario e note di pronuncia per questa lezione
Questa lezione di conversazione si basa sul video “English Small Talk: Start Conversations Easily”. Le parole che ritornano più spesso: English, topic, conversation. Questo video contiene 341 frasi e 3552 parole da ripetere con lo shadowing. Il parlato dura 25:36. Chi parla mantiene un ritmo costante di circa 139 parole al minuto, comodo per lo shadowing. Il 89% delle parole rientra nelle 3.000 più comuni dell’inglese, quindi il lessico è facile da seguire. 106 delle sue 341 frasi sono domande: un buon esercizio per l’intonazione interrogativa e le risposte brevi.
Vocaboli chiave di questo video
15 parole del video che vale la pena imparare, con pronuncia e significato:
| Parola | Pronuncia | Significato |
|---|---|---|
| topic sostantivo | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | tema, categoria |
| gossip sostantivo | /ˈɡɑsɪp/ | pettegolezzo, chiacchiera |
| queue sostantivo | /kju/ | fila, coda |
| bonus sostantivo | /ˈbəʊ.nəs/ | bonus, extra |
| discount sostantivo | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | sconto |
| phrase sostantivo | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | espressione, polirematica |
| stranger sostantivo | /ˈstɹeɪnd͡ʒɚ/ | sconosciuto, straniero |
| uncomfortable aggettivo | /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/ | scomodo |
| gig sostantivo | /ɡɪɡ/ | esibizione |
| hobby sostantivo | /ˈhɑ.bi/ | hobby, passatempo |
| neighbour sostantivo | /ˈneɪbɚ/ | vicino, vicina |
| earn verbo | /ɝn/ | guadagnare |
| meal sostantivo | /ˈmiːl/ | pasto |
| lesson sostantivo | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | lezione |
| shock sostantivo | /ʃɔk/ | trauma, trauma emotivo |
I phrasal verb che sentirai
| Parola | Significato |
|---|---|
| get up to verbo | commettere |
| find out verbo | scoprire |
| check out verbo | investigare |
| open up verbo | aprire |
| go back verbo | tornare |
| go through verbo | attraversare |
| lay off verbo | licenziare |
Frasi da ripetere
Frasi brevi e complete del video che puoi riutilizzare nella conversazione di tutti i giorni:
- What brings you here today?
- How did you get into that?
- What are you working on at the moment?
- What do you get up to when you're not working?
- Have you seen the new product we're launching?
La grammatica di questo video
Le strutture che chi parla usa di più, con le parole esatte del video:
| Struttura | Nel video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + participio passato — un’azione passata che conta ancora adesso | you've never been · I've never been · have put |
| Forma passiva be + participio passato — conta ciò che accade, non chi lo fa | They've been laid · I've been asked · are shocked |
| Frasi relative who / which + frase — un’informazione in più su una persona o una cosa | topics which are · teachers who can |
| Possibilità con “might / may” might/may + verbo — qualcosa di possibile ma non certo | might use · might talk · may be |
Pronuncia a cui fare attenzione
Chi parla usa 94 contrazioni e forme ridotte, come you're, I'm, they're. Pronunciale nella forma breve, così come le senti.
- I suoni “sh” e “zh”: shock /ʃɔk/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Parole lunghe — attenzione all’accento: uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, similarly /ˈsɪm.ə.lə.li/, traditionally /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ə.nə.li/, inappropriate /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/
I suoni difficili per chi parla italiano:
- /h/ — va soffiata, non è muta: hobby /ˈhɑ.bi/, hometown /ˈhoʊmˌtaʊn/
- Consonante finale — senza aggiungere una vocale dopo: topic /ˈtɑpɪk/, gossip /ˈɡɑsɪp/, delicate /ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/, bonus /ˈbəʊ.nəs/, discount /ˈdɪskaʊnt/
- /æ/ — più aperta della “e”: relax /ɹɪˈlæks/, taxi /ˈtæksi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, practical /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/, guarantee /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/
Come esercitarsi con questo video
- Ascolta tutto il video una volta senza parlare e annota le parole che non conosci.
- Fai shadowing frase per frase a velocità normale, ripetendo ognuna finché il tuo ritmo coincide con quello di chi parla.
- Registrati e confronta con l’originale, facendo attenzione a parole come topic, gossip, queue.
Cos'è la tecnica dello Shadowing?
Shadowing è una tecnica di apprendimento delle lingue supportata da studi scientifici, originariamente sviluppata per la formazione dei traduttori professionisti e resa popolare dal poliglotta Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Il metodo è semplice ma potente: ascolti un audio in inglese di madrelingua e lo ripeti immediatamente ad alta voce — come un'ombra che segue il parlante con un ritardo di solo 1–2 secondi. A differenza dell'ascolto passivo o degli esercizi di grammatica, lo shadowing costringe il tuo cervello e i muscoli della bocca a elaborare e riprodurre simultaneamente i modelli di discorso reale. La ricerca dimostra che migliora significativamente la precisione della pronuncia, l'intonazione, il ritmo, il discorso connesso, la comprensione dell'ascolto e la fluidità del parlato — rendendolo uno dei metodi più efficaci per la preparazione alla prova di speaking dell'IELTS e per la comunicazione reale in inglese.