Shadowing Practice: British English phrases that confuse learners - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hello, hello and welcome back to the English Like a Native podcast.
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My name is Anna and today we are diving deep into a handful of unusual phrases
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that native speakers use in the UK.
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I was actually inspired to do this episode after watching one of my favourite comedians.
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he's from the UK from the north of the UK
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and he's called Peter K
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so let me share with you some of these wonderful little phrases see
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if any of them are new to you if they are
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and you're watching via YouTube or a streaming platform that allows you to use the comments feature
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then I encourage you to try to write out a sentence that's relevant to you using the phrase
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that you've just learned and that way you're making passive vocabulary more active.
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Okay so the first phrase I'm going to share with you is I'll tell you this for free.
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I'll tell you this for free.
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I'll tell you this for free.
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So this is a conversational phrase that's used before giving a strong opinion,
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often a warning or a piece of honest truth.
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It really just means listen carefully because I'm about to share something
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that I'm sure about and I think you need to know.
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For example, if you come to me and you're upset
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because you've been offended by some actions or words of a close friend,
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and I know your close friend very well, then I might give you this advice.
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I'll tell you this for free.
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He's not going to apologize.
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or perhaps you are planning to come to the UK for
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a holiday maybe you already live here maybe you're planning to go to a different city
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and you haven't yet booked your travel so you haven't booked your plane
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or your train tickets and I know very well how the prices can change
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so I might say to you I'll tell you this for free
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if you don't book now the prices will go up
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so be more organized and book or something
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that I said to someone recently they are planning to have a family
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and I said to them I'll tell you this for free parenting in a heat wave is not for the faint-hearted
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Because having little children during intense heat just makes everything so much harder.
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So I'll tell you this for free, parenting in a heat wave is not for the faint hearted.
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Okay.
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The next phrase I'd like to introduce you to is believe you, me, believe you, me.
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This is slightly odd.
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When you really think about it, it feels odd.
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It's just an emphatic version of believe me.
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That's all you're saying.
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Believe me.
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But rather than saying you should believe me or listen to me, believe me because what I'm saying is true,
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you say, believe you me.
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And this means I promise you that what I'm about to say or what I've just said is true.
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Trust me.
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OK, so it's emphasizing that what you're saying is the truth.
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it's informal and I'm not sure if the youth of today use it
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but certainly it was a common phrase when I was young
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and something that my generation and the older generations still use it's slightly dramatic slightly theatrical
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but there it is and I really love this phrase believe you me she knows exactly what she's doing.
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Yes, it looks dangerous, but believe you me, she's an expert.
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Or you might come out of a meeting and your friend looks at you and says, did it go well?
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How was it?
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I might say, believe you me, that meeting was awkward.
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or you might say believe you me once you've taught a
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room full of tired students on a Friday afternoon nothing scares you
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because tired teenagers on a Friday afternoon are really hard work
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and quite confrontational so believe you me once you've taught a room full of tired students on a Friday afternoon, nothing scares you.
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Fantastic.
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A very different type of phrase now is I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.
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It's such a funny phrase.
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I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.
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Now, this means I would completely avoid a person.
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So, we usually use this in the context of relationships or intimate connections.
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So imagine you're trying to find me a partner.
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Let's say I'm single.
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I've been single for a long time and you think I should be with someone and you say, Anna, come on.
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I know lots of eligible bachelors and I'd love to introduce you to someone
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or to one or two of them and see if there's a spark there.
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Tell me, would you like to meet Alfred?
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And you show me a picture of Alfred and you tell me a little bit about him.
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And I say, oh, no, I've met Alfred, haven't I?
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Didn't he go to that summer party?
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And you say, yes, that's Alfred.
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Should I arrange a date for you guys?
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And I'd say, no, no, no. I wouldn't touch Alfred with a barge pole.
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And so I'm saying, not only do I not want to date him, but I also just don't want to have anything to do with him.
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I don't want to be involved with him in any way.
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It suggests that there's something really repulsive or offensive about that person.
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So something that that person does or has said or has portrayed,
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they've come across in a way that repulses me, offends me.
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And I say, I wouldn't touch that person with a barge pole.
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No, thank you.
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Now, a barge pole is an extremely large pole
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that would be used when you're on the canals in a barge
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and you'd use the pole to push your barge away from the sides of the canal.
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I assume I haven't spent much time on a barge.
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So my experience of barges and barge poles is limited, but it's a very long pole,
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maybe a 10 foot pole.
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If you're an expert in barges and canals, then please correct me if I'm wrong.
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But a barge pole is very long.
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So if you wouldn't even extend a long pole to touch someone, then they must be very offensive.
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Okay, it's strongly negative and quite judgmental.
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So, be careful how you use it.
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But here are some example sentences.
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You might say, he seems charming, but I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.
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He is not my type.
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Or moving away from relationships, you might say, that company has a terrible reputation.
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I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
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Or she asked if I'd join his business idea, but honestly, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.
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It seems too risky.
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So when we use it to talk about a person, I wouldn't touch him, her or them, then it sounds very personal and it's harsh so be careful
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but when you use it to talk about a company an idea an offer then it means
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that that offer or company seems dodgy or risky
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or just not worth getting involved with all right moving on
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first things first maybe i should have started with this phrase first things first.
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So this means let's deal with the most important thing before anything else.
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I think it's quite obvious, really.
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You're saying let's deal with the first thing first.
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Before anything else, let's do the important thing.
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Let's do the preparation first.
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So for example, in the morning when my son wakes up, he creeps into my bedroom and he says,
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mommy, mommy, not every morning, but most mornings, mommy, mommy, can I go downstairs and watch something?
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And I say to him, first things first, we must get dressed, brush our teeth, wash our faces,
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and then go downstairs and have breakfast.
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And if there's still time, then I might let you watch TV for a little while before school.
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So first things first.
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You say it just before telling whoever you're talking to what should be prioritized or what task you should begin with.
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For example, you might say, First things first, has everyone got the worksheet?
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Or first things first, let's make a cup of tea and talk about the problem.
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Or you could say first things first, before you worry about sounding native, make sure your message is clear.
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okay so that's four items we've had
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so far I'll tell you this for free believe you me
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I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole first things first and finally we end with chock-a-block
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Chocoblock.
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I love this one.
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We spell it C-H-O-C-K.
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Choc hyphen a hyphen block.
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B-L-O-C-K.
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Chocoblock.
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Chocoblock.
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Chocoblock just means completely full, crammed or crowded.
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I might say it took me ages to park the car park was chock-a-block
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or I went to the supermarket and I had to leave
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because it was just chock-a-block
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or I might say I'd love to meet up with you for coffee
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but this week my diary is chock-a-block so it suggests that something's completely full and there's no more room.
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It's often unpleasant if a place is chock-a-block.
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Fantastic.
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Okay, so which of those phrases was your favorite?
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Are there any of those phrases that were completely new to you?
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And if so, please let me know in the comments.
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I do hope that you enjoyed this episode.
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If you'd like to get more from your listening experience, then consider becoming a Podcast Plus member where you can enter into my community,
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get access to lots of previous podcasts with transcripts,
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interactive questions, writing prompts, and all sorts of support in order to help turn your passive learning into active learning.
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For now, it's time for me to say goodbye, have a nice day and take care.
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Thank you.

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Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken

AI UitspraakScoor elke zin
IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid
WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op
WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze video bevat 148 zinnen en 1665 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 13:23. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 124 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. Slechts 81% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:

WoordUitspraakBetekenis
pole zelfstandig naamwoord/pəʊl/pool
barge zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈbɑɹd͡ʒ/duwbak, aak
phrase zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/uitspraak
canal zelfstandig naamwoord/kəˈnæl/kanaal, vaart
podcast zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈpɑdˌkæst/podcast
offensive bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/beledigend, weerzinwekkend
introduce werkwoord/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/introduceren, voorstellen
scare werkwoord/skɛɚ/bang maken, beangstigen
passive bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ˈpæs.ɪv/passief
risky bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ˈɹɪski/gewaagd, riskant
faint bijvoeglijk naamwoord/feɪnt/zwak
downstairs bijwoord/daʊnˈstɛɹz/beneden
offend werkwoord/əˈfɛnd/kwetsen, beledigen
reputation zelfstandig naamwoord/ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/faam, naam
bedroom zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈbɛdˌɹum/slaapkamer

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

WoordUitspraakBetekenis
come across werkwoordoverkomen
wake up werkwoord/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/wakker worden, ontwaken

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 62 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals you're, wouldn't, I'm. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

  • De klanken “sh” en “zh”: reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, brush /bɹʌʃ/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/
  • Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, eligible /ˈɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒɪ.bəl/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/

Zo oefen je met deze video

  1. Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
  2. Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
  3. Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als pole, barge, phrase.

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

StructuurIn de video
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog teltyou've just learned · you've been offended · haven't booked
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doetwas actually inspired · you've been offended · be involved
Mogelijkheid met “might / may” might/may + werkwoord — iets is mogelijk maar niet zekermight give · might say · might come
Advies met “should” should + werkwoord — zeggen wat een goed idee isshould believe · should be · Should I arrange

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →