Shadowing Practice: British Small Talk for English Learners (easier than you think) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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In England, we don't say hello.
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We might ask if you're all right.
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You all right?
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We might say I'm good when life is actually bad.
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Welcome to British Smalltalk.
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Three years ago, I was terrible at small talk.
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Why is that?
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Nobody teaches you this stuff.
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So in this video I will teach you the secrets of British small talk
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so you can walk into any conversation and feel confident
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and at the end of the video I'm gonna share a special memory trick so you can remember everything you learn
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Small talk is like glue, social glue.
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It's about making the other person feel comfortable,
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showing them that you care.
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In the beginning the goal isn't to talk too deeply,
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it's about keeping it light, keeping it fun.
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You could talk about the weather, the food, the coffee.
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Keep it light-hearted.
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In British English when someone asks how are you they probably don't want to hear about your problems
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so you can respond I'm good how are you?
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Another note is that I hear a lot of people say I'm fine
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but I'm fine can be perceived as a little bit negative
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so it's better to just say I'm good that always works how are you I'm good
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the biggest problem with small talk is
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that we focus too much on ourselves instead focus on the
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other person ask questions be curious the person who asks best questions is always the most interesting person in the room.
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If you want to be interesting, be interested.
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Act like Sherlock Holmes.
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Sherlock wouldn't walk into a room and talk about himself.
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He's curious.
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He observes.
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He looks for clues.
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In small talk, you have to look for clues and ask questions.
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For example, if somebody talks about their love for dancing,
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and you love dancing too,
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don't just say, oh, me too.
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Dig in.
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How long have you been dancing?
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What style of dance do you like?
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Where do you dance?
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Classes or just going out?
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How often do you practice?
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But what if you don't know the topic they are talking about?
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Well, be Sherlock.
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Ask questions.
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Be curious.
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So you can say something like, ah Interesting.
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Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
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Or you could say i'm curious i don't know much about
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that but can you tell me this just gets the other person talking
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and keeps the conversation flowing recently actually i had a student
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in my group classes who was talking about ramadan i didn't know much about ramadan
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so i asked him i said i don't know much about it
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but i am curious can you can you tell me more about ramadan
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and he obliged he was very happy to talk about ramadan with me
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and i was happy to listen and by the way
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if you want to join the weekly group classes with me
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then you can i have a weekly group class on sproutlanguage.com
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you can check the link in the description it's super fun and i would love to see you there Speaking of curiosity,
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I'm curious about what's around me right now.
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This is a plant pot.
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These beautiful pink flowers are called bougainvillea.
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Let's keep looking.
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Ooh, a petal.
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This petal fell from that tree.
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And behind me there is a large pond with koi fish inside.
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Small talk is like a game of ping pong.
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You answer and then you return.
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Don't hold the paddle for five minutes and talk.
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For example, if someone asks, how was your trip?
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It was good, thank you.
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I went to Hue, I fed the koi fish,
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and I took lots of nice photos.
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How about you?
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Meh, I'm just stuck in the ground.
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Or are you enjoying your holiday so far?
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Yeah, I'm having a lovely time, thank you very much.
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It's been a blast.
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How about you?
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Are you going anywhere nice this year?
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Actually, yes, I want to go to the UK,
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but I'm still waiting on my visa.
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Anyway, I need to shoot off,
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so I'll see you later.
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Bye-bye.
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While the other person is still talking,
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these small words will help you to let them keep talking.
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I'm a tree.
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Yep, I'm a tree.
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Interesting.
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Yep, I've got roots.
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Cool.
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I've also got branches and leaves.
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Nice.
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I can dance.
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All right.
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I can dance.
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Did you not hear me?
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Wow.
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Seriously?
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Nah, just kidding.
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Mmm.
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I wish someone taught me these small little words
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when I was living in France because I would just look at people like this.
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I wanted to give them expression.
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I wanted to show them that I was listening and that I care.
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So you can use these small little words to really help you have a better conversation and be a better listener.
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Imagine yourself as a time traveler.
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We all have a past,
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a present, and a future.
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If you use these in your conversation,
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then it will always continue flowing.
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What did you get up to last weekend?
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Have you ever tried?
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What's something you've learned recently?
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Now for you behind the camera.
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What's something that you have learned in this video?
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Let me know in the comments.
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A great tip to spark small talk is to use your environment to spark up a conversation.
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For example, we're on holiday.
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I might say, do you come here often?
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I have literally never left.
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Would you recommend anything nice to do around this area?
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Sorry, I just stand here.
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You can use this in any location.
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If you're in a coffee shop and someone is standing in the queue behind you,
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you can smile.
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say hi
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and ask them do you come here often i'm new here
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can you recommend anything on the menu what's your favorite food
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using your environment is a fantastic way to spark small talk
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using the future tense in small talk is an excellent way to connect with people by discussing plans,
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hopes, or events.
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For example, have you got any holidays lined up this year?
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I'm thinking of going to the North Pole.
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What are you doing this weekend?
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I'm seeing my friends.
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By the way, I just said what are you doing this weekend?
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I'm using the present continuous for a future event.
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This is way more natural to use than will or are going to.
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And even more natural way to say that in British English is what are you up to?
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What are you up to this weekend?
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Just chilling.
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Nice.
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See ya.
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Bye Jay.
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Now I want to share a secret with you,
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something that goes way beyond English and it's useful for communication in all aspects of life.
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But before that, So, let's go for a walk and get the body moving.
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So now I'm walking by the river and looking out at the boat.
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Ooh, a man just cycled past.
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Now I'm walking through a pine forest.
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Forests are my favourite place on earth.
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Ooh, a rabbit.
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A toad.
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Ribbit.
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I'm back at the river,
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and now it's time for the most important part of communication.
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The most important form of nonverbal communication,
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which affects how people see you,
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how confident you seem, is your body language.
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Remember, open.
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Open shoulders, open chest, imagine a string is pulling your head up to the sky so you have a nice upright posture.
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You're relaxed but you're standing tall, standing straight.
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Compare that to closed shoulders,
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crossed arms, and now all of a sudden I seem less approachable,
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I seem less confident in myself self,
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if I remember to take a deep breath,
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stand up straight and smile,
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then I appear way more confidence and it's going to help you in every social situation.
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The next nonverbal communication tip is all about eye contact.
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In British culture, it's very polite to give eye contact.
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A wonderful tip that somebody shared with me many years ago is to focus on the left eye.
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Now you have a focal point and it helps you to maintain better eye contact.
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It helps me to maintain better eye contact.
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Beyond that you've got smiling,
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nodding, and showing the other person that you're listening when they are talking.
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Matching their energy, matching their facial expression makes you a better listener and it makes you seem more polite.
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The final tip of the day is to practice everything
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that you've learned in this video and you can do that with J.I which is an AI version of me.
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You can practice for five minutes per day with him in a stress-free environment.
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You can relax, there's no anxiety about talking with a real native speaker and it will prepare you for real-world conversations.
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Try it now for seven days free.
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Click the link in the description.
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I hope you like it and now Now to summarize, be Sherlock Holmes.
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Be curious and ask questions.
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Play verbal ping pong.
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Answer their question and then return with your question.
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Ask questions about the past,
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the present, and the future.
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Moving your body.
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Practice good body language.
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And finally, practice speaking with J.I on Sprout.
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And now as promised, here's the weird memory trick which will help you remember everything from this video.
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And Sherlock Holmes playing ping-pong,
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flying through a wormhole, travelling through time.
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And look at that body language, he's dancing.
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And on the other side of the net, J.I helping him improve his English.
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And that is how you small talk, my friend.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “British Small Talk for English Learners”. Deze video bevat 199 zinnen en 1603 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 11:44. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 137 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. 85% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| ping werkwoord | /pɪŋ/ | pingen |
| spark zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈspɑɹk/ | vonk, sprank |
| petal zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈpɛtl̩/ | kroonblad, bloemblaadje |
| listener zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | luisteraar, toehoorder |
| glue zelfstandig naamwoord | /ɡlu/ | lijm |
| polite bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /pəˈlaɪt/ | beleefd |
| clue zelfstandig naamwoord | /kluː/ | aanwijzing, spoor |
| approachable bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /əˈpɹəʊ.t͡ʃə.bəl/ | benaderbaar |
| bougainvillea zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/ | bougainvillea |
| oblige werkwoord | /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/ | verplichten |
| paddle zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈpædl̩/ | peddel, pagaai |
| ribbit | /ˈɹɪbɪt/ | kwak |
| summarize werkwoord | /ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/ | samenvatten, opsommen |
| traveller zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈtɹævəlɚ/ | reiziger, reizigster |
| perceive werkwoord | /pɚˈsiv/ | waarnemen |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| go out werkwoord | naar buiten gaan |
| stand up werkwoord | opstaan |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- How long have you been dancing?
- What style of dance do you like?
- How often do you practice?
- What's something you've learned recently?
- What's something that you have learned in this video?
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | you've learned · have learned |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | can be perceived · are called |
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | person who asks · trick which will |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 44 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, don't, you're. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: approachable /əˈpɹəʊ.t͡ʃə.bəl/, bougainvillea /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: oblige /əˈblaɪd͡ʒ/, summarize /ˈsʌməˌɹaɪz/, perceive /pɚˈsiv/, nod /nɑd/, pond /pɑnd/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: paddle /ˈpædl̩/, traveller /ˈtɹævəlɚ/, rabbit /ˈɹæbɪt/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: glue /ɡlu/, bougainvillea /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als ping, spark, petal.
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.