Shadowing Practice: English Speaking Practice - Speak with me! (Shadowing Method) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Do you want to start thinking in English faster instead of just translating everything in your head?

In this video, you are going to shout out a real story written the way native English speakers actually talk.

This helps you connect directly to meaning, so your brain starts processing English faster and more naturally.

At the same time, you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, listening, and speaking by copying real English.

So read with me, shadow out loud, and train your brain to think in English.

This video is part of my 3000 most common English word

series designed to help you understand up to 95% of spoken English.

If you want to get the 3000 most common English words PDF, it's in the description.

Let's get started.

My brother and sister-in-law planned their baby shower on the same day as my wedding.

So to start off guys, do you know what a baby shower is?

Do you know what a baby shower is?

If you know what it is, let me know in the comments right now.

So a baby shower is a celebratory party held for parents that are expecting a baby.

So it's kind of to celebrate the upcoming birth of your child.

A baby shower.

So the child isn't born yet, but the woman is pregnant.

So they celebrate the upcoming birth of that child.

A baby shower.

And remember guys to read on the right hand side and shadow me.

I, 25 male, met my beautiful fiance, 25 female, in September 2024.

I moved from my state to her state three months after we met so I could be closer to her.

We got engaged in July 2025, exactly 10 months after we met, and we set the wedding date for March 14th.

No offense, but you think the women would be the ones bringing all the drama to our wedding, right?

Not in this case.

My two older brothers, let's call them Dumb, aka Jay, 36 male, and Dumber,

aka Pat, 33 male, have brought nothing but drama to my wedding.

So his brothers are a lot older than him.

He's 25 and his other siblings are 33 and 36.

So that's an 8 and 11 year difference.

I asked both of my brothers to be groomsmen since I was the best man in Pat's wedding

and also in Jay's wedding.

They both said yes, and that's where the drama begins.

A month later, Pat calls me

and says he won't be able to make it to my wedding

because his wife is pregnant and her due date is in late April.

Mind you, my wedding is five to six weeks before her due date, and it's only about a four-hour drive.

If you want to learn faster and go deeper than the video, then get the workbook on my website, vocaenglish.com.

The workbook explains everything in greater detail and comes with exercises to help you learn new vocabulary,

grammar, tenses, sentence patterns, comprehension and real English you can actually use.

I also have workbooks for past videos so you can keep practicing and improving every lesson.

Click the link in my description to get the workbooks.

I brushed it off, congratulated him on the pregnancy and moved on.

I then asked another friend of mine who's also out of state.

Let's call him Steve if he would take Pat's place.

And he said yes.

Come Black Friday, I decided to rent our suits since that's normally cheaper.

It was $175 on sale because of Black Friday for the suit, shoes, shirt, belt, and pants.

Steve and Jay complained that it was too much money, that it was Black Friday, and that since they have kids,

they wouldn't be able to spend that much on renting a suit.

They then reached out to me separately and asked if we could buy instead since that would be cheaper.

So I gave in and the suits, shoes, belts, shirts and pants came out to a total of $250.

So much for buying being cheaper.

Fast forward to January, my fiance

and I decided to have a joint bachelor-bachelorette trip in the

mountains since we figured it would be more fun with more people.

The girls would do their own thing during the day, the guys would do their own thing, and we'd all do a group activity together in the evening.

We decided to do it in January since Jay is an accountant and wouldn't have been able to do it sooner.

After my fiancé sent out all the details, Jay and Steve declined the invitation to the Batch trip.

Batch is just short for bachelor.

The bachelor trip.

Without my knowledge, my fiance had also included a question in the questionnaire she sent out,

asking whether the guys would want to save money and share a bed or pay extra to have their own bed.

Jay and Steve saw this and started complaining behind my back,

and my brothers and my dad then proceeded to call me gay for asking if the guys wanted to share a bed.

The batch trip was absolutely incredible and so much fun.

A couple of weeks after the batch trip, my fiance gets a text from my sister-in-law, Pat's wife.

She sent us a save the date for her baby shower.

And wouldn't you know it, the baby shower is on March 14th.

Yep, the same day as my wedding.

A week later, they had the absolute audacity to send my fiance an invitation to the baby shower with a message that said, We know y'all are far away,

but we'd love it if you could come.

and what, miss our wedding?

The reason they're having the baby shower on my wedding day, in my opinion, is because my sister-in-law can't stand my family.

So she chose our wedding day knowing none of my family would be able to attend, meaning only her family would be there.

If you've seen The Help, my sister-in-law is Hilly Walters.

Let me know if you guys have seen that movie.

I personally have not.

Update.

A lot of people keep asking about my family and whether Pat is making them choose sides.

No, my family can't stand Pat and Hilly.

So even if they try to pull that card, my family would still choose to come to my wedding without a second thought.

My siblings and my dad will be there.

My mom will not be attending as she passed away three years ago.

Now for the part they'd probably prefer I leave out.

This is not Pat and Hilly's first child.

This is their third child.

They already have two daughters and another girl on the way.

Hilly has had zero complications with any of her pregnancies or deliveries.

This is not an emergency, not a crisis, and not some tragic circumstance.

It is a conscious decision to hijack attention.

And yes, it's exactly as selfish as it sounds.

And just when you think it can't get any worse, the person who contacted my fiancé was Hilly's best friend.

For clarity, none of Hilly's friends have any relationship with my fiancé or me.

My fiancé was intentionally included to make sure we knew that instead of celebrating our wedding, they'd be celebrating themselves.

This was calculated, unnecessary, and dripping with main character syndrome.

So no, this isn't a misunderstanding.

This isn't bad timing.

This is two people repeatedly showing everyone exactly who they are.

100

Update 2.

101

I was talking to my dad last night and shockingly the baby shower fiasco came up again.

102

It turns out Pat and Hilly went over to my dad's house on Saturday.

103

My condolences and he confronted them about why the baby shower was scheduled on my literal wedding day.

104

Pat immediately played dumb and claimed he had no idea it was on my wedding day.

105

He then proceeded to claim that it was the only day they could host the shower, which is hilarious considering he knew the date when I asked him to be a groomsman.

106

And when we got the save the date, Hilly openly admitted she knew it was the same day as our wedding.

107

So yeah, that was a lie.

108

For some background, because this behavior didn't come out of nowhere.

109

Back in August 2025, when I asked Pat and Jay to be my groomsmen, we were on a family vacation.

110

Normally, my dad buys the groceries for these trips and doesn't expect anyone to pay him back.

111

This time, before we even arrived, Pat and Hilly decided to go rogue, bought groceries for everyone without telling us,

112

and then informed us we owed them $70 per person slash couple.

113

No discussion, no heads up, just a Venmo request.

114

At the time, my fiance and I had just gotten engaged.

115

I genuinely couldn't afford it, especially since I had already paid my dad $450 for our share of the Airbnb,

116

which is normal in my family, and something we had planned for months in advance.

117

What I did not plan for was a surprise $70 grocery bill for food I didn't ask for and didn't know existed.

118

However, I refused to pay it considering I couldn't afford it and their lack of communication was not about to cost me $70.

119

My refusal apparently caused too much drama, so my dad paid Pat the $70 on our behalf just to make it stop.

120

Fast forward to this weekend.

121

While visiting my dad, Pat mentioned that his wedding gift to me would be the $70 I never paid him.

122

My dad snapped and told him he had already paid it.

123

Pat then denied ever receiving the money confidently until Haley finally corrected him and confirmed that yes, my dad did pay him.

124

And because why not pile it on, Pat also complained about how expensive our wedding registry is before purchasing the cheapest item on it.

125

This is from the same man who proudly put a $70 Yeti cooler on his registry a few years ago.

126

So to recap, lies about the date, selective amnesia about money that was already paid,

127

and complains about how expensive my wedding registry is.

128

I hope you guys are enjoying this shadowing lesson.

129

one tip I would like to give you guys is

130

if you're watching this on your laptop or the TV or another phone, I would recommend recording yourself reading one of these paragraphs.

131

Read it out loud so that you can hear your pronunciation and accent as you watch the video back.

132

Then in a few months, once you've practiced your accent and your pronunciation more, you can go back and watch these videos to see how much you have improved.

133

So make sure to keep track of your progress by recording yourself talking out loud in English.

134

Next story.

135

Am I the a-hole for asking my grieving boyfriend to set boundaries with his mom after she wears my bathing suit?

136

I, 39 female, was dating Mark, 38 male, for almost five months when his dad sadly passed away from cancer.

137

It was awful, obviously.

138

His dad was awesome and Mark and he were very close.

139

I try to be supportive, respectful, and give him space.

140

All of it.

141

But here's the thing.

142

His mom.

143

Before his dad passed, she was already a lot.

144

She FaceTimed my boyfriend two to three times a day every single day.

145

She showed up unannounced three to four times a week.

146

She lives 45 minutes away.

147

She did his laundry.

148

She cleaned his house.

149

She cooked for him.

150

She rearranged his furniture.

151

She decorated his entire house.

152

This man is 38.

153

If you're serious about becoming fluent in English,

154

I've built a full speaking and pronunciation course that shows you exactly what to do step by step.

155

You get instant access to 80 plus video lessons right away

156

and I add three to five brand new lessons every week

157

so you can keep improving consistently

158

and this is not just a course full of random videos you'll get an exclusive chat gpt prompt

159

that allows you to master the pronunciation of any word plus a clear practice structure

160

so you always know exactly how to study what to focus on

161

and how to make real progress inside we work on pronunciation accent rhythm and natural speaking.

162

So you can stop hesitating, sound more natural and speak English with real confidence.

163

Join today in the description.

164

Every weekend she would just appear at his house where I also was

165

and sit there bad mouthing his ex for hours in front of me

166

which felt less like bonding and more like an audition.

167

Look how much I hated the last one.

168

Meanwhile she was syrupy sweet to my face in a way that made my skin itch.

169

Fast forward, his dad passes away.

170

I'm walking on eggshells because grief is brutal and I'm not a monster.

171

Then one day, while I'm not there, she goes to his house and wears my bathing suit in the spa.

172

Not a random spare, my bathing suit.

173

I only found out because she took it home with her to wash it.

174

Let me repeat that.

175

She drove 45 minutes home with my used bathing suit to wash it, even though she usually does her son's laundry at her place.

176

After the bathing suit incident, I stayed quiet because she had just lost her husband.

177

I didn't want to be the villain over swimwear.

178

The next day, my boyfriend casually told me he was turning his basement into an apartment for his mom

179

so she could move in.

180

Not a discussion, a decision.

181

I took a few days to process everything, then asked to talk, calmly.

182

I said I understood she was grieving, but before she moved in, he needed to set boundaries.

183

I mentioned how intense things already were and that her wearing my bathing suit without asking made me uncomfortable.

184

He got defensive immediately, took her side, and told me to leave.

185

Then he gave me the silent treatment for two days.

186

After that, he dumped me by text.

187

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

188

He dumped you by text because you didn't want his crazy mom to move in with you guys.

189

I feel like he did you a favor.

190

I'm not going to lie.

191

Let's continue.

192

It hurts, but honestly, if asking for basic boundaries ends a relationship, it probably wasn't much of one to begin with.

193

Facts.

194

So that's the end of that story.

195

And overall, that is kind of insane.

196

So I definitely don't think you're in the wrong.

197

You are your own person and you're allowed to set boundaries with other people.

198

And if they don't respect those boundaries or they cross them, then you can step away or they can break up with you if they don't like that boundary.

199

Clearly, your boyfriend did not like that boundary you were setting with him and his mom and he broke up with you.

200

I mean, I don't think he did anything wrong either.

201

It's his mom.

202

So obviously he's going to prioritize her naturally

203

but you felt like she was really controlling and she crossed the boundary by wearing your bathing suit, but you didn't want to bring it up because she just lost her husband.

204

And honestly, if the relationship is that fragile, that after setting this boundary, he wants to break up with you, then I think that's for the better in all honesty.

205

What do you guys think?

206

Let me know in the comments.

207

And remember, if you want to get the 3000 most common English words PDF to understand up to 95% of spoken English, it's in the description.

208

I'll see you guys next video.

209

Bye.

📺 Zelfde Kanaal

Learn English Without Feeling Like You're Studying (Think in English)

✨ Aanbevolen Video

160 zinnen

Everyday English conversation (Linkers and connectors) - English Conversation Practice -Speaking

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

246 zinnen

British Accent Shadowing English Speaking Practice | Speak Fluently 3-Day Spoken English Challenge

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

126 zinnen

Learn English with The Devil Wears Prada 👠 | Shadowing Practice

Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation

135 zinnen

Shadowing 30+ Daily English Phrases with Native Speaker — British Accent Modern RP Practice

Business EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation

176 zinnen

Speak English Like Natives in 8 Days – Day 4

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

604 zinnen

Speak With Me: English Speaking Practice

Interview EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

6 zinnen

Shadowing American English | Shadowing with movies #shorts #englishpractice #learnenglish

Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students

31 zinnen

Master SPEAKING Three English Sentences - Practice with me SHADOWING

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

77 zinnen

Speak like Matt Smith: shadowing english vocabulary, conversation practice

Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students

219 zinnen

English SHADOWING STORY Speaking Fluent English with Practice

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

193 zinnen

English Speaking Skills Practice | Best Way to Improve Your English Skills

Business EnglishInterview EnglishDaily Conversation

325 zinnen

Practice English Speaking with Shadowing Real-life Conversations | Improve Your English Skills 👍

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B1 is gebaseerd op de video “English Speaking Practice - Speak with me!”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: wedding, English, Pat, shower, dad. Deze video bevat 209 zinnen en 2619 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 16:18. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 161 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 84% 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
boundary zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈbaʊndɹi/	grens
fiancé zelfstandig naamwoord	/fiˈɑnseɪ/	verloofde
pronunciation zelfstandig naamwoord	/pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/	uitspraak
batch zelfstandig naamwoord	/bæt͡ʃ/	lot
complain werkwoord	/kəmˈpleɪn/	klagen
bachelor zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈbæt͡ʃ.ə.lə(ɹ)/	bachelor
accent zelfstandig naamwoord	/ækˈsɛnt/	accent, klemtoon
grieve werkwoord	/ɡɹiːv/	bedroeven
sibling zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/	brus, sibling
groceries zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/	boodschappen
rhythm zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɹɪð.əm/	ritme
laundry zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈlɔːn.dɹi/	was
dump werkwoord	/dʌmp/	dumpen
invitation zelfstandig naamwoord	/ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/	uitnodiging
proceed werkwoord	/pɹəˈsid/	doorgaan, verdergaan

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
pass away werkwoord	overlijden, ontslapen
find out werkwoord	ontdekken, onderzoeken
go back werkwoord	teruggaan
show up werkwoord	tentoonstellen
talk out werkwoord	uitpraten
turn out werkwoord	uitvallen, resulteren

Zinnen om te herhalen

Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:

Do you know what a baby shower is?
I didn't want to be the villain over swimwear.
I'm not going to lie.
What do you guys think?
I'll see you guys next 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	have brought · you've seen · have seen
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	isn't born · was calculated · was scheduled
Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding	person who contacted · shower, which is · man who proudly
Werkwoord + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — werkwoorden die door de -ing-vorm worden gevolgd	start thinking · starts processing · keep practicing

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 42 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals didn't, don't, I'm. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De klanken “sh” en “zh”: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, amnesia /ˌæmˈniʒə/, complication /ˌkɑm.pləˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, audacity /ɔˈdæ.sɪ.ti/, celebratory /ˈsɛləbɹəˌtɔːɹi/, complication /ˌkɑm.pləˈkeɪ.ʃən/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: grieve /ɡɹiːv/, groceries /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/, proceed /pɹəˈsid/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/, prioritize /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: batch /bæt͡ʃ/, bachelor /ˈbæt͡ʃ.ə.lə(ɹ)/, accent /ækˈsɛnt/, amnesia /ˌæmˈniʒə/, audacity /ɔˈdæ.sɪ.ti/
/g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: grieve /ɡɹiːv/, groceries /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/, eggshell /ˈɛɡʃɛl/, congratulate /kənˈɡɹæd͡ʒ.ʊˌleɪt/, rogue /ˈɹoʊɡ/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als boundary, fiancé, pronunciation.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: English Speaking Practice - Speak with me! (Shadowing Method) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Learn English Without Feeling Like You're Studying (Think in English)

How to Edit like a Pro

Stop Translating and Start Thinking in English With Me | Slow English Podcast

Natural English Conversations in a Beautiful Place | Think in English Today

Learn Airport English on the Way to Mexico 🇲🇽 (Comprehensible input)

LEARN ENGLISH With a Real Life Update | Slow English Podcast

LEARN ENGLISH Through a Real Day in My Life | Easy Vlog

I’m Not Fine… Let’s Talk About Feelings in English

Walk With Me and Practice Natural English

Daily Life in Canada 🇨🇦 | Learn English Naturally

A Day in Indonesia | Comprehensible Input Vlog

See It, Hear It, Say It | Learn English Naturally

Learn English (EASY) with My Morning Routine (Comprehensible Input)

Can You Understand Everything I Describe in This Museum?

The ONLY way to become fluent in ENGLISH

Don't Get Confused: Shopping in English Made Easy

Learn English at Home: Everyday Vocabulary & Phrases

The BEST way to learn ENGLISH Naturally at the GYM (Comprehensible Input)

Intermediate English | Car Vocabulary You’ll Actually Use 🚗

LEARN ENGLISH the Easy Way (Comprehensible input)

Everyday English conversation (Linkers and connectors) - English Conversation Practice -Speaking

British Accent Shadowing English Speaking Practice | Speak Fluently 3-Day Spoken English Challenge

Learn English with The Devil Wears Prada 👠 | Shadowing Practice

Shadowing 30+ Daily English Phrases with Native Speaker — British Accent Modern RP Practice

Speak English Like Natives in 8 Days – Day 4

Speak With Me: English Speaking Practice

Shadowing American English | Shadowing with movies #shorts #englishpractice #learnenglish

Master SPEAKING Three English Sentences - Practice with me SHADOWING

Speak like Matt Smith: shadowing english vocabulary, conversation practice

English SHADOWING STORY Speaking Fluent English with Practice

English Speaking Skills Practice | Best Way to Improve Your English Skills

Practice English Speaking with Shadowing Real-life Conversations | Improve Your English Skills 👍

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Grammatica in deze video

Uitspraak om op te letten

Zo oefen je met deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?