Shadowing Practice: Leonardo da Vinci’s GENIUS Inventions - Learn English Speaking with Video

You are attending a festival in Milan.

The year is 1495.

In front of you, you see a knight sitting on a chair.

Suddenly, he stands up, raises his arm and waves at you.

Then he opens his visor.

To your surprise, there's no human inside.

It's virtually a robot, more than 400 years before the first humanoid robot was made. But how?

Behind the invention was none other than Leonardo da Vinci.

And in this video, we take a closer look at his most incredible inventions,

and ask the question, would they actually work in real life?

We'll see how he envisioned the first ever diving suit,

a military tank, and of course,

how he made the mechanical knight.

But first, let's take a look at how Leonardo imagined humans could fly.

Leonardo was really fascinated by the idea of flight,

and even though it took hundreds of years after Leonardo's death for humans to finally achieve it,

he was surprisingly close in the late 15th century.

Take this design as an example.

It's essentially an early version of the helicopter.

It consisted of a linen sail arranged around a wooden mast,

resembling a giant screw.

He also added four bars to be able to rotate the mast.

By turning it, Leonardo believed the screw would push against the air in the same way a screw drives into wood,

creating lift and allowing the machine to rise into the sky.

As with most of his inventions,

Leonardo never built the aerial screw,

but his vision for it would be something like this.

Leonardo would have four people standing on a central platform,

operating the machine to create enough rotation to finally achieve lift.

Some people believe Leonardo made the aerial screw to actually make humans fly,

while others claim that it was designed for theatrical purposes only.

However, experts agree on one thing,

Leonardo's helicopter would not have been able to take off.

But in 2019, at the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death,

scientists at the University of Maryland set out with one goal,

make Leonardo's design work for actual flight.

The experiment included detailed descriptions of the changes needed to make Leonardo's helicopter actually take off.

Instead of one rotary propeller,

they redesigned it to have four propellers.

This would make the aircraft more balanced and easier to control.

With a few other modifications to the aerial screw itself,

and switching out manpower for an electric engine,

they made a real-life miniature of the machine.

It was a drone, using Leonardo's theory to hopefully achieve lift-off.

But would it work?

The drone lifted into the air.

Leonardo's vision was finally flying,

500 years after his death.

With Leonardo's original design, he would likely never be able to fly,

but with this next invention, he actually might have.

And one person even took it to the ultimate test.

But first, let me tell you about the browser I've been using for a while now,

and why you might want to try Opera as well.

During my research on Leonardo's inventions, I used split-screen.

It makes browsing and writing at the same time super easy.

I just dragged one tab next to another to enable it.

That way I can research on one side while writing on the other.

And thanks to the video pop-out feature,

I can detach the videos I watch,

so it can follow me around even outside of the browser.

It's perfect for watching tutorials or documentaries while working.

Opera also has tab islands,

which let me group related tabs together.

This is helpful when doing research because it lets me keep relevant sources in multiple islands.

And when I need more space, I can collapse them.

It's by far the cleanest browsing experience for deep research.

It's also quick and easy to customize the browser,

making Opera personal and fun to use.

I love using the Mirage theme when writing darker stories,

and Midsummer when I'm in a creative mood.

If you want to try opera,

use the link in the description.

Now let's get back to Leonardo's next invention.

For ages, humans have dreamt of defying gravity.

Some have been successful, like André-Jacques Garnarin,

the Frenchman who performed the first ever successful parachute jump in 1797.

Others were not so successful,

like Franz Reichelt, who tried to show off his homemade flying suit by jumping from the Eiffel Tower in 1912.

The results?

Well, let's say I can't show it here on YouTube.

But more than 400 years before that,

Leonardo da Vinci designed what's believed to be one of the first concepts of a parachute ever to be made.

The design was nothing like the modern parachutes we know today.

Leonardo imagined a square frame made from solid wood.

Around it, he wrapped a sealed linen cloth,

making sure the only opening would be at the bottom, towards the frame.

In the air, the cloth would be filled with air,

making a pyramid shape, hopefully capable of slowing the descent.

Leonardo wrote in his notes,

If a man has a tent made of linen,

of which the openings have all been stopped up,

and it would be twelve braccia across and twelve in depth,

he will be able to throw himself down from any great height without suffering any injury.

The parachute's simple shape and heavy weight made many experts doubt its ability to fly,

but British skydiver Adrian Nicholas believed the 500-year-old design could work and he was going to put it to the test.

Instead of using modern, lighter materials,

Nicholas insisted on using materials true to the time.

Ignoring warnings that it would never work,

he built the wooden frame and mounted the linen and ropes,

100

all based on Leonardo's sketch from 1485.

101

The total weight was now 84 kilograms,

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around 10 times the weight of a modern parachute.

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The experiment was controversial, but Nicolas believed in Leonardo.

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In fact, he was willing to risk his life that it would work.

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Secured to the bottom of the parachute,

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Nicolas was lifted 10,000 feet into the air by a hot air balloon.

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Now it was the moment of truth.

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Leonardo da Vinci's idea work?

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The balloon descended to fill the parachute with air.

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Then they released Nicholas.

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Mr. Da Vinci, maybe you were right!

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Luckily it worked.

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Nicholas was enjoying the view for about five minutes before he had to disengage the parachute.

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Due to the heavy wooden frame,

115

it was safer for Nicholas to land using modern equipment.

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When interviewed about the stunt,

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Nicholas said, "...it took one of the greatest minds who ever lived to design it,

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but it took 500 years to find a man with a brain small enough to actually go and fly it."

119

Leonardo was obsessed with humans experiencing the skies,

120

but he also imagined how we could explore life underwater.

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First, let's take a closer look at his vision of warfare on land in the 15th century.

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Leonardo didn't really care much for wealth and money,

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but he still needed funding for his ideas.

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When he left Florence and moved to Milan in 1492,

125

he was looking for a stable yet prestigious job.

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That's when he pitched his skills to the Duke of Milan in a now famous job application letter.

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After writing in detail about his ideas on warfare,

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he wrote, almost as a footnote,

129

that he could also paint better than anyone else.

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He got the job, and between 1492 and 1499,

131

Leonardo made several designs for advanced war equipment.

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The problem, however, was that his inventions were so advanced they would never be realized in his lifetime.

133

Let's start off with one of his most futuristic visions, the military tank.

134

Leonardo da Vinci's tank was designed for eight people, stationed across two floors.

135

The roof was specifically designed to be sloped at a 30 degree angle,

136

a strategic choice to make it more likely for enemy attacks to bounce off the armor.

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In his drawings, the tank was armed with heavyweight cannons all around.

138

Underneath the tank, four wheels would help the vehicle move.

139

The wheels were powered by gears and connected to a handle,

140

allowing the crew inside to operate the vehicle.

141

However, the drawing included a critical error.

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Leonardo's design of the gears would result in the wheels turning in opposite directions,

143

effectively making the tank unable to move.

144

The mistake would have been easy to fix for an experienced engineer like Leonardo,

145

but this error has experts divided.

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His notebook included far more complicated gear construction than this one.

147

That's why some experts think he intentionally added mistakes to his designs to protect them from misuse.

148

Others argue that it might just have been a result of his mirrored writing,

149

or a casual error that he didn't care to correct.

150

Either way, with the weight of the cannons,

151

Leonardo's tank was too heavy to be powered by humans alone,

152

and it was never constructed or used in real combat.

153

But this next invention would have been much more plausible and potentially deadly to its opponents.

154

The year is 1490.

155

You're a soldier standing in the battlefield,

156

ready to fight for your life.

157

In the distance, over a hill,

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you hear a loud creaking noise.

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Gradually, a dark silhouette is getting more and more visible over the horizon.

160

You can't figure out what it is, but it's huge.

161

It turns out your opponent has brought with them a giant crossbow,

162

measuring an incredible 24 meters in width and 22 meters in length.

163

They aim the frightening weapon at you and fire.

164

The crossbow was designed to be horrifying to the enemy.

165

Mounted on six wheels, it allegedly had to be operated by over a dozen people.

166

But again, Leonardo's vision would never come to life.

167

The military most likely deemed the weapon too expensive and too high maintenance to actually construct.

168

But if ever created, it would arguably serve its main purpose,

169

to be incredibly intimidating and a show of force.

170

Moving on from the battles on land to the battles at sea,

171

let's take a look at how Leonardo designed the first diving suit.

172

After France's seizure of Milan in 1499,

173

Leonardo saw no other option than to look for work elsewhere.

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Venice was a rich city nearby,

175

under threat by the Turkish.

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Leonardo saw this as an opportunity to make a living by designing different types of military equipment for the Venetian army.

177

In a meeting with the Council of Venice,

178

Leonardo suggested to create an underwater army.

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To support this army, Leonardo designed the first diving suit in history.

180

He argued that the city would not stand a chance against the Turkish on land,

181

and proposed a solution to sink their ships while they were still at sea.

182

The design featured a full-body waterproof leather suit.

183

For the diver to be able to stay underwater for longer periods of time,

184

Leonardo suggested an oversized snorkel.

185

On the surface, a container made of cork would provide the diver with fresh oxygen.

186

The cork was designed with two tubes,

187

one for fresh air and one for used air.

188

In 2002, Scott Cassel and Jackie Cozens set out to recreate the diving suit on mission by the BBC.

189

And to their surprise, it actually worked.

190

The diver was able to walk along the seabed while still getting fresh air from above.

191

But just like the wheels of the military tank,

192

it's believed Leonardo intentionally left small mistakes in the design.

193

By moving the ventilation on the cork,

194

the design would not only work as a simple snorkel,

195

but also as an oxygen tank.

196

With the ventilation further down,

197

the container would create an air chamber.

198

This would allow the diver to pull the cork down under the surface,

199

fully hiding from enemy forces.

200

The experiment showed that Leonardo's diving suit wasn't just theoretical.

201

It could function, and in theory,

202

it might have given Venice the world's first underwater soldiers.

203

But how would the soldiers sabotage enemy forces underwater?

204

Well one suggestion was to use an underwater drill.

205

Leonardo designed a drilling device that could sink ships by drilling a hole into a vessel's planking below the waterline.

206

Just imagine the faces of the Venetian council when Leonardo presented his vision for an underwater army.

207

Moving on from Leonardo's military designs,

208

we find a collection of incredible inventions using gears and wires.

209

Through his paintings, Leonardo is famous for his advanced understanding of anatomy.

210

He was able to paint the human body in ways few others could at the time.

211

But his knowledge of anatomy did not only benefit his art,

212

he also made incredible creations for theatres and events.

213

With the use of gears,

214

Leonardo da Vinci created almost life-like movements in his designs.

215

But Leonardo understood that gears could do so much more than just imitate birds.

216

That brings us back to the Mechanical Knight from 1495.

217

In the middle of the ceremony,

218

the mysterious knight has just revealed that it is not a human.

219

Inside the helmet is only gears and wires,

220

but Leonardo's mechanical knight could do more than just open its helmet.

221

The knight was able to stand up,

222

move his arms, turn his head and sit back down again.

223

Some sources also claim the knight may have produced an automated drum roll.

224

Unlike most of Leonardo's other sketches,

225

the mechanical knight was likely built and demonstrated at a ceremony in 1495.

226

The secret was in its construction.

227

Leonardo's knight was built from wood,

228

leather and metal and powered by a clever system of pulleys and cables.

229

Movements of different limbs were linked together.

230

When one arm moved up,

231

the other moved down, creating a human-like behavior.

232

But what inspired Leonardo to create the mechanical knight?

233

The answer is quite sinister.

234

A dark evening in Florence,

235

Leonardo's assistant arrives carrying something heavy.

236

With him, he has a body,

237

most likely a diseased criminal.

238

With occasional permission from the church,

239

Leonardo would start to study human cadavers.

240

And not only on the outside,

241

he dissected the people, carefully taking note of every little detail he could find about the human body.

242

Few people would ever want to work in the dissection rooms of this era.

243

there was no way to preserve the bodies,

244

which meant they began to rot within 48 hours.

245

But the dissections gave Leonardo important knowledge.

246

Some sources suggest that Leonardo's study on human anatomy inspired him to design the first mechanical machines.

247

To figure out how he could recreate motion using levers and pulleys,

248

Leonardo would compare human skeletons side by side with mechanical designs.

249

By comparing bones to levers and muscles to pulleys,

250

Leonardo created detailed drawings of a mechanical knight,

251

a mechanical bird, and even a mechanical lion.

252

By understanding the muscles and how the body was put together,

253

he could create machines that gave an illusion of life.

254

The mechanical knight has been reconstructed in 2002 for a BBC documentary.

255

Robotic expert Mark Rocheim argued that Leonardo's robot could have been fully automated by using water and gravity,

256

making the knight even more impressive.

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And according to the documentary,

258

Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical knight directly inspired robotics used in NASA's space stations.

259

If you found this video interesting,

260

I think you'll love my video about the advanced tech of the Roman Empire.

261

Please consider subscribing.

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212 zinnen

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Leonardo da Vinci’s GENIUS Inventions”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: Leonardo, design, knight, mechanical. Deze video bevat 261 zinnen en 2552 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 15:37. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 163 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. Slechts 78% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
invention zelfstandig naamwoord	/ɪnˈvɛnʃən/	uitvinding
underwater bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/	onderwater, onderwater-
parachute zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈpæɹəʃut/	parachute, valscherm
dive werkwoord	/daɪv/	duiken, onderwaterzwemmen
diver zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈdaɪ̯və(ɹ)/	duiker, duikster
linen zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈlɪnɪn/	linnen, doek
cork zelfstandig naamwoord	/kɔɹk/	kurk, kurkschors
pulley zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈpʊli/	katrol
aerial zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɛəɹiəl/	antenne
anatomy zelfstandig naamwoord	/əˈnætəmi/	anatomie
drill zelfstandig naamwoord	/dɹɪl/	boor, boormachine
helicopter zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/	helikopter, wentelwiek
automate werkwoord	/ˈɔ.təˌmeɪt/	automatiseren
crossbow zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/	kruisboog
recreate werkwoord	/ˈɹɛk.ɹi.eɪt/	recreëren

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
figure out werkwoord	uitvogelen, er achter komen
stand up werkwoord	opstaan
take off werkwoord	uittrekken, afzetten
show off werkwoord	zich aanstellen, pronken met
turn out werkwoord	uitvallen, resulteren

Grammatica in deze video

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

Structuur	In de video
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	was made · was really fascinated · was designed
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	have dreamt · have been · has brought

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 10 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals can't, didn't, I'm. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De “th”-klanken: cloth /klɒθ/, theatrical /θiˈætɹɪkəl/, theoretical /ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/, width /ˈwɪtθ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: invention /ɪnˈvɛnʃən/, parachute /ˈpæɹəʃut/, ventilation /ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/, sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: underwater /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/, anatomy /əˈnætəmi/, helicopter /ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/, ventilation /ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, intentionally /ɪnˈtɛn(t)ʃənəli/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: dive /daɪv/, browse /bɹaʊz/, descend /dəˈsɛnd/, misuse /mɪsˈjuːz/, sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: parachute /ˈpæɹəʃut/, anatomy /əˈnætəmi/, cannon /ˈkæn.ən/, cadaver /kəˈdævɚ/, fascinate /ˈfæsɪneɪt/
/w/ — met ronde lippen: underwater /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/, warfare /ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/, waterproof /ˈwɔt̬ɚˌpruf/, heavyweight /ˈhɛ.vi.weɪt/, width /ˈwɪtθ/

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 invention, underwater, parachute.

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 →

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