Shadowing Practice: SUSHMITA SEN INTERVIEW L.A. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Loved, adored and envied, our very own Miss Universe has spent the last few months literally in a spin.

She's begun traveling from one part of the globe to another

and being the chief guest at function after function all across America.

Shushmita Sen is in fact perhaps the most active ambassador India has had for some time.

In fact, the only thing that has kept her pinned down for a while was a short bout of chicken pox.

In a long and exclusive interview with Shonali Bose, it's clear that Shushmita Sen is not just a pretty face.

In this, the first of two parts, the next part will be shown in the world this week next Thursday,

she talks about how she's working hard at a speech she's due to give at the United Nations shortly

and how she may even give up modelling.

Shushmita Sen on the balcony of her apartment in Los Angeles, her home for the next year.

It is a part of a resistible appeal,

the pleasure in the simple things of life, the instant camaraderie.

Shushmita, how come your eyes are blue?

I knew you were going to get thicker.

I just knew you were going to thicker that.

I mean, were you born with this?

Is this something in your genes?

I was born with it when I became a model.

And is it just blue or is there a variation of colors?

Well, at the moment, it's just blue.

I will let out all my secrets.

For this 18 year old, transported to Los Angeles after she won the Miss Universe crown, the fun moments have included indulgences like these.

Do you also come shopping by yourself?

Oh yes, shopping and me, and how do you pay for it?

Usually I just sign cheques or I leave it on the, depending on what the shop knows about the company, and I can just sign the company's name and the company base for it.

Great, Fabulous.

Well, enjoy it while you have it.

Come, let's see a little more.

But life in Los Angeles for Miss Universe has not just been a whirlwind of excesses and adoration.

There is serious business, too, as spokesperson for Miss Universe Incorporated, organizers of the pageant.

All requests come into our office.

We select which one she can do.

We don't want her traveling too much.

But if you looked at the travel schedule of a title holder, you see they're in this part of the world one day, this part of the world two days later, and then possibly next week back where they started from.

So it's a very busy schedule.

She'll accrue a lot of mileage this year.

We don't offer frequent flyer mileage to our title holders, though.

That's something that they're not entitled to.

At the moment, Shushmita is preparing for a speech to be delivered at the United Nations.

I'm basically at this point of time concentrating on these books that have been given to me for starting the UN programs, the investment on women world over,

and especially the Asian countries because they really need attention for women.

How do you think winning this title has changed your life?

You see, it's just been a month ever since I won the crown.

And as of now, what I can tell you is that it certainly adds a lot to your confidence as a person.

you feel more beautiful because people think you're beautiful.

Other than that, you feel good about yourself.

Every day in the morning when you wake up, you feel like you've achieved something in life.

What other things have changed me is that suddenly from a very childish girl, to a great extent, it changed me into a lady.

What do you have planned to do for your future when you go back to India?

Would you like to continue in the beauty business, modelling and stuff like that?

Do you want to be a journalist or writer?

You had said earlier you'd like to be that.

Tell us something about that.

Well, you know, when an 18-year-old gets everything she wants in a matter of just three months, she's a little lost as to what she wants really after that.

That's exactly what happened with me because in a matter of January to May, I got the Miss India and the Miss Universe, which was the ultimate which I could look forward to as a model.

And I don't think modeling is what's going to be on my mind once I get over with this

because I've always had this mind that the day I wake up in the morning

and feel I don't want to do this, oh God, I hate doing this, I wouldn't do it anymore.

And I already feel like that about modeling.

But yes, I'm going to work on the aspiring models who need help.

I'm there for them in whichever way I can.

But the most important aspect that I'm looking forward to is the UN.

If that works out fine, then just being an active member of the UN is by itself a great job

because now and to the rest of your life, if you want, you can be working for it.

Of course, I want to have a family life of my own.

I want to do things for myself.

It's not just that I'll be doing things for others.

And I basically want to be a very content person, no matter what I do.

A Bengali gentleman in the Indian press said that first there was Ruby Thakur, then there was Shotojit Rai, and now there's Shushmita Sen.

Would you like to comment on that?

All I can say is that's really nice of the gentleman who has written it, but this is an honest confession.

I think there's no comparison.

They were great.

These people were absolutely great.

I mean, if one is talking about people who have like, okay, if you're talking about Kapil Dev and me, I can understand because he achieved an international record.

I achieved something internationally.

There's a comparison.

But if you're talking in terms of great thinkers and poets such as them, I don't think there's any comparison.

I could never, ever reach where they are today.

Shishmita, you write poetry, right?

That's right.

In fact, I was thinking of saying something, something that I've been just the last couple of days thinking about.

You know, somebody happened to ask me this question that you are the Miss Universe.

What can you do for poverty, for children, for population, for literacy and all that?

So I told them, listen, I'm not a politician and all I know is that I'm a beauty queen.

And yes, what I can do maximum is reach out to people, talk to them, convey my messages and share my experiences with them

so that I can teach them something from my experiences and I can learn something from theirs.

And this is what I like to quote in the form of a poetry.

If all my pains and all my tears and all that I've learned throughout these years could lift a fallen head, could lighten a darkened mind,

then I should think that not in vain was my service to mankind.

That is what I want to work you just wrote this

this is not just now it was quite after my Miss India

but right now all that I've been writing about is anxiety

and inferiority complex and things like

that come to your mind just before the Miss Universe it came to my mind too

and that's what I wrote about I wrote about beauty within or without and things like that.

But did you feel that just if you're judged, because one is being judged there, just if other people judge you as not being the number one,

that affects your self-esteem, you would feel inferior that was affecting your self-esteem?

To be very honest, when I came for this pageant, the one thing that I had very clear in my mind was, no matter whatever the result,

100

I must come back successful and content that I put in my best and I couldn't have done better.

101

and well that's what's more important I think not everybody can

102

be a winner no matter how many qualities of a winner you might have

103

because if everybody could be a winner then there would be no number one

104

and then there'll be no loser there'll be no winner

105

so I think it's more important that you from within feel

106

that you're successful and that you're a winner in your own right because not everybody can make your winner but yourself

107

Come here, I want to show you my craft.

108

Wow, you have it here?

109

Yeah, yeah.

110

So this is yours to keep?

111

Oh, for a lifetime.

112

There it is.

113

A gorgeous little thing.

114

It's not a little very.

115

Let me just put this down.

116

Let me just put it down like that.

117

Let me just put it down like that.

118

What would they be like?

119

I have no idea, but it's very true.

120

Thank you.

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That's quite a secret.

122

Thank you.

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “SUSHMITA SEN INTERVIEW L.A”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: Miss, Universe, Shushmita, winner. Deze video bevat 122 zinnen en 1552 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 8:55. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 174 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 86% 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
pageant zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈpæd͡ʒənt/	optocht
esteem werkwoord	/ɪˈstiːm/	achten, waarderen
gentleman zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.təl.mən/	meneer
accrue werkwoord	/əˈkɹu/	verhogen, groeien
aspire werkwoord	/əˈspaɪɚ/	ambiëren, nastreven
camaraderie zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˌkɑm(ə)ˈɹɑdəɹi/	kameraadschap
cheque zelfstandig naamwoord	/t͡ʃɛk/	cheque
darken werkwoord	/ˈdɑɹkən/	verduisteren, verdonkeren
inferiority zelfstandig naamwoord		minderwaardigheid, inferioriteit
lighten werkwoord	/ˈlaɪ.tn̩/	verlichten
thinker zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/	denker
whirlwind zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/	windhoos, wervelwind
organizer zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɔɹɡənaɪzɚ/	organisator
spokesperson zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈspoʊksˌpɝsən/	woordvoerder, woordvoerster
adore werkwoord	/əˈdoɹ/	aanbidden, adoreren

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
look forward to werkwoord		uitkijken naar, zich verheugen op
come back werkwoord		terugkomen
give up werkwoord		zich overgeven
wake up werkwoord	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	wakker worden, ontwaken
work out werkwoord	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	uitrekenen

Zinnen om te herhalen

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

Shushmita, how come your eyes are blue?
I mean, were you born with this?
Is this something in your genes?
Do you also come shopping by yourself?
Do you want to be a journalist or writer?

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	has spent · has had · has kept
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	will be shown · was born · be delivered
Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding	Universe, which was · people who have

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 31 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, you're, don't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De “th”-klanken: thinker /ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/, theirs /ðɛɚz/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: adoration /ˌæ.dəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, childish /ˈt͡ʃaɪldɪʃ/, confession /kənˈfɛʃən/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: adoration /ˌæ.dəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, camaraderie /ˌkɑm(ə)ˈɹɑdəɹi/, organizer /ˈɔɹɡənaɪzɚ/, inferior /ɪnˈfɪɹ.i.ɚ/, literacy /ˈlɪtəɹəsi/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: mileage /ˈmaɪləd͡ʒ/, whirlwind /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/, mankind /mænˈkaɪnd/, theirs /ðɛɚz/, depend /dɪˈpɛnd/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: pageant /ˈpæd͡ʒənt/, adoration /ˌæ.dəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, balcony /ˈbælkəni/, mankind /mænˈkaɪnd/
/w/ — met ronde lippen: whirlwind /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/, whichever /wɪt͡ʃˈɛvɚ/

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 pageant, esteem, gentleman.

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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