Shadowing Practice: Think You're Fluent? Try This Proverbs Challenge! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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Have you ever understood every word an American said, but you still had no idea what they meant?
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It could be that they were using a proverb.
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In this video, you will test your knowledge of 15 very common English proverbs.
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Proverbs are short sayings that native speakers use all the time, and they're part of the culture.
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They express common wisdom or life lessons, and often they're passed down through generations.
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Maybe your grandmother used them when she was giving you advice.
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Rather than stating something directly, proverbs often use figurative language or imagery to communicate a deeper meaning.
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For example, make hay while the sun shines isn't talking about hay on a farm.
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And the sunshine in this case means good times or when things are going well.
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Or for For example, another proverb is save it for a rainy day.
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It's not talking about actual rain.
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It's talking about problems or trouble in life.
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For example, you can say, I have a rainy day fund.
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And that means I have money for an emergency.
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When you understand these expressions, you will not only improve your listening, but you will also gain a deeper understanding of English speaking culture.
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Let's see how many English proverbs you already know.
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look at this proverb.
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Do you know what the two words that are missing are?
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Every cloud has a blank blank.
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Do you know the answer?
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The answer is silver lining.
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Every cloud has a silver lining.
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A silver lining is when a dark cloud has a bright silver colored edge when the sun shines behind it.
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So a silver lining represents hope.
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Something positive in a difficult situation.
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So even when there are dark clouds, meaning when things seem really bad, there is often something good that can come from the situation.
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For example, you can say, losing my job led me to start my own business.
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Every cloud has a silver lining.
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Or the canceled trip gave us time to visit family instead.
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Every cloud has a silver lining.
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Native speakers often use it this way.
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Look for the silver lining.
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There's always a silver lining.
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Let's look at the next proverb.
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Do you know the word that's missing?
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Don't put the cart before the what?
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The answer is horse.
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Don't put the cart before the horse.
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And that means don't do things in the wrong order.
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A horse should go in front of the cart because a horse pulls the cart.
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The horse should not be behind the cart.
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So that means don't put things in the wrong order.
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Start with the most important steps first.
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You can say, we need to finish the business plan before designing the website.
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Let's not put the cart before the horse.
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Or you can say, let's wait to buy the furniture.
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First, we have to buy the house.
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Let's not put the cart before the horse.
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Do you have a similar proverb in your language?
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And let's look at the next proverb and you might learn a new verb with this one.
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The proverb is don't count your chickens before they what?
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What's the verb?
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Before they hatch.
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To hatch means to come out of an egg.
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We can say the chicks hatched after 21 days.
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So don't count your chickens before they hatch means don't Don't assume that something will happen before it actually does.
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Don't be so sure that it will happen.
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You can say, you haven't gotten the job yet, so you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch.
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Don't spend your bonus money before you receive it.
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Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
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And the past tense is hatched.
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Hatched with the t sound.
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Do you have a similar proverb in your language?
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I think I heard that in some languages it's don't count your chickens before fall, before autumn, something like that.
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Okay, let's look at the next one.
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A bird in the hand is worth two in the what?
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What's the answer?
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In the bush.
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So, one bird in my hand is worth two birds in the bush.
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And that proverb means it's better to keep something that is certain
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then risk losing it while chasing something that is not certain.
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For example, you can say, I accepted the job offer instead of waiting for another interview.
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A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
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I'm happy that I would at least have a job.
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Let's look at another proverb, and this one is also about birds.
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The early bird catches the what?
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The worm.
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The early bird catches the worm.
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This is a worm.
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Let's make sure that you're pronouncing it correctly.
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A lot of my students mispronounce this word and they say it like this word.
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Are you saying them differently?
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This one is worm and this one is warm.
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It's a warm day.
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They're commonly confused.
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Let's practice this pronunciation pattern a little bit more.
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So we say war, warm.
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So this word war and this word war have the exact same pronunciation.
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And we say warn, warn, or warning, warning.
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I gave them a warning.
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So these words have the or war.
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However, this word is spelled with an O, but the O is not pronounced.
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I know English pronunciation is crazy.
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We don't say warm.
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We say worm, worm.
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It sounds like this.
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Were, were, and then you add an M.
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Worm.
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Another word that sounds like that is work.
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Have you been saying work?
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That's not correct.
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It's work.
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And now let's say the two words.
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Worm, warm.
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Before we continue, I would just like to talk to you a little bit more about improving your American accent.
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Have you ever wished you could receive personalized feedback on your American accent without taking expensive private lessons?
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For many years, that's been one of the questions I've been asked about most often.
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Well, now the answer is yes.
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I have created a new program where you can get feedback on your accent.
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I have created Accurate English Pro where you can transform your accent in 90 days
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and you can get feedback on your accent.
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You will follow my step by step program where you learn all the rules you need to know.
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Each week you can submit audio recordings based on the lessons
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and you will receive pronunciation feedback from me or one of my accent coaches.
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And you will also have access to weekly live coaching sessions with me where you can ask questions or get feedback.
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And then you will know exactly what you're doing well and what what you should focus on next.
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Click on the link in the description below to learn more.
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Okay, now let's get back to the early bird catches the worm.
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And that means people who act quickly or arrive early often have an advantage.
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For example, you can say, we got the best seats because we arrived an hour early.
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The early bird catches the worm.
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Or, I applied for the job on the first day and I got the interview.
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The early bird catches the worm.
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I think you probably know this proverb.
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actions speak louder than what? Than words.
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Actions speak louder than words.
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And that means what people do is more important than what they say.
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For example, you can say, he promised to help me but he didn't.
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Actions speak louder than words.
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Don't just tell me that you will do it.
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You should actually do it.
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Otherwise, it's just talk.
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So if someone keeps disappointing you because they don't keep their promises and they just talk and talk, you can say, actions speak louder than words.
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Do you know this proverb?
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Where there's smoke, there's what?
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Fire.
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Where there's smoke, there's fire.
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And that means rumors often have at least some truth behind them.
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If people are saying that someone has done something wrong, there's usually a good reason for why they're saying it.
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There is some truth there.
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For example, you can say, several employees complained about the manager.
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Where there's smoke, there's fire.
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If everyone is talking about the problem, maybe it's true.
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Where there's smoke, there's fire.
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This popular proverb mentions the name of a city.
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Do you have a similar proverb in your language?
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It means when you are in a particular place, you should behave the way the people of that place behave.
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You should do what the locals do.
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When in blank, do as the blank.
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What is the name of the place?
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Rome.
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When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
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You should adapt to the customs and the culture of the place that you are visiting.
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For example, you can say, everyone took off their shoes before entering the house, so I did too.
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When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
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Or, people usually greet each other with a kiss in that place.
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When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
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Do you have the exact same proverb in your language?
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Let's look at this proverb.
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Don't cry over spilled what?
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Milk.
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Don't cry over spilled milk means don't waste your time worrying about mistakes that can't be changed.
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You can say, we missed the deadline, but let's move forward.
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Don't cry over spilled milk or the file is gone and we're going to have to recreate it.
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Don't cry over spilled milk.
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Let's look at this proverb.
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Two blank are better than one.
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What's the word?
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Heads.
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Two heads are better than one.
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And that means two people working together usually solve problems better than one person alone.
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We can say, we came up with a much better idea after brainstorming.
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Two heads are better than one.
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People use the next proverb when they want to say that other people's lives are better than theirs.
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The blank is always blank on the other side.
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Do you have the same proverb in in your language?
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The grass is always greener on the other side.
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People often think that others have a much better situation than they really do.
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Their life looks better, but it's probably not better.
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For example, we can say, he thought that working for another company would be better, but it had the same problems.
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The grass is always greener on the other side.
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She envied her friend's job until she learned how stressful it was.
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The grass is always greener on the other side.
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Is there a similar proverb in your language?
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I think I heard that in some other languages people say, the neighbor's wife is more beautiful than mine.
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How about in your language?
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Do you know this proverb?
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A picture is worth a thousand blank.
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What's the word?
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A picture is worth a thousand words.
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And that means an image can communicate an idea much more effectively than a lot of words.
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We can say, the graph explained the results immediately.
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A picture is worth a thousand words.
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Let's look at the next proverb.
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Do you know this one?
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The apple doesn't fall far from the what?
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From the tree.
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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
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And that means children often resemble their parents, maybe in personality or in talent or in behavior.
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For example, you can say, She's a great singer, just like her mother.
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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
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And what do you say in your language for this one?
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Let's look at the next proverb.
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You can't have your cake and blank it too.
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What's the verb?
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Eat.
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You can't have your cake and eat it too.
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And that means you can't enjoy two conflicting advantages at the same time.
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So you can either look at the cake or you can eat it, but after you eat it, it will be gone.
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So you can say, you can't spend all your money and still expect to save for retirement.
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You can't have your cake and eat it too.
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You'd like to get in shape, but you don't want to exercise.
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You can't have your cake and eat it too.
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Let's look at this proverb.
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Too many cooks spoil the what?
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What is the answer?
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The answer is broth.
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Too many cooks spoil the broth.
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A broth is kind of a soup.
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It's a thin soup.
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It's a liquid made by boiling meat or bones or vegetables in water.
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We can say the chicken broth gave the soup a rich flavor.
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And the idea is that if too many people try to cook the same soup, they may each add different ingredients or they will make different decisions.
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and the final result will be worse.
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So, too many cooks spoil the broth means too many people trying to control a project can make it worse.
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For example, we can say, we had eight managers making changes to the presentation.
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And in the end, it became confusing.
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Too many cooks spoiled the broth.
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Everyone wanted a different design.
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Too many cooks spoiled the broth.
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Let's look at this proverb.
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Don't put all your blank in one basket.
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What is the noun?
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All your what?
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All your eggs.
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Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
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And that means don't risk everything on one plan or one investment.
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We can say, I suggest that you apply to several different universities because you don't know which one will accept you.
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Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
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How many of these proverbs did you already know?
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Let me know in the comments below.
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Thanks for watching and keep practicing your English.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Think You're Fluent? Try This Proverbs Challenge!”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: proverb, word, example, worm, language. Deze video bevat 242 zinnen en 2269 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 14:48. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 153 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 85% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken. 37 van de 242 zinnen zijn vragen, dus het is goede oefening voor vraagintonatie en korte antwoorden.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| proverb zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈpɹɑˌvɝb/ | spreekwoord, gezegde |
| worm zelfstandig naamwoord | /wɝm/ | worm, pier |
| hatch werkwoord | /hæt͡ʃ/ | uit het ei komen |
| broth zelfstandig naamwoord | /bɹɔθ/ | bouillon |
| cart zelfstandig naamwoord | /kɑɹt/ | kar, wagen |
| accent zelfstandig naamwoord | /ækˈsɛnt/ | accent, klemtoon |
| spoil zelfstandig naamwoord | /spɔɪl/ | buit |
| pronunciation zelfstandig naamwoord | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | uitspraak |
| spill werkwoord | /spɪl/ | morsen |
| soup zelfstandig naamwoord | /sup/ | soep |
| verb zelfstandig naamwoord | /vɝb/ | werkwoord |
| basket zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈbæskɪt/ | mand, korf |
| pronounce werkwoord | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | uitspreken, verklaren |
| rainy bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈɹeɪni/ | regenachtig |
| behave werkwoord | /bɪˈheɪv/ | zich gedragen |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| come up with werkwoord | bedenken, verzinnen |
| pass down werkwoord | doorgeven |
| take off werkwoord | uittrekken, afzetten |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- Do you know the answer?
- Do you know the word that's missing?
- Do you have a similar proverb in your language?
- The proverb is don't count your chickens before they what?
- Are you saying them differently?
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 | haven't gotten · I've been asked · have created |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | is hatched · is spelled · I've been asked |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 50 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, can't, they're. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: broth /bɹɔθ/, theirs /ðɛɚz/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, shine /ʃaɪn/, sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, figurative /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/, personalize /ˈpɜː.sə.nə.laɪz/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: proverb /ˈpɹɑˌvɝb/, verb /vɝb/, behave /bɪˈheɪv/, figurative /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/, personalize /ˈpɜː.sə.nə.laɪz/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: blank /ˈblæŋk/, hatch /hæt͡ʃ/, accent /ækˈsɛnt/, basket /ˈbæskɪt/, adapt /əˈdæpt/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: figurative /ˈfɪɡəɹətɪv/, greet /ɡɹiːt/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, graph /ɡɹæf/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/
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 proverb, worm, hatch.
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.