Shadowing Practice: 10 Formal vs. 10 Informal Phrases in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast, where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day.
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My name is Shaina, and I'm the teacher at Espresso English.
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Make sure to visit the website, EspressoEnglish .net, where you can get online courses and ebooks that will help you learn English even faster.
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Let's get started with today's lesson.
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Not all English is the same.
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The way you speak to a close friend is probably very different from the way you talk to your manager
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or communicate with a client.
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Informal English is friendly, relaxed, and conversational.
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Native speakers use it with friends, family, classmates, and co -workers they know well.
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It's common in text messages, casual emails, and everyday conversations.
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Formal English is more polite, professional, and carefully worded.
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You'll often see more formal English in business emails, job applications, academic writing, customer service,
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presentations, and communication with people you don't know well.
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Today, I'll show you 10 phrases and how they're different when we're speaking formally versus informally.
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And I've got a super bonus for you, a guide to 50 phrases with their formal versions and informal versions.
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It's really helpful in seeing how we say it differently in each situation.
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Click on the link in the video description and enter your email address to get that free download.
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Our first phrase is, I'll think about it.
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That's a common way to say it informally.
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If we want to be more formal, we could say, I will give it some consideration.
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Or you could also say, I will consider it note
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that we don't say consider about it just consider it next we have do you want to
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which is informal in fact
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when we're speaking fast it even sounds more like do you wanna
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but in more formal situations say would you like to instead
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for example would you like to join me for lunch let's
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say someone invites you to an event informally we could say I can't go
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or I can't make it the formal version would be I
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am unable to attend we usually avoid contractions like can't in more formal written English
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when you're excited about something the future you can say I
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can't wait to see you informally the more formal version is I look forward to seeing you note
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that after look forward to we use the ing form and we also typically avoid exclamation points in formal writing.
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If you need to deliver some bad news, an informal way to do it is I'm sorry to say or I'm sorry to tell you.
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In formal English, we can say I regret to inform you.
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One common everyday phrase is I'm really worried about, but that's not the way we'd say it in more formal English, the more formal version is,
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I am quite concerned about.
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In everyday, informal English, it's very common to use really for emphasis, really worried, really big, really interesting,
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etc. But in more formal situations, use quite or very instead.
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Here's a similar issue.
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Informally, we can say, this product is kind of expensive.
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That means a little expensive.
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But more formally, use rather instead of kind of.
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So we'd say, this product is rather expensive.
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When you want someone to send your greetings to another person, you can say, say hi to your sister for me informally.
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But in the professional world, a better phrase is, please give my regards to Carol.
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When you want the other person to decide something, two common informal phrases are, it's your call or it's up to you.
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More formally, we'd say something like, the decision is yours.
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Finally, when asking for the other person's opinion, you can say, let me know what you think, informally.
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That's very casual.
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More formally, you can say, I would appreciate your feedback, or I would love to hear your thoughts.
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It's all about choosing the right words and phrases for the right situation,
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so you sound casual and relaxed with friends and you sound polite and professional at work.
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Make sure to download your guide to 50 formal and informal phrases by clicking on the link in the video description.
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If you want to improve your professional communication, check out my Business English course to learn real phrases for meetings, interviews, presentations, and more.
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And, if your goal is to speak more naturally in everyday situations, my Everyday English Speaking course will teach you the words,
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phrases, and expressions that native speakers use in daily life.
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You'll find the links to both courses in the video description.
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If you want more great English lessons,
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visit EspressoEnglish .net, where you can sign up by email to receive a free ebook with 500 plus real English phrases.
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You'll also find online courses to help you improve your English fast, even if you don't have much time to study.
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Keep practicing your English, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 61 sentences and 825 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:33. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| informal adjective | /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ | Not formal or ceremonious. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| formally adverb | /ˈfɔː.mə.li/ | In a formal manner. |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| presentation noun | /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ | The act of presenting, or something presented. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| bonus noun | /ˈbəʊ.nəs/ | Something extra that is good; an added benefit. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| worker noun | /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ | One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| sign up verb | To add a name to the list of people who are participating in something. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will help · You'll often see · I'll show |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | we're speaking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, contraction /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like formal, phrase, informal.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.