Shadowing Practice: 10 Short Spanish Conversations | Beginner Dialogues - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “10 Short Spanish Conversations”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: euro, perfect, cost, coffee, afternoon. This video has 333 sentences and 2168 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:32. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 106 of its 333 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| euro noun | /ˈjʊɹoʊ/ | The currency unit of the European Monetary Union. Symbol: € |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| sandwich noun | /ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/ | A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food. |
| magnet noun | /ˈmæɡ.nɪt/ | A piece of material that attracts some metals by magnetism. |
| juice noun | /d͡ʒuːs/ | A liquid made from plant, especially fruit. |
| pill noun | /pɪl/ | A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication. |
| reservation noun | /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/ | The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back. |
| vegetable noun | /ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ | A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice… |
| receipt noun | /ɹɪˈsiːt/ | The act of receiving, or the fact of having been received. |
| snack noun | /snæk/ | A light meal. |
| pharmacy noun | /ˈfɑɹməsi/ | A place where prescription drugs are sold or dispensed. |
| roommate noun | /ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/ | A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| sparkling adjective | /ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/ | Of an object, reflecting light as if giving off tiny sparks or flashes of light. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you have plans for today?
- Do you know a good place?
- Would you like to go with me?
- What do you usually order?
- Do you travel a lot?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, cloth /klɒθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, wash /wɑʃ/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, dish /dɪʃ/, prescription /pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, coincidence /kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns/, elevator /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/, cafeteria /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/
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 euro, arrive, sandwich.
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.











