Shadowing Practice: 125 Must-Know English Words for Everyday Life - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Do you know how to talk about your plans in English?

You'll learn how in just a moment.

Hi, my name is Alicia, and in this 3 .1 level lesson, you'll learn how to discuss where you're meeting through a quick conversation.

Let's look at the dialogue.

Hi, Emily.

Some of us are thinking of meeting up this weekend.

Do you want to come?

Absolutely.

I'm in.

Alright, right now we're thinking of meeting up at Main Street Pizza on Saturday at 8pm.

Ah, sorry, I can't make it by eight.

Is it okay if I join a little later?

Sure, that's no problem.

I'll send you a message with the directions and other details.

Here's my number.

You'll text me, right?

I just want to make sure I can reach you just in case.

Definitely.

Here's my number, just in case you need to reach me.

Call or text me anytime.

Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time.

Hi, Emily.

Some of us are thinking of meeting up this weekend.

Do you want to come?

Absolutely.

I'm in.

Alright, right now we're thinking of meeting up at Main Street Pizza on Saturday at 8pm.

Sorry, I can't make it by eight.

Is it okay if I join a little later?

Sure.

That's no problem.

I'll send you a message with the directions and other details.

Here's my number.

You'll text me, right?

I just want to make sure I can reach you, just in case.

Definitely.

Here's my number, just in case you need to reach me.

Call or text me anytime.

Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

This character...

is asking this character if she'd like to join him and a group of friends for dinner.

When she says she's interested,

he says, "Alright, right now we're thinking of meeting up at Main Street Pizza on Saturday at 8pm." First,

he introduces the basic idea of the plan by saying, "We're thinking of meeting up." And then,

he gives explicit details about the invitation at Main Street Pizza on Saturday at 8pm.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to make these kinds of invitations.

Let's look at the sentence pattern.

This pattern is the structure that our examples will follow.

We're thinking of meeting up at place.

Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.

We're thinking of meeting up at Main Street Pizza.

This pattern is often used when casually making plans with friends.

Now, let's look at some speaking examples.

Susan and I were thinking of meeting up at Union Cinema on Friday at 8 :30 p .m.

Can you see how the pattern applies here?

Thank you.

Now, imagine people are talking about where to eat.

Some of us were thinking of having lunch at Green Burger on Tuesday at 1pm.

Thank you.

Let's try one more.

Some of us were thinking of meeting up at City Library on Saturday at 10 a .m.

Another one: "We were thinking of going bowling at 10 ,000 lanes on Sunday at 4pm." One last example.

Some of us were thinking of meeting up at Flask Coffee on Monday at 7am.

In this lesson, you learned how to discuss where you're meeting in English.

Thanks for watching and see you in the next lesson.

Wait!

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Teaching you words and phrases for conversations for free?

Then click the link in the description and sign up for a free lifetime account to get access.

Do you know how to speculate about something in English?

You'll learn how in just a moment.

Hi, my name is Alicia and in this lesson, you'll learn how to speculate about something through a quick conversation.

Let's look at the dialogue.

So, you grew up around here?

Yeah, I'm a real New Yorker.

You should know this town better than anyone then.

Thank you.

Well, I wouldn't say that.

Come on then, what's your recommendation?

My friends and I usually just go to Green Burger.

Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time.

So, you grew up around here?

Yeah, I'm a real New Yorker.

You should know this town better than anyone, then.

Thank you.

Well, I wouldn't say that.

Come on then, what's your recommendation?

My friends and I usually just go to Green Burger.

Thank you.

Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

this character is asking this character if she's from new york city when she says yes he says

You should know this town better than anyone then.

Because he doesn't know for sure if she knows the town well, he says "should." It's a kind of guess that he expects to be true.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to make statements like this.

Let's look at the sentence pattern.

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This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow.

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Subject, should, bare infinitive.

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Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.

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You should know better than anyone.

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This pattern is used when using personal expectations to speculate about something.

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Now, let's look at some speaking examples.

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The character is speaking with someone about what they think the weather will be like.

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The temperature should be cold.

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Can you see how the pattern applies here?

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Now imagine they're talking about their order at a restaurant.

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I don't think dinner should be too late.

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I don't think dinner should be too late.

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Thank you.

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Let's try one more.

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The pizza should be tasty.

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The pizza should be tasty.

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Thank you.

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Another one.

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The test should be easy.

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The test should be easy.

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One last example.

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I don't think that the coffee should be too expensive.

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i don't think

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that the coffee should be too expensive in this lesson you've learned how to speculate about someone

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or something in english thanks for watching and see you in the next lesson

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Expand your vocabulary with our Core 2000 Words eBook.

126

It's free and packed with essential expressions that you'll use on a daily basis.

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Start building your vocabulary today.

128

Click the link in the description below to download your free English eBook before it's gone.

129

Do you know how to discuss purpose in English?

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I'll explain it in just a moment.

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Hi, my name is Alicia and in this lesson, you'll learn how to discuss purpose through a quick conversation.

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Let's look at the dialogue.

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So, what are you doing here in New York, Jack?

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learning about food, when I go back home, I'm going to open up the most extraordinary hamburger place in all of London.

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You?

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Back in China, I was studying to be a musician, but I gave up on that dream.

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Now I'm setting up an agency to represent American artists in China.

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What's that?

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Sorry, I couldn't hear you.

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It's pretty noisy here.

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Well, I just want to start an artist management agency.

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Is that so?

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When I open up my restaurant, I want a big stage to book live shows.

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Maybe you can help me with that.

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Sure.

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By the way, where's Tess?

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Tess?

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She said she'd meet us later.

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Had to go to the library so that she could drop off some books, she said.

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Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time.

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So, what are you doing here in New York, Jack?

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learning about food, when I go back home, I'm going to open up the most extraordinary hamburger place in all of London.

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"You." Back in China, I was studying to be a musician, but I gave up on that dream.

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Now I'm setting up an agency to represent American artists in China.

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What's that?

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Sorry, I couldn't hear you.

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It's pretty noisy here.

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Well, I just want to start an artist management agency.

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Is that so?

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When I open up my restaurant, I want a big stage to book live shows.

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Maybe you can help me with that.

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Thank you.

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Sure.

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By the way, where's Tess?

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Tess?

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She said she'd meet us later.

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Had to go to the library so that she could drop off some books, she said.

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Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

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This character, is talking to this character about their reasons for studying in New York.

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When asked about her reasons, this character says, Back in China, I was studying to be a musician, but I gave up on that dream.

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Now, I'm setting up an agency to represent American artists in China.

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First, she talks about what she was doing in China.

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I was studying.

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And then she says "Why?" to be a musician.

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After this, she says what she's doing now.

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I'm setting up an agency. And why?

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To represent American artists in China.

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In this lesson, you'll learn how to explain reasons and purposes in a similar way.

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Let's look at the sentence pattern.

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This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow.

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Clause, to their infinitive complement.

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Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.

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I was studying to be a musician.

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This pattern is used to describe the purpose of another action.

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Now, let's look at some speaking examples.

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First, I needed to go by the library to drop off some books.

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Can you see how the pattern applies here?

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Next, I'll go there early to reserve a table.

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Let's try one more.

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You don't always need to buy books to learn something.

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another one bring this coupon to get in for free.

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One last example.

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I needed to download an app to study anatomy.

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In this lesson, you've learned how to discuss plans in English.

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Thanks for watching and see you in the next lesson!

196

Wait!

197

Before we start, do you want a bundle of 30 printable English PDF cheat sheets?

198

Teaching you words and phrases for conversations for free?

199

Then click the link in the description and sign up for a free lifetime account to get access.

200

you Do you know how to express regrets in English?

201

I'll explain it in just a moment.

202

hi my name is alicia and this is three -step english by englishclass101 .com

203

in this lesson you'll learn how to express regrets through a quick conversation you Let's look at the dialogue.

204

As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds.

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Thank you.

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It's freezing in here.

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I wouldn't say freezing.

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I'd say it's a cool 53 degrees or maybe less.

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53 degrees.

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That's Fahrenheit.

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i see well we should have gone to green burger they have a terrace there Yeah.

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But the terrace is always crowded.

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Thank you.

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We should have called and made a reservation.

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Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time.

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It's freezing in here.

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I wouldn't say 'freezing'.

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I'd say it's a cool 53 degrees or maybe less.

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Fifty -three degrees.

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That's Fahrenheit.

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I see.

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Well, we should have gone to Green Burger.

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They have a terrace there.

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Yeah, but the terrace is always crowded.

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We should have called and made a reservation.

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Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

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This character is talking to this character about where they are eating and what they could have done instead.

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This character is unhappy with where they're eating and says, I see, well, we should have gone to Greenburger.

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They have a terrace there.

230

To do this, they say, we should have gone.

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This means that going to Greenburger was the better choice, but it wasn't made and the speaker now regrets not choosing it.

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When this character says that the terrace is always crowded, the response is another example of the pattern.

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We should have called and made a reservation.

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Calling and making a reservation was the correct choice, but the time has passed and the correct decision was not made.

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They are saying this to express regret that they did not make the correct decision.

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Let's look at the sentence pattern.

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This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow.

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Subject, should have, past participle.

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Should have helps us talk about missed chances or decisions we regret.

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Notice that it has to be followed by the past participle form of the verb.

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This is important because the past participle indicates the action took place or should have taken place in the past.

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Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern.

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We should have called and made a reservation.

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In this sentence, "we" is the subject.

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"Called" and "made" are the past participle forms.

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'Should have' can also be contracted to 'should've'.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you you You can only do this with the modal 'should have' phrase.

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In other uses, like 'you should have three apples left', you cannot use the contraction.

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you Now, let's look at some speaking examples.

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We should have met up a bit later.

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Can you see how the pattern applies here?

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"We" is the subject, followed by "should have." Then, "met up" is the past participle.

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"A bit later" provides context on the time.

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Let's look at another.

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I should have taken my books back yesterday.

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I should have taken my books back yesterday.

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Let's try one more.

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You should have made a reservation.

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Thank you.

262

You should have made a reservation.

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Another one.

264

They should have turned off the air conditioner.

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They should have turned off the air conditioner.

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One last example.

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Thank you.

268

We should have ordered another pizza.

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We should have ordered another pizza.

270

Now you know how to express regrets in English.

271

Bye.

272

Expand your vocabulary with our core 2000 words ebook.

273

It's free and packed with essential expressions that you'll use on a daily basis.

274

Start building your vocabulary today.

275

Click the link in the description below to download your free English ebook before it's gone.

276

through a quick conversation.

277

Let's look at the dialogue.

278

As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds.

279

Let's go to 10 ,000 lanes after this.

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But is it even open?

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Could you check?

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Their site says it's open until midnight.

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How crowded is it?

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When I go there, it's always crowded.

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If it's crowded, we'll go somewhere else.

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Could you call ahead?

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Let's go over the dialogue again, more slowly this time.

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Let's go to 10 ,000 lanes after this.

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But is it even open?

290

Could you check?

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Their site says it's open until midnight.

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How crowded is it?

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When I go there, it's always crowded.

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If it's crowded, we'll go somewhere else.

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Could you call ahead?

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Let's focus on the key part of the conversation.

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This person is asking this person whether the place they are planning to go is crowded.

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The person they're asking doesn't know.

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so they say if it's crowded we'll go somewhere else If it's crowded, sets a condition.

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In a situation where it, 10 ,000 lanes, is crowded, then a result will happen.

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"Will go somewhere else" is the result.

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"Will" is a contraction of "we will".

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It shows that the two "will" go somewhere else if it is crowded.

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You can also swap the clauses without changing the meaning.

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For example, we will go somewhere else if it is crowded.

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Now, let's look at some speaking examples.

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If you all don't hurry, I'll just go ahead.

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Can you see how the pattern applies here?

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The sentence starts with "if" and then "don't" is the present simple verb.

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Note that unlike in the dialogue, the entire contraction of "don't" is considered as the verb.

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That's because in the dialogue, the contractions were combining pronouns with verbs,

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like "wheel" being "we" plus "will." In the case of "don't", it combines "do" and "not".

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Here "do" is the verb and "not" changes it to the negative form.

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After that, we have another contraction of a pronoun and verb in "I'll," which is "I" plus "will."

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"Will" is the modal verb, and "just go ahead" is the action they'll take in this "what if" situation.

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Next, if they put us near the smoking section, I'll ask to move.

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If they put us near the smoking section, I'll ask to move.

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Let's try one last example.

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If it looks like rain, I'll bring an umbrella.

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If it looks like rain, I'll bring an umbrella.

321

Now you know how to talk about what ifs in English.

322

Bye.

323

Expand your vocabulary with our core 2000 words ebook.

324

It's free and packed with essential expressions that you'll use on a daily basis.

325

Start building your vocabulary today.

326

Click the link in the description below to download your free English ebook before it's gone.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will learn how to discuss plans with friends in English through a real-life conversation. The focus will be on making invitations, providing details, and confirming participation. By practicing this dialogue, you’ll enhance your ability to communicate effectively in social situations. This lesson is perfect for learners at a 3.1 level who wish to improve their conversational skills and vocabulary for everyday life.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Thinking of meeting up: An expression used to propose a get-together.
Absolutely: A strong affirmative response, showing enthusiasm.
Join a little later: A phrase used to indicate that someone will arrive after the planned time.
Send you a message: Refers to the action of conveying information through text.
Just in case: A phrase used to indicate preparedness for unforeseen circumstances.
Call or text me anytime: An open invitation for future communication.
Main Street Pizza: A specific location which can be useful for sharing meeting points.

Practice Tips

To get the most out of this lesson, try using a shadowing approach while practicing the dialogue. This technique involves listening to the conversation and simultaneously mimicking the speech. When using a shadowing app or your favorite shadowing site, pay close attention to the speed and tone of the speakers. The dialogue in this video flows naturally, so it's important to match their rhythm and emotion to improve your English pronunciation. Listen for emphasis on key phrases like "thinking of meeting up" and "just in case," as they convey important social cues.

As you practice, break the dialogue into smaller sections. Repeat each line multiple times before moving on to the next. This method helps reinforce your understanding and pronunciation of essential vocabulary. Remember, regular practice is key to mastering conversational English. Utilize tools like YouTube to enhance your learning experience, and don’t hesitate to record yourself. This allows you to track your progress and identify areas for improvement. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to confidently engaging in social conversations in English.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	If it's crowded, we'll go · if it's crowded we'll go · If you all don't hurry, I'll just
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	wasn't made · was not made · be followed
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've learned · has passed
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	were thinking · was studying · was doing

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: 125 Must-Know English Words for Everyday Life - Learn English Speaking with Video

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