Shadowing Practice: 20 English Words for Everyday Life - Basic Vocabulary #1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Sign up for your free lifetime account at EnglishClass101 .com.
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In this video, you'll learn 20 of the most common words and phrases in English.
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Hi everybody!
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My name is Alisha.
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Welcome to the 800
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Core English Words and Phrases video series.
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This series will teach you the 800 most common words and phrases in English.
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But there's a twist.
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With each new lesson in this series, we'll include the previous lessons at the end.
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So after you've learned the new words and phrases, stick around and review what you learned in previous lessons.
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Reviewing is one of the most important parts of learning a language.
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You can also get the full list right now at EnglishClass101 .com.
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Click the link in the description to access more example sentences, create your own flashcard deck, and finally, master English.
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Okay, let's get started.
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First is...
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Hello.
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Hello.
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Hello.
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Hello is the most basic greeting that you can use.
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You can use it with your friends, with your family members, with your co -workers.
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Any time of day is fine.
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Hello, how have you been?
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Hello, how have you been?
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Hello, how have you been?
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Excuse me.
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Excuse me.
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Excuse me.
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So excuse me is the expression you can use
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when you bump into somebody or When you need to interrupt somebody who's working on something.
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It's a nice like apology expression to use Excuse me.
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How much is this?
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Excuse me.
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How much is this?
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Excuse me.
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How much is this?
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I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.
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So we use I'm sorry in cases where we make a mistake.
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So I did something wrong or I did something bad.
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I use I'm sorry to apologize.
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I'm sorry, it was a typo.
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I'm sorry, it was a typo.
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I'm sorry, it was a typo.
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Good night.
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Good night.
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Good night.
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So, good night is the expression we use at the end of the day, when we want to say goodbye to someone,
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or when we want to wish our family members a good night of sleep.
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Good night, grandma.
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Good night, grandma.
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Good night, grandma.
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Nice to meet you.
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Nice to meet you.
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Nice to meet you.
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So nice to meet you is the expression we use the first time we meet someone
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We don't use this like the second or the third time we see someone only for the first time
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Please come in nice to meet you
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Please come in nice to meet you
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Please come in nice to meet you
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How are you?
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How are you?
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How are you?
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So, how are you is used as a very general greeting.
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When we see our co -worker for the first time or we see a classmate for the first time, we ask, how are you?
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Meaning, what's your condition right now?
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It's been a long time.
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How are you?
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It's been a long time.
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How are you?
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It's been a long time.
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How are you?
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yes yes yes so yes is the word we use to agree with something
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or to show we think something is good
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or correct you can use yes in any of those cases yes this one please yes this one please
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Yes, this one, please.
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No No No So no is the opposite of yes.
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We use it when we want to disagree or show that we think something is not good
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Or is maybe not the best option.
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No, I haven't eaten yet No, I haven't eaten yet No,
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I haven't eaten yet Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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So, thank you is used to express your appreciation for something.
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You can use this after you receive a gift or someone does something for you.
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Thank you very much for the invitation.
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Thank you very much for the invitation.
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Thank you very much for the invitation.
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I'm.
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I'm.
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I'm.
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So I'm is the reduced form of I and am.
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It becomes I'm.
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Make sure to clearly pronounce that M sound, like when you're introducing yourself.
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I'm John.
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I'm John.
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I'm John.
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Goodbye.
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Goodbye.
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Good -bye.
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So, goodbye is one way to say, like, something at the end of the day, usually, to say bye to someone.
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Goodbye sounds a little bit more formal than just bye, but you can use it to sound polite.
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Goodbye.
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See you again.
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Goodbye.
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See you again.
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Good -bye.
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See you again.
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bad bad bad
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Okay, so bad is a word
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that means not good you can use it to describe something you don't like or that you think is inappropriate
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Be careful of bad people
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Be careful of bad people
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Be careful of bad people good good
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good so good is the opposite of bad you can use it
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when you want to express that you like something or
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that you think something is positive my teacher is a good
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person my teacher is a good person my teacher is a good person
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pretty pretty pretty so pretty is used to describe someone or something's physical appearance,
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something that we think is beautiful.
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I have a pretty girlfriend.
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I have a pretty girlfriend.
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I have a pretty girlfriend.
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Ugly.
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Ugly.
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Ugly.
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So ugly is the opposite of pretty.
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We use this word to describe something that we think is not pleasing or is unpleasant.
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Ugly face.
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ugly face ugly face easy easy easy
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so easy is used to talk about something
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that is not difficult it's maybe something
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that's simple to do easy exam
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easy exam easy exam difficult difficult difficult
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so difficult describe something that is hard or something that is challenging to do difficult problem difficult problem difficult problem
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Near is used to talk about something that is close to us.
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It's something that we can go to quickly and easily.
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I live near the university.
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I live near the university.
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I live near the university.
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Far.
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Far.
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Far.
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So far is the opposite of near.
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Far means something that is a great distance from something else.
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There's like a long way to get to something.
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The station is far from here.
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The station is far from here.
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The station is far from here.
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Small So small is the opposite of big.
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We use it to describe things that are little.
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You can use it for concepts, for objects, or for people.
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Small mistake Small mistake.
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Small mistake.
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Well done!
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In this lesson, you expanded your vocabulary and learned 20 new useful words.
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Click the link in the description
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and sign up for free at EnglishClass101 .com to get access to the full list of vocabulary
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you'll need for daily live conversations.
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You'll also get example sentences, custom flashcard decks, and more learning resources.
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See you next time!
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Bye -bye!
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Want to speed up your language learning?
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Take your very first lesson with us.
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You'll start speaking in minutes and master real conversations.
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Sign up for your free lifetime account.
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Just click the link in the description.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “20 English Words for Everyday Life - Basic Vocabulary”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: difficult, word, meet, goodbye, ugly. This video has 166 sentences and 1166 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:03. The speaker talks at a steady 116 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ugly adjective | /ˈʌɡli/ | Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| examination noun | /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act of examining. |
| invitation noun | /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/ | The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company. |
| grandma noun | /ˈɡɹænmɑː/ | Grandmother. |
| worker noun | /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ | One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor. |
| deck noun | /ˈdɛk/ | Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop. |
| lifetime noun | /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/ | The duration of the life of someone or something. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| greet verb | /ɡɹiːt/ | To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person or through another means such as writing. |
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| custom noun | /ˈkʌstəm/ | Frequent repetition of the same behavior; way of behavior common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving. |
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| speed up verb | /spiːdˈʌp/ | To accelerate; to increase speed. |
| stick around verb | To stay; to linger; to remain. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.
- I use I'm sorry to apologize.
- I'm sorry, it was a typo.
- Meaning, what's your condition right now?
- Want to speed up your language learning?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've learned · have you been · It's been |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most common · the most important · the most basic |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | you'll learn · will teach · we'll include |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're introducing · is not pleasing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 28 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you'll, haven't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, flashcard /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/
- Long words — get the stress right: examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
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 ugly, goodbye, lesson.
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.