Shadowing Practice: 2712 - Confused By English Vocabulary? What Now? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
Hey, Lindsay, how are you today?
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Hello, Aubrey.
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I'm doing great today.
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What's going on in your world?
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Oh, well, it's a beautiful summer day, quite warm.
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Oh, I actually found out that we have these ficus trees
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that we had planted in our backyard that are pretty new trees.
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And we realized that...
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There you go.
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A ficus tree.
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A what now?
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Okay.
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Nice.
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That was well done, Lindsay.
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A what now?
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Yeah, thank you.
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I've never heard that word before, so that legitimately was...
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I wasn't sure about that.
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What do ficus trees look like, by the way?
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They're very green and they can be just like a big sort of regular looking tree.
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But the ones I'm referring to are called column ficus
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that are planted to end up looking more like a really thick hedge.
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And we have them against one of our walls, but we found out they're not getting any water.
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They haven't.
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They just started looking really sad, like they're dying.
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And we realized the water, like the irrigation was the controls weren't correct and they haven't been getting water for weeks.
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So now I'm really worried they're all going to die because it's been so hot.
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It's been like 110 degrees every day.
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Oh, for sure.
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Oh my gosh.
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Well, I hope you can get that figured out.
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I'll keep you guys updated.
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Save those trees.
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I'm worried about them.
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Save the trees, Aubrey.
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Save the trees.
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Save the trees.
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But I love how you said, as soon as I said a ficus tree and you said a what now?
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Because that's what we're getting into today.
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I heard this recently.
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I was like, oh, we got to talk about this on the podcast.
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This is great.
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Yeah.
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Nothing sounds more natural um it's very it's a very american phrase i think um
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so exciting wherever you leave your reviews and your comments, wherever you're listening to the podcast, we read them.
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We appreciate them.
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It means a lot to us.
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Yeah.
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We'll do our best to announce your name out loud on the show.
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If we see your review as well.
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All right.
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So I said, Oh, what now you said a FICA tree.
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I said, Oh, what now?
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Right. Are we?
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Yeah.
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I mean, what are we talking about?
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Like a credit score here?
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FICO credit score.
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It's ficus, F -I -C -U -S.
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It's funny.
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They probably maybe aren't that common in Denver.
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They do really well in heat and the desert.
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So it makes sense.
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Yeah.
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But they're a beautiful tree, a ficus tree.
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But yeah, this is a great expression.
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If someone says a word you're not familiar with in American English, we'll often say this, a what now?
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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And when I hear this, what is, when you hear it, what's the connotation?
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Like, how does it feel to you?
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I mean, it feels natural to me.
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What else?
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It does.
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It feels natural and fun, right? right?
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If you'd be like, yeah, what now?
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It's playful.
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It's friendly.
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It's fun.
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It feels a little folksy to me, a little tradition, kind of, um, a little old school in a way,
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like a little bit, you know what I mean?
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But I still hear it.
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I still use it.
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I think when I heard it recently, someone said Pilates reformer.
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And then the other person was like, Oh, what now?
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Because they had never heard of those machines.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, for sure.
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So we're going to show you guys exactly how to do this.
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Um, these are, this would be in the list of the top 25 most natural episodes for sure.
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Things you can add to your English.
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They'll make you very natural.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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So we use this when, if we didn't hear or understand a word correctly, or if we're unfamiliar with it,
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someone refers to something that we've never heard before.
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This is such a fun thing to do to say a what now.
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So let's do a couple of mini role plays.
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Um, sorry.
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I bought a new bidet yesterday.
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a what now so maybe i haven't traveled
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and i haven't seen you know in europe they often have bidets next to a toilet right we don't do
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that in the like we don't have
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that in american in the u .s really do we not really yeah
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i do i love a bidet i have one on all of my toilets
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because you can now buy like a separate seat that is a bidet like to convert your toilet into a bidet
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and I think ever since living in Europe, right?
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I'm a huge fan of a bidet.
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Love that.
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But yeah, in the States, some people wouldn't even be familiar with that.
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Or I feel like we also do this to more express that we're like surprised someone would buy that, right?
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If I'm like, I'm getting a bidet, you're like, a what now?
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And really you mean like, why would you do that?
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So you're saying it's not just, I don't understand the word.
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It's, I don't get why you're doing that.
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I don't get why you're making that purchase right?
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We use this a few different ways.
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So someone could mean like, what are you talking about?
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I've never heard that before.
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Or it could be like, what are you talking about?
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Like, why would you do that?
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Yeah.
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And this next one's really good because silent discos are something I had not heard of until, um, we were touring wedding venues.
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So let's, let's go and let's do this little role play first.
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We're going to a silent disco tonight.
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a what now yeah perfect because if you haven't heard of
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that instead of saying what's
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that this is more fun to say a what now yeah we were looking at wedding venues
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and there was one venue down by a river
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but of course there are noise ordinances right for the neighborhood
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and they were kind of promoting the silent disco as something really cool
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and a great differentiator for this space like what why it seems weird
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i mean people like it i guess it definitely looks very strange have you ever participated in a silent disco
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and it wasn't that long ago it was at a wedding just like you were saying in cancun
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and it was brilliant because they gave everyone the headset
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and then there were like four different djs like four different options it was like hip -hop
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or um latin music or like everything or more edm like electronic music
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so you could choose but that it made it strange because everyone's like dancing to a different everyone's dancing differently
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but it was really fun and then you take off the headphone
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and the headphones and there's no music at all
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and you just see everyone dancing it looks kind of crazy it's
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so odd right so i can understand these are good examples of
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when you might say a what now
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if maybe you it's new it's kind of new
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this concept of a silent disco at least in the u .s i think um okay
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so and then next we often use this just to express surprise right
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if i said like we got a burmese python like you've heard of a Burmese python, you might be like, what now?
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Why?
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Yeah, no, I've heard about the infestation in Florida of Burmese pythons.
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They're everywhere.
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Yes.
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I think there's like a reward being offered if people catch them, right?
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Yeah.
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That's what I've heard.
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Yeah.
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Crazy.
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So these are all great examples of not just not understanding the word or the concept or the trend, but also sort of saying,
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why are you doing that?
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Why are you keeping a Burmese python in your home?
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Yes.
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It's a really fun way to do that.
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But we also want to share a few other related phrases.
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This is really interesting.
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When we say what now, there are so many possible meanings.
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So that's just one of them.
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When we say a what now, when someone has said like a noun, they've said a thing and we want to say,
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wait, what are you talking about?
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Then we'll say a what now.
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And before we go any further with this, I think we should ask the question that a lot of our listeners are going to say,
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why are we adding now to all these phrases?
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like what is that what just in that what does
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that mean or what does
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that do here yeah this is really interesting it's really unnecessary here
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so why because for this you could just say what why did you get
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that right exactly so adding now it's really colloquial it's really just like part of
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and this could be pretty regional how often
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you hear these expressions could be pretty specific to the united states i actually would be really curious
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if this is common in the uk or in australia because it's just a feature of speech that's unnecessary.
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It's added just sort of almost as slang, as fun.
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It doesn't change the meaning at all to add the now.
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I think it makes it a little bit more friendly.
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It makes it a little bit more, I'm with you right now in this conversation and I want to understand it.
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I also would probably argue that this is used, I don't have the data on this.
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Don't quote me.
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This is not research -based this is my vibe my feeling
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i think this is probably used more in like suburban rural places than urban places i think
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because it feels a little like i like i said before kind of folksy
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it feels i mean maybe you could disagree aubrey if you think
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but it just feels more like i'm here i have the time
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i want to understand a what now yeah right yeah no
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i think you're not wrong i think in urban areas
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sometimes we do speak a little more formally right my instead might say fast you know what are you referring to?
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But this is like, it's informal, it's casual, which often is more common in rural areas.
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I think so.
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There's a sense of like, I'm here with you.
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I want to understand when you use this now.
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It's interesting.
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It is.
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It is interesting.
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So that's pretty specific to this chunk of what now, because these other phrases, when we just say what now,
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there's a few different meanings and it's different.
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So let's talk about the second one.
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And we usually say wait first.
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Wait, what now?
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To signal surprise or confusion.
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It actually means like, hold on, I need you to repeat or explain that.
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So let's show a quick mini role play to hear how that would sound.
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Okay.
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I'm thinking about moving to Alaska.
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Wait, what now?
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Right.
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So it's because there's no noun, right?
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It wasn't, you know, you wouldn't say, uh, what now?
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But we will say like, what now?
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Meaning like, wait, what?
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Explain it to me.
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Yeah.
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It's kind of saying like, slow down, let me understand this.
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And maybe that's something that's less likely to be said in a rural area because things,
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I'm sorry, in an urban area because things keep moving fast.
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Maybe.
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It's just kind of a phrase that means like, I need more details.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I need more details.
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Right.
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Or if I say, she said she's getting married next month.
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wait, what now?
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Yeah.
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And that one again, this is similar to a what now ones really, if you've said like a noun or a subject,
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and then this one's more about a situation or a scenario because you can't say, uh, what now meaning like,
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what thing are you talking about in general?
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Like what now meaning what are, what give me more details.
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Yeah.
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The grammar kind of has to work there.
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And just as a bonus here, another alternative to this, and this is not what we're talking about today, we're focusing on the what now today,
243
but just saying, wait, what?
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Right.
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Wait, what?
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You might hear that more in an urban area.
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Yeah.
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Good point.
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Cause the now is extra.
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It's unnecessary.
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It kind of makes it more informal and it's not necessary.
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So you could definitely just say, wait, what?
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Wait, what?
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Also very common, right?
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And then just what now alone by itself?
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Yes.
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Which means what are we supposed to do next in this?
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There's a few meanings of this, right?
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So for example, we've finished everything on the list.
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What now?
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And you can hear the intonation is very different, right?
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It's different.
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And I did it wrong the first time, but when I first introduced it just now, I did the intonation wrong.
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What now?
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Right.
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It's different from what now?
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Right.
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There's no surprise here.
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Those other, the first two we shared are signaling surprise or confusion.
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This means like what's next.
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Right.
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What's next.
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Exactly.
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So let's do a role play.
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Okay.
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Oh, the restaurant's closed.
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okay uh what now right it just means like okay
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then where do we go right it's just like what's the plan
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so this is more straightforward but crazy
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that these same two words what now all these different meanings
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and there's still another one
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and i just want to add a bonus to this one too you could also reverse those words
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and say okay now what good point now what
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but i don't want to go off in too many different directions guys we'll cover that another day Okay.
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Good point.
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So it means the same thing.
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Yeah.
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Next one, Aubrey, what's the second meaning then?
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Okay.
290
So this one's interesting.
291
Sometimes we say what now to express frustration and it means like what else can go wrong?
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Right.
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So for example, if I say, uh, everything's been going wrong today, but I have more bad news.
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What might you say, Lindsay?
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Oh, what now?
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Exactly.
297
Right.
298
And they'll say the air conditioning isn't working.
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Right.
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So that's again, a totally different intonation, but the exact same words.
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And you can feel that frustration in my voice.
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You really, with these differentiations here, you really need to make it clear.
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What is the situation, right?
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We need to react to the situation appropriately with the right intonation, guys.
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Yes, exactly.
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If you just have the words, it'd be crazy to be like, oh, sorry, I have more bad news.
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And then you do like a what now?
308
All friendly.
309
It just doesn't work.
310
Exactly.
311
Intonation is vital.
312
Hey, quick question.
313
Do you want to feel more confident when you speak English?
314
If so, we made a free guide for you.
315
It'll help you avoid those common mistakes and start speaking more naturally in real conversations.
316
Go grab it in the description below.
317
And if this is helpful for you, make sure that you like and subscribe.
318
We're here five times a week to help you connect in English.
319
Okay.
320
Now we have another variation, the last one for today,
321
guys, because we're giving you a lot of good content today that you can apply right away.
322
The fifth phrase is what?
323
Is you did what now?
324
And this is interesting.
325
It expresses, you know, surprise or disbelief and usually mild judgment.
326
Yeah.
327
So this is more similar to the first couple of the first couple of ones.
328
Wait, what now?
329
The similar theme, right?
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Something's kind of coming out of nowhere, right?
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It's not similar to now what, right?
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Right.
333
That's true right?
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Instead of it being like about a specific noun
335
or a scenario now that's about someone's action or choice where we would say you did what now?
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But the difference, I feel like those other two can be fun and friendly.
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This one usually is always going to imply some kind of judgment.
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Like you think whatever they've done is a bad idea.
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And how is it different if,
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well, let's go through the examples and we'll talk about how it would feel if you just took off the now, right?
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So here we go.
342
I accidentally sent the email to the entire company.
343
You did what now?
344
Or I bought a motorcycle yesterday.
345
You did what now?
346
All right.
347
So what would, how would it feel different if I just said you did what?
348
Yeah, that's really interesting because you definitely could just say, wait, what, or you did what and drop the now.
349
And it is, I think the same as these others, it is making it a little more informal,
350
a little more casual to add the now yeah it's almost showing
351
that you have a little more patience um makes it a little more light -hearted right yeah yeah like
352
that you're the manager of that company
353
and the in someone one of your employees comes to you said you did this thing, right?
354
Sent this email to the entire company.
355
You're trying to say, I'm like, my head's going to explode right now.
356
Right.
357
Like, what were you thinking?
358
But also I'm trying not to be too harsh.
359
You're trying not to be too harsh.
360
And with the way we say it, right?
361
If I were to say this, I might even say it sort of like laughing, like you did what now?
362
Right.
363
Yeah.
364
Cause it's going to create a major problem, but you're trying to show, okay, you have a little patience.
365
You're being civil, remaining civil.
366
Right.
367
Everything's going to be Okay.
368
Yeah, exactly.
369
Okay.
370
In this role play then, we are friends catching up.
371
Yeah.
372
Okay.
373
Let's use some of these.
374
Okay.
375
Hey, I ran into Jake yesterday.
376
He told me he's moving to Spain next month.
377
Wait, what now?
378
Spain?
379
I thought he was moving to Chicago.
380
I know.
381
Apparently he changed his mind.
382
Wow.
383
So what now?
384
Is he selling his house?
385
Yep.
386
And apparently he's taking his dog with him oh what now i didn't even know
387
he had a dog oh yeah i guess
388
he got a dog a few months ago honestly at this point i'm not surprised by anything
389
that would be crazy you find out a friend is moving
390
and has a dog you're like i thought i knew him no
391
it's not did i know this person right i guess
392
i don't know this we're not as good friends as i thought finding out all these things
393
so we have some good examples of how we use this
394
so first again i said i ran into jake he told me he's moving to Spain.
395
And you said, Aubrey, wait, what now?
396
And I could have just said, what now?
397
Yeah.
398
It's just the way we express surprise, but in a very informal, casual way.
399
And you're surprised because you had probably talked to him and he said he was moving to Chicago and now it's Spain.
400
So that's the surprise.
401
Now, if this is someone who's likely to move abroad and he just booked his flight, you might not say, right.
402
You're not surprised because you expected them to do that.
403
And this is kind of for like big surprises.
404
That's when it comes out of us like we're shocked
405
and we'll say one of these wait what now right exactly
406
and then I said I know apparently he changed his mind
407
and you said wow
408
so what now totally different right this means what's happening what will happen next right
409
so what's his plan yeah I'll be like what now he's gonna sell his house
410
or what yeah what's the next step right and then you said yeah apparently he's taking his dog with him.
411
And this is when I would say, Oh, what now?
412
Cause there's the now the dog, right.
413
That I'm referring to when I say, Oh, what now?
414
Yeah.
415
I didn't know he had a dog.
416
Right.
417
All these surprises.
418
Yes.
419
Okay.
420
This is great guys.
421
You could implement this.
422
I mean, a really good way as a connection skill.
423
I love the fact that adding now in many cases does show, I think we, we came up with it here, Aubrey, a sense of patience,
424
a sense of kind of a focusing seen as like, we're on the same level kind of, I'm here with you, right?
425
I'll listen to you, that kind of thing.
426
I agree.
427
It's bringing down that wall of formality we talk about sometimes, right?
428
Because you are, you're making your speech more informal and casual and friendly.
429
And like you said, like implying that you have the time you want to hear more.
430
Interesting.
431
Yes, exactly.
432
So it's really a connection skill.
433
Start to listen for this first, then you'll hear it and you can start to throw it into your speech, guys.
434
Go over to 2708 on this show.
435
Honestly, you'll be happy about these pronunciation tips.
436
Yes.
437
And be sure to hit follow here on the podcast because we're going to do a part two to this series.
438
As I was planning it, I found other phrases where we add now like that, like, come on now and hold on now.
439
There's a few of them.
440
So we'll dive into those in another episode.
441
That's going to be a great one.
442
Yeah.
443
Hit that follow button and we'll see you in the next episode.
444
All right, Aubrey, have a good rest of your day.
445
Talk soon.
446
Thanks guys.
447
Bye.
448
All right.
449
Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “2712 - Confused By English Vocabulary? What Now?”. This video has 42 sentences and 3715 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:36. The speaker talks fast, about 200 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 138 of its 42 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 |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| silent adjective | /ˈsaɪ̯lənt/ | Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet. |
| informal adjective | /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ | Not formal or ceremonious. |
| disco noun | /ˈdɪskoʊ/ | A genre of dance music that was popular in the 1970s, characterized by elements of soul music with a strong Latin-American beat and often accompanied by… |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| noun noun | /naʊn/ | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea… |
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| venue noun | /ˈvɛnjuː/ | A theater, auditorium, arena, or other area designated for sporting or entertainment events. |
| patience noun | /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/ | The quality of being patient. |
| unnecessary adjective | /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.i/ | Not needed or necessary. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| bonus noun | /ˈbəʊ.nəs/ | Something extra that is good; an added benefit. |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| take off verb | To remove. |
| bring down verb | To make (a ruler or government) lose their position of power. |
| catch up verb | To pick up suddenly. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What's what's going on in your world?
- I said a what now?
- You'd be like, a what now?
- Then we'll say a what now?
- You wouldn't say a what now?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | haven't been getting · everything's been going |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've never heard · it's been · haven't left |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are called · are planted · being offered |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 110 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/, frustration /fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: unnecessary /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.i/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrase, silent, 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.