Shadowing Practice: 3 Questions I Love to Ask My Students | EVERY DAY SLOW ENGLISH B1 speaking practice listening - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B1
So, there
⏸ Paused
105 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
So, there
2
are three questions that I love to ask my students.
3
I love to ask these questions because the answers give me a very interesting view of my students' culture.
4
I'm going to share these three questions and then I want to know,
5
how would you answer these questions?
6
Before we get started, if you're new here, hello, hello.
7
I'm Jean.
8
I'm an English teacher and content creator.
9
If you learn something new today,
10
please consider subscribing so you can continue to learn from me.
11
If you are already subscribed,
12
thank you and welcome back.
13
Please consider sharing this video.
14
It's the best way to support me for free.
15
Okay, question number one.
16
How are baby names chosen in your culture?
17
I love asking this question.
18
I always learn something interesting.
19
I mean, I learned something interesting from all of these questions, of course.
20
Baby names in the United States are typically chosen in one of two ways.
21
The first way is that the parents really like a particular name.
22
The name sounds good.
23
They like it.
24
It's not necessarily special.
25
It doesn't necessarily have a special meaning.
26
They just like it.
27
And usually the mother has a lot of power when it comes to naming their babies.
28
So if the mom doesn't like a name,
29
then likely the baby will not have that name.
30
The other way is that the name comes from a person or place.
31
It's common to give a baby a grandparent's name or the name of someone special.
32
It could also be a place.
33
It could also be the name of a character from a movie or book.
34
Grandparent names are also commonly given to babies as the middle name.
35
A lot of people in the United States have a first name,
36
a last name, and a middle name.
37
The middle name is usually only used on official documents or if you're in trouble.
38
Not everyone has a middle name though.
39
And there are other ways people choose baby names in the United States.
40
Those are just the two most popular ways.
41
Question number two.
42
How do you tell someone how far away something is?
43
Let me explain.
44
When someone asks, how far away is it?
45
Do you give a distance in terms of miles or kilometers?
46
Or do you give how much time it takes to get there?
47
The thing is, in the United States,
48
we usually tell people how much time it takes to get somewhere instead of giving a physical distance.
49
I'll give you an example.
50
Hey, let's go to that new bookstore I was telling you about.
51
Sure.
52
Where is it again?
53
I don't remember.
54
next to the Walmart.
55
It's only like 10 minutes from here.
56
Perfect.
57
Let's do it.
58
It's so common to do this,
59
in fact, that most people don't know how to think about physical distance.
60
For example, if you say to me, it's two miles away.
61
I have no idea what that means.
62
We talk about distance in terms of time,
63
specifically how much time it takes to drive there.
64
So when people want to know about the distance between here and South Florida,
65
I don't say it's almost exactly 1000 miles.
66
Instead, I say it's about an 18 hour drive.
67
Question number three.
68
What are typical meal times?
69
You might be shocked how fun this conversation topic can be.
70
I really enjoy talking about this with my Italian students
71
because the typical mealtimes in Italy are completely different from the typical mealtimes in the United States.
72
And when I talk to my Italian students about this,
73
both of us are shocked about the other.
74
In America, typical dinner time is between 5 p.m and 7 p.m.
75
Some cultures in the United States eat later.
76
When I lived in South Florida,
77
for example, it was more common for people to eat later around 8pm or 9pm because that's common for Latinos.
78
And there are a lot of Latinos in South Florida.
79
But I think in general,
80
typical dinner time is between 5pm and 7pm.
81
Not in Italy.
82
And some countries and cultures have common snack times.
83
In the United States, it might be common to have a snack in the afternoons,
84
especially for children after school.
85
But for other countries, it is a very serious thing to stop and have a small meal.
86
Some countries don't care so much about breakfast.
87
Breakfast can be super small,
88
just coffee and some kind of bread.
89
In America, breakfast is usually pretty important.
90
I heard that in Germany,
91
lunches are hot, but dinners are cold.
92
It's the opposite typically in America.
93
Usually lunches are cold and dinners are hot.
94
So it's not just the time you eat that's interesting.
95
There are so many interesting things we can talk about related to food.
96
So those are three questions I love to ask my students.
97
How are baby names chosen in your culture?
98
How do you tell someone how far away something is?
99
And what are typical mealtimes?
100
Can you choose one of these questions and leave your answer in the comments?
101
I would love to hear your answer.
102
That's it for today.
103
As always, thank you for being here, my friends.
104
Until next time, bye.
105
This is The St.ite we have friends speak with more men

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Context & Background

In today's English learning session, we explore a unique interaction between an English teacher and their students, focusing on culturally significant questions that enhance understanding and communication skills. By examining the diverse perspectives on naming conventions and distance estimation, learners are encouraged to share their own cultural insights while practicing their English speaking skills. This real-world dialogue not only makes learning engaging but also helps learners appreciate the nuances of the English language and how it intersects with different cultures. If you're eager to improve your English speaking practice while gaining insights into cultural differences, then this session is tailored just for you.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “How are baby names chosen in your culture?” – A great opening question to engage in discussion about cultural practices.
  • “I learned something interesting…” – A phrase to express curiosity and encourage further dialogue.
  • “How far away is it?” – Common phrasing for inquiring distance, emphasizing conversational English.
  • “It usually takes about...” – This introduces time estimation, a prevalent method of communicating distance in conversation.
  • “Let’s go to that new…” – A typical way to suggest an outing, using simple yet effective language for social interactions.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use this video for english speaking practice, follow these steps:

  1. Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the video and paying close attention to the teacher's pronunciation and intonation. This will help you absorb the natural flow of the language.
  2. Pause and Repeat: After listening to a key phrase, pause the video and repeat it out loud. Focus on mimicking the teacher's accent and rhythm. This is an effective shadow speech technique that will improve your fluency.
  3. Engage with Questions: Consider how you would respond to the questions posed. Write down your answers to practice your writing skills as well, which can complement your speaking practice.
  4. Record Yourself: Use a smartphone or computer to record your responses. Listening to your recordings will help you identify areas for improvement.
  5. Join Conversations: Find a language exchange partner or join a speaking club. Use the questions from the video as conversation starters to boost your IELTS speaking practice.

By following this guide while watching and learning from YouTube, you'll enhance not only your speaking abilities but also your understanding of cultural contexts, making your English learning journey more enriching and multifaceted.

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.

☕ Buy us a coffee