Shadowing Practice: 30-Day English Shadowing Challenge – Day 1 | Speak English More Naturally - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Welcome back to The Learning Lab, another episode of the Learn English Easy podcast, where English is easy and enjoyable.
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I am Lily.
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And I am Ethan.
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Thanks for joining us today, everyone.
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Today is a big day, like a really, really big day.
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We are starting something huge, something that could actually change the way you speak English forever.
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It is a very big day.
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But first, if you are new here, please hit that subscribe button right now.
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Seriously, do it.
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Stop what you are doing, move your finger to that button and click it.
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It takes two seconds and it means the world to us.
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Exactly.
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Move that finger and click it.
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Okay, I am calm now.
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Lily, are you ready for this?
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I am ready, Ethan.
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But you know, you say every episode is a big day.
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Last week, you said learning the word nevertheless was a big day.
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It was a big day.
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That word is incredible.
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Nevertheless.
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Say it with me, listeners.
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Nevertheless.
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Okay, I know, I know.
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But Lily, come on.
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Today really is different.
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Tell them what we are doing for the next 30 days.
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Okay, everyone.
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For the next 30 days, we are going to practice something called shadowing.
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If you have never heard of shadowing before, do not worry.
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That is exactly why we are here today.
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We are going to explain everything from the very beginning, nice and slow, nice and simple.
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So just relax and let us learn together.
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Yes, and the best part is you do not need a classroom, you do not need a teacher sitting next to you, and you do not need expensive books or special tools.
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You just need your ears, your mouth, and a little bit of courage.
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That is it.
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Three things.
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Ears, mouth, courage.
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You already have all three.
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Well, maybe a phone or a computer, too, to actually hear the audio.
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Right, right, yes, okay, four things.
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Ears, mouth, courage, and a device.
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But you already have that, too, because you are watching this video, so you're already winning.
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Ethan has this amazing ability to make everything sound like you have already won a prize just by showing up.
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Because you have!
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Showing up is half the battle, Lily, half the battle.
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Okay, so let us get into it.
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Lily, what exactly is shadowing?
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Can you break it down for us? Of course.
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Shadowing is a language learning technique, and it has been around for a long time.
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It was first made popular by a language teacher named Alexander Arguez back in the 1990s.
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The idea is actually very simple.
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You listen to someone speaking in your target language, in our case English, and you repeat what they say at almost exactly the same time.
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Like an echo.
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Exactly.
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Like an echo or like a shadow.
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That is why it is called shadowing.
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You follow right behind the speaker, copying their voice, their rhythm, their pronunciation, everything.
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I love that.
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You are like their shadow.
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You know how when you walk in the sun and your shadow is right there behind you, copying every move you make?
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That is exactly what you are doing with the speaker's voice.
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You are the shadow of their English.
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And honestly, when I first heard about this technique, I was like, wait, that sounds too simple.
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It sounds almost like cheating.
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How can just copying someone's voice actually teach you a language?
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And that is a really great question, Ethan.
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I think a lot of people feel the same way at first.
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Because we're used to thinking that learning a language means studying grammar rules, memorizing vocabulary lists, and doing exercises in a workbook.
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All of those things have value.
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They really do.
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But shadowing works differently.
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It works more like the way a child learns to speak.
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Oh, I love this.
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Explain this because I think this is so important.
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Right.
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So think about a baby.
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A little baby learning to speak for the first time.
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Does that baby open a grammar book?
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Does the baby study the difference between I am and I was?
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No. The baby listens.
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All day, Every day, the baby is just listening to the people around them.
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And then slowly, the baby starts to copy the sounds.
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And they get it wrong at first.
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Yes, they get it wrong.
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They say things in a funny way.
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They mix up words.
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But nobody gives them a grade.
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Nobody tells them they failed.
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They just keep trying.
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And slowly, slowly, it clicks.
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And suddenly, the baby is talking.
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And this is basically what shadowing lets you do as an adult learner.
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It gives your mouth a chance to feel the language.
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Because here is something people do not always think about.
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Speaking a language is actually a physical skill.
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Your mouth, your tongue, your lips, they need to practice making new sounds.
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That is so true.
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If you only ever study English in your head, your mouth never gets that practice.
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It is like reading about how to ride a bicycle.
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You can read every book about bicycles in the world, but until you actually get on the bike and start moving, you do not learn how to ride.
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That is a really good analogy, Ethan.
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Thank you.
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I'm proud of that one.
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The research on shadowing is actually really interesting.
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There have been several studies, especially in Japan and South Korea, where a lot of English learners have used this technique.
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These studies show that shadowing can significantly improve pronunciation, listening skills, and even speaking fluency in a relatively short time.
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And 30 days is a silent amount of time to start seeing real changes.
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30 days.
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Which is why we are doing this challenge.
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Every single day for 30 days, we are going to practice together.
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Each episode, just like today, is going to be a session you can actually follow along with.
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We will explain, we will model, and we will shadow together.
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By the end of 30 days, I genuinely believe your English is going to sound different, better more natural, more confident.
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And I want to be honest with you listeners.
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It is not magic.
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You do have to actually practice.
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Watching the video is not enough.
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You have to open your mouth.
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You have to make the sounds, even if it feels weird, even if it feels embarrassing,
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even if you are sitting alone in your room and you feel a little bit silly talking to your phone.
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That is totally normal, by the way.
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Oh, completely normal.
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I still feel silly sometimes, and English is my first language.
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Okay, so before we actually start our first shadowing practice today, I want to talk about how to shadow correctly,
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because there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it.
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Yes, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
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The first one, and this is really important, is that you need to shadow out loud.
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Not in your head, not in a whisper, out loud, full voice.
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The whole point is to train your mouth and your ears together.
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So give yourself permission to be loud.
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Close the door if you need to.
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Tell your family, I am practicing English.
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Please do not come in.
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Whatever you need to do, just get that voice out.
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Seriously, your neighbors might think something is happening in your house, but that is okay.
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You are learning English.
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That is more important.
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The second thing is do not worry about understanding every single word at first.
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This is really different from normal studying.
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When we read or listen to English, usually we try to understand the meaning of everything.
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But with shadowing, your first job is just to copy the sounds, the rhythm, and the melody of the sentence.
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Meaning comes later.
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Sound comes first.
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This one was hard for me to accept when I first started teaching shadowing because students always want to stop and ask, wait, what does that word mean?
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And I have to tell them, not yet.
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Keep going.
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Just let the sounds come out of your mouth.
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You can think about meaning after, but when you are shadowing, stay in the flow.
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Right.
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And the third thing is, start slow.
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Don't try to shadow fast, complicated native speech on day one.
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That would be like trying to run a marathon on the very first day of exercise.
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You would hurt yourself.
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So we always start simple, clear speech, normal speed, common vocabulary.
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Exactly what you are hearing right now, actually.
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Which is perfect because the way Ethan and I speak in this show, we do it on purpose.
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We speak clearly, we use simple words, and we do not rush.
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So this podcast is a great thing to practice shadowing with, which is the whole point of this series.
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Exactly.
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This whole 30-day series is designed so that you can shadow right along with us.
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Each episode is going to have practice sections where we slow things down even more
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and we give you time to repeat after us.
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It is not just listening.
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It is participating.
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You are part of the show.
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You are a star.
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Okay, let us talk about one more thing before we do our first actual practice, and that is the mindset.
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Mindset is honestly the most important part of any language learning journey.
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I want to say something to everyone listening right now, especially if you feel shy about your English, or if you have tried to improve before and it did not work,
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or if you have given up in the past.
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I want you to hear this clearly.
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It is okay.
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It is completely okay.
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Learning a language as an adult is genuinely hard.
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It is one of the hardest things a human brain can do.
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If you have struggled before, that does not mean you are bad at languages.
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It might just mean you have not found the right method yet.
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That is such an important point.
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A lot of adult learners carry around this feeling that they are just not good at English.
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Like it is something fixed about them, something they were born with or without.
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But that is not how the brain works.
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The brain is flexible.
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It can learn new things at any age.
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What matters most is consistency and the right kind of practice.
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And that is exactly what we are building here together over these 30 days.
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30 days of showing up.
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That is all we are asking.
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You do not have to be perfect.
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You do not have to get every sound right.
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You just have to show up every day and try.
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That is the deal.
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All right.
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Are we ready to do our first practice?
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I am so ready.
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Okay, everyone, here is what we are going to do.
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I am going to say some simple sentences.
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Nice and clear.
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Nice and slow.
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And I want you, yes you, to say them out loud right after me.
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Don't wait.
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Don't think too much.
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Just listen and repeat.
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Ready?
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Let us start.
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I will say each sentence two times.
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You say it after me.
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I am learning English every day.
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I am learning English every day.
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Good.
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Now you say it.
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Say it out loud.
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Don't be shy.
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My English is getting better and better.
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My English is getting better and better.
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Oh, I love that one.
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Say it like you mean it, because it is true.
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It is getting better.
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Keep going.

Context & Background

In the latest episode of The Learning Lab podcast, hosts Lily and Ethan introduce an exciting initiative aimed at reshaping how learners engage with the English language. This episode kicks off a transformative 30-day English shadowing challenge, a method designed to enhance fluency and pronunciation in everyday conversation. Participants are encouraged to embrace this challenge with just a few tools at hand: their ears, mouth, and a device to access the audio. Whether you are an intermediate or advanced learner, the shadowing technique can significantly boost your confidence and fluency when speaking English.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “Nevertheless” - This word is essential for expressing contrast and can elevate your conversations.
  • “Thanks for joining us” - A polite way to acknowledge someone’s presence, setting a friendly tone.
  • “Are you ready for this?” - A phrase helpful in engaging your audience and preparing them for new information.
  • “That is exactly why we are here today” - A great way to emphasize the purpose of a discussion or activity.
  • “Just relax and let us learn together” - Encouraging collaboration can foster a positive learning atmosphere.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Ready to elevate your English speaking practice? Here's a structured approach to effectively shadow the techniques outlined in the video:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by watching the video and listen closely to the speakers. Pay attention to their intonation, rhythm, and how they pronounce words. This is your chance to improve English pronunciation and get familiar with the flow of natural speech.
  2. Repeat and Imitate: After listening, pause the video and repeat what you hear. Try to imitate the speakers as closely as possible. Focus on copying their tone and inflection—this is the essence of shadowing.
  3. Use Subtitles: If available, turn on the subtitles. This will help you connect spoken words with their written form and improve your comprehension.
  4. Record Yourself: Use your device to record your shadowing attempts. Listening to your own voice can reveal areas for improvement and help you track your progress over the 30 days.
  5. Practice Daily: Consistency is key! Dedicate some time each day to this practice. By setting aside just a few minutes to learn English with YouTube, you'll find yourself improving steadily and gaining confidence in spoken English.

Engaging in shadow speak not only enhances your linguistic skills but also transforms your approach to learning. By following this guide, you are on your way to becoming a more fluent and natural English speaker. Embrace the challenge and watch as your English abilities flourish!

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.