Shadowing Practice: 5 Things to NEVER DO in AUSTRALIA - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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G'day, you mob.
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Pete here.
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Welcome to this episode of Aussie English.
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Today, I am going to be reacting to the video, the top five things not to do in Australia, the biggest mistakes a tourist can make.
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This is from the channel, That British Girl, Jordana Grace.
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Before we get into it, guys, don't forget, I teach Australian English.
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You can check out my episodes and content on the Aussie English podcast available via any good podcast app, and you can listen to these episodes as audio there as well.
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Anyway, let's get into it here's the top five things you should
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not do in australia from aussie spiders beach disasters to aussie slang i've made all these mistakes
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so you don't have to so to avoid a trip to the hospital
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or a hefty fine make sure you don't do these five things
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and you'll have the best trip in australia first up
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and number one on our list don't swim outside the flags
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the beaches in australia are some of the most beautiful in
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the world clear sands sparkling blue water it's very tempting to just jump in right away but
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so many tourists swim in rips thinking they're safe only to
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find themselves in trouble this is 100 true it is probably
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one of the most dangerous things to do in australia swimming at the beach outside the flags
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so if you go to a beach
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and there are no flags there the flags are the things
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that are used to designate somewhere safe to swim by the surf life savers who often work at these beaches
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if you go to a beach where there are no flags
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that means there's probably no surf life savers so
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if you get in trouble you're kind of on your own and you're on your own.
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It is one of those things.
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Every single year, there are drownings from people from overseas.
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A lot of the time they're from places like India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, where I guess they just have calmer oceans.
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They don't have the expectation that it's going to be as dangerous as it is.
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Maybe they don't have this strong swimming culture back home as well, where they haven't learned to swim really well.
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So there are just all these needless drownings that take place.
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If you haven't learned to swim, please do so.
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If you don't know how to swim, always swim between the flags or at least get in the water between the flags.
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Spot rips and know how to avoid them.
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And rips are really strong currents that can just take you out to sea.
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But to me, being the tourist, it just looks like a nice calm part of the ocean.
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But nope, I had to be rescued.
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To spot a rip, you'll usually see calm water when there's a surf beach.
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So, there's waves coming in.
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And this is caused by when the waves come in, the water has to go back out to the ocean, right?
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And so, usually the waves will come in and the water will find a sort of channel to go out, back out to the ocean it's a little deeper.
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The sand and everything will have been dug out a bit so that the water can flow back more quickly.
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So if it looks calm and inviting, have a second thought.
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And sometimes on the beach, you'll see these cute little blue bubbles.
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Oh, aren't they nice?
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No, they're blue bottled jellyfish.
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And there's even a blue bottled jellyfish season.
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And these tiny little jellyfish can pack a very nasty sting.
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Those little jellyfish, they're not the worst thing in the world.
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They do sting, they do hurt.
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You're probably more likely to be stung by them when you're in the water.
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Oh, it's pretty.
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I'm feeling all right, but it's still pretty stingy.
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But obviously, if they've washed up on the beach, it usually happens from storms, wind and everything is going to be blowing these guys all the way to the shoreline.
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They are actually little jellyfish.
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They're multiple jellyfish that live in a colony
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and they use this little sort of balloon of air to float on the top of the surface.
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So, every single one of those tentacles is actually, I think, an individual animal, which is really cool.
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They're really cool little guys but they are venomous being jellyfish yeah
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if you get stung by one i think you want to find vinegar
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or maybe have someone piss on your leg you peed on yourself
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and that'll kill off all the nematocysts those stinging cells
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that would otherwise shoot out their little venomous harpoons
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so yeah number two don't feed the wildlife i know i know kangaroos
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and koalas and possum they're all irresistibly cute
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but feeding them can lead to them being sick and they're more reliant on humans plus wildlife can be unpredictable.
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Feeding a kangaroo like this may seem like a fun idea
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and you can do it in zoos and wildlife centers
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but it's not going to be fun when it starts chasing you for more snacks.
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And do you really want to mess with this guy?
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Kangaroos will fuck you up man they will fuck you up.
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If they are in a bad mood even if they're just playful especially the males So, these guys live in large groups,
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mobs, where males fight for rights to mate with all the females.
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And that's why they end up really buff and really strong.
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You know, they're competing the whole time, similar to, you know, deer.
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You'll see that kangaroo's biceps there.
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And I remember I did some work in a wildlife sanctuary
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when I was a kid
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and I actually got caught like in a headlock from one of these red kangaroos and he was just playing around, but he was strong as an ox.
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It was actually horrifying.
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And the scary thing that they can do is
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that they brace themselves on their tail and lift themselves back and while they've got a hold of you, they will kick with their legs and they can disembowel you, right?
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They've got huge claws.
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They do this to one another, but they have, you know, the males have these padded strong stomachs that can handle these kicks, humans typically don't and they do it to dogs as well.
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So, yeah, just don't mess with kangaroos.
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And feeding other animals too, it's the same sort of thing.
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It depends where it is.
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There's going to be places where it's okay and they give you, you know, you can buy or they give you the food that you can give to the animals without making them sick.
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Often, you just don't want to encourage animals coming into campsites or your home, everything like that.
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A good example is goannas.
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Large goannas in Australia, Yeah, the Varanus varius, the tree goanna.
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These guys you'll find around campsites and they get into the bins.
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People feed them and they're actually quite large and dangerous goannas.
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You get bitten by one, you're going to have to go to hospital.
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So yeah, don't feed the animals.
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My motto is don't bother it and it won't bother you.
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Oh, and just an FYI, so you don't freak out like I did when I first saw this dinosaur -looking dead -eyed bird.
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It's not actually dangerous.
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This is an ibis gross aussies call it the bin chicken because it will just rummage around through bins and
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if you don't understand what i'm talking about just watch an
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episode of bluey they're basically harmless birds like giant pigeons i just didn't know that
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when i first saw it i mean it looks like a
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pterodactyl there's a funny story recently of these bin chickens in
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sydney i think there was a guy who was catching them
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and and trying to eat them
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and he got dubbed in i think by his neighbor just
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they're disgusting they're just gross i don't know why you would want to interact with bin chickens at all.
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Of course, we have to talk about spiders.
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I hate spiders.
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Australia is known for its variety of spiders, including some like the Sydney Funnel Web and the Redback Spider, which can be dangerous.
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And B, they are dangerous.
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The Funnel Web will be worse than the Redback Spider.
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The Funnel Web is the one specifically around a very small area in Sydney
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that I think the biggest problem is
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that you're going to get bitten by one if you are gardening and not paying attention.
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If you leave your shoes outside and aren't paying attention when you put your feet in, they can get into pools and not die.
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And so you can end up accidentally, you know, grabbing one or touching one or stepping on one.
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Typically, they're the ones that are going to be the most dangerous and likely to kill you in Australia.
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But that said, it just it almost never happens.
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Redbacks have killed a few people as well.
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They'll put you in hospital.
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I think redbacks are probably more insidious because they're so small.
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If you put your hand under a bin lid or something like that and get bitten by one, you might not know.
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But spider deaths are so infrequent in Australia, I'd be more worried about driving around than I would about being bitten and dying.
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But most spiders like this massive, and yet not deadly, huntsman spiders.
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Huntsman's are little puppy dogs.
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These guys are honestly little puppy dogs. In fact, I saw a video the other day of someone on Facebook had put one of these in their mouth
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and he had his mouth closed.
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This is just close up of his face and he has his mouth closed and And he just, his friend puts his hand in front of his mouth and he opens it and the spider comes out.
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I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being bitten by one of these.
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That's not a dare for you guys.
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You know, don't try and do it.
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But typically huntsman's, they're puppy dogs.
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They just want to be left alone.
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They want to climb up trees.
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So they look big and scary, but really you could probably pick most of them up with your hand, take them outside, let them go.
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They're not going to hurt you, right?
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These guys are just not vicious.
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They're like labradors.
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And one of the biggest questions I get from people back home in the UK is like, they will never come to Australia because one, the flight's too long, and two, spiders in general.
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I think the flight being too long is more horrifying than the spiders.
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Just to clarify, when you land in Australia, there isn't some kind of King Kong -sized spider waiting outside to get you.
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Australian spiders prefer dark, undisturbed environments such as shed, garages, woodpiles, etc. And indoors, they prefer areas like closets and attics and behind furniture
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and this is really important to know
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when it comes to the wildlife yes spiders and snakes are scary and dangerous
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and what australia is known for in your day -to -day
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life what you should really be wary of are the magpies don't mess with them i wonder
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if these birds have ended up killing more people than spiders or snakes
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because there've been quite a few deaths i've seen over the
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last few years where it'll be like an elderly person on a bike
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and they'll get swooped by a bird
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and then drive you know crash their bike or fall over in traffic or something and get hit by a car.
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The magpies are what Australians I think are more scared of.
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Ask the average Aussie, are you more afraid of spiders or magpies?
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And I think nine times out of 10, they're going to be like, fuck magpies, man.
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Don't mess with those guys.
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And Max Sherwood scooter ride really gets going.
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Magpie mating season.
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Pay attention because this is serious.
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Because Aussie magpies are really aggressive during mating season.
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Plans are put up to warn you that if you go near them, they want to tap.
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They swoop you.
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They want to get you away from their nest.
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They do this when they have young birds in their nest, chicks in their nest, and they just want you away, right?
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So, if you're moving quickly, if you're walking past, if you're on a bike, they're going to swoop you and, you know, maybe peck your head, scratch you, and they just want you to go away.
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We have this weird kind of like almost abusive relationship, this traumatic relationship with magpies where Yeah.
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I think 80 % of the time, you know, 80 % of the year, Australians absolutely love these guys.
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We love their calls, that call that they do.
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They're just beautiful birds.
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They're often at camping grounds and cafes and stuff, wanting food, and they're just nice.
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But then during breeding season, they turn it on and they can be very vicious. So, yeah.
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They will swoop down on you if they feel threatened.
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And you won't believe me, but when Aussies have to go past these areas, they actually wear things like this, like helmets with the spikes on they'll paint eyeballs on the back of helmets
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that was a big thing growing up you would always see the spikes on the helmets right
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because obviously then they wouldn't be able to get all the way to your your head
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or your face to get in there
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and the eyes on the back of the helmet was all about
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if you're looking at a magpie typically it's not going to swoop you
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or at least that was the idea i don't know if
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that was ever tested or not but
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if you were looking at one the idea was
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that it's not going to swoop you but as soon as you turn around
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and it sees no eyes that's when it's like okay it's go time
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so you would often see people with like glasses on the back of their heads
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or fake eyes painted on their helmet or stuff like
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that like this is how some aussies have to live
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because magpies are endangered so people can't move the nest so
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that is where their nests are i don't think they're endangered
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least concerned no they're not endangered guys they're just a protected native species
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and number three don't forget to declare everything at the airport And if in doubt, leave it.
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Australia has a super strict biosecurity laws to protect its unique ecosystem.
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And if you're bringing in snacks or souvenirs or anything that's been near nature, you need to declare it.
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It's not necessarily near nature.
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It is anything that is from the natural environment.
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If it's food, if it's seeds, nuts, mushrooms, meat.
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Oh my goodness, it's a food shop.
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Any of that sort of stuff, if you bring that over on a plane, you need to get rid of it prior to entering.
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I had a friend who was on the TV show Border Patrol
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and she had come over from Brazil
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and I think she brought over a necklace that had seeds on the necklace that hadn't been irradiated.
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So, they weren't dead, inert.
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And so, she actually got caught up because she hadn't declared them when coming into Australia.
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So, yeah, we have very, very strict border policies.
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There was something in the news a few years ago with
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Johnny Depp coming to Australia in his private jet with his dogs
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and he hadn't declared them they hadn't gone through any quarantine
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or anything like that and
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that was a huge kerfuffle i remember being like god damn
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it dude like why would you just bring your dogs on a private jet how did you not think
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that was going to be an issue
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and you forgot one very important thing mate i'm captain jack sparrow
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because getting caught with undeclared items can lead to hefty fines i'm talking charging
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so today you're going to be fined 360 dollars I mean, you can't even take fruit into South Australia from Victoria, the state next door.
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No. The whole fruit thing is about certain pests that destroy fruit crops.
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So there'll be things like certain fruit flies that get into apple crops and absolutely decimate the crops.
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And so they'll be common in one state and another state may not have them.
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And so that's why they don't want the fruits going back
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and forth between states because they don't want that disease coming in and just decimating crops.
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I mean, that's restrictions within Australia let alone you're trying to bring a snack over from somewhere else.
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Like at the South Australian border, there are bins that you have to put fruit in because if they catch you, you will be heftily vined.
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They're being serious.
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And in Queensland, they've even banned rabbits.
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I don't know how wild rabbits know that they're not allowed.
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Banned rabbits?
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Do they mean as pets?
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Wow, rabbit pets are banned in Queensland.
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It's an offence to keep any variety as a pet.
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The penalty for illegally keeping rabbits is $71 ,875 dollars.
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Wild rabbits are declared pests and landowners must take steps to manage rabbits on their property.
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What?
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I never knew about that.
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It's a $70 ,000 fine in Queensland to own a rabbit.
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See, these sorts of rules seem so dumb to me because you've got an invasive species already living in the wild.
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It's already there.
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It's already probably fully occupied the available niche space in the
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wild habitat owning a dumb domesticated rabbit is not going to be threatening the wildlife compared to the wild ones
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that already live there.
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It's kind of like foxes, right?
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You don't want to own one of these animals and let it go out.
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People do it with cats.
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That pisses me off more that they have cats inside
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and then they let them out whenever and they kill the local wildlife.
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It just blows my mind though, when you've got this invasive species that's already there in huge numbers, you could probably own a Queensland property, look outside and see hundreds of rabbits
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but you can't own one weird i didn't know that
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and number four on a list of things you should not do in australia
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and that is diss the coffee i was totally expecting
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that i thought she was gonna say miss the chance to try australian coffee
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but then i'm like she's gonna say don't shit on australian coffee
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because we will come for you i will look for you i will find you
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and i will kill you aussies take their coffee very very seriously
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because it is very very good if you're used to That American style coffee, where it's served in giant mugs, sometimes tastes like flavoured water.
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Well, brace yourself because Australian coffee is a whole different game.
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You never see that kind of stuff in Australia, that American style.
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I don't even know the name for it, right?
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Where you have effectively coffee powder.
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I guess you have it filtered through into like a kettle type thing
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that just sits on a hot plate and stays warm for ages and you guys just keep serving it at places.
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No Australian would ever lower themselves.
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So they live like animals.
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I'm half taking the piss.
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They would never lull themselves to drink that kind of coffee.
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You would just, that's, yeah, it's a weird cultural thing that every time we see like American cafes that serve, that would diners, I guess you would call it, we would just be like, what are they doing?
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Why, why, why?
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Just make a latte or a cappuccino or a flat white or something.
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Like it doesn't take that much more effort and charge more money for it, right?
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Like cha -ching, cha -ching.
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Yeah, it's a weird thing that American culture has ended up with that kind of coffee as ubiquitous there.
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Although, you know, I'm sure that there's good coffee in everywhere around the world, right?
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UK, America, you just have to try and find it.
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It might be a little harder to find.
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Whereas in Australia, you will find good coffee on pretty much every corner.
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There's shit coffee too, but those places get kind of found out and avoided pretty quickly because you just have so many options.
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A flat white isn't just a fancy latte, it's practically magic bean juice.
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The flat white was even invented here in Australia.
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So if you're looking for your drip coffee, good luck finding it.
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Instead, it's all about the espresso -based drinks.
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So embrace the Aussie coffee culture while you're here and get ready for the magic.
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So if you want a proper Aussie coffee, there are so many small independent cafes around.
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And my pro tip is when the barista asks you if you want sugar in your coffee, it's because they want to add it while making the coffee because it makes it so much smoother.
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The sign of a good coffee for me is often that you don't need sugar.
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It won't be overly bitter.
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You'll have so many of these different flavors in there from these really high -quality beans that have been roasted well.
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Coffee's been poured well It's just brilliant the way it is
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You don't need to add any of this other stuff to it And finally, number five is don't whine So the term whinging pom is there for a reason I mean,
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I know we're good at it Aussies aren't a fan of the cliche
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But they do love good banter So while you're here, I wouldn't complain about the heat And how far everything is I mean, you've flown a long way to get here I wouldn't spend your time,
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like, complaining about it Aussies won't take it well So just enjoy yourself And if Aussies make fun of you, it means that they like you Yeah, so there's a little bit to unpack it.
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It is interesting how we do give Brits or Poms a bit of shit because they whine.
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It's not to say Australians don't whine.
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The difference is probably
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that you have someone who has come from a different country to your country and then complains about your country, which seems like a strange thing to do.
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There's a time and a place.
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And I think, yeah, Brits, for better or worse, have a reputation for having a whinge, having a whine about the temperature, about the sun, about loads of stuff.
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I don't know if it's
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so much a cultural difference as it is just they've come from Britain to Australia
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and then tell Australians that this is a problem.
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We don't like this.
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We don't like that.
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And you're sort of like, well, go home if you don't like it.
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Why don't you leave then? But yes.
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And the whole giving each other shit thing.
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This is such an Australian thing culturally.
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We will rag on each other.
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We will make fun of each other.
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And it's that banter thing.
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Brits quite often get this.
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They have a similar kind of take to it.
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But if you watch anything by Ricky Gervais, you know, as a comedian, he's fulfilling that kind of cultural stereotype that Australia is known for as well, where if we like you,
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we often make fun of you and we expect you to make fun of us.
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And if we don't like you, we just won't talk to you.
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That's pretty much it.
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So, tell me what you guys think.
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What should you avoid as a tourist in Australia?
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YouTube reckons you're going to enjoy this video next.
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Turo.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 314 sentences and 3997 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:35. The speaker talks fast, about 215 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| spider noun | /ˈspaɪ̯dɚ/ | Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey. |
| rabbit noun | /ˈɹæbɪt/ | A mammal of most genera of the family Leporidae, with long ears, long hind legs and a short, fluffy tail. (Those of the larger kind are instead called hares) |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| wildlife noun | /ˈwaɪldlaɪf/ | undomesticated animals, especially mammals, birds, and fish, which live in the wild. |
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| helmet noun | /ˈhɛlmɪt/ | A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour. |
| kangaroo noun | /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈɹu/ | A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia and New Guinea. |
| crop noun | /kɹɑp/ | A plant, grown for it, or its fruits or seeds, to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose. |
| nest noun | /nɛst/ | A structure built by a bird as a place to incubate eggs and rear young. |
| scary adjective | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | Causing fear or anxiety |
| rip verb | /ɹɪp/ | To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence. |
| bin noun | /ˈbɪn/ | A box, frame, crib, or enclosed place, used as a storage container. |
| cafe noun | /ˌkæˈfeɪ/ | A convenience store, originally one that sold coffee and similar basic items. |
| puppy noun | /ˈpʌpi/ | A young rat. |
| snack noun | /snæk/ | A light meal. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| bring over verb | To cause to change allegiance or point of view. | |
| caught up verb | Involuntarily involved in a situation. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 149 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/, reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, wash /wɑʃ/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, restriction /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, reputation /ˌɹɛpjʊˈteɪʃən/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
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 spider, rabbit, swim.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if they catch you, you will be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | i've made · haven't learned · have been dug |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be rescued · is caused · have been dug |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | animal, which is · guy who was · Spider, which can |
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.