Shadowing Practice: 8 tips to Become Fluent in Any Language - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello.
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Today, I'm going to talk about how to speak Japanese.
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In English, I was really focused on the hard work and all the time.
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But, I don't think I was going to be able to learn Japanese.
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So the amount of time I've spent on textbook studying Japanese was a total of one semester back in high school.
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and then I did go to Japan and stay there for three months after graduating uni.
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But other than that, no textbook, no studying, just drama, anime, and talking to people, talking to Japanese people here and there,
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and I think that worked for me.
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And so today I want to talk about how I learned Japanese
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and managed to not forget over these years and how you can too.
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I can't see you in the middle of my life I'm always beside you
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I'm seeing you with your dreams I can't see you in the middle of my life
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Recently I went to Fukuoka and it just brought back a lot of good memories of when I was living in Japan.
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And I thought it would be a good time to talk about
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that memory and how I got to learn to speak the language.
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For the longest time when people ask me why I'm so good at languages, I would just say because I'm smart.
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And it wasn't until I stumbled upon this book called Fluent Forever by Gabriel Weiner.
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After I read the book, I realized that what I've been doing was actually the right way to learn the language.
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The book basically breaks down how your brain remembers things
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and how to use that to actually keep a language alive in your head.
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Today I want to share some of the principles from the book Fluent Forever
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while walking you through my own Japanese learning journey.
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so for this section of the video i want i'm going
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to walk you through the principles that's mentioned in the book there are eight principles
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and i'll walk you through them one by one
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number one is prioritize pronunciation early do you ever felt like
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all the words just sound the same to you like someone say this word to you
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and you repeat it exactly the way they did
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and they go um please try that's because as adults we experience phonic deafness
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so what does that mean
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that means our ears actually get used to the sounds of our own languages
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so we stop noticing ones that don't really exist
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if you don't train those sounds early on your brain can actually get stuck it's really hard to fix later
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so it's kind of like how a lot of japanese people it's really hard for them to pronounce the letter R, right?
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And I think for French -speaking people, there's this vowel that's pronounced as U, U, which exists in Chinese,
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but for a lot of English speakers, it's very, very, very difficult for them to even hear it.
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Do you hear it?
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Comment on me, let me know if you do.
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U, U.
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Anyways, by practicing similar sounding words and paying attention to the pitch, the rise, and the fall of the tones, you can actually train your ears to catch the differences and understand people better,
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as well as speaking more clearly.
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So for example, chopsticks versus bridge.
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Can you hear the difference?
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So yeah, what you can do is keep on practicing these similar sounding words.
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So the more you do that, you'll sound more natural, understand subtle differences, and you'll less likely have to fix that deeply ingrained pronunciation mistakes later,
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which can be very, very difficult.
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I think for me, whenever I start learning a language, it usually start.
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but just me watching stuff in that language i like the way it sounds
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so if i'm watching anime or drama i'll repeat after the characters yeah i don't know
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if you guys do
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that is it is it is it a weird thing to do i don't even know i do it secretly
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so i would love to know if anyone else also do
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that number two learn vocabulary with images not translations have you ever seen a a new word
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and caught yourself thinking okay so that means this in english you know
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that little extra steps slows you down
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and in real conversation it slows you down even more the trick is to connect words straight to pictures
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and feelings without english in the middle so for example
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if you see a dog train your brain to think oh
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that's an inu instantly the more you do this the faster your brain switches into japanese world by doing
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that you would you would think more directly in japanese
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no more sea dog think oh that's a dog in english and then translate to oh in japanese that's it
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so yeah try doing that it will make your thinking process
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and the whole speaking process a lot faster too number three leverage space repetition do you have any experience where
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when you study for a test
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and you remember exactly everything for it you null it on that day
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and then a week later you absolutely forget everything that's how
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languages slip away too unless you review it at the right times
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so there's a concept called the forgetting curves which shows
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that new info actually decays really fast like a steep slide but
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if you review it the information right before you're about to
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forget it the curves actually gets flatter each time you review it pushing them into long -term memory.
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So in other words, with review, you remember it longer and longer until it sticks with you.
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That way, instead of cramming and forgetting, you keep words for the long run.
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I think how it works for me is that when I learn a new word, because how much anime or Japanese drama they consume,
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before I forget it, usually this word will reappear somewhere.
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So I that repetition of reminding me of the word has really helped me to keep this memory in my head.
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So yeah, if you really don't have time to go through your flashcards or your vocab list, the least you can do,
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which is still very fun and effective, is to just watch something in Japanese.
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And if you watch it enough, those words will eventually stick with you.
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Number four, break down grammar into patterns you can use.
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If you think about how kids learn, they don't learn from grammar books.
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They learn from hearing the patterns again and again, until they just sound right.
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If you think about your own native language, you would realize that you can't really explain why this sentence works, why this grammar is right, it just sounds right to you.
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And that's how you should learn other languages too, in fact.
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brain learns language in chunks so grammar is absorbed from real examples
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and memorizing rule isn't as intuitive but seeing them in context do make them stick so one example would be
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like um i like something and just stop start plugging that in real words like Like,
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dog, movie, Japanese, 私は犬が好きです。私は映画が好きです。私は日本語が好きです。 Just keep doing that.
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The more you say it, the more it sounds right to you.
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And over time, your brains collect patterns naturally, and grammar just feels automatic instead, but forced.
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For me, whenever I'm speaking a language, I think there's no time to pause and structure the perfect sentence into your head.
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You just have to let it come out naturally.
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So for me, it's all about repeating things enough time until they sound right.
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The more I speak, the more it sticks, and the more confident I feel, and it turns into a positive loop.
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You know, all these principles I just talked about, pronunciation, images, space repetitions, they only really work if you actually find ways to incorporate that into your daily life.
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And that's where tools like Lingopi can be really helpful.
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It's a language learning platform that lets you pick up new languages by watching your favorite shows or movies.
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I watched Delicious and Dungeon earlier recently.
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There's this cute anime about a group of adventurers
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that goes into the dungeon to rescue their friend but
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because they didn't have enough money
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or time to eat food they have to be more resourceful
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and do whatever they can find in a dungeon is this slice -up like type of anime
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that just feels really nice to watch at the end of
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the day you know i wish i knew about this school earlier when i started learning japanese
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so basically every video has interactive subtitles and if you see
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or hear a word or grammar you don't know you can click it see the meaning
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and you can save it to review it for later it's amazing
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because I get to enjoy content and turn that downtime into a study session without even feeling studying.
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That means instead of just passively consuming, we're also actively building vocabularies and grammars at the same time.
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Isn't it just nice?
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If you want to give it a try, I'll put a link in the description and with that link you can start trying it out for free.
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Number five, personalize everything.
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As a hero, you won't remember this is a pen
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but you will remember I love ramen or I watch youtube every day.
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Why?
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Because it's about you.
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Our brains are wired to care more about things that feel personal.
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It's called the cell referential and encoding effect memories are strengthened
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when it's tied to your personal life
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so instead of memorying random textbook phrases make everything about your
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own life the language suddenly becomes something you can use right away not just something
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that you study make everything about yourself so much
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that japanese become your language not just abstract phrases not just things
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that you study on the textbook but real expressions of your daily life
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and this makes it stick faster
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and feel more meaningful number six six thing in the target language
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if you always translate in your head you'll feel slow and clumsy
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and sometimes the concept of the word may not even exist in the other language system fluency starts
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when you think directly in that language connect concepts straight to the words
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and over time it forges stronger neural pathways
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that means generally about your day talking to yourself
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and describing things you see in japanese even
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if it's really basic you're not just just make japanese part of your life like
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when you get hungry you can just say you know you
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can just start thinking in japanese start rewiring your brain to think in
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that language and the more you do that the more you stop mentally translating
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and start experiencing the world through japanese and your thoughts will flow naturally without english interfering
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i think this one is super big for me
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because this is something that i realized about language is that
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and i find it very interesting also
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that there are a lot of expressions just simply don't exist in another language for example
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when i try to translate chinese into english a lot of times i realized
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that there isn't an equivalent and it reminds me
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that language is just a vehicle for concepts and ideas
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and way of expressions or communications and
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because every culture has its own unique value system
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and way of communicating the things the way things get expressed
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and translated can be completely different so definitely try thinking in in
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that language it can be challenging but also very very rewarding
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and yeah it just feels like a very fun brain exercise
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number seven seven seven here's all four skills all together the
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lots of learners end up loop -sided they can read
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but cannot speak they can listen but freeze up
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when they start talking and so the solution best suggested by the author is
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that just mix them listen to podcasts read mangas, shadow sentences out loud, and write diaries.
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When you train all four skills together, listening, speaking, reading, writing, they feed into each other and your progress feel a lot more balanced.
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I had that problem as well.
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I think speaking was very difficult for me, but what really helped me start speaking though was
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when I went to Japan for three months after i graduated
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for a working holiday almost every day i would go help out the granny
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that cooked lunch for us talk to her with my very
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limited japanese um couple with some very limited sign languages at first i just i just wanted to help out
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because she seemed like a old granny
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and i felt bad for letting her cook lunch for everyone
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but i ended up learning so much from her
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and also got fit very very very well and put on
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so much weight i think i that was
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that was honestly the saddest i've ever been in my entire life number eight focus on frequency
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and relevance here's the secret not all words are worth your
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time usually a tiny group of common words will show up almost in almost every conversation
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while rare words barely even appear so basically a small number of words make up most real conversations.
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That means high -frequency vocabularies give you the best fluency payoff.
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Seeing words in repeated everyday contexts strengthen your memory much more than studying real ones.
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So instead of wasting energy on like squeak and pasta or parliament,
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start with everyday essentials like station, ticket, toilet, delicious.
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By focusing on words you will actually hear and use, you will understand 80 % of daily conversation way faster and feel much more fluent long before you know it all.
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So yeah, some of the suggestions that was given in the book is just start with the top 2 ,000 words roughly.
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So that would be relevant, equivalent to Japanese and 5 and 4 list.
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And just focus on the word
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that you know you probably use in real life station ticket toilet i really love this one
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because the more you speak the more you realize
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that with just a handful of useful words you can basically
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say anything you want i'm not kidding um you might not sound super sophisticated
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but people will understand you and that's what really matters right
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but honestly it there there's also a caveat that's also why
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my skills sometimes plateau i catch myself reusing the same word over
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and over again it's both good and bad
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but the truth is you don't need a massive vocabulary to start don't overwhelm yourself just start talking
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which leads me to my final point that the thing
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that helped me the most even english
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which is in my first language is to be creative stop
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translating don't waste time searching for perfect word just use simple words
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that you already know find another way to say the same thing for example
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if you don't know how to say is this seat taken you could also try is anyone sitting here
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or can i sit here or even just point
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and ask can i may i there are always multiple ways to get your message across
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and that's what i meant by being creative and fluency comes from
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that flow not from fancy vocabulary but from practice from
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that small confidence that you build
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which is what keeps you going actually most people quit
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because learning a language just feels so overwhelming and defeating
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but it's really not start small be creative
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and you'll discover just how fun it is to actually use the language after all language learning goes beyond memorization
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and study routines it's about discovering the many deeper things a
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language has to offer what pulls me in isn't only the sound
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or the ability to speak the language it's the people the culture the entire world behind.
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When you learn a new language, it feels like a new window opens inside you.
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Ideas, values, feelings flow in.
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Your inner world gets bigger.
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You see more, you feel more.
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Take the word komorebi for example.
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It means sound like filtering through leaves.
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In my first language, I didn't have a clear word for that.
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But once I learned it, And I start noticing it everywhere.
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And it's not just poetic words like this, it's also in the everyday rhythm of Japanese life and the o -motenashi,
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the care in Japanese service, and shokunin -no -kokoro, the pride in doing even the smallest things well.
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And that welcome when you come into a store, irashai -masai, and at the end with the big smile and about arigatouzaimashita.
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It's all of those things that tells you about something without ever actually telling you.
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Language is a vehicle of what the society is carrying, the ideas and the value and the mind.
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And at the end of the day, how fluent you are isn't just about how fast you can talk or how many vocabularies you know.
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It's also about letting Having the language lived where you live, in your walks, in your talks, in your quiet thoughts.
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Language isn't just something you study, it's perspective, something that lives inside your everyday life.
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I don't have to worry about words, but I don't have to worry about words.
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I don't have to worry about words.
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The important thing is to take care of each other.
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I'll take it to the end of the day, and I'll take it to the end of the day.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 227 sentences and 2951 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:56. The speaker talks at a natural 156 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| anime noun | /ˈæn.ɪ.meɪ/ | An animated work that originated in Japan, regardless of the artistic style. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| principle noun | /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ | A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief. |
| textbook noun | /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/ | A coursebook, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially one for use in schools or colleges. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| dungeon noun | /ˈdʌn.d͡ʒən/ | An underground prison or vault, typically built underneath a castle. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| ear noun | /ˈɪə̯/ | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea. |
| discover verb | /dɪˈskʌvə/ | To find or learn something for the first time. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| remind verb | /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ | To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| help out verb | To provide assistance. | |
| bring back verb | /ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/ | To fetch something. |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
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 i'm watching anime or drama i'll repeat |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was really focused · is absorbed · are wired |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've spent · has really helped · i've ever been |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 53 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, translation /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/, suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, automatic /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
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 grammar, translate, vocabulary.
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.