Shadowing Practice: 80 Year Olds Share Advice for Younger Self - Learn English Speaking with Video

If you could go back in time knowing what you know today and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you say?

People view you as not an ongoing person anymore.

It's sad and lonely.

There's no cure and there's no hope.

It's a big mistake.

That's something that I only discovered 40 years into my life.

Five years ago I wasn't like this at all.

It's hard.

Bloody hard.

You make yourself miserable.

You want the truth?

In this video, I'll be in Montreal, Canada, asking strangers in their 80s, some of the oldest and wisest people in the world, what advice they would give to their younger self.

Let's get into it.

How old are you?

88. What does it feel like to be 88?

Well, I just came back from my cardiologist.

I'm in perfect shape physically, but I lost my wife a couple of years ago, so mentally I'm still working on it.

How was that like, if you don't mind me asking?

Well, it's sad and lonely.

I eat most of my meals alone, but I'm doing okay.

As long as I'm in good physical shape for another year, that'll be fine.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get there.

Yeah.

How long were you guys together for?

63 years.

It was a perfect relationship, but, you know.

My wife contacted ALS.

She lived for a year after the diagnosis, but there's no cure, and there's no hope, And she had no quality of life,

but she opted for medical assistance in dying and went very quietly and with dignity.

What was your favorite memory of her?

Oh, everything.

Three sons and seven wonderful grandkids.

We did a lot of cruising.

We were in Vietnam, we were in the Baltics.

We had a good life.

What did she mean to you?

Everything.

How old are you?

Seventy.

What does it feel like to be 70?

Oh, man.

It's been a rough year.

My wife died at the end of March and my mother died two weeks ago.

Otherwise I'm doing good.

How long were you and your wife together?

35 years.

It was a great combination.

We did real well. So what?

Kind of lost my mother, who I was with for 70 years.

And I lost my wife, with whom I was with, for 35 years.

So a lot of adjustments.

Can you define the word love?

wishing the best for the other person.

What is important to you guys at this point in life?

I think for me, now I lost my husband this year, he was 97, and it's very hard to live alone after you've lived with someone for 60 years.

Really a different kind of living.

And everything starts to go.

Your back told me I've got bones broken in my back.

I'm like, broken?

So that's why I'm with the Walker.

Five years ago I wasn't like this at all.

Everything's lost.

My eyesight is going.

But I'm alive!

I'm here and I see my grandchildren and I see my kids.

Alright, I just want to cut in here.

It's the first video that we filmed, I think, where an overwhelming number of the interviewees have dealt with loss recently.

These videos, it's one thing to listen to the advice you hear, but it's also another thing to really think about what these people are saying.

Like, we are going to be going through very similar emotions and feelings that they are going through right now.

I just invite you to take the time to text somebody that you love.

Call, not text them, honestly.

Don't text them.

Take time to call somebody to go make an appointment with somebody that you love.

Tell them that you love them.

Tell them you appreciate them.

And you never know when the last time will be.

You know, life is really short and all these interviews have been showing me this recently.

So I know I'm going to do that after I finish filming this today, so.

How does the world look at you differently?

Just by the age.

And if you're 88, you probably have dementia and you probably have very few interests left in life.

People view you as not an active, ongoing person anymore.

It's a person who is saying goodbye, you could say.

But you don't feel that way, right?

I don't feel that way.

Not yet, anyways.

Yeah.

How do you feel about the way people think about you?

I accept it because I know it's the truth.

That's what they think.

I must have thought the same thing when I was younger.

What have you done in your life to feel this good at this point?

A lot of exercise, I'm in the gym three, four times a week, bicycling, walking.

Like even now, I'm going for lunch and I'm up to 10 ,000 steps.

My grandfather died when he was about 97 and he remained intellectually active to the very last day of his life.

And I'm very busy.

I'm writing and doing voiceovers.

I'm very, very busy.

My days are full.

100

If you know how to channel your creativity and you let others benefit from it, you've defeated age.

101

I'm also a fine artist and nobody can tell you when to stop that.

102

So you're in control.

103

It's not like you have to retire from your job.

104

And that I think is very, very satisfying in some ways, you know, that you can just keep producing, keep making.

105

What's the truth about life that you could teach to young people?

106

If you live in the past, you're depressed.

107

If you live in the future.. you're anxious, but if you live in the present, you're at peace and focused on the present.

108

That everything is impermanent, so let's enjoy this moment 100%.

109

Everything has a beginning, everything has an end.

110

When we are young, we think that it's never going to end.

111

It's a big mistake.

112

Enjoy the moment.

113

Exactly.

114

And also not to be so full of yourself and so proud in the sense of empty pride.

115

What you can do with your body or what your achievements.

116

You know as you get older you see that many of those things get weaker, you know Like your body is not as strong so you cannot do as much But when you are young,

117

you know, sometimes you look at old people and you say, you know, why don't they move faster?

118

You know, why don't they understand?

119

You know, right?

120

I guess when you are Confronted with somebody like that

121

and then you feel your impatience knowing so that's the moment to practice Deep breathing and mindfulness.

122

That's the way to combat stress

123

If you could go back in time knowing what you know today and give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would you say?

124

I'd say to myself, my husband would come alive again.

125

I'd never argue with him again.

126

I would want to encourage that guy to be more able and courageous to act on his gut feeling.

127

That's something that I only discovered 20, 30, 40 years into my life.

128

You know, what is this gut feeling that people talk about?

129

It was as if it was a sound that was beyond my ability to hear.

130

I was brought up in an environment, in a mindset where you did what you were told, you obeyed.

131

That resulted me in getting into a relationship that I went too far in it because I don't want to disappoint her,

132

don't want to say no. My gut feeling was saying, this doesn't feel good.

133

I wish I'd had more courage in myself, more confidence in my gut feeling.

134

What's the lesson or takeaway that you have from that experience?

135

It's one of balance.

136

Not being a total robot and not being a total inward looking person either.

137

If you could go back in time knowing what you know today and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you say to her?

138

No. Nothing.

139

Everything was perfect the way it was because it took me to this moment.

140

Looking back, what do you wish young people knew earlier in life?

141

I think you know exactly what you should be knowing at this point in your life.

142

You can't say what you should have known and been better at.

143

You can only do what you can do.

144

You'll make yourself miserable, thinking that you're not keeping up to what you should be.

145

What's one thing that when you were younger, you put a lot of importance on, and as you got older, you realized it wasn't actually that important?

146

You want the truth?

147

Chasing girls.

148

And then I met my wife, and we've been married for 45 years.

149

I saw the futility of that.

150

It's a lot nicer to be in a very loving couple than to be chasing women all the time.

151

Don't be afraid to fall in love.

152

Yeah, no, it's true.

153

Some people are.

154

Some people are very sort of, you know?

155

They're afraid of becoming dependent or getting hurt or whatever, but you shouldn't.

156

You gotta risk it.

157

What's your recipe for living a good life?

158

Do the right thing was the number one thing.

159

That was my wife's credo.

160

Keep your chin up, don't be judgmental, and give the other person the benefit of the doubt.

161

Kindness, fairness, honesty.

162

She had it all.

163

She had it all.

164

I mean, I could go on and on.

165

She had it all.

166

A lot of people my age feel very lost in life.

167

They feel like it's very hard to navigate their life to figure out what they want to do.

168

What would be your advice to those people?

169

How did they figure their life out or piece it together?

170

Well, I'm 70 and I feel very much like you do.

171

I mean, apart from wanting to have a really good relationship, which I succeeded after a number of failures, I never really had any major goal.

172

I never really had that kind of a priori list.

173

It's sort of more like, wow, what does she like?

174

I learned a bunch of things.

175

Do you regret that?

176

Not having a specific big goal?

177

At times I felt I should have had some goals

178

that were more explicit because then you can put your efforts at achieving it.

179

Sort of think like, well maybe if I had had them, I might have actually achieved them.

180

Instead, I had quite a few, let's say, minor successes.

181

Yeah.

182

Which, it is what it is.

183

My advice to young people, smoke a lot of dope.

184

Well, not a lot.

185

Not a lot, people.

186

Don't smoke a lot.

187

Especially before going to bed at night, I have either an edible or a joint of indica.

188

Every night?

189

Every night?

190

Almost.

191

And it relaxes me.

192

Well, you should.

193

The smell in the whole bloody house.

194

You don't really get stoned, I must say.

195

Well, maybe you do.

196

You wouldn't know, yeah?

197

You know, we have to work with what we have and start from there.

198

How do we figure out what we need?

199

What costs us the most to do.

200

That's what we need the most.

201

What costs us?

202

Like energy?

203

The effort.

204

The effort.

205

Is that also what scares us too?

206

Yes, scare, bored with, or, no, I don't want to bother with that.

207

Well, maybe you'll have to look into it.

208

Don't focus on all the noise that's around you.

209

If there's nothing you.. could do about the noise around you.

210

Find something positive that you could do and affect other people.

211

My expression is I aspire to inspire.

212

If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, knowing what you know today, what would you say to him?

213

Develop more personal friendships.

214

You know, men don't usually have a lot of friends.

215

My wife had hundreds.

216

At her funeral, there were 150 people and 200 condolences on the website of the funeral home.

217

You know, she was really loved and I know I can do better.

218

What is the value of community?

219

The value is very important, the influence is very important.

220

If it's fraught with people who had their own issues, that got projected onto you or prevented you from seeing other opportunities, you're starting at a deficit.

221

My wife came from a very supportive, loving family, very social, and I could see the dramatic differences in how we approach life.

222

And I think she ended up choosing some good people going forward.

223

Me included I guess.

224

Invest heavily in your relationships.

225

Relationships are more important than anything else.

226

Having relationships that are good or someone very close to you is worth everything.

227

More important than anything else.

228

Then from there you go on.

229

But you have to have that.

230

Don't cheat on it and don't run away from it.

231

Most people are not doing that.

232

It's a very individualistic society right now that we live in.

233

At least, pretty young people.

234

Everyone's anxious about being forgotten or not get where they want to get.

235

It's hard.

236

Bloody hard today.

237

I'm glad I got that young.

238

I couldn't do it.

239

I mean, I couldn't do it.

240

Thank you so much for watching this video.

241

Listen, our mission is not just to inspire you to live a more fulfilling life through these interviews, but to also give you the tools and resources you need to make it happen for yourself.

242

The way that I was able to make it happen for myself and live my dream life was through creating content.

243

Now if you're a busy professional and you want to gain the freedom to do more of what you love, to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, and you believe that content creation could be the path to helping you get there,

244

I made a free video for you to help you get started.

245

Click the link in the description to watch it.

246

Thanks again for watching the video and I'll see you in the next one.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “80 Year Olds Share Advice for Younger Self”. This video has 246 sentences and 2361 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:21. The speaker talks fast, about 191 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 46 of its 246 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
inspire verb	/ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/	To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by…
scare verb	/skɛɚ/	To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
miserable adjective	/ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/	In a state of misery: very sad, ill, or poor.
anxious adjective	/ˈæŋkʃəs/	Nervous and worried.
aspire verb	/əˈspaɪɚ/	To have a strong desire or ambition to achieve something.
cardiologist noun	/ˌkɑɹdiˈɑlədʒɪst/	A physician who specializes in medical problems related to the heart.
condolence noun	/kənˈdoʊləns/	Comfort, support or sympathy.
eyesight noun	/ˈaɪˌsaɪt/	Vision or the faculty of sight.
futility noun	/fjuˈtɪləti/	The quality of being futile or useless.
grandchild noun	/ˈɡɹændˌtʃaɪld/	A child of someone's child.
grandkid noun	/ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌkɪd/	A grandchild.
impatience noun	/ɪmˈpeɪʃəns/	The quality of being impatient; lacking patience; restlessness and intolerance of delays; anxiety and eagerness, especially to begin something.
impermanent adjective		not permanent; unperpetual.
indica noun	/ˈɪn.dɪ.kə/	Any of the indica subspecies of the rice, Oryza sativa, which (unlike the japonica or sinica subspecies) are non-sticky and long-grained.
individualistic adjective	/ˌɪn.dɪˌvɪ.dʒu.əˈlɪ.stɪk/	More interested in individual people than in society as a whole.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
figure out verb	To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
go through verb	To travel from one end of something to the other.
come back from verb	To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc.
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
going forward adverb	In the immediate future and beyond.
look back verb	To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight).
run away from verb	To avoid or shirk a problem or consequences; to rush to back away from or disclaim responsibility for something.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

How was that like, if you don't mind me asking?
How long were you guys together for?
What was your favorite memory of her?
You know, why don't they understand?
What's your recipe for living a good life?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've lived · have dealt · you've defeated
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are Confronted · was brought · was really loved
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	person who is · people who had

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 70 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, impatience /ɪmˈpeɪʃəns/, dementia /dɪˈmɛnʃə/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: miserable /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/, cardiologist /ˌkɑɹdiˈɑlədʒɪst/, futility /fjuˈtɪləti/, individualistic /ˌɪn.dɪˌvɪ.dʒu.əˈlɪ.stɪk/, interviewee /ˌɪn.tɚ.vjuːˈiː/

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 inspire, scare, miserable.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?