Shadowing Practice: #99 Saying ‘No’ to alcohol | SBS Learn English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I am not a big drinker, but learning English helps me still be a part of the fun.
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SPS acknowledges the traditional custodians of country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
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You are at a party.
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Everyone is laughing, clinking glasses and wishing your friend a happy birthday.
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You came to her party even though you have an early start tomorrow.
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You don't want to drink, but you still want to enjoy the party.
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I'm Josipa and in this episode we are practicing how to politely say no to a drink without spoiling the fun.
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So, Alan is topping up everyone's wine, and Claire, well, Claire had enough for now.
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Want another glass?
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No thanks, I'm pacing myself.
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Don't want to have one too many.
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You sure?
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It's a special occasion.
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Go on, let your hair down.
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I've been whining and dining a lot lately.
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I'll skip this one.
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Fair enough.
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I'll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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Claire really kept her cool there.
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When you keep your cool, you stay calm and don't get upset or nervous, even when things get difficult or awkward.
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She really didn't want another glass of wine, but she also didn't want to seem impolite.
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Let's see how she did it.
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First, she said… No thanks, I'm pacing myself.
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Don't want to have one too many.
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I'm pacing myself.
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If you're pacing yourself, you're taking things slowly so that you don't get too tired, too full, or in this case, drink too much.
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You're being careful and managing your own limits.
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You're pacing yourself.
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You could also say, I'm taking it slow.
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And that would mean the same thing.
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Claire also said, I don't want to have one too many.
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It means that you don't want to drink more alcohol than you can handle.
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To have one too many means having just a little too much, enough to feel tipsy.
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When you are tipsy, you feel a little lightheaded and a bit unsteady.
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It's that funny, happy feeling after a small amount of alcohol, but before you're fully drunk.
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You're tipsy.
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When I'm tipsy, I try to keep my cool because it's so easy to have one too many in those moments.
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Wouldn't you agree?
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Alan then said, You sure?
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It's a special occasion.
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Go on, let your hair down.
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To let your hair down is to relax and enjoy yourself, especially if you have been careful or serious for a while.
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We use the phrase go on when we are trying to encourage someone to do something, in this case, to accept the offer of a drink.
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I work hard, so when I'm on holidays, I let my hair down, but not too much.
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I mean, I like to relax, but even when I'm having fun, I try not to go overboard.
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That's another way of saying we don't drink too much.
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I've been whining and dining a lot lately.
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I'll skip this one.
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Whining and dining means eating fancy meals and often drinking wine, usually at restaurants or special events.
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So, Claire said that she'll skip another drink this time.
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She doesn't want any more alcohol.
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Another way to politely say no when someone is offering you a drink is...
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I'll sit this one out. Or...
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I'll give this one a miss.
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At the end of the dialogue, we heard Alan say...
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I'll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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A dry month is a period, usually a whole month, when someone chooses not to drink alcohol at all.
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People might do this for health reasons, as a personal challenge, or simply to take a break.
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After the holidays, I always do a dry month to recover from the partying I do on my holidays.
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It makes me feel, I don't know, healthier.
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What about you?
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Let's say that you never, ever drink alcohol.
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When out at a party or a restaurant and someone offers you alcohol, you can say...
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I'm sorry, I don't drink. Or...
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I keep to soft drinks.
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Soft drinks are non -alcoholic drinks, usually fizzy or sweet, like soda, juice, lemonade or sparkling water.
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You could also say...
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I'm on a permanent dry spell.
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This is a playful way to say that you never drink alcohol.
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A dry spell usually means a period without something, often rain or luck.
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But you can use it to say that you are not drinking alcohol at all.
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There are lots of ways to politely refuse a drink.
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And now we have some tools.
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So let's listen carefully to Alan and Claire.
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And let's pay attention because soon we'll get a chance to repeat after them.
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Want another glass?
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No, thanks.
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I'm pacing myself.
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Don't want to have one too many.
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You sure?
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It's a special occasion.
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Go on, let your hair down.
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I've been whining and dining a lot lately.
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I'll skip this one.
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Fair enough.
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I'll be on dry month soon, but cheers in the meantime.
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It's time to practice.
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See if you remember the meaning before hearing the answer.
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What does it mean to keep your cool?
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To keep your cool means to stay calm and don't get upset or nervous, even when things get difficult.
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What does it mean to let your hair down?
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To let your hair down means to relax and enjoy yourself, especially after being careful or serious for a while.
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Now, let's repeat after Alan and Claire some phrases we can use to say no to having more drinks.
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No thanks, I'm pacing myself.
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I'm taking it slow.
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I don't want to have one too many.
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I'll sit this one out.
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You can practice your speaking skills more by pressing play on our bonus episode.
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You can also see all the phrases we use on our website sbs .com .au slash learn English.
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Don't forget to check out our socials.
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We are on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
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Just search for SBS Learn English.
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I'm Josipa.
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Thank you for learning English with me today.
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What You'll Practice in This Lesson
This lesson helps you learn to politely decline alcohol in social settings while staying part of the fun. You'll practice natural phrases for saying "no" without sounding impolite, using the video's dialogue between Claire and Alan as a guide. By the end, you'll feel confident navigating similar conversations, whether at a party, dinner, or special occasion.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Pacing myself: Taking things slowly to avoid overdoing it (e.g., "No thanks, I'm pacing myself").
- One too many: Drinking more than you can handle (e.g., "I don't want to have one too many").
- Let your hair down: Relaxing and enjoying yourself (e.g., "Go on, let your hair down!").
- Whining and dining: Eating fancy meals with wine (e.g., "I've been whining and dining a lot lately").
- Tipsy: Feeling lightheaded after a small amount of alcohol (e.g., "I get tipsy after one glass").
Practice Tips for Shadowing
Shadowing (or "shadowspeak") is a great way to improve English pronunciation and fluency. For this video, focus on the calm, conversational tone—Claire and Alan speak at a natural, relaxed pace, so mimic their rhythm. Pause after each line and repeat it aloud, paying attention to intonation: Claire's "No thanks" is polite but firm, while Alan's "You sure?" is friendly and encouraging. To master phrases like "let your hair down" or "pacing myself," practice saying them in different contexts. For example, try "I'm pacing myself with coffee today" or "I let my hair down at weekends." This helps you internalize the vocabulary. Shadow speech also improves your ability to respond quickly. After shadowing the dialogue, role-play with a partner: one person offers a drink, and the other uses the phrases from the video. This real-time practice builds confidence in using the language naturally. Remember, the goal is to sound authentic, not perfect. Even small improvements in pronunciation and tone will make your speech more understandable. Keep practicing, and you'll soon feel comfortable using these phrases in real life.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been whining |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is laughing · are practicing · is topping |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll skip · I'll be · she'll skip |
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.