Shadowing Practice: a cozy few days back home in minnesota - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Good morning, guys.

It's Sid.

I am so happy to be back home.

Every time I come back here, I feel like I just feel so myself.

Like the truest, purest form of me is here.

Why am I getting so introspective?

Like, hello?

I love a lot of things about you guys, but one of my absolute favorite things is how much you guys not only appreciate, but love the Minnesota vlogs.

The feeling of coziness and warmth that I get when I'm home, I always try to somehow translate onto video.

I don't know if that is even possible, but I hope that you feel comfy and cozy and at home watching this.

Don't really know what today holds.

I did just get here.

I was in Paris.

I feel like I kind of need a little reset.

And I love a good reset vlog.

Like, I'm such a sucker for a good reset vlog.

I'm going to go try a new coffee shop this morning.

Before I get changed, I just got this new fragrance in the mail from Fern, and I'm so excited to be working with them.

Some of you guys know I've been, like, really sensitive to a lot of products the past couple years.

So what really drew me to them is that their fragrances are natural.

The ingredients are organic, and they come out with four different releases each year per the season.

So this is their summer fragrance, which I'm so excited to try.

They do include a little tester bottle, so you can try this out.

Okay, this is their summer 2026 bottle.

It's like a fresh summer day.

I wish that there was a way for you to smell this through the screen It's perfect.

Their summer one is very citrus focused.

I can really smell the basil which I love Fresh basil.

They're also on a made-to-order basis, which is pretty cool So they do have limited quantities per drop.

They did put aside a little batch for you guys So if you do want to try out their summer fragrance, I put a link in the description box so you can skip the waiting list and Try out their fragrance.

It is so hot today.

I don't know what i'm gonna wear Oh, I did just thrift this t-shirt.

Finishing touches.

I'm at a coffee shop.

I'm trying a new one today.

This one, it looks like you can kind of work from home and I have my laptop to do some stuff on.

It's called Fragment Coffee.

I saw it on TikTok.

You know, this is the place where I do all of my research nowadays, it seems.

Thank you thank you this is the biggest coffee shop i

have ever been in in my life why is it massive

i always forget coming back home like in new york vlogging

and filming in public it can slide there's a lot of crazy stuff

that goes down in new york but here it's like there's a chess tournament happening

to the right of me and I'm drawing attention to myself.

Apparently this place has been here for like five years

and I never knew about it

and I think this is going to be one of my new spots to come

because it's like so conducive for working from home.

There's pretty much unlimited seating.

Coffee.

I already drank my coffee.

I'm sorry.

The coffee itself is pretty good.

It has like a nutty taste to it.

I also got banana bread because I was hungry.

this is like below average would not recommend i'm gonna do some work for ophelia

when i was in paris and stuff i did nothing for ophelia then i have

so much to do because we're hiring a new social media assistant and you just schedule like interviews for that

i had a life-changing event happen to me about two weeks

ago in new york i was walking actually to meet up with my boyfriend it's like the same route

that i always take i walked past so many paparazzi

and there was this black suv someone was clearly like just about to get out of there

and I had no idea who was in there.

And two seconds later, out walks Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.

I was actually never a massive Rihanna fan.

Like I liked her, but ever since then, I've just been captivated by her.

I always get so nostalgic at this corner because this is where the school bus would pick me up in elementary school.

Growing up in the same house for your entire childhood, I think is like one of the most special things that could have happened to me.

Zero to 18, I grew up in the same house So my parents still have the exact same house.

Obviously, all of my childhood memories just resonate with that house.

It's like a feeling I get every time I come home, even to this day.

At age 26, I still get the same feeling when I walk inside.

My brother and I had a lemonade stand right here.

At this point, I'm not even walking Rosie.

Rosie is walking me because

Rosie is so tired.

Hi.

I was like, you could work out.

We're so fit.

I know.

I'm so tired too.

My parents set up badminton in the backyard.

So we're going to play.

Who's team am I on?

Mine.

Champions.

Oh God.

I kind of suck at this.

My hand-eye coordination, I feel, has deteriorated the past few years.

Is that old age or what?

I don't know.

Okay.

Who do you think is going to win?

We got it.

I'm not on your team.

I don't.

That's why I said we got it.

100

Oh, so not me.

101

The rules are no blood, no foul.

102

So the best team wins.

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Okay.

104

What does that mean?

105

Good morning, guys.

106

It's Sunday.

107

I woke up this morning and I went to church with my family and now it's noon.

108

My family is kind of dispersed for a little bit.

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We're going to go to my older brother's house later.

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I have an older brother.

111

Do you guys know this?

112

I feel like so many people don't know that I have an older brother.

113

And one of my favorite things to do when I'm home is drive around, get coffee at a drive-thru, and listen to music.

114

And then maybe go to the Mall of America.

115

Sort of where my head's at.

116

We'll see kind of what ends up happening.

117

I don't really know.

118

To those of you who don't know what Caribou is, I'm about to introduce you.

119

The real ones know who have watched me for years that I used to hate coffee.

120

I hated coffee to such an extent that I feel like it was almost part of my personality.

121

Anyways, I've turned a new leaf.

122

You know I love coffee now, so I really appreciate what Caribou has to offer now that I can enjoy it.

123

Could I do an iced medium latte with skim milk?

124

I just think the coffee here is pretty good.

125

My grandpa always used to love it, and I was like, why?

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I don't want to go to Caribou.

127

And now I feel bad because, like, he was right all along.

128

Oh, my credit card is just flashing out so everyone can use it.

129

Usually what I get from here is an iced vanilla crafted press with skim milk and a scoop of malt.

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Malt makes it so good.

131

Thank you.

132

I'm putting my usual order on the screen for you guys because if you live in Minnesota or the Midwest, I think they have these in the Midwest, you need to try my go-to.

133

Anyways, today I was boring.

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I just got a vanilla latte because I was in the mood.

135

It's always dessert dungeon for me when I'm home. So cheers.

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Summer in Minnesota is the best.

137

Every time I go home, I have to go to the Mall of America at least once.

138

By the way, the best thing that the Mall of America ever opened was Skims.

139

When I found out they were putting this in there, I was so happy.

140

I stopped there, Aritzia, a few stores.

141

Okay, update.

142

I've been pretty good.

143

I only got one thing from Skims.

144

It's their t-shirt.

145

I literally wore mine all the time until I lost it.

146

So I feel like I could justify that.

147

I don't know I don't know if I was late to this, but the Lululemon here has a cafe where they have the best smoothies.

148

So it's like a good little healthy shopping snack.

149

At this point, like, friggin and Erewhon, I don't even care.

150

I just want to get the Lululemon smoothie.

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Okay, okay.

152

Okay, what do I have?

153

Hey, guys!

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Hey there.

155

I'm with my older brother, Ryan.

156

That's me.

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I don't think that they know about you.

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I'm Ryan.

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I'm Cindy's brother.

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I live in Minnesota. And he's a chef.

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Look what he just made us.

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Wow. So homemade.

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Thank you.

164

So you made the dough yourself.

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Oh yeah.

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All by myself.

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Update.

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I changed into a pickleball outfit.

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As some of you guys know, I used to be an avid pickleball hater.

170

And now somehow I love it.

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It's kind of like the coffee thing.

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I used to like hate both of these things.

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Is this like me maturing?

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I don't know.

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My family and I love to play it together.

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It's like such a fun family activity for us.

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And you already know what I'm about to say.

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I forgot an outro.

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Please let me know if you do have any videos you want to see.

180

I know I say this sometimes, but I really do read the comments.

181

And I'll see you guys in my next vlog.

182

Bye.

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Exploring a Cozy Homecoming: A Real-Life Vlog Scenario

Imagine returning to your hometown after a trip, feeling a wave of comfort, and sharing that warmth through a vlog. That’s exactly what the video captures—a relaxed, personal conversation where the speaker talks about resetting, trying new things, and connecting with their roots. This casual, everyday scenario is perfect for practicing shadow speak because it uses natural, conversational English, full of phrases you’d hear in real life.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Notice

"a good reset": A common way to describe taking time to recharge. Example: "After my busy week, I need a good reset."
"drawn to [something]": To be attracted to a quality or feature. Example: "I’m drawn to cafes with lots of natural light."
"conducive for [doing something]": Describes an environment that helps a task. Example: "This quiet library is conducive for studying."
"finishing touches": Small details that complete a look or task. Example: "I just need to add the finishing touches to my presentation."
"a sucker for [something]": To love something a lot, even if it’s a bit silly. Example: "I’m a sucker for cheesy romantic movies."

Your Shadowing Challenge: Practice Like a Pro

Ready to try the shadowing technique? Here’s your task: Pick a 30-second clip from the video (try the part where the speaker talks about the coffee shop). Play the clip, pause, and repeat it out loud—mimicking the tone, speed, and pauses. Focus on matching the natural rhythm, like how they say "Why is it massive?" with surprise. This is great for IELTS speaking practice because it trains you to sound more fluent and natural. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to record yourself and compare it to the original. Notice how small changes in intonation can make your speech sound more like a native. Keep going—you’ll be mastering shadow speech in no time!

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to hate · used to love · used to be
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've been · have ever been · has been

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 →

Shadowing Practice: a cozy few days back home in minnesota - Learn English Speaking with Video

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