Shadowing Practice: A Day in Switzerland | Slow English Vlog - Learn English Speaking with Video

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198 sentences

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Hello, my name is Jay and this is a slow English vlog.

Today, I am taking a flight.

I am getting on this plane to go to Geneva on a day trip.

But first, let's rewind to yesterday.

Hello from yesterday.

I am going to pack my bag for tomorrow.

And this is everything I'm bringing on my day trip.

So first, my laptop, which is quite heavy, but I do need it for work.

And my laptop charger.

and I'm bringing a European adapter so

that I can switch out the British head for this to allow me to charge in Switzerland.

I'm going to put them into this bag so that the cables don't get tangled up.

This is my wallet and my notebook and pen.

These are my microphones to help me film and probably most important, my passport.

I can't get on the plane without this.

and my airpods and some toiletries.

So this is my deodorant,

my toothbrush, my toothpaste and dental floss and my tongue scraper. and lastly my sunscreen

because it's going to be sunny in Geneva I'm going to zip it up

and I'm also bringing my cap to protect me from the

sun let's put all of these items into my backpack I'm going to unzip it

and slide my laptop in and all of the other items as well.

I'm putting my wallet and AirPods into the top compartment so I can access them easily.

Also my passport into the top.

and zip it up and that's it.

It's not too heavy because it's only a day trip.

I'm all set to go and the time is already 9 p.m.

I need to wake up at 4 a.m which is in seven hours.

So I'm going to get ready for bed and see you in the morning.

Good morning.

I am currently in a taxi on my way to the airport.

It is 5 past 5 a.m.

and the traffic is not too bad at this time so we should be at the airport in about 20 minutes.

I got about five hours of sleep last night, which is not too bad, but I am still feeling a little bit tired,

so maybe I can get a quick nap on the flight.

See you at the airport.

I'm in the airport.

It's honestly quite busy, but luckily I am not checking in a bag.

I'm only bringing my backpack so I can head straight to security.

Okay, I think that is the lounge.

Apparently with my credit card, I can get in.

So let's see if that's true.

I managed to get into the lounge and behind me is a departures board.

My flight is at 7am, it's to Geneva, and it says gate shown at 6.15.

So let's come back and check for our gate in a few minutes.

But in the meantime, let's head into the lounge and find some breakfast.

So this is what I got myself for breakfast, starting with the drinks.

I got a bit greedy and got three.

This is my coffee, my glass of orange juice, and glass of water.

I got this tiny little croissant, and this strawberry bircher muesli.

And over here, it's sort of like an English breakfast with scrambled egg,

baked beans, some diced potatoes, a slice of cheese and some bacon.

And over here is my cutlery.

A spoon, knife and fork.

You can see how short the tip of the knife is.

That's due to safety regulations as we're in an airport.

Before I get on my flight, I want to get a bottle of water, or as some say, a bottle of water.

I'm going to get one for myself and one for my cameraman.

Let's go and check out.

Alright, thank you.

Alright, we've got the waters.

I am getting on this plane.

I am walking down the boarding bridge, about to board my flight.

Here is the entrance to the plane.

Morning.

The flight was packed, so I couldn't film much, but my seat had a good amount of legroom,

was a place to put my water bottle

and a nice big tray table and they brought everyone a chocolate which was a very nice touch.

I have landed in Geneva Airport.

The flight was only about one hour long.

I didn't really get any sleep but that's okay.

We are headed to Passport Control and this is a moving walkway which allows you to walk faster.

I'm just waiting in line at passport control.

It looks to me like quite a long queue ahead so I hope it doesn't take too long.

So passport control didn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes or so.

Geneva or Switzerland as a whole is very known for their watches which reminds me that

I need to change the time on my watch because the time here is one hour ahead of the time in London.

So I'm just looking for signs for the train.

I think it's that way.

I found the sign.

Trains that way.

This is the ticket machine and I am trying to buy a train ticket to Geneva Station.

I've got my train tickets and this is the train that I will be getting on.

It has two floors, which means it's a double-decker train.

Let's head over to the door and press this button, which should open the door,

and I am I'm stepping onto the train and I actually want to go up the stairs to the upper deck.

Look at this, it's like a curved sofa.

I've never seen something like this on a train.

So spacious I could even lie down.

But let's not do that.

The train journey to Geneva is actually only 7 minutes.

So we should be there in a couple of minutes actually

and I will have to get up from my very comfortable seat.

But yes, very excited to see Geneva and explore the city.

I'll see you there.

So, I have made it into the city and I am actually heading to a cafe now

because I have to attend an online meeting for work.

I think the cafe is just around the corner here.

Here it is.

100

This is the cafe.

101

I got an espresso tonic, which was nice and refreshing.

102

I sat down on my laptop to join the meeting.

103

So I've come to the park and this is part of the University of Geneva.

104

The good news is that I'm all done with my work meetings today,

105

but the bad news is that both my phone and my laptop are dead.

106

They are out of battery,

107

and apparently in this library they have plugs where I can charge my laptop and phone.

108

So let's go inside and charge my devices.

109

So, I'm in the library now.

110

I have to speak very quietly so that I don't bother the other people.

111

But right below here, I found some plugs.

112

So, I managed to charge both my phone and laptop.

113

My phone is now on 80%,

114

so that should last me all the way back home tonight and I am feeling quite hungry,

115

so I am on my way now to look for some lunch.

116

I'm at a restaurant.

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This was recommended to me as a famous galette restaurant,

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and this is the menu with a long list of options, but I have decided to get the Popeye,

119

which is egg, cheese and spinach.

120

Since it's such a beautiful day outside,

121

I decided to do takeout and I'm going to the park to have a picnic.

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So, I've made it to the park.

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I found this nice spot which overlooks the lake.

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And over here, a beautiful fountain.

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I mean, this is really nice, but I have my eyes on the food because I am really...

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Oh no!

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I almost spilled my drink.

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Let's make sure not to do that.

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And I'm going to open up the box.

130

Alright, let's give it a try.

131

I wonder if I'm supposed to dip it into the yolk.

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Let's try that.

133

Okay.

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It's nice, but it is pretty salty.

135

And for my drink, I got an iced cacao latte, or at least that's what they called it in the cafe.

136

I'm assuming it will be sweet?

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Okay, actually it's quite bitter.

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I do taste the chocolate, but it's like dark chocolate.

139

And there is also a hint of cinnamon.

140

But overall, it's quite nice.

141

I finished my lunch and I am just lying here on the grass.

142

I need to make sure I don't accidentally fall asleep because it's already 5pm and my return flight departs at 8.50pm,

143

which means I need to head to the airport in about an hour and a half.

144

So I'll probably get up and go for a little walk along the lake.

145

behind me is the famous water fountain called

146

jet d'eau which is French for water jet

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and apparently it launches water up to a height of about a hundred

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and forty meters I didn't know that you can actually walk up very close to the source of the jet stream.

149

You can see how the water is kind of blocking the sunlight and I don't know if it's because of the water,

150

but it does definitely feel a bit cooler here by a couple of degrees.

151

So, I've been walking in the sun for quite a while now and I really could do with some gelato.

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And I've heard that Geneva has some good gelato spots.

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So I'm going to go on my phone and look up some places nearby.

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I think I found the perfect spot.

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It's only seven minutes away.

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So let's walk over to get some gelato.

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So this is a pedestrian crossing and you can see the green light is flashing,

158

which means I need to hurry up.

159

I think I have found the store Gelatomania.

160

It's pretty busy though, so I'll have to wait a little bit.

161

Can I get the three in a pot?

162

Yes, in the pot, okay?

163

Yeah, and I'll get the sea salt, the coconut and the peach, please.

164

Okay.

165

I'm ready to get this one.

166

Okay.

167

Wow, I think he gave us a little bit extra on top because look at this.

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This is supposed to be a small one, but it's huge.

169

Okay, I'm gonna try the top layer, which I think is the peach.

170

Oh, that is.. that is amazing.

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It feels like I'm biting into a real peach.

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And the second layer, which I think is coconut.

173

Mmm.

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Not only does it taste like coconut, I feel like there's little bits of real coconut in there.

175

Wow.

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And the bottom layer, which is the sea salt.

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It's like the perfect balance of salty and sweet.

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Genuinely, this is probably the best gelato I've ever had in my life.

179

I would probably come back to Geneva just to have this again.

180

And just like that, it is now time to head back to the airport.

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I am going to walk to Geneva station, take the train to the airport,

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and fly back to London.

183

I am back at the airport and my flight is this one, 8.50pm to London Heathrow.

184

But one thing I cannot forget is to buy some chocolates for a gift.

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So let's go into the chocolate shop and take a look around.

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Wow, so many chocolates.

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And this is pretty cool, it's a fake cocoa tree,

188

and inside is a chocolate fountain, but it says, do not touch, so let's keep walking.

189

I really like the packaging, so I'm going to get this one.

190

And then it was time to board.

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There's my plane.

192

I was so tired that I slept through most of the flight,

193

but I still managed to get a view of Windsor Castle as we were coming in to land.

194

I have made it back to London Heathrow Airport.

195

It's been about 16 hours since I came here this morning.

196

I am exhausted, but I hope you enjoyed the video.

197

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and I'll see you in the next one.

198

Bye!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “A Day in Switzerland”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Geneva, airport, flight, train. This video has 198 sentences and 2036 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:40. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
laptop noun	/ˈlæp.tɑp/	A laptop computer.
passport noun	/ˈpæspɔɹt/	An official document normally used for international journeys, which proves the identity and nationality of the person for whom it was issued.
café noun	/ˌkæˈfeɪ/	A coffee shop; an establishment selling coffee and sometimes other non-alcoholic beverages, simple meals or snacks, with a facility to consume them on the…
gelato noun	/d͡ʒəˈlɑtoʊ/	An Italian variant of ice cream made from milk and sugar, combined with other flavourings. The ingredients are supercooled while stirring to break up ice…
coconut noun	/ˈkəʊ.kə.nʌt/	A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed.
peach noun	/ˈpiːt͡ʃ/	Any tree of species Prunus persica, native to China and now widely cultivated throughout temperate regions, having pink flowers and edible fruit.
fountain noun	/ˈfaʊn.tɪn/	A natural source of water; a spring.
lounge noun	/ˈlaʊ̯nd͡ʒ/	The act of someone who lounges; idle reclining.
salty adjective	/ˈsɔlti/	Tasting of salt.
backpack noun	/ˈbæk.pæk/	A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when…
plug noun	/plʌɡ/	A pronged connecting device which fits into a mating socket, especially an electrical one.
wallet noun	/ˈwɑl.ət/	A small case, often flat and often made of leather, for keeping money (especially paper money), credit cards, etc.
bircher noun		A person who flogs using a birch rod.
cameraman noun	/ˈkæm(ə)ɹəˌmæn/	Somebody who operates a movie camera or television camera.
croissant noun	/kɹəˈsɑnt/	A flaky roll or pastry in a form of a crescent.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
come back verb		To return to a place.
get up verb		To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb.
go up verb		To move upwards.
lie down verb		To assume a horizontal position.
look around verb		To inspect a building or area.
look up verb	/ˌlʊk ˈʌp/	To have better prospects.
open up verb		To open.

Sentences worth repeating

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

I can't get on the plane without this.
Let's go and check out.
Alright, we've got the waters.
I didn't really get any sleep but that's okay.
Can I get the three in a pot?

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	have landed · I've never seen · have made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	laptop, which is · night, which is · chocolate which was
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are headed · was recommended
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should be

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 52 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/, toothpaste /ˈtuθpeɪst/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: spacious /ˈspeɪʃ.əs/, toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: cameraman /ˈkæm(ə)ɹəˌmæn/, deodorant /diˈoʊ.də.ɹənt/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like laptop, passport, café.

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 Day in Switzerland | Slow English Vlog - Learn English Speaking with Video

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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?