Shadowing Practice: a perfect fall weekend in minnesota - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hi guys, it's Syd, and welcome back.

I'm feeling so cozy and chatty today.

I'm back home in Minnesota, as you can probably tell, because I don't have a car in New York.

I'm outside one of my favorite local coffee shops.

It's called Vandella.

And I brought a book with me, specifically this one, which you know what?

I'm going to save this to tell you guys about because I have a lot of thoughts to share.

I don't know why it took me so long to start this book.

Oh, this is a bill.

That is my bookmark.

Hopefully my address isn't showing.

It is so good.

I am only about a fourth of the way through, but I did just buy this last night.

So sometimes I find it really hard to get engaged in a book right away.

My attention span is just unfortunately not the best.

Something about this is so intriguing and it's kind of making me rediscover a love for reading.

My friend told me that the movie was coming out

so I was like I have to read it before I see the movie in a week or so.

I love this cafe everyone is

so nice i really think there is truth to the whole minnesota nice thing like

when i walk in a store or something

and i make eye contact with someone i think it's more normal to smile here

but when i moved to new york and i would do

that and i would smile at people everyone like looked at me like i was kind of weird

so i stopped doing it um anyways it is just the cute coziest little cafe ever

okay i am on my way to a very important lunch

meeting actually can someone guess before i say who do you

think i'm meeting okay i'm just gonna say it i'm meeting

with rachel obviously the ogs know rachel is my best friend

from minnesota living far away from each other now whenever we meet up we always just have

so much to catch up on so i'm so excited to see her

and i'm excited for you guys to see her hey guys

look who i'm with we just had our panera it was

great classic place we get food at a lot our minnesota

staple i should put a picture of us in the middle right here oh my gosh

so earlier when i was driving i drove past the sign that said that my city was having like a market fest.

Kind of a rarity.

I've honestly never heard of them doing this but I'm really curious.

I have no idea if it's like food or like craft art stuff.

My mom's with me.

She's hidden.

This is all you get.

So the market is in this hockey arena.

All the vendors are lined up and it's so cute look i think my mom's buying a candle

i'm in my room this is the room that i stay in

when i come home i always go back

and forth in my head about where i want to end up living

and sometimes i think it's minnesota and then other times i'm like no it's not

but my family's here

so i don't know i constantly have this like dilemma with

myself I feel weirdly guilty for not living close to my family it really weighs on me

and to be honest like my family doesn't make me feel bad about it at all they're

so supportive but it is really hard as you get older

and I feel like I just miss miss out on

so many things

that I don't want to moving to New York people always

said was a big adjustment I'd say the first year

and a half it was really tough

and it's just such a different city to get acclimated to

but now I don't know I feel like i think i might stay for a

while that's been sort of a big life change

and i think i'm gonna renew my lease i guess i also have to catch you guys up on

that i also went through a breakup a couple months ago

i think i really went through my healing pretty privately obviously

it's not something i like want to share details about online ever breakups are really hard especially

when you're in a serious relationship in your mid to late 20s i was grieving not only the person

but the future that i always envisioned and thought

that i had with them i think one of the biggest

things i struggled with with the breakup is not being able to have the timeline

that i wanted on social media i was actually just talking about this with rachel

but when you're going through something like a breakup

and to see engagement posts on instagram especially when you know

that that's something that you want for your future but the pressures of social media definitely

make it feel like you're running out of time although i know that that's not the truth that I am still young, I think it's really easy to let the pressure of social media get to me.

So I'm just trying to enjoy being single and living in New York.

I didn't think I'd be living there still, but I think I've sort of found like a deeper, even newfound appreciation for it.

But that's my update.

I didn't really want to talk about it when I was super fresh

and I was actually grieving it and going through it.

So it is a pretty big update in my life.

And it kind of felt weird to not tell you guys what I was kind of going through.

I always want to be real and honest in myself

and not sugarcoat everything anyways rant over hey guys good morning good afternoon

that means good morning in slobac we are doing a little

family road trip up north in minnesota we're going to lutzen

for the locals who might recognize we're going at peak season

mom how are you doing back there i'm good what do you want us to say start over start over.

Are we boring guys?

We are.

A little bit.

We're a little dull.

Let's start over.

Let's turn over.

Let's start over.

We'll see if you got your New York legs of have you primed and ready to go hiking up north.

Oh cut cut cut.

so on the long car ride here i of course went

on tiktok to find a coffee shop on the way your research is really good you found the spot

so i applaud you you did good research

100

thanks we always joke with my dad that he gets

101

so rigid on camera i had some great hot chocolate here

102

it's proof you liked it i think we have another hour and a half till we get to lutzen

103

all my life i have wanted to come to the black sand beach

104

and this is my first time here it's like as cool

105

as it is in photos maybe even cooler in person i

106

mean in person i wasn't sure sometimes things don't live up to the hype

107

so much but i feel like i'm not in minnesota right now but we just took this as a pit stop.

108

We're almost at our cabin.

109

good morning guys i can't stop looking at the background

110

because this looks like one of those instagram reels where they ask like

111

which room you want to wake up in do you know what i'm talking about i hope someone understands

112

that we made it to lutzen to possibly the most cozy cabin

113

that exists it's

114

so beautiful i need to show you guys like a little house tour later it's really rainy this morning

115

which I usually hate the rain but it kind of fits the mood today.

116

We're gonna go get coffee in a little bit.

117

Actually I'm the only one getting coffee.

118

The first thing I needed to tell you guys this morning is that last night I finally finished it.

119

I finished the book Verity.

120

I was up I think till 1 a .m reading it because I couldn't go to bed without finishing it.

121

It's so messed up and twisted and people always said this to me before I started it but wow it really is.

122

I think team manuscript

123

if people can comment what they think i really want to hear people's opinions on

124

that and if you haven't read it you should read it whenever i travel especially somewhere

125

so secluded like this i always imagine what my life would be like

126

if i lived here last night super late we grabbed a really quick dinner

127

and i was just imagining my life if i switched places with the waitress

128

that we had and i lived in this town

129

because i think she's around my age

130

and i was just like imagining like the friends

131

that i would have here and like the lifestyle i would have here the hobbies

132

and activities how different they would probably be obviously what i

133

have in new york i think just the stark contrast

134

and how people are living a completely different lifestyle obviously there's

135

so many perks to this place it's just beautiful there's no one around it's quiet things

136

that you don't get in new york obviously there's amazing parts of new york too i don't think one's better

137

or worse it's just i don't know i don't know

138

if anyone else does that but but I always contemplate what things would look like

139

if I switched lives with someone my age.

140

Anyways, I think we're gonna leave to get coffee.

141

i just had the best latte of my life we're at

142

this little coffee shop by our cabin there's i think this

143

is like the only coffee shop in a 30 mile radius

144

so i got their famous maple latte and i felt like i had to

145

because i'm in minnesota and it was

146

so good i wish i got the large version now

147

but such a cozy little morning and everyone here looks at me like I'm crazy for vlogging

148

we just got off the gondola and the sun came out

149

so mood instantly boosted look how beautiful this looks like the ocean in the back

150

but it is just the most giant lake in the world

151

we're going on a little hike i have my trusted hunter

152

boots on my hunter boots remind me of high school

153

because in high school every girl had a pair of hunter boots

154

and i just love them they're such a core minnesota staple to me

155

okay guys we are taking a mini hike i would say it's like 10 minutes

156

so i wouldn't even classify this as a hike

157

but there's this beautiful viewpoint apparently

158

so my dad recommended it it's really chilly here it is like 30 degrees colder than the twin cities

159

okay we have to wait for dad to be done peeing well they uh they got that in the shot

160

everyone can hear dad peeing okay guys it's time for a house tour

161

um we're gonna make this so fast

162

but i do just have to show you guys

163

because it's the coolest cabin isn't it it's very very nice yes

164

and look who's videographer hi hi guys he's famous okay um should we start with the living room yeah yeah

165

okay this is the living room look at the fire i mean you guys saw this earlier i guess

166

so here's kitchen this is the kitchen a beautiful long table

167

i love the blue countertop isn't it really cool yes it

168

kind of goes with the house this is called the blue cabin very warm cozy

169

so cozy and i love this lamp it's my favorite part of the house i like

170

that lamp too you too okay yes now let's take them

171

up to the loft okay these are the steepest stairs on

172

planet earth they go directly vertical it's a bit scary yes

173

so uh don't worry i'll be right behind you in case

174

you fall thank you no promises though we made it we

175

made it you can see everything down below yep even

176

that guy oh gosh okay i love it it has a

177

bit of a scandinavian influence minnesota has a lot of scandinavian

178

qualities right dad right anyways back down we go look how steep this is guys

179

she's coming down folks going down there in the middle of

180

the night seems like a nightmare here we have a little

181

entry yes this is the real entryway this is the bunk

182

room oh i won't get mama's my mom's sleeping already in her natural habitat yeah

183

and lastly the master all right good night good night good

184

morning guys i'm in my car as usual i just pulled

185

up to can you guys guess it actually experiment um take a guess

186

and it's an honor system because there's like no way for me to know okay

187

if you guessed from at the mall of america you're right

188

it's like the same thing always um i woke up

189

and had therapy this morning i'm really tired and i feel

190

so dramatic whenever i say like i'm tired so i need a coffee

191

but this is like one of those moments where i am

192

that tired that i i really want one

193

and i also have a lot of editing to do

194

so i thought i would bring my laptop to the Capital One Cafe in the mall.

195

This is one of my rotation coffee shops that I come to when I'm home.

196

I'd say I have about three to four, so I thought I'd come here and maybe I'll shop a little bit.

197

It's kind of hard not to do that, to be honest, when I come here.

198

It feels good to be home.

199

i actually don't even think the employees know me here anymore they used to come here all the time

200

when i lived in minnesota and to be honest i really like it

201

because they have great seating here there's always a spot there's

202

a bathroom in new york bathrooms are hard to come by

203

so i really value

204

that they have great wi -fi outlets that's kind of all

205

it takes for me um also i have a new laptop setup this might seem a little overboard and overkill

206

but it's let me just show you it's pretty legit full

207

laptop stand wireless keyboard wireless mouse why do i do this

208

you may be wondering well the reason i go this overboard is

209

because i found that i have really bad neck pain

210

when i'm like on my laptop regularly this has honestly saved

211

me i can't even express like how much better i feel

212

and i also get like carpal tunnel like symptoms in my hands so i need that to be level.

213

I have issues I guess.

214

It honestly works pretty well because this stand is collapsible

215

so I can just easily condense it and put it in my purse like this.

216

I actually had a guy come up to me a couple days ago in the coffee shop

217

and he asked me where I got this

218

because he's like this looks like the best thing ever so I showed him the link.

219

I think he bought it.

220

Oh I did forget to show you guys but I got coffee.

221

This is three hours old because I've been for a long time.

222

I don't know if I should go shopping.

223

It's like, how can I not when the mall is literally right in front of me?

224

Like, how am I supposed to avoid this?

225

I passed by Sephora on my way out, so it only made sense that I had to go in.

226

I did need shampoo, so it felt necessary thanks for watching i hope you guys

227

liked my little cozy chill minnesota vlog i'll see you guys in my next vlog of course love you guys bye

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “a perfect fall weekend in minnesota”. This video has 227 sentences and 2715 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:44. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% 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
cosy adjective	/ˈkoʊzi/	Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
cabin noun	/ˈkæbɪn/	A small dwelling characteristic of the frontier, especially when built from logs with simple tools and not constructed by professional builders, but by those…
breakup noun	/ˈbɹeɪk.ʌp/	The act of breaking up; disintegration or division.
hike noun	/haɪk/	A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise.
anyways adverb	/ˈɛn.iˌweɪz/	Anyway, anyhow, in any case.
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…
vlog noun	/ˈvlɑɡ/	A weblog using video as its primary presentation format.
boot noun	/but/	A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
grieve verb	/ɡɹiːv/	To cause sorrow or distress to.
latte noun	/ˈlɑ.teɪ/	A drink of coffee made from espresso and steamed milk, generally topped with foam.
overboard adverb	/ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌbɔː(ɹ)d/	Over the edge; especially, off or outside of a boat.
staple noun	/ˈsteɪ.pəl/	A wire fastener, made of thin wire, used to secure stacks of paper by penetrating all the sheets and curling around.
gosh	/ɡɑːʃ/	A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm.
pee noun	/ˈpiː/	Urine.
steep adjective	/stiːp/	Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
start over verb		to begin again; to return to the beginning
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
back down verb		To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
come down verb		To descend, fall down, collapse.
come up to verb		To approach.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
get off verb		To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it.

Sentences worth repeating

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

I'm feeling so cozy and chatty today.
I'm outside one of my favorite local coffee shops.
Hopefully my address isn't showing.
Are we boring guys?
We're almost at our cabin.

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 wanted · haven't read · I've been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are lined · be done · is called

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 83 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, envision /ɪnˈvɪʒn̩/, sugarcoat /ˈʃʊɡɚˌkoʊt/, shampoo /ʃæmˈpuː/, rotation /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: collapsible /kəˈlæps.ə.bəl/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/

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 cosy, cabin, breakup.

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?