Shadowing Practice: a tour of my kitchen! - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am back.
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I've seen a lot of comments about a kitchen tour.
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So that's what we're gonna do today.
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I just walked in the house, so I'm gonna get myself settled here.
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I have my coffee.
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And I'm gonna show you around my kitchen.
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Over here, we have the beautiful stove and oven where I do my cooking.
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Up here I have all my spices and seasonings that are labeled.
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That looks neat and then this starts to get a little bit chaotic.
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These are all my other spices and I have vinegar and truffle oil.
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My hex clad pan.
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I got some pots, some hex clad bowls which I absolutely love.
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More spices, some olive oil up here.
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That's my little butter dish right here which I love.
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It's cute and orange.
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And then I have both air fryers.
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And the reason that I need two is
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because sometimes I'm trying to cook multiple things that don't fit in one air fryer.
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So I have both.
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My crock pot, which we love a crock pot.
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My little dish where I put my keys when I get back home.
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And I like to have this in the kitchen because I just am always reapplying it.
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I like the story behind these because they were in another part of the house.
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They were plain.
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They didn't have writing on them and then my husband decided to put his own spin on them, which I thought was actually really, really fun.
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And they have lived there ever since.
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This is the window that I love having in the kitchen
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because we have a little herb garden back there that's really, really cute.
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Moving right along from the sink, we're getting down into the little coffee station.
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I have the little Nespresso machine.
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This is for tea.
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This is a really delicious matcha machine.
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We have all the things we could possibly need here.
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A little Chamberlain coffee, which we love.
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Up here is where I keep my coffee mugs and cups and some dishes up there.
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That's the lovely garbage.
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This is my center island.
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You know I love my hex clad board.
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Can't live without the hex clad board.
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And I do also love my little magnetized knife holder.
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I really, really like this marble that we have throughout the kitchen.
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I was top to bottom heavily involved in the design of the house in general, but even more so with the kitchen because the kitchen is a space that, you know, you spend a lot,
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a lot of time in.
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This is a really giant sink that I use to prep food and clean food and clean veggies.
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That looks like a sad, scary sponge over there.
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We have a little bit more appliances over here, you know.
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The fridge which is here.
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Yay fridge.
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I just gave a little sneak peek because I didn't know if it was messy or organized.
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This is a freezer.
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A lot of delicious things in there, like this Cosmic Bliss, which I'm obsessed with Cosmic Bliss.
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And I may or may not be working on a little fun something.
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Wink, wink.
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That's my hex-clad drawer.
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I honestly, I like for everything to have its place, but like as you can see,
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there's a lot sitting out which doesn't bother me because I almost like a slight bit of chaos to the kitchen.
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And now that I say that, I'm debating whether or not I should have hid all this stuff.
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But I'll take something out and then I'll put it in a new place and forget to put it back.
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I entertain a lot in the kitchen, especially because it opens up into our living space.
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So even on Super Bowl Sunday, we had a big Super Bowl party.
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I like connecting over food, so I do feel like we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
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So there you have it.
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This is my kitchen tour.
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you

Why This Kitchen Tour Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice

This casual kitchen tour is a goldmine for IELTS speaking practice and everyday conversation skills. The speaker uses natural, conversational English—no formal jargon—making it easy to mimic real-life speech patterns. Whether you’re learning to describe spaces, talk about daily routines, or share personal preferences, the dialogue flows like a friendly chat, helping you sound more fluent and confident. Plus, it’s packed with common phrases you’ll use in your own life, from “get myself settled” to “can’t live without,” making it ideal for learn english with youtube sessions.

Breaking Down Natural Speech: 3 Key Phrases

Let’s look at why the speaker’s words sound so authentic:

  • “I’ve seen a lot of comments about a kitchen tour. So that’s what we’re gonna do today.” The contraction “gonna” and casual transition “so” mirror how native speakers talk. It’s relaxed, not forced—perfect for practicing conversational rhythm.
  • “The reason that I need two is because sometimes I’m trying to cook multiple things that don’t fit in one air fryer.” This structure (“The reason… is because”) is common in spoken English, even if it’s not strict grammar. It shows how we explain choices naturally, which is key for IELTS speaking practice.
  • “I was top to bottom heavily involved in the design of the house in general, but even more so with the kitchen.” Phrases like “top to bottom” and “even more so” add color and emphasis. They make descriptions vivid, a skill that impresses examiners and conversational partners alike.

A Simple Shadowing Routine to Master the Dialogue

The shadowing technique is a proven way to boost pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. Here’s how to use this video:

  1. Watch and listen: Play a 5-second clip, focusing on the speaker’s tone and pauses. Notice how they stress words like “love” or “chaotic.”
  2. Repeat immediately: Pause and mimic the clip, trying to match the speed and rhythm. Don’t worry about mistakes—focus on sounding natural.
  3. Record yourself: Compare your recording to the video. Do your contractions (“gonna,” “I’m”) sound smooth? Is your intonation rising and falling like the speaker’s?
  4. Expand: Once you’re comfortable, narrate your own kitchen tour using phrases from the video. This helps you apply what you’ve learned.

For extra practice, use a shadowing site to slow down the video or loop tricky sections. Over time, you’ll notice your speech becoming more fluid—just like a native!

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowI've seen · have lived
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowI'm trying · am always reapplying · we're getting
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see cominggonna do · gonna get · gonna show

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 →