Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - Cooking - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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86 sentences
1
Hey everybody!
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Welcome to this A1 English Listening Practice video.
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You can use this video to train your listening and comprehension as I speak.
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You ready?
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So today, I'm going to talk about cooking.
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I do not know how to cook, so I do not know a lot about this topic.
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However, I like eating, so I like talking about food in general.
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I I am lucky because my wife cooks very well.
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She has a natural talent for cooking, so she cooks well.
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That means that I eat well.
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Let me tell you about some of the things that my wife cooks.
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Since she is Mexican, she likes cooking Mexican food.
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Sometimes she makes tacos, which are delicious.
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There are many types of tacos, so my wife can cook different tacos each time.
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I also cooked tacos in the past, but I don't cook well, so my tacos weren't very good.
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I cooked tacos de lengua, tongue tacos, but I didn't cook them very well.
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My wife cooks much better.
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The only thing that I cook well is eggs.
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I love eggs and I eat them almost every morning.
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I think eggs are the best breakfast food.
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I usually eat scrambled eggs, but I also eat other types of eggs, too.
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My favorite type is Eggs Benedict.
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Mmm, this is my favorite breakfast.
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Have you tried Eggs Benedict?
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So, my wife also makes pasta.
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She makes really good pasta.
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She doesn't buy the pasta in the box that you buy from the store.
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She makes the pasta by hand.
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She makes the noodles and they taste so good.
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When you make pasta by hand, it tastes better.
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I love all types of pasta, but my favorite is ravioli.
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For me, ravioli is the perfect food.
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Actually, Actually, I like all Italian food.
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When we were in Italy, we ate some amazing food.
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My wife also cooks a lot of meat.
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We like eating different cuts of steak every week.
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We try to buy cheap meat because meat can be expensive.
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We don't want to spend a lot of money, so we buy cheap meat.
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My wife cooks the meat in a pan, which is easy.
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Other people cook their meat on a grill.
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We don't have a grill, so we use a pan.
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I think that meat tastes good if it's cooked on a pan or on a grill.
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Meat is always good.
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I hope my wife cooks meat tonight.
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She also cooks really good breakfast.
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She makes really good pancakes.
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I like to eat pancakes with maple syrup and peanut butter.
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I know that's a little strange, but it's delicious.
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I love pancakes and peanut butter.
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My wife also cooks chilaquiles, a common Mexican breakfast.
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This is my favorite breakfast in the world.
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I love chilaquiles.
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This dish has tortilla chips, salsa, cheese, and cream.
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I like it with eggs on top.
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It's so good.
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I don't know which is better, breakfast or dinner.
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In my family, we cook dinner five days a week.
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The other days, we go out to eat dinner, or we eat dinner with other people.
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Sometimes, we eat dinner with my parents, and other times, we eat dinner with my sister.
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Tonight, we will eat dinner with my parents, and my mother will cook dinner.
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When I was a kid, my mother cooked dinner every weekday.
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Every evening, we ate dinner at 6.30 p.m.
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Every day.
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Do you eat dinner at the same time every day?
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In the U.S., it's common for families to eat dinner together.
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We sit together at the table, we eat, and we talk about our day.
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Dinner time is important in the U.S.
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In other countries, people eat dinner late, like at 8 p.m.
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or 9 p.m.
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But this is too late for me.
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I don't want to eat dinner late.
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I like eating dinner at 5, 6 or 7 p.m.
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This is a good time for dinner.
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What do you like eating for dinner?
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I like every type of food from every country.
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I can eat anything and I love trying new foods.
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Like I said, I don't cook well, but I eat well.
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Maybe I will learn to cook in the future, but I don't know.
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I don't like cooking and I don't have the natural talent to cook.
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I prefer eating, not cooking.
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My wife cooks very well, so I don't need to learn.
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I'm thankful for that.
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OK, we are finished for today.
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Leave a comment and tell me if you like cooking.
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85
I'll see you next video.
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86
Thank you.
5:50.08 – 5:54.42 (4.3s)

About This Lesson

This A1 English listening practice video offers an engaging opportunity to boost your English speaking practice and work towards greater English fluency. The speaker shares personal stories about cooking and family meals, providing rich context for practical language acquisition. You'll encounter a wide range of common food vocabulary, from various types of tacos and pasta to pancakes and chilakiles. The lesson naturally introduces everyday phrases related to cooking methods ("cook in a pan," "on a grill") and expressing preferences ("I love," "my favorite is"). Grammatically, the video focuses on the simple present tense for daily habits and preferences, and the simple past for recounting personal experiences. This makes it an excellent resource for beginners to solidify foundational grammar in a natural, conversational setting. You'll also practice understanding descriptions of meals, family routines, and cultural eating habits in the US, making it ideal for preparing for real-life conversations.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

To enhance your vocabulary, pay close attention to these useful phrases and words:

  • natural talent for cooking: This describes someone who is innately good at cooking without much effort or training. (Example: "My wife has a natural talent for cooking.")
  • cooks very well / doesn't cook well: Simple ways to describe someone's cooking ability. "Very well" indicates skill, while "doesn't cook well" means they are not skilled. (Example: "I don't cook well, but my wife cooks very well.")
  • make pasta by hand: This means preparing food, specifically pasta, from scratch, rather than buying pre-made products. (Example: "She makes the noodles and they taste so good when you make pasta by hand.")
  • scrambled eggs / eggs benedict: These are two popular ways to prepare and serve eggs, useful for discussing breakfast dishes. (Example: "I usually eat scrambled eggs, but my favorite type is eggs benedict.")
  • love trying new foods: A common phrase to express enthusiasm for experiencing different cuisines and dishes. (Example: "I can eat anything and I love trying new foods.")
  • go out to eat: This phrase means to eat a meal at a restaurant or café instead of at home. (Example: "The other days we go out to eat dinner.")

Practice Tips for This Video

Maximize your learning from this video with these targeted practice tips:

  • Start with the Shadowing Technique: This video is excellent for applying the shadowing technique. The speaker's clear, moderate pace makes it easy to follow along. Try to mimic his rhythm, intonation, and pauses exactly. This is a powerful method for improving your English speaking practice and overall English fluency.
  • Focus on Pronunciation Practice: Pay close attention to the pronunciation of food names like "tacos," "ravioli," "chilakiles," and "scrambled eggs." Repeat these words several times after the speaker to refine your pronunciation practice. Note how he links words, for example, "cooks very well" or "eat dinner late."
  • Practice Describing Preferences: The speaker frequently talks about what he likes and dislikes ("I love eggs," "My favorite type is," "I don't like cooking"). Pause the video and practice forming your own sentences about your favorite foods or cooking habits. This is a great exercise for potential IELTS speaking topics, where you often need to express opinions and preferences.
  • Vocabulary Expansion through Context: As you listen, try to infer the meaning of new words from the context. For instance, when he talks about "making pasta by hand," you can understand it means not from a box. Write down new words and practice using them in your own sentences.
  • Engage with the Questions: The speaker asks questions like "Have you tried eggs benedict?" or "Do you eat dinner at the same time every day?" Pause and answer these questions aloud. This simulates a real conversation and boosts your spontaneous speaking ability.

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.

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish

  1. Choose your video: Pick a YouTube video with clear, natural English speech. TED Talks, BBC News, movie scenes, podcasts, or IELTS sample answers all work great. Paste the URL into the search bar. Start with shorter videos (under 5 minutes) and content you find genuinely interesting — motivation matters.
  2. Listen first, understand the context: On your first pass, keep the speed at 1x and just listen. Don't try to repeat yet. Focus on understanding the meaning, picking up new vocabulary, and noticing how the speaker stresses words, links sounds, and uses pauses.
  3. Set up Shadowing mode:
    • Wait Mode: Choose +3s or +5s — after each sentence plays, the video pauses automatically so you have time to repeat it out loud. Choose Manual if you want full control and press Next yourself after each repetition.
    • Sub Sync: YouTube subtitles sometimes appear slightly ahead or behind the audio. Use ±100ms to align them perfectly so you can follow along accurately.
  4. Shadow out loud (the core practice): This is where the real work happens. As soon as a sentence plays — or during the pause — repeat it out loud, clearly and confidently. Don't just mouth the words: mirror the speaker's exact rhythm, stress, pitch, and connected speech. Aim to sound like a shadow of the speaker, not just a word-by-word recitation. Use the Repeat feature to drill the same sentence multiple times until it feels natural.
  5. Scale up the challenge: Once a passage feels comfortable, push your limits. Increase speed to <code>1.25x</code> or even <code>1.5x</code> to train high-speed language reflexes. Or set Wait Mode to <code>Off</code> for continuous shadowing — the most advanced and rewarding mode. Consistent daily practice of 15–30 minutes will produce noticeable results within weeks.

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