Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - Learn English While Exercising - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey English learners!
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Welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
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Today, I want to talk about learning English while exercising.
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Learning English while you work out, or walk, or hike, or run, etc.
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I think that this is a great topic to talk about.
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because it will help you learn English and also be healthy.
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And this is actually my favorite way to practice languages and study languages.
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I love combining these two things, exercise and language learning.
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It helps me be healthier and and it helps me find more time to do my language learning.
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So, in this video, I'm gonna talk about why and how to combine your language learning and your exercise.
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And by the way, if you want my help to understand native English speakers when they speak fast,
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and if you want my training to help you pronounce words and phrases more like a native English speaker,
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then click on the link below in the description to get my training.
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Okay, let's talk about why you should learn English while exercising.
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So, first of all, you should be active.
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You should do exercise, walk or ride a bike, hike maybe, exercise at the gym, you should be active.
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You should exercise and do things.
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It's healthy for you, of course.
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We need this.
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We need to exercise.
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We need to work our muscles, our heart, all of that.
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And we should do this often.
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We should do this frequently.
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So more than once a week hopefully.
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So this is the first reason why you should do these two things together.
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Number one, it's good for your health.
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And number two, it helps you find time to learn English.
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Okay, if you feel like you don't have a lot of time in your day to exercise,
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to learn English, to spend time with your family, then you can combine two of these things.
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You can combine exercise and learning English so that you have more time to do these things.
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So if you're watching this video right now, you're practicing English, but you might not be doing anything else.
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Maybe you're just sitting on the couch or lying on your bed or sitting at a table,
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but you can also listen to this video while you walk, for example.
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Or maybe you can go to the gym and use the bicycle and
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you can watch this video while you ride the bike or while you walk on the treadmill, that machine at the gym where you walk.
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You can combine this practice with some exercise.
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That's a good idea.
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And when you do this, it can help you with your exercise because your brain is not only thinking about the exercise.
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For example, sometimes when you run, you're just thinking about how hard it is,
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how tired you are, and so that makes it harder to run.
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But if you're concentrated on an English podcast or an English video or something like that,
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your brain is not only thinking about the exercise and how hard it is.
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So that can help you with your exercise.
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And I think that when you do two things at the same time,
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like exercise and language learning, and those things are productive, they're good, you feel very good about it.
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You feel productive.
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You feel satisfied because you're doing two things that are good for you at the same time.
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I feel great when I practice my languages and exercise at the same time.
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It feels fantastic because I'm saving time, I'm spending time doing
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productive things, I'm being healthy, and it just feels good to do this.
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In general, I can't multitask well.
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I'm very bad at multitasking.
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But I can walk and listen to something in another language, or even practice my speaking, I can do this.
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So if you feel like you can't multitask well,
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you can probably still combine exercise and language learning, or some types of exercise maybe.
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So if I can do it, you can do it.
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And like I said, it feels great.
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You will feel good about yourself when you do this.
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Okay, now let's talk about how to do this.
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How can you practice your English while you're exercising?
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Well, maybe the easiest thing to do is listening practice.
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You can use YouTube videos like this, or podcasts.
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And if you can use your hands, like maybe you're walking, you can easily rewind, right?
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You put the video back 10 seconds or 15 seconds.
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I do this sometimes.
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I turn on the subtitles,
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the captions for YouTube videos that I'm using so that if I'm walking and I hear a word I don't understand,
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I can look down and see what word it is.
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So I like to do that.
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And you can also re-listen,
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listen again to things you've already listened to because maybe you
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don't concentrate as much on the video or the podcast when you're exercising because you're also exercising.
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It's not the same as sitting at a desk and watching the video.
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So because you're concentrating a little less, maybe you don't want to listen to new things.
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Maybe you can listen to something you listened to yesterday and you
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already know what the video is about so it helps you understand more maybe.
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So you can do listening practice.
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You can also do speaking practice.
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I speak to myself while I'm walking and while I'm hiking.
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I speak French to myself out loud if I can, meaning I say the words, or in my head.
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And I use a translator app.
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to translate words and phrases that I don't know how to say, but I want to say them.
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And when I see a new phrase that I want to learn, I even create flashcards.
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While I'm walking, while I'm hiking, I use a flashcard app and make flashcards with new words and phrases.
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So I do all of that while I'm walking or while I'm hiking.
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I do speaking practice.
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I also review flashcards while I'm walking or sometimes while I'm hiking.
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I use the flashcard app and I review my words and phrases.
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Of course I walk a little more slowly when I do this.
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I need to be careful and you should be careful if you do this.
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So of course using the translator app or the flashcard app requires your hands.
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You need to use your hands.
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So you can't do this for every exercise.
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You can't do this if you're lifting weights unless you take breaks between lifting weights and you use the apps, right?
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So do what you can do, but do it safely, okay?
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Of course if you're walking, you need to pay attention, you don't want to fall down, of course.
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So even if you can't use your phone while you're exercising, you can still practice your speaking.
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You can't look up new words maybe, but you can still practice talking and that's really good practice.
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So you can do that even if you can't use your phone while you're exercising.
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So you won't be 100% focused and concentrated on the English practice while you're exercising,
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but it's still good.
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You are still being productive.
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You are still learning and practicing, so it's a great thing to do.
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Some people think that they can only learn English
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when they're at home and concentrated and they have no distractions.
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It can be hard to find a lot of time like that.
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So I think it's better to use your time when you exercise to practice English too.
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You should also use other time to practice your English at
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home when you can do it on your computer or in silence.
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That's good too.
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But why not use your exercise time to practice more?
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I think that's great and that's what I love to do and I will continue to do.
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Even this morning I practiced French for almost an hour while walking.
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I did flashcards, I spoke French, I translated things,
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I listened to French, I did all of that, and I also walked three miles.
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So I had a productive morning, and I think that it's great to do these things together.
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So hopefully this video gave you some ideas on how to exercise
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and learn English at the same time and hopefully now you can find more time to practice English and hopefully you exercise as well.
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Remember that if If you want my training to help you understand native speakers when they speak fast,
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or if you want my pronunciation training so that you can pronounce things better, make sure to click on the link down below in the description and you can get my training.
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Alright, thank you for watching this A1 English Listening Practice video, and I'll talk to you in the next one.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will engage in A1 English listening practice while exploring the innovative approach of combining exercise with language learning. You will discover effective methods to enhance your English proficiency by listening to transcripts while walking, jogging, or cycling. This unique technique not only boosts your health but also maximizes your language acquisition time, allowing you to seamlessly integrate IELTS speaking practice into your daily routine. By the end of this lesson, you'll be equipped with practical strategies to improve English pronunciation and develop your speaking skills through a shadowing technique.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Exercise - Physical activity to improve health.
  • Listening practice - An activity focused on understanding spoken English.
  • Flashcards - Cards used for memorization, featuring words or phrases.
  • Multitask - The ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Podcast - A digital audio file available for streaming or download.
  • Hiking - A form of walking, often on trails or in nature.
  • Concentrate - To focus one’s attention on a specific task.
  • Native speakers - People who speak a language as their first language.

Practice Tips

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique while exercising, follow these tips:

  • Start slow: If you're new to shadow speak, begin with shorter audio clips. As you gain confidence, you can increase the duration and complexity.
  • Utilize pauses: When listening to someone speak in English, pause before repeating phrases. This allows you to focus on improving English pronunciation and accuracy.
  • Incorporate movement: Choose exercises that allow you to listen and speak, such as walking or cycling, to maintain your rhythm without losing focus.
  • Record yourself: While practicing, record your voice to evaluate pronunciation and intonation later. This can help you track your progress over time.
  • Revisit material: Don't hesitate to listen to the same audio multiple times; this repetition can deepen your understanding and enhance your IELTS speaking practice.

By regularly practicing these techniques, you'll effectively balance your exercise routine with your learning goals, making strides in both your language skills and physical health.

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.

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