Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening - Why Learn English? - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey English learners, welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
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Hey English learners, welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
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Today, let's talk about some different reasons why people learn English.
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There are many reasons to learn English.
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You probably have one or two or maybe more reasons why you're learning English.
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I want to talk about different reasons to learn English today because this is important.
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It's important to have a good reason to learn because when you have a good reason, it helps keep you focused on your learning.
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It helps you continue to learn and not give up.
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And it motivates you.
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It gives you the motivation you need to learn English.
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So that's what we're going to talk about today.
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And before we do that, I want to remind you that if you need my help to understand native English speakers when they speak fast,
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then make sure to join my membership so you can watch my listening practice seminars in which I help you understand fast English.
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So that link is down below.
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All right, let's talk about some different reasons why people learn English.
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The first one I want to talk about is entertainment.
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Many people want to learn English because they like English language entertainment.
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Maybe they like watching TV, TV shows or TV series in English.
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Maybe they like watching American movies, for example.
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Or perhaps they really like music and they want to listen to music in English.
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Or maybe they're interested in video games and they want to talk
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to other people while they're playing video games and they need to talk in English.
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So entertainment can be a really good motivator for people to learn English.
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And it can also be really effective as well.
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Because when you enjoy something, you do it more, right?
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When you like doing something, it's not that hard for you to do it.
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You enjoy it, so you do it easily.
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And when you enjoy doing something, you focus more on it when you do it, right?
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And also you learn more when you enjoy something, when it's entertaining to you.
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You focus more and learn more.
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You probably remember more from what you watch or hear.
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So I know people who have accidentally learned a language,
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maybe not fluently, but they've learned some language to a good level, maybe,
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because they're so interested in the entertainment from some country.
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Like, for example, they might really like Korean dramas.
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And so they watch so many Korean dramas and eventually they start to understand Korean.
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I've heard of this before.
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Or maybe they're really interested in Japanese anime and they
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watch so much anime that eventually they start to understand Japanese.
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Maybe they can't speak it, but they can already understand a lot.
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This is pretty crazy because these people might not even care about the language of that drama or that anime,
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but they're so interested in that entertainment that they learn the language.
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That's pretty cool.
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So many people can learn English because they want to watch things in English or listen to things in English.
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Or maybe they get good at English because they like playing video games.
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This is common.
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So this can be a good reason to learn English.
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I'm not saying that this is the best reason to play video games, but I'm saying that many people learn English because of this reason.
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So that's one thing.
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Another reason why many people want to learn English is because they like traveling.
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Learning English makes traveling easier.
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So when you travel to an English-speaking country and you can speak English, this makes things a lot easier.
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This makes things simpler.
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And even if you're traveling to a country where the people don't speak English as a native language,
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many people probably speak English as a second language.
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So you can also use English a lot when you travel to countries that aren't the US or the UK.
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If you travel to other European countries, perhaps, you'll probably be able to speak English with many people there.
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So that can really help you when you travel.
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It can help you communicate with local people, maybe read signs or websites or
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whatever you need when you're traveling or you're planning a trip.
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So that can help.
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And you can also make friends when you're traveling.
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I've known people that have made friends when they travel
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to other countries because maybe they take a tour and in
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that tour group they speak English to the other tourists who are
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taking that tour so that can help them make friends with other tourists or they can make friends with locals as well.
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So learning English can make traveling easier and funner, right?
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That's another good reason to learn English.
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Another reason why people might learn English is because of their career.
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This is a very common reason.
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Maybe you're learning English to help you in your career.
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So if you can speak English, maybe you can work with international clients or customers.
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Maybe you can work in an international company and
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you need English because your co-workers speak English or
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maybe if you speak English you'll have more opportunities in your
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work or maybe you'll have the opportunity to work abroad
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work in another country so there are many opportunities that that you can have if you speak English.
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And also for academics, for school, right, university.
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Knowing English can be very helpful because it can help you research things in English.
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in English.
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The internet is full of information in English,
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so if you can speak English,
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you have a lot of information that you can use
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when you are doing different types of school
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work when you're writing things for your university etc right
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you have a lot of information that you can use when you speak
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English if this is your reason for learning English you want to have more or career opportunities,
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or it helps you in your academics, your school.
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This is great, but you should still have a reason that's more personal.
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You don't want to only learn English because you have to, because your boss makes you learn English or your school makes you learn English.
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It's also good to have a personal reason why you want to learn, not because you have to learn, but because you want to learn.
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If you have a more personal reason, it will help you be more motivated.
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So one more reason why some people learn English is because of love.
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Because they fall in love with someone who speaks English.
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if you meet someone who speaks English and they don't speak
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your language this is the greatest motivation to learn English
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because you love this person and you need to communicate with them and you can only do this in English.
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This is a great motivator.
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This is probably the top reason, the reason that gives you the most motivation.
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So I know this from experience.
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I learned Spanish because of love, because I fell in love with someone who speaks that language.
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So this was the best motivator.
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This gave me the most motivation to learn.
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So most of you won't do this, but it's a good lesson for you to know this.
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Even if you don't do this,
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it's good to know this because it shows you how important it is to have a good personal reason to learn a language.
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When you have this, it makes learning English much easier.
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You want to do it.
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You spend more time doing it.
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It becomes easier to do the necessary things to learn English.
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So even if you don't fall in love with someone who speaks English, you should still find a good personal reason to learn.
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Okay?
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I hope this video was helpful for you and for your listening.
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Remember that if you need If you need my help to understand native speakers when they speak fast, join my membership, and you'll get my listening training.
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Thank you all for watching this video, and I'll talk to you in the next one.
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About This Lesson

In this A1 English listening practice session, learners will explore various motivations for learning English. It’s crucial to understand your reasons for studying a language, as this can enhance your focus and sustain your motivation throughout your learning journey. Whether it’s for entertainment, travel, career advancement, or even love, identifying your personal incentives can lead to a more engaging and fulfilling experience. By listening to this video, you will not only improve your listening skills but also gain insights into how these motivations can guide your practice effectively.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Motivation: A reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a certain way.
  • Entertainment: Activities that provide enjoyment, such as movies, music, or video games.
  • Traveling: The action of going from one place to another, often for pleasure.
  • Career Opportunities: The chances of advancement or employment in one’s profession.
  • Communication: The process of sharing information or ideas with others.
  • Personal Reason: An individual's private motivation that inspires them to take action.
  • Learning English: The process of acquiring proficiency in the English language.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning from this video, consider incorporating the shadowing technique into your practice routine. This method involves listening to a speaker and simultaneously repeating what they say, helping to improve your pronunciation and fluency. Since the video features a clear and conversational tone at an appropriate speed for A1 learners, it serves as an excellent resource for this technique.

Utilize the shadowspeak approach by listening closely to the speaker's phrasing and intonation. Try to imitate not just the words but also the emotion and rhythm of their speech. This will assist you in developing a more natural speaking style in English. Moreover, practicing with resources like learn English with YouTube allows you to access a variety of real-life conversations and cultural contexts, making your English speaking practice more relevant and enjoyable.

Remember, consistency is key. Set aside regular time slots to practice listening and speaking by using resources like this video. The more you engage, the more comfortable and confident you will become in your English language abilities!

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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