Shadowing Practice: AEF 3.7 - Coffee with Monica - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Music Monica?
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Jenny!
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How?
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How are you?
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You look great!
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Thanks Jenny, you look really good too.
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Hey, why don't we get some coffee?
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I'd love to, but I'm on my way to meet...
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Oh, come on.
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Five minutes. So, how is everything?
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Oh, great.
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Things couldn't be better, actually.
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Scott and I, we're getting married.
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You're what?
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Congratulations!
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Thank you.
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When did you get engaged?
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Only a few days ago.
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I'm glad I saw you, actually.
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I was gonna call you.
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We've only told family so far.
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I can't believe it.
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Monica the wife.
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And to think you used to go clubbing every night.
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That was a few years ago.
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All I want to do now is stay in and read wedding magazines.
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And how are the plans coming along?
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I haven't done anything yet.
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My mom and Scott's mom want to organize the whole thing themselves.
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That's what mothers are for.
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True.
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But what about you?
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You look fantastic.
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Well, I guess I'm kind of happy too.
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Uh-huh.
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What's his name?
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Rob.
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You've been keeping him very quiet.
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Is it serious?
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It's kind of, you know...
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So it is.
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It's still early.
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We haven't been together for long.
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He only moved here a few months ago from London.
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What?
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He's British.
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And you think you can persuade him to stay in New York?
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That won't be easy.
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I think he likes it here.
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You know how guys are.
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You never know what they're thinking.
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When can I meet him?
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Well, that's him now.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "AEF 3.7 - Coffee with Monica" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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 →