Shadowing Practice: AIの時代に言語を勉強する理由/ Why you should learn a new language【日本語聴解】 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “AIの時代に言語を勉強する理由/ Why you should learn a new language【日本語聴解】”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: word, Japanese, laughing, surprise, language. This video has 71 sentences and 638 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:37. 94% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| smartphone noun | /ˈsmɑɹtfoʊn/ | A mobile phone with more advanced features and greater computing capacity than a feature phone. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| translation noun | /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/ | The conversion of text from one language to another. |
| communicate verb | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ | To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell. |
| idiom noun | /ˈɪdiəm/ | A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people. |
| laugh verb | /læf/ | To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and… |
| communication noun | /kəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ | The act or fact of communicating anything; transmission. |
| surprise noun | /sə(ː)ˈpɹaɪ̯z/ | Something unexpected. |
| brain noun | /ˈbɹeɪ̯n/ | The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, which is responsible… |
| necessary adjective | /ˈnɛs.əˌsɛ.ɹi/ | Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty. |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| unique adjective | /juːˈniːk/ | Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Why do you need to learn the language?
- You can also use the country's unique idiom and言い回し.
- Do you know what you've done with the gym?
- How was it that I was going to talk about?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was born |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who say · future, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: translation /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/, communication /kəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, communication /kəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, necessary /ˈnɛs.əˌsɛ.ɹi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like smartphone, translate, translation.
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.











