Shadowing Practice: Are We There Yet? | The Staycation Episode - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Nick!

What's wrong?

I've been trying to get you to plan Fourth of July with me for over a month, and you keep saying later.

Well, it's later, and we have to do this now.

Look, in my defense, I didn't know you were planning anything.

Well, what did you think I was doing?

I thought you were just talking.

Look, a plan isn't a plan unless the person that you're planning with knows it's a plan, too.

Fine.

Next time, I'll remember to put, I'll remember to put, pay attention, I'm talking to you, in your calendar.

Now, can we put these tickets now?

Because they're the only cheap ones left.

Mm-hmm.

Nick, listen to me.

I'm listening.

You said tickets.

Okay.

These tickets cost $240 each.

Each round trip?

Yes.

No connection?

No. Nick.

Well, okay, then, uh, then get them.

Well, they're non-refundable.

What if you have to work?

Okay, then don't get them.

Uh, get some other ones.

But the other ones are twice as much.

Okay, then get these.

But these have additional baggage fees.

Do you think we can take one bag each?

I don't know.

How much does it cost for the extra bag?

$50 per bag per person.

Oh, man.

You mean to tell me that if we left our luggage, we could actually take another person?

Nick, focus.

Okay, I'm focused.

Look.

All right, uh, so these tickets cost twice as much.

How much does it cost for the extra bag with those?

$35.

Okay, so it's really not twice as much.

It's twice as much, minus 50, plus 35, Plus they're refundable.

How much does it cost to change these tickets?

$100.

Well, what's that?

I don't know.

What, you didn't figure this out already?

I was waiting for you.

What, you can't count by yourself?

You know what?

I'm just gonna buy these tickets.

Whatever it costs, it costs.

And whatever happens, happens.

Fine.

Buy the tickets.

Thank you.

Oh, no. What?

What's wrong?

They sold the tickets.

Okay, then, uh, we'll just do something else.

Something else?

Really, Nick?

That's your plan?

You know what?

I'll tell you what.

If you can find something else for us to do that's affordable, we'll do it.

But if you can't, you have to tell the kids that you waited until the last minute to buy their tickets, and now they don't have a summer vacation.

Oh, so now it's my fault?

Yeah.

I just sent a reminder to your calendar.

It's Take the Blame Tuesdays.

It's real mature, baby.

Real mature. Are we there, yeah?

Tell me, tell me, tell me.

Are we there, yeah?

Man, this is gonna be great.

Fourth of July in Vegas.

Poolside.

Drinks.

Women.

Drunk women.

So, what'd you plan to go down there?

See, I don't have to plan plan.

Remember that flight attendant I was dating?

She gave me this employee pass.

Now I just show up at the airport, they put me in an open seat anywhere I want to go.

I don't have four of those passes, so I'm out of luck.

Why don't you just drive somewhere for vacation?

Like where?

I don't know.

Grand Canyon, amusement park, Europe.

Drive to Europe?

Yeah.

Everything I know about family vacations I learned from National Lampoon.

Ooh, this is good.

This is good.

100

What you got?

101

Skiing in Vancouver.

102

Bam!

103

Skiing?

104

In the middle of summer?

105

According to this.

106

And it's just a drive up to Vancouver.

107

Do they have any rooms?

108

Yep.

109

Oh, this is great.

110

They got a private course and lift.

111

They're skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and they make their own snow year round.

112

I didn't think the kids knew how to ski.

113

They don't.

114

That's what lessons are for.

115

I got another text from Tina.

116

She's going to Hawaii with her family.

117

I thought Tina was going to Costa Rica.

118

No, that's Tanya.

119

Wait, I thought Tanya was going to Cabo.

120

That's Dylan.

121

Oh, the one you think is cute?

122

No, that Dylan is going to Cancun.

123

Oh, they see my pictures from the Bahamas.

124

It's totally gonna blow their vacations away!

125

Did you see that?

126

That guy almost took off James Bond's head with a hat.

127

You're watching James Bond?

128

Yeah.

129

Did you know another actor played him besides Daniel Craig?

130

Yeah.

131

That's Sean Connery.

132

There were like five or six others.

133

What?

134

No way.

135

Wait.

136

That's Goldfinger.

137

And the guy with the hat that's Oddjob.

138

Cool.

139

Um, I don't know if your mother told you, but you know that trip we were planning?

140

Oh, yeah.

141

I can't wait.

142

The Bahamas is gonna be so awesome.

143

Me and my girlfriend said we would tweet pictures like every day and make a picture diary of our vacation.

144

Yeah, well, there's been a change in plans.

145

We're not going.

146

What?

147

Please tell me this is a joke.

148

Look, it's a long story, but we're going someplace else. Where?

149

Vancouver!

150

They have beaches in Vancouver?

151

What?

152

I don't know.

153

We're going skiing!

154

You can ski in the summer?

155

Yes!

156

Why would anybody want to go skiing in the summer?

157

Because their other trip got canceled.

158

All right?

159

Thank you.

160

So, did you tell them about the Bahamas?

161

I'm telling them now that although we will not be able to go to the beach, we are going skiing in Vancouver!

162

Skiing in the summer?

163

Yes, in the summer.

164

Well, I mean, as long as it's okay with the kids, it's fine by me.

165

I think it's cool.

166

I guess it's better than staying home.

167

Did you book it?

168

Oh, I was waiting to talk to you guys.

169

Nick, it's the summer.

170

These things book up quickly.

171

No, it's okay.

172

I was on the website an hour ago.

173

They had plenty of rooms.

174

Look at this.

175

All I have to do, go back to the web page.

176

I got all my info plugged in.

177

Refresh.

178

Send. And bam!

179

Sold out.

180

What?

181

Sold out?

182

They had rooms an hour ago.

183

Well, I guess you're not the only one with the Internet.

184

Wait, so now we're not going?

185

You've got to be kidding me.

186

Everybody I know is gonna be on a trip, and I'm gonna be posting pictures of my room.

187

It's okay, Dad.

188

I mean, going to the beach would've been cool, and going skiing in the summer would've been even cooler.

189

But I guess watching James Bond's reruns can be cool too.

190

How many Bonds did you say they had?

191

Six or seven.

192

I'll go look them up on Wikipedia.

193

I know!

194

I'm sorry.

195

Look, baby, I will make this up to you.

196

Really, Nick?

197

How?

198

I mean...

199

Oh, come on.

200

Good morning!

201

Wow.

202

Nick, what is all of this?

203

Welcome to Casa del Nick.

204

Casas del Nick?

205

That's right.

206

Look, since we can't go on vacation, we're gonna have a staycation!

207

That's Raheem.

208

See what's up. So, a staycation, huh?

209

Yeah, a staycation.

210

Look, it's a vacation for people who choose to stay at home.

211

Everything you can do on some remote location, you can do right in your own backyard.

212

Wow.

213

This is almost as cool as skiing in the summer.

214

Right?

215

I said almost.

216

This is not a vacation.

217

This is lame.

218

Lindsay, please, just trust me.

219

This is not gonna be lame.

220

Lindsay, apologize.

221

Your father is doing the best that he can.

222

Sorry.

223

Oh, don't worry about it.

224

You are gonna have fun.

225

Now, look, if everyone would please follow me, breakfast is served on the patio.

226

All right, everybody, let's go.

227

Ooh, hot sand.

228

Hot sand.

229

Come on in.

230

Check it out.

231

Nice, huh?

232

Have a seat.

233

Have a seat.

234

Enjoy.

235

Good morning, everybody, and welcome to La Buena Comida.

236

Martin, wait a minute.

237

I thought you were going to Las Vegas.

238

Yeah, it turns out that employee pass stops working when you stop dating that employee.

239

Martin will be taking your breakfast orders, so just relax and let's get this party started.

240

So what can I get for the young lady?

241

Oh, I'll take tickets to the Bahamas to go.

242

Lindsay.

243

Okay, can I get room service?

244

Lindsay.

245

It's okay.

246

Yes, you may have room service.

247

Nice.

248

If I decide to eat, I'll let you know.

249

Hey, Dad, does this resort have pay-per-view movies?

250

Actually, we have free-per-view movies.

251

Oh, can we get all the James Bond movies?

252

I'm gonna see who the best James Bond is.

253

That'd be Roger Moore, The Man with the Golden Gun.

254

That is a James Bond movie.

255

In Scaramanga, best villain ever.

256

Okay, I don't know who you're talking about, but he can't be cooler than Oddjob.

257

We may have to view some of these flicks and compare.

258

So what's it gonna be?

259

Uh, can I have a bowl of jelly, please?

260

Oh, fine choice, sir.

261

With some saltine crackers on the side?

262

Mm-hmm.

263

And some peanut butter.

264

That'd be crunchy or creamy?

265

I'll take creamy.

266

Creamy it is.

267

And for the lady?

268

I would like to have Suzanne's favorite egg white omelet.

269

Mm-hmm.

270

Mira, mira, order up, ding-ding.

271

All right, I got a cracker jam with brown sauce on the side and a number one coming right up.

272

Okay, so what is this I hear about you all having a vacation Hello, Marilyn.

273

Hello, Suzanne.

274

Dad messed up and didn't book our trip, so now we're having a staycation.

275

Well, I got three words for you.

276

Count me in.

277

May I show you to your room, ma'am?

278

Well, I'd love that.

279

Uh, you want me in your room, right?

280

Okay, thanks.

281

No!

282

Not, not the master suite.

283

Ah, baby.

284

Baby, I could get used to this.

285

Good, because it only gets better.

286

I got James Bond movies for Kevin, and I just found out Lady Gaga is playing downtown.

287

Look, Mike said he could get us tickets.

288

Oh, my gosh, Nick, Lindsay loves Lady Gaga.

289

And we are going to see you, baby.

290

What can I get for you, Mom?

291

Uh, something to drink, baby.

292

Coming right up.

293

So, Suzanne, what is the plan for today?

294

Well, Nick graciously booked spa appointments at Seattle Body and Spa.

295

Wow, that's nice.

296

Mm-hmm.

297

Really nice.

298

Spa appointments, huh?

299

Would you like to join us, Marilyn?

300

Now, Suzanne, you know I don't like to intrude.

301

You wouldn't be intruding.

302

Actually, we have three appointments, and Lindsay doesn't feel like going.

303

Oh!

304

Let's get a spa on!

305

Indeed.

306

Girl, that dress is gorgeous.

307

Mm.

308

Thank you.

309

Wow.

310

Come on, let's go.

311

Hold on a minute.

312

Matty, patty, foot scrub, mud bath, background.

313

To the spa, to the spa, to the spa, to the spa.

314

To the spa.

315

To the spa, to the spa.

316

Woo!

317

Hey.

318

Hey!

319

Y'all know I can't get out of this thing by myself.

320

Hey!

321

Hey.

322

You missed the spa.

323

You would have had a great time.

324

No, I wouldn't.

325

I'm sitting in my kitchen while my friends are tweeting pictures from their vacations.

326

Lindsay, before I was as fabulous as I am now, I was, well, not as fabulous as I am now.

327

And one of the things I learned to do was to always make the best of the situation.

328

Your dad put in a lot of effort to make this into a vacation.

329

If it's supposed to be a resort, act like it's a resort.

330

You can tweet that.

331

I mean, look at all of this.

332

You have an ocean view, tropical drinks, and you have your family.

333

Grab that drink.

334

Put these on.

335

There we go.

336

Give me a phone.

337

Stand over there.

338

Right in front of the ocean view, girl.

339

All right.

340

Smile.

341

Tweet that.

342

Don't go for the air.

343

Hey, guys, look around.

344

I have to tell him something.

345

Yeah, he's out in the office.

346

Okay.

347

You guys watching The Spy Who Loved Me?

348

Yeah, that guy's teeth are ridiculous.

349

You know, forget what I said earlier.

350

Jaws is definitely the best villain of all time. That guy?

351

I seen scarier teeth on the Wu-Tang Clan.

352

That guy's got nothing on Stamper from Tomorrow Never Dies.

353

He'd have something on him if he bit his leg off.

354

Stamper loves pain.

355

Wouldn't bother him a bit.

356

Bond before Pierce Brosnan is like the Black Eyed Peas before Fergie.

357

Ain't worth watching.

358

Listen, you can have your Pierce Brosnan.

359

As far as I'm concerned, if it's not Roger Moore, it's not James Bond.

360

All right, all right.

361

Best Bond girl.

362

Obviously.

363

It's Major Anya Masova from Spy I Love Me.

364

Get out of here with that.

365

Christmas Jones, the world is not enough.

366

Mm.

367

Were you shaking as a baby?

368

Denise Richards could take a hotness pill for a year, and she wouldn't even be in the same ballpark as Barbara Bach.

369

Yes.

370

What do you think, Kevin?

371

Who do you like?

372

I like the lady from Goldfinger.

373

Right.

374

Goldfinger.

375

What was her name?

376

Um, oh, Pussy Galore.

377

Okay, let's go try something else.

378

All right, this way.

379

We're done.

380

We're done.

381

It's not over.

382

You were right, Gigi.

383

I've gotten a ton of response to my tweet about my vacations.

384

Sarah says she wishes she was here.

385

See, I told you.

386

Take one.

387

Okay.

388

Honey, you did great.

389

Look, even Lindsey is having fun.

390

Perfect.

391

All right, I think we got everything set up, ready to go.

392

All right, everybody, everybody, please have a seat.

393

Have a seat.

394

It is time for our show.

395

All right.

396

Tonight, I will be performing an interpretive luau dance that will be translated by Gigi.

397

Aloha.

398

Aloha!

399

Martin.

400

Nice.

401

Trumpets.

402

There once was a king who planned on the fly,

403

but he failed when it came to the 4th of July.

404

Interpretive, the wild dance is supposed to rhyme.

405

I don't know.

406

The king ignored his queen, which made her as mad as he's ever seen.

407

The king is so sorry that they're not far away on vacation,

408

but still so glad that the family is together and having a great staycation. That was so good!

409

Yeah!

410

Not for nothing, Nick.

411

That was a real good time.

412

Oh, thanks, Mike.

413

Hey, uh, by the way, what made you come over?

414

Oh, yeah.

415

I forgot to tell you.

416

Those Gaga tickets fell through.

417

What?

418

What happened?

419

Your cousin was supposed to hook us up.

420

I'm sorry, man.

421

But, hey, listen.

422

If you ever want to see Journey with that Filipino guy, you let me know.

423

I'll get you right on the waiting list.

424

Good morning.

425

Good morning.

426

Hey, where's Martin?

427

He's out doing some things.

428

Oh, my God, Dad.

429

I tweeted that I was going to see Lady Gaga, and all my friends are so jealous. About that.

430

I wasn't able to get the tickets.

431

You're joking, right?

432

I wish I was, baby.

433

I'm sorry.

434

Great.

435

It's one thing to say I'm enjoying my vacation, but I can't lie and say I saw that concert.

436

So what do you have planned now?

437

Nothing yet.

438

I'm still working on it.

439

So that's it?

440

I finally get excited about our stupid vacation, and now it's over?

441

Whatever.

442

Lindsey, come back here.

443

Lindsey!

444

Come back here!

445

You know, I have worked very hard to make this an enjoyable experience.

446

Now, I understand that this is not the Bahamas, I'm sorry if that's not good enough.

447

What happened to the resort?

448

The vacation is over.

449

Almost everything I promised, I wasn't able to make happen.

450

Stupid idea to begin with.

451

Well, I could have told you that.

452

Nick, it looked like everybody was having a good time.

453

They were, until they fell apart.

454

So something goes wrong and you quit?

455

I talked to Lindsey.

456

We all have a surprise for you.

457

Let me guess.

458

Everyone's got all their complaints compiled into one neat little list.

459

You know, I'm gonna sit right here, and they can just email it to my phone.

460

No, Nick.

461

Now, come on.

462

We have something we want to show you.

463

Oh, here he comes.

464

Man of the hour.

465

You think you're ready?

466

I don't know what I'm ready for.

467

Okay, here's your throne, King Nick.

468

Oh, this is...

469

Wow.

470

There you go.

471

Oh, that's it.

472

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first annual Kingston Persons 4th of July Extravaganza!

473

You know, in professional establishments, they blink the lights to let you know the show's in 15 minutes.

474

Okay, anyway, back from their world tour, introducing Lady Lala and Riyancey!

475

Oh my god!

476

Yes!

477

Alright!

478

Look at that!

479

It's working now!

480

Oh my God!

481

Oh my God!

482

Thank you!

483

Daddy!

484

That was wonderful!

485

Well, um, it's not over.

486

Bam!

487

What?

488

I could only get two tickets, but I thought it would be nice if you took your daughter to see the real Lady Gaga.

489

Oh!

490

Thanks, Mom.

491

Thanks, Dad.

492

This is so wonderful.

493

I can't wait to tell all my friends.

494

Thank you, baby.

495

And guess what?

496

I get to see the Filipino journey!

497

They said, don't stop believing, and I did it!

498

You can clap now!

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450 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Are We There Yet?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: vacation, Nick, tickets, spa. This video has 496 sentences and 2857 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:04. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 95 of its 496 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
ski noun	/skiː/	One of a pair of long flat runners designed for gliding over snow or water.
tweet noun	/ˈtwiːt/	The sound of a bird; any short high-pitched sound or whistle.
staycation noun	/ˌsteɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/	A vacation spent at or close to home.
creamy adjective	/ˈkɹiːmi/	Containing cream.
aloha noun	/əˈloʊˌhɑ/	Good wishes, love, compassion, peacefulness and affection.
cracker noun	/ˈkɹækə(ɹ)/	A dry, thin, crispy baked bread (usually salty or savoury, but sometimes sweet, as in the case of graham crackers and animal crackers).
interpretative adjective	/ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪˌteɪ.tɪv/	Marked by interpretation.
intrude verb	/ɪnˈtɹuːd/	To thrust oneself in; to come or enter without invitation, permission, or welcome; to encroach; to trespass.
refundable adjective		Able to be refunded in case of customer dissatisfaction, loss, breakage etc.
villain noun	/ˈvɪl.ən/	A vile, wicked person.
fabulous adjective	/ˈfæbjʊləs/	Of or relating to fable, myth or legend.
mature adjective	/məˈt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/	Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.
calendar noun	/ˈkæl.ən.də/	Any system by which time is divided into days, weeks, months, and years.
ballpark noun	/ˈbɔl(ˌ)pɑɹk/	A field, stadium or park where ball, especially baseball, is played.
compile verb	/kəmˈpaɪl/	To make by gathering pieces from various sources.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come back verb	To return to a place.
get out of verb	To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
sold out adjective	Completely sold; of which no more is in stock.
book up verb	To reserve or book all of something, for example by purchasing all the tickets.
come on in verb	Synonym of come in (“to enter”).
come over verb	To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
fall apart verb	To disintegrate, to break into pieces.
fall through verb	To be unsuccessful, come to nothing; to be cancelled; not to proceed.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What if you have to work?
What, you didn't figure this out already?
What, you can't count by yourself?
Why don't you just drive somewhere for vacation?
Wait, so now we're not going?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	there's been · I've gotten · have planned
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is served · will be translated

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 108 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: staycation /ˌsteɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/, graciously /ˈɡɹeɪʃəsli/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/
Long words — get the stress right: interpretative /ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪˌteɪ.tɪv/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/

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 ski, tweet, staycation.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Are We There Yet? | The Staycation Episode - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?