Shadowing Practice: Asking a Local: Where Do You Actually Eat? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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25 sentences
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1
There you go, one flat white. Anything else, love?
2
Um, actually... can I ask you something a bit random?
3
Of course, ask away! It's quiet this morning.
4
Where do you actually eat around here? Not the touristy places.
5
Oh, good question! Most visitors never get past the harbour.
6
Between you and me, the harbour places are overpriced.
7
Ugh, I know. I paid twenty pounds for fish and chips!
8
Twenty pounds? Oh dear, that's daylight robbery!
9
You should try Rosa's Kitchen. It's where the locals go.
10
Rosa's Kitchen? That sounds perfect! Where is it?
11
Well, it's a bit hidden, to be honest.
12
Go up the hill and turn left after the church.
13
Then look for a small blue door down an alley.
14
A blue door in an alley? I'd never find that alone!
15
Don't worry, you'll smell the garlic before you see it.
16
So what should I order when I get there?
17
Get the seafood stew. Trust me, it's amazing!
18
Oh no, are they open tonight? I'm leaving tomorrow morning.
19
They open at six, but they don't take bookings.
20
So get there early, or you'll have to queue.
21
Wow, this stew is incredible! She was absolutely right.
22
Well, look who found it! Didn't I tell you?
23
Oh, hi! I can't believe it. You eat here too?
24
Every Friday. Rosa's my sister, actually!
25
Ha, no wonder you recommended it! Thanks so much.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Asking a Local: Where Do You Actually Eat?”. This video has 25 sentences and 230 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:43. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 11 of its 25 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stew verb | /stu/ | To cook (food) by slowly boiling or simmering. |
| alley noun | /ˈæl.i/ | A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings. |
| harbour noun | Standard spelling of harbor. | |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| overpriced adjective | Priced higher than its real worth. | |
| seafood noun | /ˈsiːfuːd/ | Food from the sea, including that derived from fish, shellfish, crustaceans, cephalopods, seaweed, algae, marine mammals, and other marine organisms. |
| queue noun | /kju/ | A line of people, vehicles or other objects, usually one to be dealt with in sequence (i.e., the one at the front end is dealt with first, the one behind is… |
| daylight noun | /ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/ | The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days). |
| booking noun | /ˈbʊkɪŋ/ | The act or process of writing something down in a book or books, e.g. in accounting. |
| garlic noun | /ˈɡɑɹlɪk/ | A plant, Allium sativum, related to the onion, having a pungent bulb much used in cooking. |
| robbery noun | /ˈɹɑbəɹi/ | The act or practice of robbing. |
| visitor noun | /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ | Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest. |
| chip noun | /t͡ʃɪp/ | A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get past verb | To continue around a blockage; to get around (something); to surpass something that is in the way. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Where do you actually eat around here?
- I'd never find that alone!
- Didn't I tell you?
- You eat here too?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should try · should I order |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | you'll smell · you'll have |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you'll, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 stew, alley, harbour.
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.