Shadowing Practice: Asking For & Giving Directions | English Made Easy with Claire - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Oh, hi.
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Hi English learners.
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Welcome or welcome back to my channel.
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I'm English teacher Claire and today we're talking about asking for and giving directions.
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Let's go.
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English made easy with Claire.
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If you find yourself in a new place in an English-speaking country
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or while traveling and English is the common language between you and the locals,
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these phrases will be very useful for when you don't know where to go or you can't quite find something.
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In this case, you will need to ask for directions.
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Asking for directions is asking where something is.
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For example, you might need to find a bathroom or restroom.
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In American English, we don't make any distinction between these two words.
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Either word is completely fine to use when talking about a public toilet you might ask,
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excuse me, where is the bathroom?
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Or can you tell me where the bathroom is?
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And the important part is understanding the response.
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Let's say the response is, just go down the hall, turn left, and the bathroom is on your right.
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So turn right or Remember,
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turn left is a simple way to tell someone which direction to go.
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Use the phrase on your right or on your left to describe the location of something.
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So the The directions here were to turn left and the bathroom is on your right after you went left.
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Now, the phrase go down the hall does not mean that you will physically go down.
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Go down the hall means to walk straight ahead in the hall.
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Go down the street or go down the road.
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Again, means to walk forward on that road or street.
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Let's look at another example.
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Maybe you need to find the bus stop.
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You can ask, excuse me, do you know where the bus stop is?
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Or excuse me, where can I find the nearest bus stop?
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Let's say the response is, just go straight to the end of this street,
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take a right turn, and the bus stop is just around the corner.
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This time, instead of turn right, we have take a right turn.
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And this is another way to say turn right.
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You can also take a turn or make a turn.
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We also have the phrase just around the corner.
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A corner is where two streets meet.
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So when you go around a corner and it's just around the corner,
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that implies after you turn the corner, the bus stop will be right there.
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Now we've heard this word just a couple of times in our directions already.
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Just go down the hall, just go straight, just around the corner.
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Just is a filler word in this case,
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and it's used in directions like this to suggest that what the person has to do is simple.
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It's not complicated, or it's not far.
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You just have to turn the corner or just go to the end of this road.
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It implies the directions are not complicated,
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and it's something native speakers use often when giving directions.
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You may also hear two uses of the word right.
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Now, we already know you can turn right or left.
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So right is a direction, but look at this example.
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The bus stop is right around the corner.
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Hmm, does this mean you turn right around the corner?
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Context is key here because it could also mean that it is only around the corner.
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Or look at this example.
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Go left and the park will be right in front of you.
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Now here, this does not mean that it will be in front of you on the right side.
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This means the park will be immediately in front of you.
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Or you might hear, go right up the stairs.
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This means go all the way up the stairs.
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You may also hear the word up being used interchangeably with down when we mean go straight.
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Go up this road or go down this road.
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Both are possible, but it doesn't mean the same as go up the stairs or go down the stairs,
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which physically means to go up or down.
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And of course, the word go is used often in directions.
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Go straight, go right, or go left.
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I hope this video cleared up a few things for you guys about asking for and getting directions in English.
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You may know how to ask, but the tricky part is understanding what the response is.
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As always, let me know if you guys have any follow-up questions or topic suggestions in the comments of this video.
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And if you'd like to join my community
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and learn personally with me in live group sessions and get access to my course materials,
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the link to join is in the description below.
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Thank you guys so much for watching.
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Like this video, subscribe to my channel, and I'll see you next time.
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Bye!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 74 sentences and 821 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:52. The speaker talks at a steady 120 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| stairs noun | /ˈstɛɹz/ | A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors. |
| complicated adjective | /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/ | Difficult or convoluted. |
| physically adverb | /ˈfɪz.ɪ.kli/ | In a physical manner. |
| imply verb | /ɪmˈplaɪ/ | To have as a necessary consequence; to lead to (something) as a consequence. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| suggestion noun | /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/ | Something suggested (with subsequent adposition being for) |
| distinction noun | /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/ | That which distinguishes; a single occurrence of a determining factor or feature, the fact of being divided; separation, discrimination. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| tricky adjective | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | Hard to deal with, complicated. |
| filler noun | /ˈfɪlɚ/ | One who fills. |
| interchangeably adverb | With the ability of being interchanged or swapped. | |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| restroom noun | /ˈɹɛstˌɹum/ | A room containing a public toilet: a public lavatory. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| clear up verb | /klɪəˈɹʌp/ | To clarify, to correct a misconception. |
| follow up verb | To take further actions remaining after an event; to continue, revisit, or persist; especially, to maintain communication or verify. | |
| go around verb | To move or spread from person to person. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might need · might ask · may also hear |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will be · will need · will physically |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to ask · need to find · has to do |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | we're talking · is asking · is understanding |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/, distinction /dɪˈstɪŋkʃən/
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 phrase, stairs, complicated.
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.