Shadowing Practice: At the Restaurant 🍔 | Easy English Conversation - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hello and welcome to the World in English.
2
I'm Jake.
3
And I'm Sophia.
4
And today we have a topic that I personally love very much.
5
Food.
6
Food!
7
And more specifically, what happens when you sit down at a restaurant and everything is in English?
8
The menu, the waiter, the other people at the table – all in English.
9
And you need to order, ask questions, and have a conversation.
10
If that situation makes you a little nervous, this video is exactly what you need.
11
And if this is your first time here, welcome to the world in English.
12
We are a community of people learning English together.
13
Not a classroom, a family.
14
Subscribe and give this video a like so you never miss what we make next.
15
And tell us in the comments, what is your favorite food?
16
In English, of course.
17
We want to know everything.
18
Okay, let's set the scene.
19
Two people are going to a restaurant a real English-speaking restaurant.
20
What happens first?
21
The first thing that happens before you even sit down, the host or the waiter at the door asks you something, and it is almost always the same question.
22
What question?
23
Do you have a reservation?
24
Or how many in your party?
25
How many in your party?
26
That one confuses a lot of people.
27
Party sounds like a celebration.
28
Ha!
29
I know, but in this context, party just means group.
30
How many people are you with?
31
So, the answer is simple.
32
Just the two of us.
33
Or, a table for four, please.
34
And if you don't have a reservation?
35
Just say, we don't have a reservation.
36
Do you have a table available?
37
Most of the time, they will check and find you something.
38
And if not, they will tell you the waiting time.
39
The wait is about 20 minutes.
40
And then you decide to stay or go somewhere else.
41
Exactly.
42
Now you are seated.
43
The waiter comes to your table.
44
What do they say first?
45
Usually something like, can I get you something to drink?
46
Or are you ready to order?
47
Or do you need a few more minutes?
48
And what do you say when you need more time?
49
Because some people always need more time.
50
Ha!
51
I do.
52
I always need more time with a menu.
53
I say, could we have a few more minutes, please?
54
Or just, just a minute, please.
55
I'm still deciding.
56
Both completely natural, and the waiter will come back.
57
No pressure.
58
Now the drinks come, you look at the menu, and here is where it gets interesting because sometimes you don't understand something on the menu.
59
This happens all the time, even in your own language sometimes.
60
So what do you say?
61
You ask, simply and directly, excuse me, what is this dish?
62
Or what does this come with?
63
Or is this spicy?
64
What does this come with is such a useful question, because sometimes the menu says the main item, but doesn't tell you what is on the side.
65
Exactly.
66
You want to know if your steak comes with chips or salad. That matters.
67
Very important information.
68
Now you are ready to order.
69
What do you say?
70
The most natural way is, I'll have the followed by what you want.
71
I'll have the pasta please.
72
I'll have the grilled chicken.
73
I'll have the soup to start and the salmon for the main.
74
I'll have sounds so much more natural than I want.
75
Much more natural.
76
I want is grammatically correct, but it can sound a little blunt in a restaurant.
77
I'll have, or could I have, or I'd like, these are all more polite and more fluent.
78
And if you have a dietary requirement, something you can't eat or don't eat, how do you say that?
79
You say it clearly and simply.
80
I'm vegetarian, is there meat in this?
81
Or I'm allergic to nuts, could you check if this dish contains nuts?
82
Or could I have this without the onions, please?
83
Restaurants hear these requests all the time.
84
There's nothing embarrassing about asking.
85
Your health and your preferences matter.
86
And a good restaurant will always accommodate if they can.
87
Now let's talk about during the meal.
88
The food arrives, what do you say?
89
The waiter puts the plate in front of you and says, enjoy your meal. Or enjoy.
90
You say, thank you.
91
That's it.
92
Simple, warm, natural.
93
And if something is wrong, the food is cold, or they brought the wrong dish, what do you do?
94
You speak up, politely but clearly.
95
Excuse me, I think there might be a mistake.
96
I ordered the chicken, but this is the fish.
97
Or, I'm sorry, could you heat this up?
98
It's a little The key words are I think and I'm sorry at the beginning.
99
They soften the complaint without making it less clear.
100
And most waiters genuinely want to fix the problem.
101
They are not your enemy.
102
They want you to have a good experience.
103
Now the meal is finished.
104
You want to pay.
105
What do you say?
106
You catch the waiter's eye or raise your hand gently and say, could we have the bill, please?
107
In American English, they say, check.
108
Could we have the check, please?
109
Both are correct.
110
And if you want to pay separately, what is the phrase?
111
Could we pay separately, please?
112
Or can we split the bill?
113
The waiter will usually say yes and bring separate bills or ask how you want to divide it.
114
Now, I have a restaurant story.
115
Want to hear it?
116
Oh, please tell us.
117
So, this was a few years ago.
118
I was at a restaurant with some colleagues, all native English speakers, and I was trying very hard to sound natural and confident.
119
The waiter asked if I wanted still or sparkling water, and I panicked.
120
I forgot which one meant with bubbles and which one meant without.
121
Ha!
122
That is such a relatable moment.
123
I sat there for about five seconds, which felt like five minutes, and then I said, whichever one doesn't have bubbles, please.
124
And everyone at the table laughed.
125
But it worked.
126
It worked perfectly.
127
The waiter smiled and said, still water it is.
128
And from that day, I never forgot means no bubbles, sparkling means bubbles.
129
That is a great way to learn.
130
A little embarrassment and you never forget.
131
Never.
132
What about you?
133
Any restaurant moments?
134
One, I was in London, my first time ordering in English in a real British restaurant.
135
Everything was going well until the waiter asked, how would you like your steak cooked?
136
And you didn't know the words.
137
I had no idea.
138
Rare, medium, well done.
139
I had never heard these words in this context.
140
I looked at him completely blank.
141
What did you do?
142
I said, not too pink, please.
143
And he said, medium well, perfect.
144
And it was perfect.
145
It was exactly what I wanted.
146
Not too pink.
147
I love that.
148
Sometimes describing what you want in simple words works better than trying to remember the technical term.
149
Don't be afraid to explain rather than name.
150
That is one of the most useful things anyone can do in English.
151
If you don't know the word, describe it.
152
Always.
153
Okay, let's finish with some essential restaurant phrases altogether, the ones you absolutely need to know to get a table
154
a table for two please do you have any tables available
155
we have a reservation under the name to order drinks could
156
we see the drinks menu i'll have a sparkling water please
157
what do you recommend to order food i'll have the could
158
i have please what does this come with is this dish
159
spicy to handle problems excuse me i think there might be a mistake.
160
Could I have this without?
161
I'm allergic to. To pay.
162
Could we have the bill, please?
163
Can we split the bill?
164
Do you accept card?
165
And the one phrase that works in every situation, excuse me, could you help me, please?
166
Because a polite question always opens a door.
167
Now tell us in the comments, have you ever been to a restaurant where you had to speak English?
168
What happened?
169
Did it go well?
170
Did something funny happen?
171
We want to hear your stories, every single one.
📺 Same Channel
✨ Recommend Video
B12
321 sentences
How to Order Food Like a Pro | Easy English Conversation for Beginners | Daily English
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B14
16 sentences
🍽️ Ordering at a Restaurant Real Life English Conversation Practice #shorts
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B126
33 sentences
Video 1 - At the restaurant
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11,202
12 sentences
English Shadowing: Ordering Food at a Restaurant!
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B145
29 sentences
Restaurant English: How to order coffee
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
300 sentences
30 English Sentences You Need Right Now | Speak English in 10 Minutes | A1–B1
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B13
256 sentences
Luyện Nói Tiếng Anh Với Mình - At The Pho Restaurant
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B13
90 sentences
Learn English at a Restaurant in Australia | Real Life English Practice
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
282 sentences
Speak English Without Freezing | Ordering Food at a Restaurant | 21-Day Shadowing Challenge
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
359 sentences
Learn How to Order Food in English — Real Restaurant Conversation!
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
41 sentences
Ordering Food at a Sushi Restaurant 🍣 | English Conversation Practice | Daily Life Dialogue
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B118
351 sentences
English Conversation for Travel
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “At the Restaurant 🍔”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: restaurant, English, waiter, table, menu. This video has 171 sentences and 1380 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:43. The speaker talks at a natural 179 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 48 of its 171 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 |
|---|---|---|
| waiter noun | /ˈweɪ̯təː/ | A male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar. |
| menu noun | /ˈmɛn.juː/ | The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare. |
| reservation noun | /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/ | The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back. |
| bubble noun | /ˈbʌbəl/ | A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid. |
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| sparkling adjective | /ˈspɑɹkl̩ɪŋ/ | Of an object, reflecting light as if giving off tiny sparks or flashes of light. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| allergic adjective | /əˈlɝ.d͡ʒɪk/ | Of or pertaining to allergy. |
| spicy adjective | /ˈspaɪsi/ | Of, pertaining to, or containing spice. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| steak noun | /steɪk/ | Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling. |
| separately adverb | /ˈsɛp.ɹət.li/ | In a separate manner; not together; apart. |
| embarrass verb | /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ | To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely. |
| grammatically adverb | In a grammatical manner. | |
| politely adverb | /pəˈlaɪtli/ | in a polite manner |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| speak up verb | /ˌspik ˈʌp/ | To talk more loudly or clearly. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you have a reservation?
- How many in your party?
- How many people are you with?
- Do you have a table available?
- I'm vegetarian, is there meat in this?
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 | are seated · is finished |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was trying · was going |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might be |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | more natural than · better than |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, dish /dɪʃ/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, embarrassment /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs.mənt/, vegetarian /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/, accommodate /əˈkɑməˌdeɪt/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like waiter, menu, reservation.
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.