Shadowing Practice: Avicii - Waiting For Love (Lyric Video) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Music Well there's a will,
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there's a way, kinda beautiful And every night has a state, so magical And if there's love in this life,
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there's no obstacle That can't be defeated For every tyrant,
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a tear for the vulnerable And every loss, all the bones of a miracle For every dreamer, a dream world's unstoppable
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With something to believe in
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Monday left me broken Tuesday I was through with hoping Wednesday my empty arms were open Thursday waiting for love,
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waiting for love Bang the stars, it's Friday I'm burning like a fire gone wild on Saturday
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Guess I won't be coming to church on Sunday I'll be waiting for love, waiting for love to come around
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I'm sorry.
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We want We are one of a kind, irreplaceable How did I get so blind and so cynical?
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If there's love in this life, we're unstoppable No, we can't be defeated
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Monday left me broken Tuesday I was through With hoping Wednesday my empty arms were open Thursday waiting for love,
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waiting for love Thank the stars this Friday I'm burning like
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a fire gone wild on Saturday Guess I won't be coming to church on Sunday I'll be waiting for love,
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waiting for love To come around
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I'm sorry.
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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
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Thank you.

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Avicii - Waiting For Love”. This video has 18 sentences and 217 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:51. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

WordPronunciationMeaning
bone noun/boʊn/A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
tear verb/tɛɹ/To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
magical adjective/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/Of, relating to, or by means of magic.
vulnerable adjective/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
miracle noun/ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin.
obstacle noun/ˈɑbstəkəl/Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, either physically or figuratively
cynical adjective/ˈsɪnɪkəl/Of or relating to the belief that human actions are motivated only or primarily by base desires or selfishness.
unstoppable adjective/ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/Unable to be stopped.
dreamer noun/ˈdɹimɚ/One who dreams.
irreplaceable adjective/ˌɪə.ɹəˈpleɪ.sə.bəl/Incapable of being replaced, especially because of uniqueness or finiteness.
tyrant noun/ˈtaɪɹənt/A despot; a ruler who governs unjustly, cruelly, or harshly.
empty adjective/ˈɛm(p).ti/Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody; vacant.
burn verb/bɝn/To cause to be consumed by fire.
defeat verb/dɪˈfiːt/To overcome in battle or contest.
blind adjective/ˈblaɪ̯nd/Unable to see, or only partially able to see.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
come around verb/kʌ.məˈɹaʊnd/To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itcan't be defeated
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowI'm burning
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionwon't be

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • Long words — get the stress right: unstoppable /ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/, irreplaceable /ˌɪə.ɹəˈpleɪ.sə.bəl/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bone, tear, magical.

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 →