Shadowing Practice: Before Sunrise (1995) Telephone Scene | HD - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hello?
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Mm?
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Vanny, it's Céline.
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Ah.
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How are you?
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It's fine. And you?
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It's amazing.
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I've been working on my English recently.
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Would you want to talk in English just for laughs?
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Yeah, okay.
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That's a good idea.
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Um, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it for lunch today.
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I'm sorry.
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I...
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I met a guy on the train and I got off with him in Vienna.
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We're still there.
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Are you crazy?
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Probably.
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He's Austrian?
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He's from there?
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No, no, no, no. He's passing through here, too.
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He's American.
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He's going back home tomorrow morning.
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Why'd you get off the train with him?
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Well, he convinced me.
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I mean, actually, I was...
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I was ready to get off the train with him after talking to him a short while.
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He was so sweet, I couldn't help it.
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We were in the lunch car, and he began to talk about him as a little boy seeing his great-grandmother's ghost.
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I think that's when I fell for him.
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Just the idea of this little boy with all those beautiful dreams.
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He trapped me.
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Mm-hmm. And he's so cute.
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He has beautiful blue eyes, nice pink lips, greasy hair.
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I love it.
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He's kind of tall and he's a little clumsy.
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I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away.
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He kind of kisses like an adolescent.
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It's so cute.
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What?
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Yeah, we kissed.
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It was so adorable.
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As the night went on, I began to like him more and more.
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But I'm afraid he's scared of me.
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You know, I told him the story about the woman that kills her ex-boyfriend and stuff and stuff, you must be scared to death.
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You must be thinking I'm this manipulative, mean woman.
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I just hope he doesn't feel that way about me.
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Because you know me, I'm the most harmless person.
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The only person I could really hurt is myself.
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I don't think he's scared of you.
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I think he's crazy about you.
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Really?
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I mean, I've known you a long time, and I got a good feeling.
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You gonna see him again?
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We haven't talked about that yet.
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Okay, it's your turn.
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You call your friend.
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Okay?
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Uh, all right, all right.
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Um...
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Uh.. ring, ring, ring.
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I usually get this guy's answering machine.
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Brrring!
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Hi, dude.
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What's up?
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Uh...
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Hey, Frank.
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How you been?
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Glad you're home.
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Cool.
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Yeah.
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So how was Madrid?
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Uh, Madrid sucked.
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Uh, you know, Lisa and I had our long-overdue meltdown.
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Oh, too bad.
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I told you, no?
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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The long-distance thing just never works.
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I was only in Madrid for a couple days.
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I got a cheaper flight out of Vienna, but, uh...
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You know, it really wasn't that much cheaper.
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I just, uh...
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I couldn't go home right away.
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I didn't want to see anybody I knew.
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I just wanted to be a ghost, completely anonymous.
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Hmm.
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So are you okay now?
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Yeah.
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Yeah, no, no, yeah.
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I'm great.
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I'm great.
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That's the thing.
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I'm...
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I'm rapturous.
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And I'll tell you why.
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I met somebody on my last night in Europe.
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Can you believe that?
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That's incredible.
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I know.
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I know.
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And you know how they say we're all each other's demons and angels?
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Well, she was literally a Botticelli angel.
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Just telling me that everything was gonna be okay.
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How did you meet? On the train.
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Yeah, she was sitting next to this very weird couple that started fighting, so she had to move.
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She sat right across the aisle from me.
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So we started to talk, and she didn't like me much at first.
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She's super smart, very passionate, um, and beautiful.
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And I was so unsure of myself.
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I thought everything I said sounded so stupid.
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That's so stupid.
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Oh, man.
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I wouldn't worry about that.
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No?
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No, I'm sure she was not judging you.
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No, and by the way, she sat next to you, no?
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I'm sure she did it in purpose.
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Oh, yeah?
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Yeah.

Context & Background

The scene from the film "Before Sunrise" features a conversation between Céline and her friend Vanny. Céline is sharing her recent experiences after meeting a charming American man on a train. This dialogue not only delves into her personal feelings about the encounter but also showcases a casual, relatable exchange between two friends. The language is infused with emotions, humor, and the nuances of attraction, making it an excellent resource for English learners looking to immerse themselves in everyday conversations. By exploring this dialog, learners can gain insights not just into vocabulary and grammar but also into how to express emotions and personal anecdotes in English.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “How are you?” - A common greeting to check on someone's well-being.
  • “I couldn’t help it.” - Used when expressing that you had little control over your emotions or actions.
  • “He’s so cute.” - A phrase to express affection or admiration.
  • “It was so adorable.” - A way to describe something charming or endearing.
  • “You know me.” - A phrase to remind someone of your character or habits, often used for reassurance.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use the shadowspeak technique with this scene, follow these steps to improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills:

  1. Watch the video: View the scene multiple times, focusing on the natural flow of conversation. Pay attention to intonation, stress, and emotion in the phrases.
  2. Listen and repeat: Play short segments of the dialogue. Pause and repeat each line, mimicking the speaker's tone and timing. This is key to mastering shadow speech and enhancing your English speaking practice.
  3. Record yourself: After shadowing, record your voice saying the same phrases. Compare your pronunciation to the original dialogue to identify areas for improvement in your accent and fluency.
  4. Practice with context: Once you feel comfortable with the phrases, try using them in your own conversations. Create scenarios where you might discuss personal experiences, similar to Céline’s story.
  5. Engage in discussions: Find language partners or groups to practice these phrases in conversation. This will help solidify your learning and provide real-time feedback.

Utilizing shadowspeak in your practice sessions will not only enhance your vocabulary but will also significantly improve English pronunciation and confidence in speaking. Incorporate these methods into your routine to take full advantage of this engaging scene from "Before Sunrise".

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.