Shadowing Practice: Big Family - Intermediate English Listening Lesson with Quiz! - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Lesson 758, Big Family.
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Lesson 758, Big Family.
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Lupe talks about what it's like to have lots of brothers and sisters.
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Listen to the end and take the quiz.
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Now, let's listen to the conversation.
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So Lupe, you have an extremely large family compared to family sizes here in the United States.
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How was that?
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How was that growing up with such a large family?
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Yeah, coming here to the United States, it was really strange for me to see how small families were and me coming from such a big family where there's I have five brothers and six sisters.
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So five boys, seven girls.
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There's 12 of us.
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And we all have the same mom and dad.
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And, you know, at times it can be a little a little rough because growing up, you know, at one point we did all live together.
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Now it's not as hard because there is a big age difference between the oldest and the youngest.
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I am the youngest girl, and I have a younger brother.
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My oldest brother now is 40, married, lives in his own house, and most of my older brothers and sisters are all married and have their kids and have also moved out.
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It's not as tough anymore.
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What I love about having such a big family is that now they all have babies.
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So there's 23 nephews and nieces.
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So when we have get togethers, it's really an amazing party because there's so many people there just with our immediate family.
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The kids are running around playing.
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All the women are, you know, hanging out, talking, and the guys are also doing their thing.
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And there's also a lot of birthday parties.
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as you can imagine.
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There's so many birthdays throughout the year.
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So there's always a party.
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There's always someone to talk to.
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There's always someone to go to.
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Although it can really hurt your pocket around Christmas time because, you know, there's 23 nephews and nieces to buy presents for.
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And there's also 11 siblings to buy, you know, presents.
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And the family's only getting larger because you also got to think about them getting married.
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So now I have sister-in-laws, now I have brother-in-laws, and there's still a few of us that are not married.
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So the family's going to get bigger for sure.
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What was the hardest part about growing up in a family that large?
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I think the hardest part about it when I was little was I think my parents didn't have the resources to raise all of us in maybe the way they wish that they could have.
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There wasn't always enough money to make sure that everybody was well-dressed or even that there was enough food.
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As the older siblings started, you know, growing up and being old enough that they could work, they, you know, became an essential part of the family and started helping with the income, the family income.
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And that made it a lot easier for us younger ones growing up.
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they had it a little tougher than we did because they had to work a lot since they were really young to make sure that the rest of us had everything we needed.
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That was definitely the hardest part.
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Now let's listen again.
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Can you answer these nine questions?
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Question one, how many brothers and sisters did she have?
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So Lupe, you have an extremely large family compared to family sizes here in the United States.
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How was that?
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How was that growing up with such a large family?
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Yeah, coming here to the United States, it was really strange for me to see how small families were and me coming from such a big family where I have five brothers and six sisters.
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So, how many brothers and sisters did she have?
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The answer is 11.
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Question two.
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What made it easier for her big family?
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So five boys, seven girls, there's 12 of us, and we all have the same mom and dad.
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And, you know, at times it can be a little rough because growing up, you know, at one point we did all live together.
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Now it's not as hard because there is a big age difference between the oldest and the youngest.
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So what made it easier for her big family?
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The answer is the age difference.
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Question three.
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How old is her oldest brother?
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I am the youngest girl and I have a younger brother.
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My oldest brother now is 40, married, lives in his own house.
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And most of my older brothers and sisters are all married and have their kids and have also moved out.
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It's not as tough anymore.
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So, how old is her oldest brother?
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The answer is 40.
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Question four.
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How many nieces and nephews does she have?
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What I love about having such a big family is that now they all have babies.
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So there's 23 nephews and nieces.
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So when we have get-togethers, it's really an amazing party because there's so many people there.
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Just with our immediate family, the kids are running around playing, all the women are, you know, hanging out, talking.
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and the guys are also doing their thing.
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So how many nieces and nephews does she have?
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The answer is 23.
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Question five, what time of year hurts her pocket?
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And there's also a lot of birthday parties, as you can imagine.
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There's so many birthdays throughout the year.
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So there's always a party.
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There's always someone to talk to.
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There's always someone to go to, although it can really hurt your pocket around Christmas time because, you know, there's 23 nephews and nieces to buy presents for.
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So what time of year hurts your pocket?
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The answer is Christmas time.
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Question six.
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Now, how many of her siblings are not married?
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And there's also 11 siblings to buy, you know, presents.
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And the family's only getting larger because you also got to think about them getting married.
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So now I have sister-in-laws.
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Now I have brother-in-laws.
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And there's still a few of us that are not married.
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So the family's only going to get bigger for sure.
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So how many of our siblings are not married?
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The answer is a few of them.
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Question seven.
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What was the hardest part of growing up?
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What was the hardest part about growing up in a family that large?
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I think the hardest part about it when I was little was I think my parents didn't have the resources to raise all of us in maybe the way they wish they could have.
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So, what was the hardest part of growing up?
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The answer is a lack of resources, not enough money.
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Question eight, who helped with the income?
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There wasn't always enough money to make sure that everybody was well-dressed or even that there was enough food.
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As the older siblings started growing up and being old enough that they could work, they became an essential part of the family.
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started helping with the income, the family income.
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So who helped with the family income?
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The answer is the children or her older siblings.
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And we have the last question, question nine.
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Who does she say had it tougher?
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And that made it a lot easier for us younger ones growing up.
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They had it a little tougher than we did because they had to work a lot since they were really young to make sure that the rest of us had everything we needed.
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That was definitely the hardest part.
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So who does she say had it tougher?
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The answer is the older children or the older siblings.
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And that ends the listening quiz.
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How did you do?
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Could you answer all nine of the questions?
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Now, if you want, we have the full lesson on Ello, you can go to the site, check the link below, and you can listen again, and you can also read the script.
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And we have some bonus lesson materials.
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We also have more interviews with Lupe and Kara.
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And that's it for this lesson.
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Thanks so much.
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My name's Todd.
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I'm the creator of Ello.org.
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I'm an ESL teacher and the listening coach of this lesson.
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I hope you enjoyed it.
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Please stay tuned for more.
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And always remember, the more you listen, the faster you learn.
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Goodbye, everybody.
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About This Lesson

This lesson focuses on a conversation with Lupe, who shares her experiences growing up in a large family with 11 siblings. Throughout the lesson, learners will practice their listening skills by engaging with real-life family dynamics and cultural differences, specifically contrasting Lupe's background with typical family sizes in the United States. By the end of the lesson, you will have gained insights into the challenges and joys of having a big family, which provides a rich context for your English speaking practice.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Immediate family - the closest family members, such as parents and siblings.
  • Siblings - brothers and sisters.
  • Get-togethers - family gatherings or reunions.
  • Resources - assets like money or support needed to raise a family.
  • Nephews and nieces - the children of one's siblings.
  • Essential part - someone or something that is very important or necessary.
  • Birthday parties - celebrations for birthdays, often involving family and friends.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this lesson, consider employing shadow speech techniques while you listen to Lupe's conversation. The natural flow of her speech is great for improving English pronunciation and gaining confidence in your speaking skills. Here are some focused tips for your english speaking practice:

  • Listen actively: Pay close attention to Lupe's intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation as you listen. Her explanations about family dynamics are articulated clearly, making it easier to mimic during shadowing.
  • Slow it Down: If the original speed feels fast, pause the video or listen to it at a slower speed. This allows you to clearly enunciate each word as you practice.
  • Repeat After: After listening to a sentence or two, pause and repeat what you've heard. Aim to match the tone and pace of Lupe's speech. This will help you learn new phrases and improve your fluency.
  • Record Yourself: After shadowing a few sentences, record your voice and listen back. This feedback will show you areas where you can improve your pronunciation and intonation.
  • Use Video Replays: Don't hesitate to watch sections of the video multiple times. Each review will deepen your understanding of the material and enhance your ability to learn English with YouTube.

By following these tips and utilizing the key vocabulary from the transcript, you can elevate your english speaking practice and become more confident in your language skills.

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.

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