Shadowing Practice: BoJack Horseman - Lets get real - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “BoJack Horseman - Lets get real”. This video has 56 sentences and 362 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:11. The speaker talks at a natural 166 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. 16 of its 56 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 |
|---|---|---|
| jealous adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ | Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity. |
| cancel verb | /ˈkæn.sl̩/ | To cross out something with lines etc. |
| bubble noun | /ˈbʌbəl/ | A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid. |
| patrol noun | /pəˈtɹoʊl/ | A going of the rounds along the chain of sentinels and between the posts, by a guard, usually consisting of three or four men, to insure greater security from… |
| millionaire noun | /ˌmɪl.i.əˈnɛə(ɹ)/ | Somebody whose wealth is at least one million (10⁶) currency units (usually understood to exclude holders of hyperinflated currencies). |
| entice verb | /ɪnˈtaɪs/ | To lure; to attract by arousing desire or hope. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| roadside noun | /ˈɹoʊdsaɪd/ | The area on either side of a road. |
| siren noun | /ˈsaɪɹən/ | One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks. |
| stumble verb | /ˈstʌmbəl/ | To trip or fall; to walk clumsily. |
| girlfriend noun | /ˈɡɝlfɹɛnd/ | A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. |
| joke noun | /ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯k/ | An amusing story. |
| journey noun | /ˈd͡ʒɝni/ | A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage. |
| universe noun | /ˈjunəˌvɝs/ | The sum of everything that exists in the cosmos. |
| kiss noun | /kɪs/ | A touch with the lips, usually to express love or affection, or as a greeting. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pull over verb | To come to a stop, and turn off the road (i.e. onto the roadside or hard shoulder). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How did you know about that?
- Wait, so you've known all this time?
- You think I don't notice?
- Why don't you like me?
- What more do you want?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 jealous, cancel, bubble.
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.