Shadowing Practice: Bored of Practicing English? Try These 5 Awesome Methods - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey, everyone.
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If you are tired of your practice routine, you want to find new ways to practice English and to improve your fluency and listening skills and pronunciation in English, this episode is for you.
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Because in this episode, I'm going to talk about a few learning strategies that I have used to learn English and I'm now using to learn Spanish.
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And I've been teaching it to my students for many, many years.
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And I can tell you that these strategies, they work and they are fun and it's going to spice up your practice routine and it's definitely going to make it more effective.
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If you're new to my channel, then hi, my name is Hadar.
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I'm a non-native speaker of English.
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So I have been through everything that you are going through right now, even if it was 20 years ago, back when internet was not as popular, I'm just saying.
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And I want to share with you everything that I know about speaking English with clarity, confidence, and freedom.
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I'm a speech and pronunciation coach, and I'm also a life coach teaching fluency strategies and mindset.
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If you want to learn more with me, go to hadarshamish.com or follow me on social media for daily lessons.
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All right, let's get started with some of the best practice strategies that I know.
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The first one is shadowing.
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If you've been following me for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of shadowing.
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In fact, I have a lot of videos about shadowing, practicing shadowing with you, or teaching you how to do it effectively.
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I have a playlist ready for you in the description so you can get started with it right away.
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Shadowing is when you repeat someone at the same time, so it's kind of like you're echoing them, or you use the technique of pausing and repeating.
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So you are imitating someone.
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And when you do that, you focus on specific things that you'd like to improve.
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Usually it's pronunciation, intonation, or just trying to speak with new words or new grammatical structures that you don't usually use.
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It's fun because it engages you with a scene or a talk or an interview
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or a monologue that usually is exciting and interesting and gets you to use your voice in a different way.
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But also it allows you to say things in a way that you wouldn't normally say, using a more expressive intonation or using words that you don't usually use or paying attention to the specific sounds.
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So shadowing is one of my favorite techniques.
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And if you are not using it regularly for your practice, you should incorporate it starting today.
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If you want more resources to practice shadowing effectively, you can find it in the description below.
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The second effective strategy is transcribing speech to text.
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But not the way you might know it that you dictate something and then it turns into a text by AI.
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No, you need to listen to a speaker without subtitles, without even seeing the video, ideally, and just listening to someone speaking in English and then you need to write down every single thing that you hear.
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This is excellent for comprehension and for understanding the concept of connected speech and reductions because the
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hard part about listening is not recognizing the parts in speech that are reduced and connected and this exercise is
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going to help you do just that also this exercise is great for understanding different accents so let's say
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you speak with different accents from different countries you speak to British speakers and Scottish speakers and Irish speakers and American speakers speaking in different dialects in the US.
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So if you speak with someone where you want to improve your understanding of their specific accent or dialect, this exercise is great for that.
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So again, you need to listen to an audio of a speaker without seeing the script.
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You can also watch a video, but ideally just listening.
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transcribe everything that you hear and then compare it with a transcript.
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So whatever audio you're listening to or video, make sure you also have the transcript.
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Today you have so many AI tools that can help you extract the transcript out of every single audio that you have.
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So you listen, you write down, and then you compare it with the transcript.
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And then the parts that you didn't get right are the parts that you need to go back and listen to it again, hear it in a different way, now knowing what the text is,
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and then trying to identify what was the reason that you didn't understand it.
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Was it a specific sound that you didn't expect?
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Was it a reduction?
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Was it connected speech?
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And then you want to listen to that part again and again until you hear clearly what is being said.
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That is so incredibly effective because next time you'll hear a similar phrase,
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brain will already be able to detect it okay so that is the second strategy super effective the third
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strategy is to speak to yourself so many of my students tell me that they have put in a
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lot of time into learning english and to practicing english but when it's time to speak about different subjects they feel stuck they feel like they can't express themselves freely so there are several reasons for that.
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But one of the main reasons is that you don't have a lot of opportunities to speak about different things.
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And to be able to build fluency and confidence, you need to speak about different things.
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The first thing I tell my students to do is to create a 30-day routine where every day they are going to have to speak about a different topic up to three minutes.
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So you think about a topic or maybe you give yourself a question to answer and it could be something
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related to your day-to-day life your work your hobbies your family your beliefs your opinions about things
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and then you quickly prepare for it and you want to talk about it for about three
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minutes and that's it you do that every single day so all it takes is about five minutes a day and that
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alone is going to really enhance your fluency it's a lot of fun and it requires you to think outside the box that it requires you to
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use words that you don't usually use don't be timid by it don't be like oh i don't know if i can talk about all these things challenge yourself push yourself to find the words that you probably know but never use through talking about
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different topics by the way i recently released an episode on how to practice impromptu speech i gave you a few
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strategies and frameworks on how to talk about any topic without preparing so you can go back and watch that episode and use it in your daily speaking practice
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one more thing you can do when it comes to speaking to yourself is just to walk around and And then talk about the things that you see, the things that you think, the things that you need to do.
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So it's almost like you are taking your thoughts and you're turning them into words in English.
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That helps you improve your vocabulary, your fluency, but also it forces you to think in English.
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So it improves the immediacy of your speech.
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Another strategy that you can kind of like use to level up things that you're already doing is to simply read out loud whatever it is that you're reading.
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So probably a lot of you are reading books or reading articles or maybe reading emails at work anyway in your day-to-day life.
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And even though it's really good for improving your passive knowledge of English, just reading English is not going to improve your fluency and your speaking abilities.
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But if you take the time that you need to read a book or read an email and you turn it into active speaking practice,
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for example, reading it out loud, the time that you spend reading will be leveraged or improved or elevated into a good speaking practice.
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So here's how this works.
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Let's say you want to read a book.
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Say to yourself that the first page you're reading, you're going to read out loud.
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And when you read it out loud, you are going to pay close attention to the music of your voice.
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You're going to pay close attention to how you pronounce the R sound.
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So think of one thing related to spoken English that you might want to improve that you can focus on while reading.
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That way you are getting used to speaking out loud, even if it's just reading, using your voice to communicate, and focusing on one thing that you want to improve.
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That way you are able to do one thing, which is to read, get that information, and you also elevate it and turn it into a really good speaking practice.
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Lastly, if you want to improve your vocabulary, here is my favorite method for learning vocabulary.
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In short, the idea is to practice words that you know, but you don't regularly use.
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This is your passive vocabulary.
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Words that you know, but you don't use regularly.
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You can understand them when someone else says them, but you are less likely to use those words yourself.
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So you want to take those words and practice them through repetition.
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What does that mean?
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To take one word that you want to start using more regularly.
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And by the way, you can, you know, find what that word is while reading a text out loud or while answering the daily questions or while shadowing someone else.
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So you can collect these words while practicing using all the other four strategies.
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And then when you have a list of words that you want to start using more regularly, take one word, say it out loud 30 times using the correct pronunciation,
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And then look at four, five, six different example sentences.
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You can use ChatGPT for it or any AI assistant, writing assistant.
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And then you want to create about five sentences of your own using that word.
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Even though it's a lot for a single word, it is a lot more effective than just memorizing this word through an app and expecting yourself to remember it the next day, because it's not It's not how it works.
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So, this method is super effective.
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And if you want to learn more about how to improve your vocabulary using this method, make sure you check out all the different resources that I share with you below this video.
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All right, that is it.
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Now I have a question for you.
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What is your favorite practice strategy that you would like to share with us so we can all learn and elevate our English practice experience?
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Now, if you want to really elevate your English practice routine, you should definitely check out Beyond My English Practice Community.
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The focus of this community is to practice consistently, get access to a ton of speaking practice and the best guidance and coaches in town.
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Okay?
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It's a super effective English practice membership where you can build consistent habits and get access to effective practice and a lot of speaking opportunities.
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So definitely check it out.
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Go to hadarshemesh.com forward slash beyond.
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I'm also going to link to it in the description below.
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Have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the week.
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I wish you a healthy and effective practice, and I cannot wait to read more of your recommendations in the comments below.
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Talk to you soon.
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Bye.
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Context & Background

In a recent video, the speaker shares innovative methods for enhancing English language practice. Aimed at individuals seeking to elevate their fluency, listening skills, and pronunciation, the insights provided are not only practical but also engaging. The speaker, who is a non-native English learner and experienced coach, discusses challenges faced during language acquisition and offers effective strategies based on personal experience. These techniques can revolutionize your learning process, helping you break free from monotony and become more confident in your speaking abilities.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I have been through everything that you are going through.” - This phrase resonates with many learners, reminding them they are not alone in their challenges.
  • “I want to share with you everything that I know.” - A great opener when seeking to establish a connection in conversations.
  • “You should incorporate it starting today.” - This assertive phrase encourages action, perfect for motivating discussions.
  • “This exercise is great for understanding different accents.” - Essential for learners aiming to improve comprehension in diverse speaking environments.
  • “You need to listen to a speaker without subtitles.” - This helpful advice can be used when coaching peers about effective listening techniques.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Shadowing is an interactive learning method that allows you to practice your English skills in a dynamic way. Follow these simple steps to incorporate shadowing into your daily routine:

  1. Choose Your Material: Select an engaging piece of audio or video content in English that intrigues you. This could include TED Talks, podcasts, or even YouTube videos. Look for genres that you enjoy to maintain motivation.
  2. Set Up Your Environment: Find a quiet space where you can focus without distractions. Make sure you have access to a transcript of the material to compare later.
  3. Listen Actively: Play the audio and listen closely. Try to understand the flow and nuances of the speech without reading the transcript first.
  4. Shadow the Speaker: As you listen, begin to repeat what you hear simultaneously. Focus on pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. This technique, known as “shadowspeak,” will help you internalize language structures.
  5. Review and Reflect: After shadowing, check your understanding against the transcript. Identify areas where you struggled or mispronounced words, and listen to those sections again for improvement.

Using these methods will not only enhance your spoken English, but they also make practice enjoyable. Incorporate shadowing into your learning schedule as often as possible. For additional resources and a comprehensive shadowing site, consider exploring various online platforms that offer lessons tailored for learners preparing for IELTS speaking practice or those simply looking to improve their fluency.

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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