Shadowing Practice: Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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31 sentences
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1
Good morning. Where are you travelling to?
2
Hi! Um, I need a ticket to York, please.
3
Single or return?
4
Sorry, what's the difference?
5
A single is one way. A return is there and back.
6
Oh, I see. A return, then.
7
I'm coming back on Sunday.
8
That's £98.50, please.
9
Ninety-eight pounds? Seriously?
10
Ugh, that's really expensive!
11
Well, that's a peak ticket.
12
If you take the 10:30 train, it's off-peak.
13
Then it's only £54.
14
Wow, that's much better!
15
Do you have a railcard?
16
No, I don't. I'm just visiting.
17
No problem. Would you like a seat reservation?
18
Yes, please. Is it a direct train?
19
Yes, it's direct. You don't need to change.
20
Great! Which platform does it leave from?
21
Platform 4. The departure is at 10:30.
22
Excuse me! Sorry! My train isn't at platform 4!
23
Okay, don't worry. Let me check.
24
Oh! It's changed! It's at platform 9 now.
25
Platform 9? Where's that?
26
Go straight on, then down the stairs.
27
Hurry. It leaves in three minutes.
28
Thank you so much! You're a star!
29
Phew! I made it!
30
Next time, I'll check the platform twice.
31
Okay... York, here I come!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: platform, train, return. This video has 31 sentences and 181 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:50. The speaker talks slowly, about 99 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 11 of its 31 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
pound noun/ˈpaʊ̯nd/A unit of weight in various measurement systems.
departure noun/dɪˈpɑː(ɹ)tjə(ɹ)/The act of departing or something that has departed.
leaf noun/lif/The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
hurry verb/ˈhʌ.ɹi/To do things quickly.
stairs noun/ˈstɛɹz/A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors.
reservation noun/ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back.
phew/fjuː/Used to express relief of tension, fatigue, or surprise.
railcard nounA card allowing reduced fares for travelling by train.
platform noun/ˈplætfɔɹm/A raised stage from which speeches are made and on which musical and other performances are made.
ticket noun/ˈtɪk.ɪt/A pass entitling the holder to admission to a show, concert, sporting event, etc.
peak noun/piːk/A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
excuse verb/ɪksˈkjuz/To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

  • Where are you travelling to?
  • Do you have a railcard?
  • Would you like a seat reservation?
  • You don't need to change.
  • Next time, I'll check the platform twice.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 pound, departure, leaf.

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 →