Shadowing Practice: Carpooling to Work: Who Pays for Petrol? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
29 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Morning! Hop in, it's absolutely pouring.
2
Ugh, cheers. The bus was cancelled again.
3
Again? That's the third time this week!
4
Honestly, I'd be lost without these lifts.
5
Actually, there's something I've been meaning to mention...
6
Um, it's a bit awkward, to be honest.
7
Oh dear. That sounds serious. Go on.
8
Don't worry, it's nothing bad.
9
It's just that petrol has gone up quite a lot lately.
10
Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have offered ages ago.
11
Well, honestly, I wasn't sure how to bring it up.
12
No, you're absolutely right to. How shall we split it?
13
Well, I fill up about once a week, roughly sixty pounds.
14
So how about I pay half? Thirty a week?
15
No, that's too much. I'd be driving in anyway.
16
Fair point. What about twenty, plus the parking?
17
Oh, that's more than fair. Deal!
18
Um, can I be honest with you, though?
19
Of course. What is it?
20
I'm afraid I've been avoiding this for weeks.
21
I just didn't know how to say it, really...
22
Ha! So we were both too polite to mention it?
23
Typically British of us, isn't it?
24
Absolutely. We'd rather suffer than talk about money!
25
Right, here we are. Five minutes early, for once.
26
Brilliant! Coffee's on me this morning.
27
Oh, you don't have to do that!
28
I insist. Consider it the first instalment.
29
Well, in that case, I'll have a large latte.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A2920
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A1854
Can You Swim? What Can You Do?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
B1382
Discipline Beats Motivation
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1382
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1267
Lunch Break: What Do You Want to Eat?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1410
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1108
A Day in My Life 1: Getting Up
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A21,422
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B288
Why a Song Gets Stuck in Your Head
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1101
Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2800
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21,292
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2126
Lunch in the School Canteen
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2408
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A271
Speaking Challenge: A Family Holiday I Remember
British AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1188
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2591
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C1110
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Health, Fast Food and Exercise
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A194
What's in My Lunchbox?
British AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A130
Fast and Slow: The Big Race
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
A222
29 sentences
Small Talk at the Office Coffee Machine
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B151
30 sentences
Booking an Airport Taxi: Thirteen or Thirty?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B19
24 sentences
June 24, 2026
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
29 sentences
Bonus Practice: #108 Talking about the cost of living | SBS Learn English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B19
135 sentences
Shadowing 30+ Daily English Phrases with Native Speaker — British Accent Modern RP Practice
British AccentBusiness EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B19
107 sentences
How to actually improve your Everyday English Speaking Skills: English conversation practice
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
153 sentences
Work / Business English Expressions | British Pronunciation
British AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B12
260 sentences
waking up early is the sh*t
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
629 sentences
I'll Pay For Your Groceries If You Let Me Cook For You
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B19
208 sentences
How to Talk About Transport and Driving in English - Spoken English Lesson
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B18
28 sentences
English Speaking Lesson - Shadowing - Sarah Jenkins's Diary 4
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1453 sentences
30 Days to Build Your English Identity | Do You Know Where Your Money Goes? 💸 | English Speaking
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Carpooling to Work: Who Pays for Petrol?”. This video has 29 sentences and 231 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:48. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 9 of its 29 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suffer verb | /ˈsʌfɚ/ | To undergo hardship. |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| roughly adverb | /ˈɹʌf.li/ | In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness. |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| awkward adjective | /ˈɔk.wɚd/ | Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments. |
| cancel verb | /ˈkæn.sl̩/ | To cross out something with lines etc. |
| cheers | /t͡ʃɪəz/ | A common toast used when drinking in company. |
| pour verb | /poɹ/ | To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. |
| insist verb | /ɪnˈsɪst/ | To hold up a claim emphatically. |
| sixty noun | /ˈsɪksti/ | A commercial lasting 60 seconds. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| petrol noun | /ˈpɛt.ɹəl/ | A fluid consisting of a mixture of refined petroleum hydrocarbons, primarily consisting of octane, commonly used as a motor fuel. |
| instalment noun | /ɪnˈstɔːl.mənt/ | Australia, UK, and Canada standard spelling of installment. |
| latte noun | /ˈlɑ.teɪ/ | A drink of coffee made from espresso and steamed milk, generally topped with foam. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Honestly, I'd be lost without these lifts.
- Actually, there's something I've been meaning to mention...
- No, you're absolutely right to.
- How shall we split it?
- I'd be driving in anyway.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'd, I'm. 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.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like suffer, lately, roughly.
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.