Shadowing Practice: Charlie Puth - How Long (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Learning English with videos is a fun way to level up your skills—especially when you use the shadowing technique! This clip from Charlie Puth’s "How Long" is perfect for IELTS speaking practice and improving pronunciation. Let’s dive in and turn lyrics into real-world speaking skills.

What You'll Learn

This video helps you master two key speaking skills. First, expressing regret and defense—phrases like "I'll admit, I was wrong" and "it only happened once" are common in everyday conversations (and IELTS part 2/3!). Second, asking direct questions with emotion, like "How long has this been going on?" You’ll learn to sound natural, not scripted.

Listen For These Sounds

Native speakers link words and reduce sounds—let’s spot them! Notice how "Can't you" becomes "Canchu" (linking the 't' and 'y'), and "I don't make it right" shortens to "I don't make it righ'" (dropping the 't' at the end). Also, "gonna" (instead of "going to") in "You're gonna go down" is a common reduction. These small details make your speech sound fluent.

Say It Like a Native

Use the shadowing technique: play a line, pause, and repeat it immediately, matching the rhythm and stress. Charlie Puth stresses words like "WRONG," "DRUNK," and "SHADY" to show emotion—copy that! Notice the rise in tone on "Was it real or just for show?" to sound curious. Practice 5 minutes a day, and you’ll see quick progress. This is how "shadowspeak" (speaking like a shadow of the native) works—you’ll start sounding more natural without even trying!

Ready to start? Hit play, shadow, and watch your English speaking skills soar. Remember: every lyric is a chance to practice—so sing (and speak!) your way to fluency!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: