Shadowing Practice: Conan O'Brien talks 'Toy Story 5' - Learn English Speaking with Video
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106 sentences
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1
Look who just walked in, Conor O'Brien.
2
Thank you.
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The voice of Smarty Pants, Toy Story 5.
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So you gotta set the scene for us.
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Yes.
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Pixar wants a potty trainer, and they come to you.
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Yeah.
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And I've never felt more seen in my life.
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They came to my office, and they said, we want to pitch you on being in Toy Story 5.
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And I said, let's hear it.
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And they said, you're a device that trains two-year-olds how to use the potty.
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And I said, where do I sign?
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I want in.
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But it's actually, it's a really, it's a very funny character.
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Very funny, too.
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And I finally got to see the movie because you shoot your part, you don't know what's going to happen.
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And then they bring you to the premiere and you see it for the first time.
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And you're completely alone when you're doing it, right?
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Yeah, you're alone.
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And I talked to Tom Hanks, I think the day I signed, I saw him a few hours later.
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And he said, Conan's going to be the hardest thing you ever do.
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And I thought, that can't be true because you're, it's just your voice, but you have to work so hard to get all of your personality into this microphone.
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And then of course they have you do it.
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They'll say, do this line and remember you're falling at 35 miles an hour, but you hit a rock towards the end, so give me a little, and go.
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And you go, and then they say, they're behind a glass and they all look at each other and they go, could you begin?
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But you're falling at 40 miles an hour and you hit two stones and you do that for about seven hours.
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Oh my God.
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You're drenched and then they call you back and do that multiple times.
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You go back, but they're geniuses.
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They did a brilliant job.
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Yeah, they did.
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Well, let's see you in action.
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Let's do that.
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All right, let's do it.
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Oh, Snappy!
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Atlas, they're still here!
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Oh, bossy cowgirl, we have to turn it back on!
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No!
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No way!
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The last thing this world needs is more devices.
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What?
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What?
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You're just going to shove them back in the dark forever?
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Do you have any idea what that's like?
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Fine.
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We've got to make this quick.
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Ha ha!
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Yes!
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Number one, you made number one.
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No!
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I know those are gasps of respect.
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Yeah.
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Getting to be involved in any way with Joan Cusack, who I think is one of the all-time greats, was magical.
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So that alone was worth it.
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But yeah, it's a very strange sensation.
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We had this premiere, and then Taylor Swift shows up on the carpet.
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The next thing you know, I'm having my picture taken with Taylor Swift.
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So my daughter decided to start talking to me again.
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It ended a three-year rift.
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But yeah, she's got this song, and it's spectacular.
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It's already number one.
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It's number one, yeah.
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But how would you describe the character, Smarty Pink?
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Oh, let's really get into the character of Smarty Pink, shall we?
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First the fro-yo, then let's talk about the toilet training device, and then we'll talk about this peace deal.
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You know what I like about him?
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He takes his job very seriously.
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He's really serious about it.
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He's thin-skinned because not everyone respects what he does, and so he's quick to be offended.
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He's also been turned off for a long time.
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He's just come back to life, and he's usually, for a while, he's at half power, and they said just do it as if you've been drinking.
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So I went method, and I just had a ton of tequila.
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Are you gonna be okay?
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Are you all right?
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Thank you for summarizing me on TV in six words.
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Yeah, someone had to do it.
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Someone had to do it.
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Well, you're a promotional machine.
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I cannot figure out how you managed to promote the film while giving the commencement address at Harvard.
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How did you...?
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They said, would you like to do this commencement address?
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I said at Harvard, my alma mater.
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So I said, yes.
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I really sweated the speech because you want it.
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You know, you're in pretty good company.
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You know, and I'm sure there's some criminals in there as well.
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But it's like 50-50.
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Icons, civil rights leaders, great world leaders, and then white collar criminals.
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But I wanted that to be good, and then I decided I need to tell these young graduates up front who's their speaker.
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So I told them I'm in Toy Story 5 playing a potty training device, because I wanted them to have the appropriate amount of respect for me.
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So all in all, it was a great experience for me.
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It was like a bucket list thing to get to do.
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Well, I'll tell you what, we're excited because you're going to hold the Oscar for the third year in a row.
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Which is great, and we know you enjoy doing that.
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I had someone tell me that you're very handsome.
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I just had somebody get in my ear to tell you that you're very handsome.
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I think those were your thoughts.
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I think when you touch your ear and say, I just, no, no, no, that's you.
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That's the fake.
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That's the fake.
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You're very handsome.
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I find you very handsome as well.
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But we're always excited to see you, man.
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Congratulations, Toy Story 5.
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It's in theaters on Friday.
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Our guy, Conan O'Brien.
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Speaking Goals for This Clip: Mastering Expressive Voice Acting
This video is perfect for practicing how to infuse personality into your speech—key for fluency! You’ll learn to adjust tone, pace, and emotion to match a character’s energy, whether you’re “falling at 40 miles an hour” or reacting to a silly situation. It’s like a fun workout for your vocal flexibility, which makes everyday conversations feel more natural too.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions from the Dialogue
- “set the scene” – Explain the background of a story or situation.
- “where do I sign?” – Show eagerness to join or agree.
- “completely alone” – Emphasize doing something without help.
- “drenched” – Describe being soaked (here, from effort!)
- “make this quick” – Urge someone to hurry.
Fix Your Weak Spots: Rhythm and Intonation in Dynamic Speech
The dialogue is full of quick shifts—from excitement (“Yes! Number one!”) to frustration (“No way!”). This is ideal for practicing the shadowing technique: repeat lines right after the speaker, mimicking their pace and tone. Use the shadow speech method to nail the “uh-oh” panic or the triumphant “ha ha!” You’ll notice how pauses and stress change meaning—like “they ALL look at each other” vs. “they all look at EACH other.” For extra practice, try a shadowing app to record yourself and compare. Learning English with YouTube clips like this turns passive watching into active skill-building—you’ll be surprised how much your conversational flow improves when you “shadow” dynamic speakers like Conan!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be involved · be offended · been turned |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've never felt · He's also been turned |
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.