Shadowing Practice: Daniel’s Story: A Boy’s Life During the Holocaust - Learn English Speaking with Video
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99 sentences
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1
Dear Diary, my name is Daniel.
2
Today is my birthday.
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Dad gave me his medal.
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He got it when he was a soldier.
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And my sister Erika gave me this brand new diary.
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I'm going to draw and write about everything I do.
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Today I played soccer with my friends.
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And helped at our family's store.
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Our family is Jewish.
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On Friday evening, we have the best meal of the week: Shabbat dinner.
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Eloheinu melech ha'olam borei pri hagafen.
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My father says the blessing over the wine, and I get to drink some.
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It's a new year.
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Things are starting to change.
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It's really scary.
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A group of people called Nazis took over Germany.
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They want to rule the world.
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They hate anyone who isn't like them.
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Especially Jewish people.
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Now my friends won't play with me because I'm Jewish.
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Hey! Go away!
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Even my teacher makes fun of me because I'm Jewish.
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Mom and Dad always seem worried.
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And Erika is really scared.
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I try to remind her of how things used to be.
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Things just keep getting worse.
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There are all sorts of places we can't go.
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All Jews are required to carry identification cards at all times.
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These cards must be presented...
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Nazis are making new laws against Jews every day.
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Have you ever been punished for something you didn't do?
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My parents sent me to a new school just for Jews.
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I miss my old friends, but I'm making new friends too.
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Last night I heard shouting outside.
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Nazis destroyed Jewish homes and stores.
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Including ours.
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Dad! Dad! Dad!
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Dad? They burned our synagogue.
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I never saw my father cry before.
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It's 1941. The Nazis are still fighting a world war.
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And they're making Jews sew yellow stars on our clothes so people know we're Jewish.
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Then they told us we have to leave our home.
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But no one will tell us where we're going.
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We aren't allowed to bring many things.
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I left my diary behind.
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I don't feel like drawing anymore.
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But Erika saved it for me.
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She's afraid we won't see our home again.
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I promised her things would go back to the way they were before the Nazis ruined our lives.
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The Nazis sent us far from home to a ghetto.
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A crowded, dirty place, just for Jews.
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There are fences all around us.
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We're not allowed to leave.
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Our apartment is really crowded.
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And we only get one loaf of bread per week.
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Mom shares her bread with us.
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I'm afraid we won't have enough food to stay alive.
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Everyone is forced to work here.
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Even kids. Erika can't even go to school.
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I know stealing is wrong, but we’re freezing.
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Sometimes I think about when my dad was a soldier.
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He had to be brave.
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It makes me feel brave too.
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Even Erika took a pencil for me.
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She told me I have to keep drawing no matter what.
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We've been stuck in this ghetto for three years.
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I thought things couldn't get worse.
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The Nazis told us we have to leave again.
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I heard people say we're going to a concentration camp.
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I don't know what that is.
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They say it's worse than the ghetto.
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I don't know how that could be.
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We were stuck in that hot train for three days.
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We got off the train and they took all our bags away.
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They took my diary.
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And they took Mom and Erika away.
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We are forced to work all the time.
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We were always hungry and cold.
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People are dying every day.
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I can't sleep.
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So I keep my diary alive in my head.
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We never saw Mom or Erika again.
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Nazis killed them both.
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Just because they're Jewish.
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I still miss them so much.
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Later that year, the war finally ended.
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Soldiers freed us from the camps.
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Dad and I both managed to survive.
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But there were so many children who didn’t.
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Just like Erika.
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The Nazis killed more than 1.5 million kids.
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That's like a whole school disappearing every day for eight years.
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The Nazis killed grown-ups, too.
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Millions of Jewish people and many others.
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There are still people today who hate Jews just for being Jewish.
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That's why I still write and draw.
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That's why I still remember.
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Remember my story.
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Remember the children.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Daniel’s Story: A Boy’s Life During the Holocaust”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Nazis, Jewish, Erika, dad, Jews. This video has 99 sentences and 719 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:15. The speaker talks slowly, about 78 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.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| diary noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/ | A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer. |
| synagogue noun | /ˈsɪnəˌɡɑɡ/ | A place of worship for Jews. |
| punish verb | /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ | To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action… |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| shout verb | /ʃaʊt/ | To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc. |
| blessing noun | /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/ | Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| disappear verb | /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ | To vanish. |
| freeze verb | /ˈfɹiːz/ | Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature. |
| identification noun | /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/ | The act of identifying (i.e., which one, which thing). |
| fence noun | /fɛns/ | A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. |
| concentration noun | /ˌkɑn.sənˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The act, process or ability of concentrating; the process of becoming concentrated, or the state of being concentrated. |
| ruin noun | /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ | The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- There are all sorts of places we can't go.
- Have you ever been punished for something you didn't do?
- We aren't allowed to bring many things.
- I don't feel like drawing anymore.
- She's afraid we won't see our home again.
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 | are required · must be presented · been punished |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever been punished · We've been stuck |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | anyone who isn · children who didn |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep getting · keep drawing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/, shout /ʃaʊt/, identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, concentration /ˌkɑn.sənˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, concentration /ˌkɑn.sənˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
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 diary, synagogue, punish.
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.