Shadowing Practice: Dinner at Maya's Place - Learn English Speaking with Video
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20 sentences
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1
Come in! Dinner's almost ready.
2
Thanks for inviting me. I brought some cookies.
3
Oh, you didn't have to! That's so sweet!
4
Something smells amazing. What are you making?
5
Pasta with tomato sauce, and garlic bread in the oven.
6
Hi, I'm home. Oh, we have a guest!
7
Emma, this is Lucas. He just joined my team.
8
Nice to meet you. Sorry, I just finished a twelve-hour shift.
9
Twelve hours? That sounds exhausting.
10
It was. But a good dinner fixes everything.
11
Wait — can you smell something burning?
12
Oh no, the garlic bread! I forgot about it!
13
Don't worry, I'll open the window.
14
I'm so sorry. It's completely black.
15
Honestly, it's fine. The pasta looks perfect.
16
This pasta is delicious, Maya.
17
And we still have cookies for dessert.
18
Next time, you're cooking, Lucas!
19
Deal. But I can only make toast.
20
Then please don't burn it!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Dinner at Maya's Place”. This video has 20 sentences and 143 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:12. The speaker talks at a steady 119 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 3 of its 20 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pasta noun | /ˈpɑ.stə/ | Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating. |
| twelve noun | /twɛlv/ | A group of twelve items. |
| cookie noun | /ˈkʊki/ | A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm. |
| garlic noun | /ˈɡɑɹlɪk/ | A plant, Allium sativum, related to the onion, having a pungent bulb much used in cooking. |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| oven noun | /ˈʌ.vn̩/ | A chamber used for baking or heating. |
| toast noun | /toʊst/ | Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning). |
| tomato noun | /təˈmeɪ.toʊ/ | A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit. |
| dessert noun | /dɪˈzɝt/ | The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc. |
| exhaust verb | /ɪɡˈzɔst/ | To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely. |
| burn verb | /bɝn/ | To cause to be consumed by fire. |
| bread noun | /brɛd/ | A foodstuff made by baking dough made from cereals. |
| smell verb | /smɛl/ | To sense a smell or smells. |
| cook verb | /kʊk/ | To prepare food for eating, typically by heating it, combining it with other ingredients, seasoning it, preparing it for serving, etc. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What are you making?
- Wait — can you smell something burning?
- Don't worry, I'll open the window.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, shift /ˈʃɪft/
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 pasta, twelve, cookie.
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.