Shadowing Practice: Dubai Palm Apartments - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Dubai Palm Apartments, Amanda speaking.
2
How can I help you?
3
Oh, hi, Amanda.
4
I'm ringing to enquire about a holiday apartment for the month after next.
5
OK, no problem.
6
Let me get your details first, then I'll tell you what we've got.
7
Is that all right?
8
Fine, go ahead.
9
OK.
10
Can I have your name first, please?
11
Yes, it's Leo Blücher.
12
That's L-E-O.
13
That's my first name.
14
And my surname is B-L-U-C-H-E-R.
15
OK, I've got that.
16
Where are you from, just out of interest, Leo?
17
I'm Austrian.
18
Right, OK.
19
And what's your address?
20
It's number 37, Blumengasse, in Vienna.
21
Right.
22
Could you just spell Blumengasse for me, please, Leo?
23
My German's not too good.
24
Sure.
25
It's B-L-U-M-E-N-G-A-S-S-E.
26
Great.
27
Thanks.
28
And what's the weather like in Vienna at the moment?
29
It's pretty grey and rainy, I'm afraid.
30
Hope it's better in Dubai.
31
Yes, it's lovely at the moment.
32
Sunny and warm, but not too hot.
33
Now, can you give me your phone number?
34
Yes, it's 4312 111057.
35
Great.
36
So, you're looking for a holiday apartment, Leo.
37
How many people is it for?
38
Just yourself?
39
No, there'll be four of us, two adults and two children.
40
Fine.
41
And when would you like it from?
42
Ideally from the 1st of January.
43
January the 1st. OK.
44
I'll have a look and see what we've got.
45
How long would you like to stay?
46
Well, it depends a little bit on the price, but I think that about nine days would be perfect.
47
Fine.
48
And talking of prices, what would be your maximum, do you think?
49
Well, I've looked on the internet, but I don't know if I'm being realistic if I say 200 euros per day.
50
Things seem to range from 150 to well over 400.
51
Well, it depends where, of course, but I think we could probably find something for you at that price.
52
Great.
53
There are various other things, though.
54
our children are quite small and we don't want to take them to restaurants all the time,
55
so one thing we'd really appreciate is a fully equipped kitchen so we can do some cooking.
56
Yes, I completely understand.
57
Do you have any other special requirements?
58
Yes, we live in the city centre, hundreds of miles from the sea, so we'd really like to be able to see it from our apartment.
59
OK, I'll note that down.
60
All our apartments come with air conditioning and central heating, by the way.
61
Oh, dear.
62
One thing I don't like is the noise of air conditioning in the background.
63
Can you make sure it's as quiet as possible?
64
Yes, I'll look into that.
65
Anything else?
66
Yes, just one more thing.
67
We'd like to hire a car while we're in Dubai, so we'll need to have a parking space, I think.
68
We don't want to have to walk a long way from the car to the apartment.
69
I think you're quite right.
70
I'll look into all these things and make a list of possible apartments.
71
Do you have an email address so I can send them to you?
📺 Same Channel
✨ Recommend Video
B172 sentences
Complete Ielts 4 5 SB Unit 1 Track 3
Travel EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B170
32 sentences
Husband and Wife: Planning a Weekend Getaway
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B153
27 sentences
Booking a Hotel Room by Phone: Reading Out Your Number
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
133 sentences
ЧИХЕЛ БА ДУБАЙ ОМАДАН / МАН ЧИХЕЛ БА ДУБАЙ ОМАДАМ (DUBAI TJ)
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
B11
14 sentences
Apartment Rentals - DailyESL.com
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
80 sentences
VOL 9 TEST 9 SECTION 1
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
B11
129 sentences
💬 Everyday French: À l'hôtel
Travel EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B14
154 sentences
Real British English conversation: renting a flat in the UK
British AccentBusiness EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B13
52 sentences
Listening B1, PET 3, Test 3, Part 3
Travel EnglishHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B16
131 sentences
Apartments Facilities Other Information Cost | IELTS LISTENING TEST | SECTION-1
IELTS PrepTravel EnglishUniversity Students
B12
82 sentences
English Conversation (| Customer & Travel Agent | Flight Ticket Booking)@english.tangerineacademy
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
B13
37 sentences
Sale tour - 2 greet
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Dubai Palm Apartments”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: apartment, Leo, Dubai, price, fine. This video has 71 sentences and 523 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:07. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 17 of its 71 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| grey adjective | /ɡɹeɪ/ | Commonwealth standard spelling of gray. |
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| spell noun | /spɛl/ | Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. |
| requirement noun | /ɹɪˈkwaɪɹmənt/ | A necessity or prerequisite; something required or obligatory. Its adpositions are generally of in relation to who or what has given it, on in relation to whom… |
| realistic adjective | /ˌɹɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/ | Expressed or represented as being accurate, practicable, or not idealistic. |
| euro noun | /ˈjʊɹoʊ/ | The currency unit of the European Monetary Union. Symbol: € |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| ideally adverb | /aɪˈdi.ə.li/ | In an ideal way; perfectly. |
| rainy adjective | /ˈɹeɪni/ | Pouring with rain; wet; showery |
| equip verb | /ɪˈkwɪp/ | To supply with something necessary in order to carry out a specific action or task; to provide with (e.g. weapons, provisions, munitions, rigging). |
| inquire verb | /ɪnˈkwaɪɹ/ | To ask (about something). |
| surname noun | /ˈsɝˌneɪm/ | The portion of a person's name that is generally hereditary or treated as an indicator of a person's family, which may be shared with other members of the… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How can I help you?
- Can I have your name first, please?
- How long would you like to stay?
- Do you have any other special requirements?
- Can you make sure it's as quiet as possible?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll tell · there'll be · I'll have |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm ringing · you're looking · I'm being |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to have · have to walk |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, don't, 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 depend, grey, hire.
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.