Shadowing Practice: English Conversation Training ⚡️ Pronunciation Workout #1 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Well hey there, this is Emma from mmmEnglish.
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Well hey there, this is Emma from mmmEnglish.
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How are you?
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Over the past few months,
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many of you have written to me in the comments below my videos asking for help with your English speaking skills.
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You want to sound more natural,
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more casual, more like a native English speaker, right?
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Some of you also like my not-so-Australian,
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Australian accent and you want to practice speaking like me.
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Well today you're in luck because in this lesson we're going to have some fun doing exactly that.
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Okay, welcome to your first English conversation workout.
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This is an intensive repeat after me style lesson that's going to work those conversation muscles.
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It's going to help you to strengthen those speaking skills and your listening skills at the same time.
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We're going to do a lot of speaking practice together in a short space of time
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so you need to be ready to participate.
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You've got to join in and by the end of the workout today,
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you're going to feel more confident
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and you're going to sound more natural like a native English speaker when you use these common conversation expressions.
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Today's workout will focus on greetings and introductions.
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We're going to practice some really common questions that you can ask
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or that you might be asked in a very casual and very common English conversation.
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Before we get started, I want to make sure
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that you're in a place where you feel comfortable talking at your normal speaking volume.
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And if you're able to avoid using your headphones, then do that too.
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That's so that you can hear me but also you can hear yourself clearly too.
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Now this workout is really simple,
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you don't need to think much,
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you just need to listen and repeat after me.
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We're going to practice four sets of really simple English phrases.
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Now these are going to be phrases that you already know
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and you've probably read them or you've heard them during a casual conversation with native speakers
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but we're going to focus on your pronunciation and your expression today, okay?
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So you'll practice listening and then saying these questions just like native speakers do with contractions,
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with linking and you know,
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we'll play around a little with word stress as well.
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So get ready to practice out loud guys.
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It's workout time!
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So when we meet with someone,
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whether it's someone we already know or someone we're just meeting for the first time,
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we almost always ask how they are, right?
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So for our first set,
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we're going to practice some simple phrases that all mean the same thing.
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How are you?
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So here we go.
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Hi Tom, how are you?
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Good!
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So notice how it's like just one big word there.
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Do it again.
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Hi Tom, how are you?
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Last one.
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Hi Tom, how are you?
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Okay, now let's change the emphasis a little here.
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Hi Brooke, how are you?
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So really stretch out that and sound.
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Doing this helps to sound really interested in the answer.
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So if you know the person well but you haven't really seen them for a while,
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then using this intonation is great, okay?
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Because it shows that you really care.
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Hi Brooke, how are you?
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Hi Brooke, how are you?
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Alright, let's try this one now.
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Hey Steve, how you doing?
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So notice that we've dropped the verb be here and this is something that's really common in spoken English,
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especially with really common phrases,
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frequently used phrases like these ones.
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Alright, so now let's switch out doing with going but you'll notice there's a couple of other changes when we do that.
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Hey Angelina, how's it going?
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So you'll hear native English speakers say going, going, whatever.
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So just use which one is the most comfortable for you.
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And for the last one,
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something super, super casual Hey mate, what's happening?
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In spoken English, it's really,
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really common to hear happening reduced down to just two syllables.
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But it is especially common in this expression, okay?
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Now it's still correct to say happening, what's happening?
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But it just sounds more relaxed and more friendly when you reduce it down to happening, happening.
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And of course, mate is used to refer to a friend in Australia
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and it's also really common in England so you could replace it with dude
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or man or guys or whatever but it's the same kind of expression.
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Hey mate, what's happening?
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Awesome work!
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Now there are a lot of different combinations for greetings in English and from what we just practice now,
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you would have noticed that there's a lot of flexibility in spoken English, okay?
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So try not to worry too much about perfection.
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Native speakers really don't worry about perfection when it comes to introductions, okay?
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You don't have to be perfect grammatically speaking.
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Anyway, let's keep going, we're just warming up.
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What are you doing?
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When we're speaking with friends or even colleagues at work,
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we can use this expression to find out what's happening right now
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but we often use it to find out what plans are in the future,
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what someone's plans are.
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So it's a little question that can start a conversation or a really useful one to help you keep a conversation going.
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Now in the next few phrases that we practice,
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we're going to begin each question with so
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because it helps to give the listener a clue
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that you're going to say something or you're going to ask something so it introduces you.
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And I also want you to listen out for the stressed words
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and the way that we change the focus of the question by stressing certain words.
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Listen out for what are you instead of what are you?
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So this is the contracted form.
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What are you?
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So what are you doing later on?
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What are you doing later on?
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Now can you hear that flat T there?
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It sounds more like a D.
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And then again, later.
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This is really, really common in Australian and American English accents.
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And a quick note about later on, okay?
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You can assume that it means later on in that same day if there's no extra information.
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But you'll also hear people using it with longer time references as well.
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Later on in the week,
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later on in the year, okay?
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So it's not a specific point in time but it's just in the future at some point.
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Great stuff!
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Let's practise some more now.
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Now push the stress, transfer the stress onto you, okay?
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We want to emphasise who we're talking to in a group.
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So what are you doing tomorrow?
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So what are you doing on the weekend?
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And now let's shift our emphasis back to the weekend, away from you.
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So what are you doing on the weekend?
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Fantastic!
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Nice work with the stress.
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Alright, last set now.
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And again, let's move the stress back to the subject, you guys.
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So what are you guys doing over the summer?
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Top stuff!
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Let's keep going!
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Okay so this phrase is really similar to what are you doing
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but it's even more natural and common for native speakers to ask a question this way.
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So see if you can get what are you up to down to just,
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what are you up to?
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Are you ready to give it a go?
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Brilliant.
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Alright, let's give this question a little bit more focus.
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So what are you up to today?
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So what are you up to today?
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And now shift that focus to the person that you're talking to.
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So what are you up to today?
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Great!
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Now let's add another prompting question.
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So we could say, What are you up to tonight?
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Busy?
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So we've dropped the structure of the question there in the second question
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and we're using only intonation to signal that it's a question and that's quite common in informal spoken English.
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Now if we want to shift the focus onto the person who we're talking to,
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we can say
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So what are you up to for the weekend?
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Got any plans?
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Excellent!
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And last time, So what are you up to for the weekend?
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Got any plans?
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This one is definitely one of the most common small talk questions that you just hear all the time.
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In fact, I was just talking to my mum earlier today on the phone
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and we almost always start our conversation by chatting about the weather
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because we live in different cities and the weather often shapes our mood and it can affect our day
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so asking a question about the weather it helps to show interest in someone especially if you're far away from each other.
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Now there are different ways to ask about the weather,
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lots of them but we're going to focus on some of the most common
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and the most natural sounding ways of asking about the weather in English
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And one of the best ways to do
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that is to add an ing verb to talk about the weather as if it was feeling or doing something.
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It adds a little bit of personality and that's what we're going to practice right now.
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So are you ready?
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Notice that I'm contracting and linking what's the,
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what is the into what's the, what's the.
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What's the weather doing?
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What's the weather doing?
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Perfect!
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So now it's time to add some time markers.
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And let's add some additional words as well to make our sentence more interesting.
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Notice again that we've dropped the standard question structure here
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and it's common in English in informal conversations just to drop the structure of a question
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and just use intonation to signal it.
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So when you write or you use formal language,
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you definitely should use the full structure have you seen what the weather's doing tomorrow?
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But in informal, spoken English,
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it's really, really common to just drop it completely.
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Wonderful work guys!
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So let's change it up a little now.
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We want to mix this sentence up.
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What's the weather looking like over the weekend?
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What's the weather like over the weekend?
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What's the weather like over the weekend?
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Any good?
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So this question is, is it any good or does it look any good?
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What's the weather like on the weekend?
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Any good?
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What's the weather doing on the weekend?
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Any good?
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What a workout guys!
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Well done for making it all the way through to the very, very end.
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Let's just get something clear here.
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I did not make this lesson for you to watch it once and then walk away and forget about it.
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This is your training, okay?
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You need to come back and practice with me often, all right?
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As much as you can.
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So save it to a playlist along with some of my imitation lessons for your full mouth daily workout, okay?
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If you want to sound like a native English speaker,
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you've got to get comfortable using these contractions and reductions just like we've practiced all the way through this lesson.
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Now I'm curious to hear what you thought about our first English conversation workout here at mmmEnglish.
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Was it helpful for you to practice this way?
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Do you want me to make more lessons like this?
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about anything in particular?
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Let me know by liking the video and leaving a comment below.
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You can definitely, definitely, definitely keep practicing with me right now,
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right here in either of these two lessons and I'll see you in there.
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Bye for now!
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging in English conversation practice is essential for improving your speaking skills and becoming more fluent. This video offers a unique opportunity to practice speaking with the shadowing technique, where you listen and repeat after a native speaker, helping you to sound more natural and confident. By doing so, you will enhance your ability to engage in casual conversations, making it easier to connect with others. The focus on common greetings and introductions is particularly beneficial as these expressions are frequently used in day-to-day interactions. Participating in this IELTS speaking practice can also assist with exam preparedness, giving you the tools you need to express yourself effectively under pressure.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, several key expressions are highlighted that will bolster your conversational skills. Here are three primary structures you can focus on:
- Casual Greetings: The phrase "Hi Tom, how are you?" serves as a foundational greeting, a building block of daily conversation. Note how it's often delivered in a fluid, casual tone.
- Contractions: The phrase "how are you?" is often contracted in regular speech, leading to a more seamless sound: "How're you?" Practicing this will enhance your English pronunciation.
- Linked Sounds: The concept of linking words helps you to speak more naturally. Instead of pausing between words, native speakers often link them, which is evident when saying "Hi Tom, how are you?" This connectivity is crucial in mastering the flow of conversation.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you start practicing these phrases, be aware of certain pronunciation pitfalls that can occur. One common challenge is the quick, fluid nature of native speech, which can make specific sounds difficult to enunciate. For instance:
- The word "you" often gets reduced to “ya,” especially in fast-paced conversations. Paying attention to this can help you maintain fluency.
- Also, the expression "how are you?" can sound like "how're ya?" in casual speech. Recognizing these subtle differences will prepare you for real-life conversations.
- Finally, focusing on intonation and stress within these phrases will not just improve your English pronunciation but also ensure that you're understood clearly.
Utilizing the shadowspeak technique of mimicking these phrases will allow you to internalize the sounds and rhythms of natural English speech, further enhancing your overall speaking ability.
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.
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