Shadowing Practice: English for Work: Meetings, Emails & Office Phrases! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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421 sentences
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Let's begin!
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for me before I even had my coffee.
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That's very relatable.
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The inbox never waits.
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Never.
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And one of them was a meeting invite for 8am.
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8am, Mr. B!
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Okay, that is too early.
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That should be illegal.
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Right?
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So yes, my work morning was very full.
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And actually, that's perfect because today's topic is all about exactly that.
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Yes.
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Today we are talking about English for work, specifically your daily office routine – meetings,
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emails, talking to colleagues, asking for help, all of it.
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This is so useful because I know a lot of our listeners work in English, or they want to work in English, and they feel nervous.
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Exactly.
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They know the grammar, they studied English in school, but when it's time to speak in a real meeting or write a work email, suddenly the words disappear.
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Yes, that feeling, like your brain just goes blank.
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We've all been there.
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And today we're going to help you fill that blank with real, natural, practical office English that you can use starting tomorrow.
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That's a great goal.
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I'm excited.
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Let's go.
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Let's do it.
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But first, Anna, do you want to say something to our listeners?
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Oh yes.
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And if this kind of lesson helps you, please hit that like button right now.
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It really helps us reach more English learners around the world.
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And if you're new here, subscribe!
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We make new lessons every week.
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It's free and it's fun!
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That's right!
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And share this episode with a colleague or friend who works in English.
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They'll thank you.
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OK, let's get into it.
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So Mr. B, what are we covering today exactly?
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So, Anna, let's think about a typical work day.
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What does it look like?
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OK, so I get to the office, I check my emails, maybe I have a meeting, I talk to people, I ask questions, I send more emails, I go home.
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That's a good description.
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And in each of those moments, you need English.
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Different kinds of English for different situations.
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Right, the English I use in an email is different from the English I use in a meeting.
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Exactly.
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So today, we're going to cover four key parts of the office day.
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I call it the Office English Framework.
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Four parts.
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Easy to remember.
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Ooh, I like that.
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What are the four parts?
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Part 1, starting your day.
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The small talk, the greetings, the warm-up conversations.
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Got it.
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Part 2, meetings.
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How to speak up, agree, disagree, and ask questions.
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Oh, that's a big one.
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Part 3, emails.
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How to write clearly, politely and professionally.
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Yes, emails are so important.
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And part four, asking for help and clarification, because sometimes you don't understand something and you need to ask politely.
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Perfect.
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Four parts.
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Let's go one by one.
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Okay, part one.
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You arrive at the office or you join an online meeting.
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What do you say?
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This sounds simple, but sometimes I don't know how to be friendly without sounding strange.
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That's a real problem, especially in a second language.
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You want to be warm, but you don't want to say something weird.
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Exactly!
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So here are some natural morning greetings that native English speakers actually use every day.
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Good morning!
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How are you doing?
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Hey, how was your weekend?
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Morning!
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Busy day today?
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Good to see you!
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How's everything going?
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How's your morning so far?
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Oh, I love, how's your morning so far.
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That sounds so natural.
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It does.
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And the key is keep it light.
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These are warm-up conversations, just a sentence or two.
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Smile, be warm, that's it.
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And what if someone asks me, how are you?
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What do I say?
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Because I always just say, fine, thank you.
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Good question.
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Fine, thank you is correct, but it sounds a little flat.
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Here are some more natural answers.
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Pretty good, thanks.
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Busy, but good.
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Not bad.
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Ready for the day.
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Good, thank you.
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How about you?
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A little tired, but I'm here.
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That last one is so real.
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A little tired, but I'm here.
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I say that every Monday.
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We all do.
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Now, let's practice together.
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OK, listeners, repeat after Mr. B.
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Say these morning greetings with me.
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Good morning!
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How are you doing?
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Hey!
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How was your weekend?
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Pretty good, thanks.
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Busy, but good.
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Great!
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You're doing amazing!
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Perfect!
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Let's move to Part 2.
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Part 2, meetings.
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I'm a little nervous about this one.
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Okay, Part 2 is meetings, and this is where many learners feel the most nervous.
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Yes, I remember my first work meeting in English.
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I just sat there, nodding.
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I didn't say anything.
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The professional nod.
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We know it well.
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I understood maybe 70%, but I was too scared to speak.
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That's so common.
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And the reason is people don't know the right phrases.
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They have ideas, but they don't know how to say them in a meeting.
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So what do we do?
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We learn four types of meeting phrases.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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1. Starting and Joining.
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What to say when the meeting begins.
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Good morning everyone.
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Shall we get started?
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Thanks for joining everyone.
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Hi everyone.
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Sorry I'm a little late.
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Oh, that last one.
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Sorry I'm a little late.
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Very useful.
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Very useful, yes.
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Type 2.
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Sharing your opinion.
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This is important.
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Don't just sit quietly.
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I think we should… in my opinion, I'd like to suggest… can I add something?
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Can I add something?
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I love that.
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It's so polite, you're asking permission to speak.
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Exactly.
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Very professional.
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Type 3, agreeing and disagreeing politely.
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Agreeing?
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That's a great idea.
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I agree with that.
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Exactly.
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Good point.
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Disagreeing?
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I see your point, but… I'm not sure about that.
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Could we think about this differently?
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Oh, I see your point, but that's so smooth.
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You're not saying you're wrong.
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You're being respectful.
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That's the key.
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Professional English is polite even when you disagree.
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And Type 4 asking for clarification when you don't understand something.
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Sorry, could you repeat that?
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Could you explain that a bit more?
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What do you mean by that?
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Just to make sure I understand, are you saying that… That last one is great, just to make sure I understand.
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It sounds so professional.
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And it's honest.
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You're not pretending to understand.
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You're being clear.
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That's a strength, not a weakness.
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I love that.
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Being clear is a strength.
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Try these meeting phrases with me.
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Can I add something?
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I see your point, but… could you explain that a bit more?
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You're doing so well.
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OK, part three, emails.
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Yes, this is one I really need.
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Let's talk about emails, because emails are a big part of office life, and a lot of learners find them stressful.
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Yes, I always worry, am I too formal, too casual, too short, too long?
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That's a great point.
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And the truth is, professional emails follow a simple structure, same structure every time.
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Okay, what is it?
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Four parts.
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Opening, purpose, details, closing.
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I call it the OPDC structure.
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OPDC.
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Got it.
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Easy to remember.
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Opening, you greet the person and start warmly.
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Hi, name.
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I hope you're doing well.
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Good morning, name.
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I hope you had a great weekend.
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Dear name, thank you for your quick reply.
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These are warm and friendly.
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I like that.
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What's next?
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Purpose, you tell them why you are writing right away.
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Don't make them guess.
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I'm writing to follow up on our meeting.
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I wanted to ask about the project deadline.
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I'm reaching out because I have a quick question.
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Oh, I love I'm reaching out.
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It sounds so natural and friendly.
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It's a very common phrase.
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Details, keep it short.
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Use short sentences.
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And finally, closing.
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You end politely and tell them what you need.
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Please let me know if you have any questions.
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Thank you for your time.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
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Best regards, your name.
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These are so professional and so simple.
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That's the secret.
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Professional emails are not complicated.
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They are clear, warm, and direct.
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Can we do a quick example email?
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Let's try it.
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Listen to a full sample email.
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Subject, follow-up, project meeting.
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Opening, hi Sarah, I hope you're doing well.
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Purpose, I'm writing to follow up on our meeting yesterday.
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Details.
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Could you send me the updated report by Friday?
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I want to review it before the presentation.
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Closing.
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Please let me know if you have any questions.
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Thank you.
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Best regards, Anna.
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That's so clean. So clear.
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It takes 30 seconds to read.
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That's the goal.
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The best emails are fast to read.
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Short and clear.
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Short and clear.
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I love that.
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Okay, what's part four?
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Part four is asking for help.
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A lot of learners feel embarrassed about this.
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They don't want to look confused.
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Yes, I used to pretend I understood everything, even when I didn't.
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And that creates bigger problems later. So true.
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You miss important information because you were too scared to ask.
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Exactly.
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So here's the key mindset.
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Asking questions is professional.
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It shows you're paying attention.
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It shows you care.
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I love that.
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Asking questions is professional.
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Here are some great phrases for asking for help at work.
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Could you help me with this, please?
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I'm not sure about this.
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Can I ask you a quick question?
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Could you show me how to do this?
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I just want to double-check.
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Is this correct?
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Sorry to bother you, but could you explain this part?
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Sorry to bother you, but that's so polite.
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You're acknowledging that the other person is busy is busy.
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Exactly.
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And if someone helps you, don't forget to say, thank you so much.
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That really helped.
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I really appreciate your help.
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That makes sense now.
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Thank you.
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Yes.
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Gratitude is important.
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People remember when you say thank you.
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That's a good point.
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It's simple, but it's powerful.
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Okay.
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Let's practice these phrases.
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Practice these with me.
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Could you help me with this, please?
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I just want to double check.
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Is this correct?
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Thank you so much.
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That really helped.
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Excellent.
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You're doing great.
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Before we recap, let's talk about confidence, because you can know all the phrases, but if you're nervous, it's still hard.
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Yes, I know this feeling very well.
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So, here are four practical tips.
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Tip 1.
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Prepare.
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Look at the the meeting agenda before it starts.
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Write two or three things you want to say.
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Having a plan makes you feel confident.
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Tip 2.
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Use simple language.
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Short, clear sentences are more impressive than complicated ones.
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Don't overthink.
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Tip 3.
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Speak up early.
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In a meeting, try to say something in the first five minutes, even a small comment.
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The longer you wait, the harder it gets.
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Tip 4.
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Pause is okay.
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A pause shows you're thinking.
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It's not a mistake.
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Native speakers pause too.
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That third tip, speak up early, is so smart.
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Because the longer you wait, the harder it gets.
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Exactly.
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And the first comment doesn't need to be perfect.
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That's a great point, or I agree with that.
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Simple, but it opens the door.
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Opens the door.
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I love that.
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And what if you forget a word or phrase?
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Use these rescue phrases.
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What I mean is, Let me rephrase that.
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In other words, sorry, I'm looking for the right word.
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Oh, let me rephrase that.
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That sounds so professional and it buys you time.
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Perfect.
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It's natural, it's honest, and it works every time.
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These rescue phrases are so useful.
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I'm writing them all down.
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Let's do a quick role play.
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Anna, you're a new employee.
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I'm your manager.
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We're in a short meeting.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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Good morning, everyone.
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Let's get started.
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we need to talk about the deadline for the new report.
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Anna, do you have any thoughts?
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Good morning.
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Yes, I think we should move the deadline to Friday.
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I'd like to suggest we send the draft by Wednesday so we have time to review it.
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Perfect.
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She used, I think we should, and I'd like to suggest, beautiful.
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Thank you.
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Now, let's try one more.
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This time, Mr. B, you play the new employee.
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You don't understand something.
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Got it.
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Here we go.
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Sorry, could you repeat that last part?
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I just want to make sure I understand the deadline correctly.
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Yes, could you repeat that?
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And I just want to make sure I understand.
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Confident and polite.
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That's the goal.
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Now you try it, listeners.
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Pause the episode and practice one meeting phrase and one email opening out loud.
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Even at home, even alone, it works.
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Welcome back.
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How did it feel?
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Great.
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I hope you tried it.
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Okay, let's do a quick recap of everything we learned today.
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Okay, quick recap time.
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The Office English Framework.
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Four parts.
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Alright.
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Part 1.
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Starting your day.
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Warm greetings.
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Light small talk.
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Keep it friendly and short.
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Part 2.
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Meetings.
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Share your opinion.
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I think we should and I'd like to suggest agree or disagree politely.
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Ask for clarification.
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Could you explain that?
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And Part 3, emails.
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OPDC.
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Opening, purpose, details, closing.
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Short, clear, warm, professional.
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And Part 4, asking for help.
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Don't pretend to understand.
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Ask politely.
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Could you help me?
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I just want to double check and always say thank you.
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And the confidence tips.
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Prepare, use simple language, speak up early, and it's okay to pause.
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You're doing great.
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That's a complete toolkit for a day at the office.
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I feel ready to go to work just listening to this.
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That's the goal.
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Okay, one last thing before we go.
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Yes, our question for you today.
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Now, our question for you today.
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Yes.
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Think about this.
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What is one situation at work where you feel nervous in English?
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Is it meetings, emails, talking to your manager?
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Write it in the comments.
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Tell us.
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And bonus challenge, write an example sentence using one of today's phrases.
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We want to see it.
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We read every single comment, every one, so write to us and we'll reply.
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We're rooting for you.
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And that's a wrap for today's episode.
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Thank you so much for learning with us.
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Remember, you don't need perfect English to succeed at work.
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You need clear English, confident English, Kind English.
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And today, you got a full toolkit for that.
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You're doing great.
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If this episode helped you, please like it and share it with someone who works in English.
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You'd really be helping them.
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And subscribe if you haven't already, so you never miss a new lesson.
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Alright, I'm Mr. B.
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And I'm Anna.
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See you in the next episode.
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Take care.
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Bye everyone!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “English for Work: Meetings, Emails & Office Phrases!”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: meeting, English, email, phrase, professional. This video has 421 sentences and 2415 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:39. The speaker talks at a steady 145 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% 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 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| politely adverb | /pəˈlaɪtli/ | in a polite manner |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| disagree verb | /dɪsəˈɡɹi/ | To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| greeting noun | /ˈɡɹiːtɪŋ/ | A conventional phrase used to start a letter or conversation or otherwise to acknowledge a person's arrival or presence. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| deadline noun | /ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/ | A time limit in the form of a date on or before which something must be completed. |
| recap verb | /ɹiːˈkæp/ | To seal (something) again with a cap. |
| clarification noun | /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ | The act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities; particularly, the clearing or fining of liquid… |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| rephrase verb | To say or write something with different wording. | |
| toolkit noun | /ˈtulˌkɪt/ | A set of tools kept together, especially comprising all the tools suitable for some particular type of work. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| speak up verb | /ˌspik ˈʌp/ | To talk more loudly or clearly. |
| follow up on verb | To take further actions regarding (something). | |
| reach out verb | To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something. | |
| warm up verb | /ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/ | To become warmer. |
| follow up verb | To take further actions remaining after an event; to continue, revisit, or persist; especially, to maintain communication or verify. | |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| open out verb | To expand, to widen, to unwrap, unfold or uncover, to spread out from a compact state. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- B, what are we covering today exactly?
- Hey, how was your weekend?
- How's your morning so far?
- Could we think about this differently?
- Sorry, could you repeat that?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | friend who works · someone who works |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be · should move · should and |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most nervous · The best |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are talking · are we covering · are you doing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 66 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: clarification /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: clarification /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/
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 phrase, politely, pause.
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.