Shadowing Practice: English for Your "First Day at Work" Speak Confidently! 💼 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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50 sentences
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Hi everyone, welcome back to English in 5 Minutes.
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I'm Jane, and today we are diving into a milestone that we all experience at some point in our careers, and one that always brings a mix of excitement and butterflies,
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the first day at a new work.
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Walking into a brand new office, meeting your manager, and seeing so many unfamiliar faces can feel a little overwhelming,
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especially if you have to communicate in English.
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But don't worry at all.
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In just five minutes, I am going to teach you the most useful, simple, and natural phrases to introduce yourself, make small talk with your new colleagues,
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and handle your first day at the office with total confidence.
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Put on your professional smile, and let's step into our new workplace together.
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Your very first mission when you arrive at the office is introducing yourself to the team.
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You want to sound friendly, polite, and approachable, but you definitely don't need to over -complicate your sentences.
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When your manager introduces you to the room, a perfect and standard phrase to use is, Hi everyone, I'm Jane.
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I'm really excited to join the team as the new marketing specialist.
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This immediately tells everyone your name, your role, and your positive energy.
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Right after that, your new co -workers will smile and reply with common welcoming phrases like Welcome aboard,
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or It's great to have you here To respond naturally, you can simply smile back and say Thank you so much,
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I'm looking forward to working with you all Once the official introductions are finished,
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you will be guided to your new desk to set up your computer On your first day,
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it is completely normal to have a lot of questions about how things work around the office, and asking for help is a fantastic way to connect with your nearby colleagues.
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To interrupt someone politely without being rude, always start your sentence with, excuse me, sorry to bother you, but it.
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Then, you can ask your question using a soft, polite structure like, could you show me how to log into the system,
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or do you mind telling me where the printer is?
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Coworkers are almost always happy to help a newcomer, and using sorry to bother you shows that you highly respect their time and busy schedule.
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As the morning flies by, lunch break will arrive, which is the absolute best time to bond with your team and practice casual,
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everyday English outside of official work topics.
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When a colleague invites you to join them by saying, hey, we're heading out for lunch, do you want to come along?
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Always say yes if you can.
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At the lunch table, you can transition into light small talk by asking simple questions to get to know them better.
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Good examples include, how long have you been working here or what department do you work in?
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If they ask you how your first morning is going, you can answer smoothly with it's going great.
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Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful.
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Finally, as the clock strikes 5 p .m and your first day comes to a successful end, it is time to pack up your things and head home.
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Before you leave, making a polite exit will leave a lasting positive impression on
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your team as you walk toward the door you can catch your managers
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or colleagues eyes smile
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and say thank you for all your help today i really appreciate it to finish up you can wave
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and say a casual warm phrase like see you all tomorrow have a great evening just like
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that you have completed your very first day at work smoothly professionally, and entirely in perfect English.
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See?
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Surviving and thriving on your first day of work in English is incredibly simple
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when you break it down into these easy steps and structures.
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Let's do a very quick recap of our essential phrases today.
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Use I'm excited to join the team for introductions.
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Sorry to bother you, but when asking for help
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and have a great evening when leaving the office now it's your turn to practice and build your workplace confidence
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what was your very first job let me know in the
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comments below using one of the structures we practiced today
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if you found this video helpful please give it a thumbs up
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and subscribe to english in five minutes for more quick practical career lessons thanks for watching good luck at your job,
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and I'll see you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 50 sentences and 753 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:59. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| workplace noun | /ˈwɝkˌpleɪs/ | The place where someone works. |
| smoothly adverb | /ˈsmuːðli/ | in a smooth manner; smooth |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come along verb | To accompany. | |
| finish up verb | To complete the last details of a task. | |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| work around verb | To bypass or circumvent (a problem or obstacle). |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · have completed |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are finished · will be guided |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are diving · is introducing · I'm looking |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will smile · will be · will arrive |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, smoothly /ˈsmuːðli/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, thrive /θɹajv/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, specialist /ˈspɛʃəlɪst/
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/, approachable /əˈpɹəʊ.t͡ʃə.bəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrase, colleague, bother.
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.