Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH SPEECH | SELENA GOMEZ: Trust Yourself (English Subtitles) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi guys, how are you?
90 sentences
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Hi guys, how are you?
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So good to see you guys.
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Are you guys having a good night?
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Oh my God!
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I have to say...
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that it's such an honor to be here.
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It is...
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I'm so happy to be here.
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I'm like a nerd and brought my own speech, but
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I hope it's okay that I take this opportunity to really just spend with you guys
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and tell you a little bit about my story.
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I'm not an activist.
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I haven't changed the world or led a campaign.
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I'm here to just tell you my path, So that you hopefully can take something away from it because I don't like being honest with,
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this is the truth, I don't like being honest with press and interviews.
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I like being honest with you directly, which is each and every one of you.
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Because I feel like I can and I'm...
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I'm just gonna start with the basics.
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So I'm 21. And my mom had...
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Um, my mom had me when she was 16.
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And I'm from Grand Prairie, Texas, and she worked four jobs and completely dedicated her life into making mine better.
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So to me, she is the definition of a strong woman.
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And I love her so much because she's taught me those values so much.
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Um, thank you.
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I have been acting my entire life, and I have known since I was first on Barney, you know, that purple dinosaur that I hung out with?
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He's great.
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You guys are so motivating.
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I feel like I can say anything.
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Um, when I was 11, the point being is when I was 7, I wanted to be an actress.
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And I wanted to live my dream.
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And when I was 11, I had a casting director tell me that I wasn't strong enough to carry my own show. And
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I'm sure all of you have been told
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that you don't have what it takes and
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that you may not be good enough
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and you don't have enough people supporting you
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and you're being told all of these things when deep down it's all you want to do.
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You want to be a part of something great.
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You want to make something great.
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And it does more than knock the wind out of you, it crushes you when people try to tell you that you're not good enough.
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And it almost did for me, but there was my mom next to me, stronger than ever.
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And she said the most important thing is to always trust in myself.
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If I have.. if I'm doing something because I love it, I should do it because I love it and I believe I can do it.
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So she told me to keep going.
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Thank you.
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She told me and she taught me to turn the other cheek And let the critics be critics.
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And let us Just trust ourselves.
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So for me, two years later, I got my own show, and the first thought The first thought wasn't,
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"Oh man, that girl when I was 11 said I wouldn't carry my own show." And I did.
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I mean, I thought about that for a little bit, but I thought about what my mom said.
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My mom was like, "You have to trust yourself." And I realized if I didn't believe that I could do it, I wouldn't be able to be-- here.
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And I have...
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I'm gonna say I live a very blessed life.
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I have...
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so much to be thankful for.
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And a lot of you are a big part of inspiring me, because I don't think you get it, and maybe you're not told enough, But you inspire me to be better.
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And we should inspire each other to be better.
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I'm surrounded by people who are supposed to guide me and some of them have and others haven't.
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They pressure me.
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There's so much pressure.
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You gotta be sexy, you gotta be cute, you gotta be nice, you gotta be all these things.
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- And I'm sure you can all relate.
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You all have pressure that you have to deal with every day.
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I'm sure with school, with work, with friends, with parents, with family, with parents, I know sometimes with mine, They tell me...
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what to wear, how to look, what I should say, how I should be.
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Until recently, I had given in to that pressure.
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I lost sight of who I was.
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I listen to opinions of people
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And I tried to change who I am because I thought the others would accept me for it.
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And I realized I don't know how to be anything but myself.
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And all I really want you to know is that you are changing the world.
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I'm not changing the world, you're changing the world.
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And that's amazing.
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Please, please just be kind to each other and love and inspire people because Let's do it,
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let's do it, let's change the game, let's change the game.
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The most important thing is that we learn and we continue to learn from each other.
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Please stay true to yourself.
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Please just remain who you are and know that we have each other's back.
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All of us have each other's back.
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I'd be lying if I said that I've never tried to make myself better by giving in because I have.
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but I've learned from my actions And for all the things I've done, I'm proudest of that.
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I've learned from my mistakes.
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I want you to know what it's like, that I know what it's like.
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Figuring out what types of friends you have, you are who you surround yourself with.
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So I just want to say I hope I can inspire each
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and every one of you to just trust yourselves and to love and to be loved.
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And thank you for allowing me to come up and ramble
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and talk to you guys because this is such a beautiful thing you're doing.
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Be proud of yourselves.
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This is great.
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you

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video featuring Selena Gomez offers rich content for English learners eager to enhance their speaking skills. By engaging with her speech, you not only listen to an authentic English speaker but also gain insights into her personal journey. This context makes it ideal for speaking practice, allowing you to learn from her experiences while improving your English pronunciation. As you shadow her delivery, you will notice the nuances of emotional expression and intonation. The combination of storytelling and motivational elements encourages learners to connect on a deeper level, making your English speaking practice both meaningful and enjoyable.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In her speech, Selena utilizes several key grammatical structures and expressions that are valuable for English learners:

  • Direct Address: Phrases like “I want you to know” engage the audience and show how to communicate directly. This is essential for effective speaking.
  • First Conditional: “If I’m doing something because I love it, I should do it.” This structure is commonly used to express future possibilities based on current actions.
  • Past Simple Tense: “I lost sight of who I was.” This form helps learners articulate past experiences, a fundamental aspect of storytelling in English.
  • Imperative Mood: Expressions like “Please stay true to yourself” provide a directive style, making your communication more dynamic and persuasive.

By analyzing these structures, you can better understand how to form similar sentences in your own speech, enhancing your overall communication skills.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with this video, be mindful of specific pronunciation challenges that may arise:

  • Words with stress: Pay attention to how Selena emphasizes words like “trust” and “believe.” Proper stress can change the meaning and impact of your sentences.
  • Vowel Sounds: Watch out for the “long e” sound in words like “inspire” and “pretty.” These can be tricky for non-native speakers and need specific attention to improve English pronunciation.
  • Connected Speech: Notice how Selena connects words in rapid speech, for instance, “want to” becomes “wanna.” Emulating this can help you sound more fluent in conversation.

Take the time to shadow the video and focus on these pronunciation aspects to elevate your English speaking practice. Utilizing shadowspeak techniques, you can maximize your learning experience and master various nuances in the English language.

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.