Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH SPEECH | ZENDAYA: We're the Future (English Subtitles) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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We are not playing, okay?
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We are not playing, okay?
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It's not a game with these millennials, all right?
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And we are here to stay.
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And we are going to change the game.
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And I think that that's so powerful, right?
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Game changer.
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We are the future.
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We are the future leaders of the world.
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We are the ones who are going to make this world a better place.
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Please understand the power of your voice.
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Please understand that you have the capacity to literally change the world.
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And I know that's a lot of pressure.
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and trust me, I feel it too.
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Sometimes, you know, I'll put out an Instagram or whatever
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or I'll speak out and do whatever and I get hit with all kinds of things and,
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you know, I'm like, damn, should I post that?
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And I'm like, yes, absolutely I should have.
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Wow, I just want to say,
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first of all, I want to say thank you for having me.
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You guys don't understand how important the work that's being done here is.
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I'm a little nervous because,
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you know, this is something,
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you know, awards are great,
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but this is something that really means something and it's something that really means something to me.
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And so I'm going to make it short.
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I'm going to make it sweet.
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But, you know, I was talking to Osa,
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actually, just on our little break here,
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and we were just talking about things,
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and she was saying, you know,
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thank you for what you do.
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And I was just like, are you kidding me?
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Thank you for what you do.
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Right?
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I mean, she was.
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But something she said, she said,
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you know, It's rare that there's a place where young people can speak and have voice and people will actually listen.
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And I think that that kind of struck a chord with me because I am a young person, right?
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And I'm a young person with a lot of followers.
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And, you know, I always say
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that I would much rather be known for the content of my character
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and the kind of person that I am than the last project
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that I did or the last movie that I did or the last music that I put out.
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And I think it's so important,
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what I've learned, and being here tonight is so special to me because I'm around like-minded people and like-minded young people.
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You know what I'm saying?
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Like I'm around my peers,
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young people like both of yourselves who are so courageous and
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so beautiful in your own way and are not afraid to be exactly who you are.
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And that is so beautiful.
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And so, you know, to know your purpose
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and to know who you are at such a young age is hard and it's difficult.
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And I'm lucky to be around people like this who have found that.
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within themselves and continue to live that truth every single day
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and I've learned
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that like my purpose I think is I have this platform right I have this platform
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that I'm standing on and sometimes when you get there you realize
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that your purpose is not to stand on anymore but to get off and let somebody else stand on it so
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so that's what I want to continue to do and continue to push and to every
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student that's here I just want you to know
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that I admire you you know what I mean this this award is really for us right
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because we are the game changers we are the ones who
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are literally changing the game we we are not playing okay it's not a game with these Millennials all right
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and we are here to stay and we are gonna change the game
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and I think that that's
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so powerful right game-changer we're the ones who are going to me
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and I say it over and over again and it's overused
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but we are the future we are the future leaders of
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the world we are the ones who are gonna make this world a better place
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and I said it that day and I'm gonna say it again
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but it's so true please understand the power of your voice please understand
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that you have the capacity to literally change change the world.
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And I know that's a lot of pressure.
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And trust me, I feel it too.
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Sometimes, you know, I'll put out an Instagram or whatever,
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or I'll speak out and do whatever,
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and I get hit with all kinds of things,
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and you know, I'm like,
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damn, should I post that?
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And I'm like, yes, absolutely I should have.
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Absolutely I should have.
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So do not let other people's,
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I guess you could say,
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insecurities, and do not let that cause fear and allow that to silence you.
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Never allow that fear to silence you.
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Continue to be outspoken.
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Continue to believe and live in your truth and do exactly what you were meant to do.
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And so honestly, I'm just here to say that I appreciate you
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and I thank you and everybody in this room for continuing to not only cultivate those young minds,
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but give us a platform and a space to speak and listen.
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So thank you for your respect.
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Thank you for constantly respecting these young people.
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And let's continue to make some change and change the game.
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All right?
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I'm so nervous right now.
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First of all, thank you, y'all.
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She is, you know, the future.
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She is a young woman who is educated.
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She's beautiful.
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She's smart.
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So thank you and I can't wait for you to begin this Wow,
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what a what a room what a room to be in
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There's not much I can say but thank you for allowing me to be here amongst you in your presence.
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Thank you First of all,
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this is not about me.
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This is about you This is about thanking you for showing me that my life matters
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thanking you for showing me what strength means thank you for paving the way for us,
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for showing us that we are worth it,
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that we are proud and it is okay to be proud of who we are,
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of our bodies, of the way we look,
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of the way we feel.
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It's beautiful.
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And now is such a pivotal time in our history.
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It's such a pivotal, crazy time.
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And I want you to know,
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all you ladies up there, you are the leaders.
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We are the future.
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We need you.
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We need every single one of you in this room.
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You are needed.
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You are needed to step up to the plate right here,
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right now, and let your voice be heard this is the time.
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So please continue to do so.
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I appreciate you.
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I love you.
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I thank you.
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I support you.
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I am with you.
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We are all with you in this room tonight.
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So thank you for everything that you do.
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Thank you for allowing me to be here with you.
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And there's nothing else I can say,
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but thank you, thank you, thank you.
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So I love you.
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Two women.
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Thank you so much.
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This is an absolute honor.
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I'm incredibly grateful to be up here in front of all of you beautiful, beautiful people tonight.
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One of the year, that's kind of crazy,
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considering that I'm 23 years old and I'm just figuring out how to become a young woman myself and
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figuring it out as I go and to be here tonight.
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Thank you so much and thank you GQ for having me.
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Yeah, I don't know.
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I don't really know really what to say.
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It's a huge honor.
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I feel like sometimes I go and I go and I go
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and I think a lot of us can relate to this,
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but you go so hard and sometimes you forget to just kind of stop and take in moments like this.
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Sometimes, I was talking about it earlier,
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I feel like I work so much I forget about life
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and to actually be present in these kinds of moments where you can look around the room
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amongst people that you appreciate and just take it in,
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you know, and just be happy and just be alive for a second.
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So that's what I'm going to do.
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I'm going to just like take a second,
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look around and be like,
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holy shit, this is happening.
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Pretty cool, you know.
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So thank you guys so much.
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And thank you in any way for allowing me to use my art form.
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to connect with people and to hopefully make a positive impact in their life.
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And please, everyone tonight, enjoy it.
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Look around and have a beautiful night and take in the moment.
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Thank you.
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Context & Background
In the inspiring speech from Zendaya, a renowned actress and activist, she addresses the importance of youth empowerment and the significance of using one's voice to effect change. This dialogue emphasizes that the younger generation holds the potential to be future leaders, urging them to recognize their power and responsibility. Zendaya shares her personal experiences and feelings about public speaking, highlighting the struggle of overcoming doubt while maintaining authenticity. This speech serves as a motivational call to action for young individuals, encouraging self-expression and courage in their pursuits.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "We are the future." - A powerful phrase stressing the importance of the younger generation.
- "Change the game." - An expression used to convey the idea of transforming existing norms or expectations.
- "Understand the power of your voice." - A reminder to recognize the impact one's words can have.
- "This means something." - A phrase indicating the deep significance of a topic or situation.
- "Be exactly who you are." - An encouraging statement promoting individuality and authenticity.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively learn English through shadowing using Zendaya's speech, follow these steps:
- Watch the Video: Start by watching the video without any subtitles to grasp the overall message and tone. Pay attention to her pronunciation, intonation, and emotion.
- Listen Actively: Play the video again, this time with English subtitles enabled. Focus on how the spoken words align with the written text. This will help you understand the context better.
- Practice Shadow Speech: Pause the video at meaningful phrases or sentences. Repeat them aloud, mimicking Zendaya’s pronunciation and rhythm. This is known as "shadow speak," and it's excellent for improving fluency.
- Record Yourself: Use a voice recording app to capture your shadowing practice. Listening back will allow you to identify areas for improvement, such as your accent or pacing.
- Engage in Feedback: Share your recordings with a language partner or tutor for constructive feedback. Engaging in IELTS speaking practice can also enhance your spoken English skills through real conversations.
By consistently practicing these steps, learners can build confidence in their English speaking abilities and effectively harness the motivational aspects of Zendaya's message for personal growth and expression.
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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