Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH WITH SUZE PODCAST #03 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Welcome to another episode of English with Sue's podcast.

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to everybody

that commented on the previous video that I posted a few days ago.

So much love and support, you know, and there's also a lot of new people here.

I noticed that a lot of you commented that that video was kind of like a recommendation on YouTube.

So there's a lot of new people here. So welcome.

I am so happy to have you here and I'm so happy to be able to do this podcast, which is something that I've been planning on doing kind of for a very long time.

So I saw the momentum was really good and I just kind of wanted to keep it up.

So I just honestly decided to make another episode today.

I usually post once a week, but I was like, you know what?

Why not?

Right.

Why not?

And I'm getting way more comfortable with this kind of format um

so I'm probably not going to edit this at all I usually add the introduction um

and I'm just going to start talking to you um

but yeah I mean this is super cool

and I was gonna say something I forgot of course I was gonna say something important oh yeah

so for those who don't know, I actually have a TikTok account,

which is my main kind of social media platform that I work with.

And over there, I post a lot of English content in terms of teaching.

So if you're curious to check it out, my TikTok is English with Suze, and it'll probably be the first one that shows up,

but I'm actually starting this new series there.

I've posted four episodes, which is called English for Rookies,

and I'm basically teaching certain key things for those who are learning English from zero.

So, if you're interested, I highly recommend you check it out, and my YouTube channel, it's not going to be a lot of teaching,

you know, it's just going to be more of like a conversation situation.

So yeah, and today, speaking of podcast,

I wanted to come over here and talk to you about a few things that you need to avoid.

You don't need to, but I would avoid when you're learning English.

So I thought it would be a great episode for you.

So just take a seat, pay attention to, you know, new vocabulary words, how I'm conjugating the verbs,

you know, take some notes if you'd like, and let's get started.

So, I have a few things to talk about today, and the first thing I'm going to say,

let me just, okay, it's working.

The first thing that I wanted to talk to you is

when you're first learning English and I mean learning

because in the beginning we don't we make like more mistakes right and we're not as confident.

The first mistake that people make is they want to speak fast right they want to just talk

and talk and talk because they want to sound native they want to sound a certain way

and I am here to tell you that you should not do that.

The reason why it's because a lot of people make a lot of mistakes,

like technical mistakes, when they're first starting to speak English because they're not speaking like slower.

And the reason why speaking slow is so important in the beginning is because when you speak slow,

you have time to think, pay attention and make sure you're speaking correctly, right?

So, excuse me.

So, that's crucial.

When you're first starting your journey with English,

you need to kind of take a step back and take your time when you're speaking, right?

Now, don't get confused.

It's one thing to speak slower.

It's another thing to like every like two words in one sentence, you keep going, uh, uh,

uh, and then you're quiet.

And then like, that's not that that's like, you don't need to do that.

Okay.

If you do that, that's fine.

Like in the beginning, that's normal.

But speaking slow, it's pretty much what I'm doing right here.

You know, you take your time to pay attention to how you're speaking

and speaking slower will also help you with your pronunciation.

Okay, so when you're trying to speak super fast and you're just like going on and on about it like this,

you don't have time to really like pronunciate the words.

pronunciate is

that how you say it pronunciate you need to work on your pronunciation that's what I'm trying to say

and you're not going to be able to do that

when you're speaking super fast okay

so in the beginning take your time don't like just with your words don't do

that take your time especially like I feel like a lot of people including me

when I was learning English in the beginning, we talk to ourselves a lot, right?

That's super important because sometimes that's all you have to practice your speaking,

especially when you're on your own practicing English.

Just calm down.

Don't speak super fast.

There's no need to rush.

It's literally just you and that's it, you know, so just take your time, okay, take your time.

Now, let's move on to the second topic of things that you should avoid in the beginning.

The first thing that you should avoid, and I don't mean avoid, but I mean, yeah, kind of,

be careful, you know, for those who like to use music to practice and learn English,

be careful with what kind of artists you're using to do that, okay?

Essentially, what I'm trying to say is some singers,

they most definitely have a, like, I don't even know how to say this in English.

In Portuguese, we say, um, but they don't like it seems like they don't project their

words you know I don't know how to explain this

but sometimes even me like I am fluent in English right

I mean English is like I speak English majority of my day

and sometimes I'm listening to certain artists that I can't understand a word

that they're singing why do you have to be careful with this

because when you're having a hard time understanding what someone is saying like during a song you're going to put

that guilt on yourself you're going to think oh I don't understand

because I don't know and sometimes

when you're looking at the like the lyrics you know what

that person is saying you understand what that person is singing

but because of the way that person projects their voice and their words

which is a that person like problem you're like you're not able to really understand it

and then what happens is we put that guilt on ourselves

and then what happens when you put guilt on yourself you don't have confidence what happens

when you don't have confidence you're you'll likely give up that's what I'm trying to say

so pay attention be careful like one of the artists

that I absolutely adore her and it's funny

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because I did use her to practice my English in the beginning is Lana Del Rey.

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I love Lana Del Rey because I like her music

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but also because she speaks slower you know she sings slower like songs

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so it's just easier to understand what she's saying and she actually like projects

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her words you know

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but then other artists I'm just like dude what are you saying like I can't understand a word

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that you're saying

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so you need to be careful you know like it's kind

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I'll give you an example it'll be much easier for you

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to use a lot of the race like music to practice

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your English other than getting a rap song those rappers they are one using a lot of slang terms

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that frankly I don't even know what they're saying I mean don't get me wrong I love rap like it's

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so fun but they're using a lot of slang terms

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that you're gonna have a hard time understanding what they're trying to say they talk super fast

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and they put a bunch of like weird stuff in their like voice

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that it makes it even harder to understand what's happening it's a vibe you know it's

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that kind of like it's it's music to vibe

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and have fun I don't think it's music for you to sit down

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and be like okay let me practice my English I mean

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if you're able to do that I'll be clapping my hands you know

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but I just think that most people will have a hard time

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so I recommend if you were to ask me what's your recommendation I'd say Lana Del Rey okay

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and it's not because she's awesome and I love her music.

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It's actually because I literally used her to practice because she's, you know, like she has slower music.

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She projects her voice and her words when she's singing.

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And I just think it's a great idea.

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So give it a try.

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And if you really don't like it, maybe find someone else.

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Okay.

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But just aim for slower music.

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Does that make sense?

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I hope it does I hope I hope this is making

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sense to you anyways what else was I gonna say I

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usually never like have a script with me I never have notes

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or anything I just kind of it's very natural over here I just click start

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and record and I start talking to you um

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and I should have prepped something huh those were the only three things that I really like thought about you know

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I'm trying to think what were the other things ah I remember now sorry guys I had to like cut

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because I had to like think you know

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and I don't want to be here thinking for like two minutes just you know for nothing

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but the last mistake that the last thing

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that you need to avoid is a lot of people

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when they're learning English in the beginning they um they how do I say this without getting canceled.

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They, they try to sound super American,

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you know, a lot of people, they want to Americanize the heck out of the way they're they speak,

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you know, and I'm not criticizing people that do that.

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You do you.

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I just think that when you're trying to force a way of speaking you will make mistakes

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because essentially in the beginning you you should not be paying

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attention to how cool you sound how american you sound how

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i don't know california coded girl you sound you don't want to pay attention to those things

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because that's not for like that's not the right time to do

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that you need to pay attention to your pronunciation to how you're conjugating the verbs,

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to not making mistakes, to how you're making those sentences and how you're connecting those sentences also.

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So you need to pay attention to that.

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Don't fall on this like dilemma of I need to sound like Kylie Jenner.

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You don't need to sound like anybody.

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You need to sound like yourself.

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But for you to sound like yourself, you need to know how to speak, right?

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For you to know that, you need to practice.

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And when you're practicing and you keep focusing on secondary things, things that will come with time or things that you still have a long way to go,

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you're just going to get confused.

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You're going to start like misprint, like not pronunciating the words correctly.

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And it's just going to be a whole mess.

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And nobody's going to understand what you're saying.

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You know, for example, I'm going to give this example and I really hope that Anita's fans don't like come for me.

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But listen, I love Anita.

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She's a queen.

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I love her.

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I love her.

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Sorry.

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however when she first started her international career

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which now she has like a huge career here but

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when she first started she would go to interviews

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and she would speak English

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and her English was immaculate she's really good like she speaks perfect like she's really good

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and like when it comes to speaking English

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but in the beginning she would try to Americanize her accent

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so much like so much

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that it was impossible to understand her like I promise you like

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that woman knows how to speak English but she wanted like I don't know

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if she wanted to do that I personally don't think so

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because I think that Anita is like she knows who she is

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but I think

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that it maybe it was like she wanted to not she wanted to kind of blend in maybe and maybe

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that was like a marketing strategy to um in terms of

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like her being a part of like you know whatever we have here

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so she was trying to blend in um thankfully she stopped doing

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that and now she speaks normal but I feel like she would do

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that and I don't know the reasons behind

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but like I said I don't think it was like she

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didn't like the way she sounded I think it was mostly for like work, you know, to blend in,

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that, like I said, it would be really tough to understand whatever the heck she was trying to say, you know, and it's like, I'd watch those interviews, and I'd be like, dude, you speak really good English,

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why are you trying to sound like this, like, it's really hard to understand you, you know, plus, having accents, it's hot, you know, like,

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so why, why, you know, so yeah like that's one thing

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that I would highly recommend you to avoid don't try to Americanize the heck out of your English

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because that's not the right time for you to do

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that you know it comes it's time it takes time you

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know you think I sound I've always sounded like this no

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like it took time you know like I've been living here for almost a decade

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but I guarantee like when I first started I had a thick accent.

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It just takes time.

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But the reason why I was able to get away from that accent, it's because I focused on the foundations of English.

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I focused on speaking correctly.

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I focused on speaking slow so I'm able to pay attention and project the words and,

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you know, like not make mistakes and conjugate the verbs correctly.

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So just it takes time.

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Don't force it.

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Don't rush it because you will sound completely wrong and people are going to have a really hard time understanding you. So, yeah.

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And that's it for today's podcast, guys.

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Thank you so much for watching.

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And, you know, comment down below whatever ideas you have for our next episode.

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I'm super excited to come back here and film for you.

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and yeah thank you so much for watching today's episode and I will see you later bye

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Get to Know Suze and Her English Learning Insights

In the video, Suze, a friendly English teacher, shares her passion for helping learners while introducing her new podcast. She mentions her TikTok series "English for Rookies" for beginners and explains that her YouTube content focuses on casual conversations—perfect for practicing real-life language. Her warm, conversational style makes it easy to follow, whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your skills.

5 Useful Phrases from the Dialogue

"Why not?" – A casual way to agree or suggest trying something, like Suze deciding to post an extra episode.
"Take a seat" – A friendly invitation to get comfortable, often used to set a relaxed tone.
"Take your time" – Advice to slow down, crucial for avoiding mistakes when speaking.
"Pay attention to" – A reminder to focus on specific details, like vocabulary or grammar.
"Take some notes" – A practical tip for remembering key points while learning.

How to Shadow Suze's Speech for Better Fluency

Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after a speaker—is a great way to improve pronunciation and rhythm. Here's how to use the video for shadowing practice: Step 1: Listen to a 10-second clip of Suze speaking. Pause and repeat it, focusing on her tone and pauses. Step 2: Use a shadowing app or site to record yourself. Compare your version to hers—notice if you're speaking too fast (a common mistake she warns about!). Step 3: Practice "shadow speak" with longer sections. Suze's slow, clear delivery makes her ideal for beginners. Remember, she emphasizes speaking slowly to avoid errors—mirror that pace! Step 4: Repeat daily. Over time, you'll start to mimic her natural flow, making your English sound more confident. Whether you use a shadowing app, a shadowing site, or just your phone, consistent shadow speech practice with Suze's podcast will help you build fluency. Start small, take your time, and enjoy the process!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been planning · I've been living
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you're able to do that I'll be
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	podcast, which is · those who don · episodes, which is
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've posted · I've always sounded

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →