Shadowing Practice: Erika - I Don't Know (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
B2Corbon Amodio - Bingo bingo baby (lucy~) (Lyrics)
B1Regina Spektor - Two Birds On a Wire (Lyrics)
B1Tame Impala - One More Hour (Whatever I've done I did it for love) (Lyrics)
B2Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence (Lyrics)
B1Talkin Toys - Give me a sign I don't wanna lose my mind (Bleeding) (Lyrics)
A2Adele - However far away I will always love you (Lovesong) (Lyrics)
B1Imposter Syndrome - Sidney Gish (Lyrics)
B1Katy Perry - In another life I would be your girl (The One That Got Away) (Lyrics)
B2Hazbin Hotel - Poison (Lyrics)
B1Beyoncé - Listen (Lyrics)
B1Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is (Official Music Video)
B1@sabrinacarpenter - Don't Smile (Lyrics)
B1Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (Lyrics) Norway 🇳🇴 Eurovision Winner 2009
B1New West - Those Eyes (Lyrics) | Sad Romantic Song 🥀
B2Daniel Caesar – Who Knows (Lyrics) | Str8Lyrical
B1I Like You So Much, You’ll Know It - Ysabelle | Scots English
B1Ashes of Your Love
B1Alphaville - Forever Young (Sub. Español + Lyrics)
B1Chrystal - The Days (Notion Remix) (Lyrics)
B1The world we knew (Over and over) | Frank Sinatra. (Lyrics) By Kim Yeonnie.
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Erika - I Don't Know”. This video has 21 sentences and 219 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:59. The speaker talks slowly, about 73 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 6 of its 21 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 8 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| explanation noun | /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/ | The act or process of explaining. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| diary noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/ | A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer. |
| sinner noun | /ˈsɪnɚ/ | A person who, by one particular action, has sinned. |
| stronger adjective | /stɹɔŋɡɚ/ | Said of one proposition with respect to another one: that the former entails the latter, but the latter does not entail the former. |
| forever adverb | /fəˈɹɛvɚ/ | For all time, for all eternity; for a lifetime; for an infinite amount of time. |
| soul noun | /soʊl/ | The spirit or essence of a person usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality, often believed to live on after the person's death. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| live through verb | To survive a difficult period or event |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
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 explanation, mirror, emotion.
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.