Shadowing Practice: Everyday English Conversation | Real Life Dialogue | Easy Podcast for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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No way!
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What is he doing?
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Yeah, and he smiled!
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You should have said something!
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Come on, let's grab coffee and keep an eye on this!
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr. English Channel, where learning English is easy and fun.
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I'm Emily.
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It is so good to be here today.
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Hello to all our friends watching and listening.
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I am very happy to see you, Emily.
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How is your morning going?
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Oh, it is going very well, Paul.
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I had a very big breakfast, so I have a lot of energy for our podcast today.
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That is great.
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I only had a small apple, so maybe I need more energy.
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But talking to you always makes me feel excited to teach.
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You are always so positive, Paul.
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That is why our students love you.
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Today, we have a very interesting topic.
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It is about something that happens to everyone.
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Oh?
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Is it about traveling?
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Or maybe about cooking?
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No, it is about small talk and seeing friends.
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But it is also about secrets and drama.
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Ooh, I love a good story.
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Drama makes life interesting, doesn't it?
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It really does.
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We are going to listen to a conversation between two friends, Chloe and Rachel.
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They are at a cafe and they see someone they know.
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This sounds like a movie.
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I am ready to listen.
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Are you ready, everyone?
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Let's hear what Chloe and Rachel are talking about.
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Hey, Rachel.
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Chloe, hi!
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Oh my gosh, it's been forever.
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I know, right?
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Hey, you won't believe what I just saw.
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What happened?
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Daniel?
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Wait, what? Where?
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Right over there, near the cafe.
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No way!
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What is he doing?
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Shh!
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Talking to two girls.
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You're kidding.
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Again?
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Yep.
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And listen, same lines as always.
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Ugh, seriously?
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I've been so busy with work.
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Oh wow, he really has no creativity.
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None.
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I almost laughed out loud.
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Did he see you?
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Yeah, and he smiled like everything's normal.
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Wow, the confidence.
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I know, right?
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I just looked at him like, hmm, really?
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You should have said something.
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Oh no, I prefer to watch the drama.
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Honestly, same.
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Come on, let's grab coffee and keep an eye on this.
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Okay, let's go.
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Wow, that was a very juicy conversation, Paul.
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It really was.
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Poor Daniel.
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Everyone is watching him and he doesn't even know it.
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Well, he is using the same lines with everyone.
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That is why they are laughing.
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You are right.
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There were so many great expressions in that dialogue.
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Let's talk about them naturally.
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I love that idea.
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The first thing Rachel says is, oh my gosh.
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Ah, yes.
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Oh my gosh is so common.
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We use it when we are surprised or excited.
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Exactly.
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Like if I see a beautiful bird in the park, I might say, oh my gosh, look at that.
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Or if I see a very high price for a shirt in a store, oh my gosh, $50 for a t-shirt?
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Yes, exactly.
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It is a very soft way to show surprise.
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And then she says, it's been forever.
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This is one of my favorite things to say to friends.
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Me too.
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It doesn't mean a thousand years, right?
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No, no. It just means a long time.
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Maybe a few months or a year.
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I actually said that this morning, Paul.
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I saw my neighbor, Mr. Wilson.
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I haven't seen him since the winter.
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Oh, what did you say to him?
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I said, Mr. Wilson, hi, it's been forever.
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How are you?
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He was so happy to see me.
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That is a great story.
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It shows that forever is just a way to say I missed you.
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Mmm, wait a second, Paul.
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I think there is a small fly near my microphone.
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Oh!
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Don't let it speak.
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It doesn't know English.
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Okay, I think it flew away.
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Sorry about that.
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No problem.
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That was a funny surprise.
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Like Chloe's surprise when she saw Daniel.
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Yes!
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Chloe says, you won't believe what I just saw.
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This is such a good way to start a conversation if you have a secret.
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It makes the other person want to listen immediately.
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You won't believe it.
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If you tell me that, Emily, I will stop everything I am doing to listen to you.
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Good to know.
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I have another story about that.
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Last week, I was walking.
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And what happened?
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Did you see a celebrity?
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No, even better.
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I saw a cat wearing a small hat and sitting on a bicycle.
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No way.
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Seriously?
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Yes.
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I called my sister and said, you won't believe what I just saw.
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That is amazing.
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A cat in a hat.
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I love it.
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It was very cute.
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But in our dialogue, Chloe sees Daniel, and Rachel says, no way.
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No way is perfect for when you are shocked.
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You don't believe the news.
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Right.
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It is like saying, that is impossible.
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I use it a lot.
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For example, if you tell me that there is no more coffee in the world, I would say, No way!
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I need my coffee!
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Oh, Ball, you and your coffee.
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We would all be in trouble without it.
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Speaking of coffee, they decide to grab coffee at the end of the story.
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Grab coffee.
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I like that expression.
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It sounds very casual and fast.
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Yes.
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We don't always say, let us go and sit down to drink a cup of coffee.
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No, that is too formal.
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Let's grab a coffee is what friends say.
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You can grab many things.
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You can grab a sandwich or grab a seat.
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That's true.
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Yesterday I was so busy at work that I only had 10 minutes for lunch.
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Oh no, that is not much time.
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What did you do?
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I just had to grab a quick salad from the shop next door and eat it at my desk.
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At least you had something to eat.
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Grabbing a meal is very common for busy people.
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If you are enjoying this conversation and learning these expressions, don't forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and share it with a friend who is learning English.
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Yes, please.
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It helps us a lot, and we love having you here with us.
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Actually, we have a question for you.
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If you are still listening, comment CAFE below.
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I want to see how many people like CAFES as much as we do.
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Comment Cathay right now.
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Good one, Paul.
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Now, let's go back to Daniel.
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Chloe said he was using the same lines as always.
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Lines.
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This is a funny word here.
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It's not a line on a paper.
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No, it means the same stories or the same excuses.
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Daniel says, I've been so busy with work.
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That is his line to talk to girls.
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And Rachel laughs because he has no creativity.
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Yes, he says the same thing to everyone.
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That's not very smart, Daniel.
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I had a similar situation at my old job.
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There was a man who always came late to meetings.
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Oh, I know people like that.
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What was his excuse?
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Every single time he said, the traffic was terrible today.
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Every day?
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Even on Sundays?
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Yes.
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One day I wanted to say, that's the same line as always, get a new story. That is so funny.
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I've been busy or the traffic was bad are very common lines.
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They really are.
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And when Chloe saw him, she said she almost laughed out loud.
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Laugh out loud.
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We see this on the internet as LOL, right?
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Exactly.
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But in real life, we say, I laughed out loud when something is very, very funny.
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Like your story about the cat in the hat.
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I think I would laugh out loud if I saw that too.
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It was hard not to.
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But Chloe stayed quiet because she wanted to watch the drama.
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Rachel says seriously when she hears about Daniel.
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Seriously is a great word.
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You can use it as a question or to show you are annoyed.
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Right, like if my computer breaks for the third time today, I say, Seriously?
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Again?
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Ugh, I hate it when that happens.
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It is so frustrating.
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It really is.
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But Rachel and Chloe are having fun.
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They're watching Daniel from far away.
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Chloe says, I just looked at him like, hmm, really?
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That really, with a look, is very powerful.
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It means I know you are lying.
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Yes.
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My mom used to give me that look when I was a child.
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Oh?
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Did you tell lines to your mom, Emily?
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Maybe a little.
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I once told her I cleaned my room, but I just put everything under the bed.
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And what did she do?
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She opened the door, looked at the floor, then looked at me and said, Really, Emily?
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Oh, moms always know the truth.
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You can't hide anything from them.
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No, you can't.
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They have eyes in the back of their heads, as they say.
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That is another great expression.
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It means they see everything.
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Just like Chloe and Rachel, they are going to keep an eye on Daniel.
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Keep an eye on something.
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This is an idiom.
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It is.
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It means to watch something carefully.
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Like, if I am at the library and I need to go to the bathroom, I can ask a friend, can you keep an eye on my laptop?
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Yes.
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It means please watch it so nobody takes it.
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Or if you're cooking dinner, you might say, can you keep an eye on the pasta so it doesn't burn?
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Exactly.
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It's a very useful phrase for daily life.
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I once had to keep an eye on my sister's dog.
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His name is Buster.
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Is Buster a good dog?
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He's very sweet, but he loves to eat shoes.
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I had to keep an eye on him the whole afternoon.
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Oh, no. Did he eat any of your shoes?
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No. I was very careful, but it was a lot of work.
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I can imagine.
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Dogs can be like children sometimes.
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They really can.
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So, Chloe and Rachel are going to keep an eye on the drama.
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They are very curious.
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And Rachel says, honestly, same.
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Same is a very short way to say, I feel the same way, or I agree.
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Yes.
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If you say, I am very tired today, and I am also tired, I can just say, same.
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It's very common with young people, but everyone uses it now because it's so fast.
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Hmm, I think I use same a lot when we talk about food, Paul.
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Haha, like if I say, I want a big pizza right now?
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I would definitely say same.
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We have very similar tastes in food, I think.
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We do.
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It makes it easy to choose a restaurant.
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Definitely.
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Wow, Emily, we really talked a lot about this dialogue.
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We did.
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It was so full of life.
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It's much better to learn this way than just reading a book.
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I agree.
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Real English is about these small reactions and feelings.
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Oh, Paul, look at the time.
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We have been talking for a long time.
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Wow, you were right.
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Time flies when you were having fun.
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It really does.
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Before we finish, maybe we should remember some of the things we talked about?
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Good idea.
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It wasn't a lesson, but we learned so many cool things.
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Like, it's been forever.
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I'm going to use that next time I see my cousin.
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And no way for when things are surprising, like a cat on a bicycle.
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Yes.
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And don't forget, grab a coffee.
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It sounds so much more natural.
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Oh, and keep an eye on.
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I need to keep an eye on my watch so we don't talk for three hours.
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That's true.
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And I know, right?
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Chloe used that to agree with Rachel.
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That's a classic.
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I use it every day.
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I know, right?
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It was a great conversation.
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I feel like I know Chloe and Rachel now.
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Me too.
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They seem like fun people to have coffee with.
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So, Emily, before we finish, I have an idea.
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Oh?
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What is it, Paul?
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Now that we talked about all the expressions, let's listen to Chloe and Rachel one more time.
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That's a fantastic idea.
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I want to see if our friends can understand everything now.
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I'm sure they can.
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Let's listen again.
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Hey, Rachel.
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Chloe, hi!
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Oh my gosh, it's been forever.
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I know, right?
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Hey, you won't believe what I just saw.
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What happened?
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Daniel?
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Wait, what? Where?
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Right over there, near the cafe.
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No way!
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What is he doing?
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Shh!
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Talking to two girls.
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You're kidding.
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Again?
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Yep, and listen, same lines as always.
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Ugh, seriously?
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I've been so busy with work.
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Oh wow, he really has no creativity.
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None.
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I almost laughed out loud.
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Did he see you?
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Yeah, and he smiled like everything's normal.
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Wow, the confidence.
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I know, right?
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I just looked at him like, hmm, really?
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You should have said something.
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Oh no. I prefer to watch the drama.
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Honestly, same.
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Come on.
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Let's grab coffee and keep an eye on this.
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Okay, let's go.
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Wow.
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That felt so much easier to understand this time.
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Yes, it really did.
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I understood every single line Daniel used.
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Poor Daniel.
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He is the star of our podcast today.
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Well, Emily, this was wonderful.
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Do you have a final tip for our friends?
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Oh yes, I have a small bonus tip.
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Tell us.
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I love tips.
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My tip is, try to use one of these reaction words today.
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Like, seriously?
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Or no way?
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Yes, even if you are just talking to yourself in the mirror.
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It helps you feel the emotion of the language.
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That is a great tip, Emily.
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English is not just words, it's how you say them.
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Exactly.
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It's about the feeling.
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Well, I think that's all for today.
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I'm going to go and finally eat a real meal.
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Yes, go eat your lunch ball.
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You worked hard.
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Thank you, Emily.
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And thank you to everyone for being here with us.
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Thank you all!
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Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to Mr. English Channel.
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And remember to comment CAFE if you listened to the whole story.
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We can't wait to see you in the next episode.
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Goodbye everyone!
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Have a wonderful day!
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Bye-bye!
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See you soon!
Context & Background
In today's fast-paced world, mastering everyday English conversation is crucial for language learners. The dialogue between Emily and Paul presents a relatable scenario that centers around small talk and social interactions. As they enthusiastically discuss their morning and the exciting drama unfolding around them, they highlight the significance of engaging conversations with friends. This practical context not only makes learning enjoyable but also serves as a real-life example of how to navigate daily chats effectively. Aspiring speakers can utilize this engaging exchange to enhance their IELTS speaking practice and overall communication skills.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
Here are five useful phrases extracted from the transcript that can be applied during everyday interactions:
- "No way! What is he doing?" - This expression shows surprise and curiosity, perfect for engaging in discussions.
- "You should have said something!" - A great way to encourage participation in conversations.
- "Come on, let's grab coffee." - A friendly invitation that promotes socializing.
- "Oh my gosh, it's been forever." - An excellent way to reconnect with a friend after a long time.
- "Ooh, I love a good story." - This phrase expresses enthusiasm for storytelling and drama, making conversations more vibrant.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is an effective method to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Follow these steps to conquer the dialogue in this video:
- Listen carefully: Play the video multiple times, paying attention to the intonation and rhythm of the speakers. This will help you identify the emotional cues in the conversation.
- Transcribe the dialogue: Write down the conversation as you listen. This exercise strengthens your listening skills and helps you visualize the sentence structures used.
- Practice Shadow Speech: Utilize a shadowing app or simply repeat lines after you hear them. Focus on mimicking the pronunciation and cadence of the speakers.
- Record yourself: Speak along with the audio and record your voice. Comparing your recording to the original can highlight areas for improvement.
- Engage in conversations: Using the learned phrases, find language exchange partners or practice with friends to apply what you've learned in real-life scenarios.
By integrating shadow speak techniques into your learning routine, you will not only enrich your vocabulary but also develop confidence in your conversational skills. Keep practicing, and you’ll notice significant improvements in your everyday English dialogues!
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.