Shadowing Practice: friday night dinners (57) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
You ready for this? Of course.
2
Even with the Cold War?
3
That's been going on for 34 years, I can manage.
4
It's been a bit colder these past few weeks.
5
Oh, no, I'm fine.
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You know why?
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Because in two hours, and I do plan on extricating us from here in exactly two hours, the night will be over, and I won't have to see them again until next year.
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Start your stopwatch.
9
Hello.
10
Hi, Grandma.
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Happy Thanksgiving.
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Thank you, Rory.
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Happy Thanksgiving, Lorelai.
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Happy Thanksgiving.
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One hour, 15 minutes, and 40 seconds.
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Oh, wow, it's a piano player.
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That's Brad.
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I found him at Nordstrom.
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Was he on sale?
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I thought a little background music would add a nice touch.
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He knows every song ever written.
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Freebird!
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Hi, Brad.
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Lorelai, please.
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Now come along.
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Everyone's here.
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We're all here.
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Oh, good.
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Happy Thanksgiving, Rory.
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Happy Thanksgiving, Grandpa.
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Lorelai.
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Dad.
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These are guests, Natalie and Douglas Swope.
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You two have met.
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Yes, at the auction.
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Good to see you again.
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Nice to meet you.
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Yes, you too.
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Same here.
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And this is our international contingent, Claude and Monique Clemenceau.
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They're just in from France.
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Ah, Clemenceau.
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Hi.
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I had to guess Spain.
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Hello.
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How are you?
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Hello.
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Hello.
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Monique, voici ma fille et ma petite fille.
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Ah, elles sont si jolies.
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My Monique speaks only French, so please excuse the inconvenience.
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Oh, no, that's fine.
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I'd love French.
54
She really wants to learn English.
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Perhaps tonight will inspire her.
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Je leur ai dit que tu voulais apprendre l'anglais.
57
L'anglais, oui, je vais bien l'apprendre, mais je suis tellement paresseux.
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Oh, ça prend du temps, Monique.
59
Don't do it.
60
Thank you.
61
Oh, no, no, no. That's why I love it when the Clemenceau's visit.
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It gives me the opportunity to haul out my rusty French.
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Your French is wonderful, Richard.
64
It always has been.
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Oh, no, no, no. You're very gentle.
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Please, sit, sit.
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Thank you.
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So, Rory, you speak French at all?
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Just a tiny little bit.
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Un tout petit peu?
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Oui, un tout petit peu.
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And you, my dear?
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Even less.
74
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
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That's about it.
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Lorelei.
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Oh, my God.
78
It's just a joke.
79
Asking my friend to go to bed with you is a joke?
80
It's a song.
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It's just a joke, Dad.
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Oh, je vois.
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C'est une chanson de pop.
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It's a pop song.
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I'm wondering, I didn't know that.
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Lady Marmelade.
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It's very rich.
88
It's very, very funny.
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Oh, well, thank you.
90
You need a drink, oui?
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Very astute, Claude.
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Martini with a twist, Dad?
93
All right.
94
Is this your first American Thanksgiving, Claude?
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It is.
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It is.
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I've seen it in the movies.
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People seem to eat and eat and eat until they can't eat anymore.
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That's about it?
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It's about giving thanks.
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Gets you thinking about the good things.
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We have a lot to give thanks for in this country.
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Definitely.
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Me, I start each day giving thanks for three things.
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Cuban cigars, French champagne, and gorgeous women.
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And I must give extra thanks to the extraordinary group here tonight.
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Douglas, Richard, leave us, won't you?
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What?
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Just another joke.
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I missed another joke.
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You have your mother's wit.
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Sometimes I wish she'd give it back.
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Emily mentioned that you were coming from another function?
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No. This is your second dinner?
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Fourth, actually.
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Fourth?
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Oh, thank you for fitting us in, Lorelei.
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Don't worry, Dad.
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You're the main event.
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Hour 56 minutes.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 120 sentences and 579 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:55. The speaker talks fast, about 199 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| extraordinary adjective | /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/ | Out of the ordinary; exceptional; unusual. |
| gorgeous adjective | /ˈɡoɹd͡ʒəs/ | Sumptuously dressed. |
| piano noun | /piˈænɪː/ | A percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers… |
| auction noun | /ˈɔkʃən/ | A public event where goods or property are sold to the highest bidder. |
| twist verb | /twɪst/ | To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force. |
| gentle adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩/ | Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| champagne noun | /ʃæmˈpeɪn/ | A sparkling white wine made from a blend of grapes, especially Chardonnay and pinot, produced in Champagne, France, by the méthode champenoise. |
| haul verb | /hɔl/ | To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or oxen, or a motor vehicle. |
| temp noun | /tɛmp/ | Synonym of temporary (“short-term employee”). |
| contingent adjective | /kənˈtɪn.d͡ʒənt/ | Possible or liable, but not certain, to occur. |
| inconvenience noun | /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/ | The quality of being inconvenient. |
| rusty adjective | /ˈɹʌsti/ | Marked or corroded by rust. |
| cigar noun | /sɪˈɡɑɹ/ | A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked. |
| petit adjective | /ˈpɛtət/ | Petite: small, little. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come along verb | To accompany. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: auction /ˈɔkʃən/, champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/, chanson /ʃɑ̃ˈsɔ̃/
- Long words — get the stress right: extraordinary /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/, inconvenience /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like extraordinary, gorgeous, piano.
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.