Shadowing Practice: Friends | Rachel Quits (11) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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52 sentences
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1
Rachel?
2
Yeah?
3
You remember when you first came here, how you spent two weeks getting trained by another waitress?
4
Oh, sure.
5
Do you need me to train somebody new?
6
Good one.
7
Actually, uh, Terry wants you to take the training again.
8
Whenever. Do you believe that?
9
yeah after you've delivered the drinks you take the empty tray Gunther,
10
Gunther, please I've worked here for two and a half years I know the empty trays go over there
11
what if you put them here huh well, you know, that's actually a really good idea because that way they'll be closer to the mugs you know what,
12
you should have the other waitresses do that too They already do.
13
That's why they call it the Tracebot.
14
I'm sorry.
15
It's all right, sweetheart.
16
And when you have a second later, I want to show you why we don't just trap spiders under coffee mugs and leave them there.
17
I'm training to be better at a job that I hate.
18
My life officially sucks.
19
But, Rach, wasn't it supposed to be a temporary thing?
20
I thought you wanted to do fashion stuff.
21
Well, yeah, I'm still pursuing that.
22
How, exactly, are you pursuing that?
23
You know, other than sending out resumes like, what, two years ago?
24
If you ask me, as long as you got this job, you got nothing pushing you to get another one.
25
You need the fear.
26
The fear?
27
He's right.
28
If you quit this job, you then have motivation to go after a job you really want.
29
Well, then how come you're still at a job that you hate?
30
I mean, why don't you quit and get the fear? Because I'm too afraid.
31
I don't know.
32
I mean, I would give anything to work for a designer, you know, or a buyer.
33
Ugh, I just don't want to be 30 and still work here.
34
Yeah, that'd be much worse than being 28 and still working here.
35
Rachel?
36
Yeah?
37
Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf and which is regular.
38
Can't I just look at the handles on them?
39
You would think.
40
Okay, fine.
41
Gunther, you know what?
42
I am a terrible waitress.
43
Do you know why I am a terrible waitress?
44
Because I don't care.
45
I don't care.
46
I don't care which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.
47
I don't care where the tray spot is.
48
I just don't care.
49
This is not what I want to do.
50
So I don't think I should do it anymore.
51
i'm gonna give you my week's notice what gunther i quit
52
does this mean we're gonna have to start paying for coffee
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: gunther, waitress, tray, pot, quit. This video has 52 sentences and 442 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:58. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 16 of its 52 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| waitress noun | /ˈweɪ.tɹɪs/ | A female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar. |
| tray noun | /tɹeɪ/ | A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried. |
| pursue verb | /pɚˈsu/ | To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase. |
| temporary adjective | /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/ | Not permanent; existing only for a period or periods of time. |
| designer noun | /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ | A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession. |
| suck verb | /sʌk/ | To use the mouth and lips to pull in (a liquid, especially milk from the breast). |
| remind verb | /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ | To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person). |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| spider noun | /ˈspaɪ̯dɚ/ | Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| resume verb | /ˈɹɛz.ə.meɪ/ | To start (something) again that has been stopped or paused from the point at which it was stopped or paused; continue, carry on. |
| buyer noun | /ˈbaɪ.əɹ/ | A person who makes one or more purchases. |
| sweetheart noun | /ˈswiːtˌhɑːt/ | A person who is always very kind. |
| decaf noun | /ˈdiːkæf/ | A decaffeinated coffee, tea, or soft drink. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. |
| send out verb | To issue, dispatch or transmit. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you need me to train somebody new?
- How, exactly, are you pursuing that?
- I mean, why don't you quit and get the fear?
- Can't I just look at the handles on them?
- Do you know why I am a terrible waitress?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.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 waitress, tray, pursue.
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.