Shadowing Practice: Historias en PORTUGUES para Escuchar #01 | Podcast para aprender portugués - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Today I will bring you a story that will help us learn new words in Portuguese and familiarize with the language.
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99 sentences
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Today I will bring you a story that will help us learn new words in Portuguese and familiarize with the language.
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Remember to pay attention to not lose any detail.
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Let's start.
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My name is Adrián, I have 28 years old.
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And I committed the biggest mistake in my life to lose Helena, a extraordinary woman that deserved much more than I gave.
0:14.24 – 0:23.00 (8.8s)
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I want to share my story with hope that others don't commit the same mistake.
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Elena and I met in a library for three years.
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She was organizing literary events while she was studying in comparative literature.
0:34.40 – 0:41.00 (6.6s)
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I was not the type of person with which I normally relate to.
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I always had gone with people more extroverted, who lived in the limit.
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Helena was different, disciplined, focused on her objectives, with a passion for books and teaching.
0:52.80 – 1:01.26 (8.5s)
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At the beginning, her way of being loved me.
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I loved to hear her talk about her literary theories and her plans to revolutionize education.
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But my friends began to I could have been a few questions in my head.
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You didn't get it with them.
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A life is short for someone so serious.
1:20.92 – 1:23.98 (3.1s)
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You should be living adventures in your age.
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Although I tried to ignore them, their words were in my mind.
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While Elena took his nights to write his thesis and plan your lessons, I started to feel inquieto.
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Passei a ver sua dedicação como uma limitação, sua disciplina como um fardo.
1:43.56 – 1:49.70 (6.1s)
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Convenci-me de que estava perdendo algo na vida.
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Tudo mudou quando conheci Lucia em um evento de fotografia.
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Era uma fotógrafa freelancer que viajava pelo mundo capturando histórias.
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Sua vida parecia a saída de um filme de aventuras, hoje em Barcelona, amanhã em Tóquio.
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Fiquei deslumbrado com suas histórias de viagens improvisadas e noites sob as estrelas em lugares remotos.
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O que começou como uma admiração profissional se tornou algo mais.
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Comecei a mentir para Helena, dizendo que tinha que trabalhar até tarde quando na verdade estava com Lucia, planning trips that never would be and so on with a life that wasn't mine.
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Helena found the worst way.
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She found messages in my phone while helping me configure my new work calendar.
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Her reaction was devastating precisely because it was so good.
2:49.17 – 2:54.09 (4.9s)
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Not there were grits or scenes, just a profound decepcion in your eyes and a question, why you were not honest since the beginning?
2:54.75 – 3:04.47 (9.7s)
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After that Elena left, my supposed emotional life with Lucia quickly became a nightmare.
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Result that the adventures were more attractive in theory than in the practical.
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Elena disappeared in one of her travels, leaving me with nothing else other photos and a dolorous understanding of what I had lost.
3:18.99 – 3:27.85 (8.9s)
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I tried to recover Elena in every way possible.
3:28.57 – 3:32.33 (3.8s)
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I wrote emails explaining my arrependiness, I sent my favorite books with personal notes, even I wrote in a creative workshop to show that I could be interested in her world.
3:33.49 – 3:47.85 (14.4s)
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But she had followed in front.
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The last time that I saw was in a literary conference where it was released the book recently published.
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She was radiant, confident, surrounded by people who really loved it.
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I realized that what she considered a life entediated was actually a life with purpose.
4:05.79 – 4:11.53 (5.7s)
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Elena was not entediated, she was passionate and dedicated.
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While I was looking for emotions superficiais, she was building something significant.
4:17.89 – 4:24.29 (6.4s)
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Now, every time I see her name in academic articles or read about her conferences, I feel a mixture of pride and resentment.
4:25.03 – 4:35.13 (10.1s)
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This experience taught me that the true adventure is not in perseguing emotions efêmeras, mas em construir algo duradouro com alguém que compartilha seus valores.
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Aprendi da maneira mais difícil que a emoção sem substância é como um fogo de artifício, brilhante, mas momentânea, enquanto o amor verdadeiro é como uma estrela fixa que te guia para algo melhor.
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Agora contaremos com os subtítulos para entender melhor a história.
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Pero antes, comenta-nos que te pareció la história e como podemos seguir melhorando.
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Teleo.
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Meu nome é Adrià.
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Now we will tell you about the subtitles to understand better the history.
5:03.30 – 5:06.24 (2.9s)
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But before, tell us what you liked the history and how we can continue to improve.
5:06.56 – 5:10.90 (4.3s)
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I read you.
5:11.20 – 5:11.74 (0.5s)
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My name is Adrian, I have 28 years old.
5:12.12 – 5:15.56 (3.4s)
54
And I committed the biggest mistake in my life by losing Helena, a extraordinary woman that I deserved much more than I gave.
5:15.50 – 5:24.24 (8.7s)
55
I want to share my story with hope that others don't commit the same mistake.
5:24.74 – 5:30.54 (5.8s)
56
Elena and I met in a library three years ago.
5:31.32 – 5:35.18 (3.9s)
57
She was organizing literary events while finishing her doctorate in comparative literature.
5:35.74 – 5:42.82 (7.1s)
58
I was not the type of person with which I normally relate to.
5:43.52 – 5:47.46 (3.9s)
59
I always had gone with people more extroverted, who lived in the limit.
5:47.30 – 5:53.40 (6.1s)
60
Helena was different, disciplined, focused on their objectives, with a calmness for books and teaching.
5:54.02 – 6:02.54 (8.5s)
61
At the beginning, her way of being loved me.
6:03.16 – 6:06.24 (3.1s)
62
I loved to hear her talk about her theories and her plans to revolutionize education.
6:06.88 – 6:14.08 (7.2s)
63
But my friends began to tease doubts in my mind.
6:14.82 – 6:19.24 (4.4s)
64
You didn't get it with her.
6:19.86 – 6:21.64 (1.8s)
65
Life is short for someone who is so serious.
6:22.12 – 6:25.10 (3.0s)
66
You should be living adventures in your age.
6:25.68 – 6:28.66 (3.0s)
67
Although I tried to ignore them, their words were in my mind.
6:30.08 – 6:35.02 (4.9s)
68
While Elena dedicated his nights to write his thesis and planning his lessons, I started to feel inquiet.
6:36.02 – 6:44.12 (8.1s)
69
I was able to see her dedication as a limitation, her discipline as a fard.
6:45.22 – 6:50.52 (5.3s)
70
I convinced myself that I was losing something in life.
6:51.30 – 6:54.34 (3.0s)
71
Everything changed when I met Lucia in a photography event.
6:55.18 – 6:58.38 (3.2s)
72
She was a freelance photographer who traveled around the world capturing stories.
7:00.00 – 7:04.90 (4.9s)
73
Her life seemed to be a release of a movie of adventures, today in Barcelona, tomorrow in Tokyo.
7:05.92 – 7:12.44 (6.5s)
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I was surrounded by their stories of improvisations and nights under the stars in remote places.
7:13.32 – 7:20.88 (7.6s)
75
What began as a professional admiration became something else.
7:21.54 – 7:26.20 (4.7s)
76
I was going to lie to Elena, saying that I had to work until later when I was actually with Lucia, planning trips that never would be and living with a life that wasn't mine.
7:27.02 – 7:39.48 (12.5s)
77
Elena discovered the worst way.
7:40.62 – 7:42.81 (2.2s)
78
She found messages in my phone while she helped me configure my new work calendar.
7:43.03 – 7:49.21 (6.2s)
79
Her reaction was devastating precisely because she was so dignified.
7:50.17 – 7:55.41 (5.2s)
80
She didn't hear grits or scents.
7:55.97 – 7:58.11 (2.1s)
81
Just a profound decepção in her eyes and a question.
7:58.27 – 8:02.31 (4.0s)
82
Why did you not be honest since the beginning?
8:02.65 – 8:05.45 (2.8s)
83
After that Elena left, my supposed life emotional with Lucia quickly fell down.
8:06.41 – 8:12.37 (6.0s)
84
Result that adventures were more attractive in theory than in practice.
8:13.87 – 8:18.71 (4.8s)
85
Lucia disappeared in one of her travels, leaving me with nothing else's photos and a dolorous understanding of what I had lost.
8:19.65 – 8:28.81 (9.2s)
86
I tried to recover Elena in every way possible.
8:29.81 – 8:33.15 (3.3s)
87
I wrote emails explaining my arrependement, sent my favorite books with personal notes, even wrote in a creative workshop to show that I could be interested in my world.
8:34.45 – 8:48.99 (14.5s)
88
But she followed forward.
8:49.91 – 8:51.69 (1.8s)
89
The last time I saw was in a literary conference where it was published.
8:52.87 – 8:58.35 (5.5s)
90
I was radiant, confident, surrounded by people who really loved it.
9:00.29 – 9:06.45 (6.2s)
91
I realized that what I considered a life entediated was actually a purpose.
9:07.05 – 9:12.85 (5.8s)
92
Elena was not entediated, she was passionate and dedicated.
9:13.97 – 9:18.31 (4.3s)
93
While I looked at the superficies, she was building something significant.
9:19.13 – 9:25.23 (6.1s)
94
Now, every time I see your name in academic articles or read your conferences, I feel a mixture of pride and disappointment.
9:26.33 – 9:35.69 (9.4s)
95
This experience taught me that the true adventure is not to pursue emotions ephemers, but to build something durable with someone who shares their values.
9:37.35 – 9:48.45 (11.1s)
96
I learned from a more difficult way that emotion without substance is like a fire of artificial, brilliant, but momentane, while the true love is like a fixed star that guides you to something better.
9:49.59 – 10:03.85 (14.3s)
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And that's all for this video.
10:04.31 – 10:06.13 (1.8s)
98
Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and leave a comment to help us between all practicing and improve our Portuguese.
10:06.09 – 10:12.59 (6.5s)
99
Finally, I leave you a video to keep practicing.
10:12.75 – 10:16.07 (3.3s)

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video features a compelling narrative that not only enhances your listening skills but also provides an excellent context for speaking practice. By immersing yourself in Adrián's story about love, loss, and personal growth, you can effectively utilize the shadowing technique. This method involves mimicking the speaker's tone, pace, and intonation, which significantly contributes to improving English pronunciation. Engaging with narratives like this also prepares you for real-life conversations and can be great for IELTS speaking practice. As you listen, pay attention to the emotional nuances of the story, which can help you convey feelings more authentically in your own speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions stand out:

  • Past Tense Narration: Adrián's use of the simple past tense (e.g., “I met,” “She left”) effectively conveys his personal journey. Practicing these forms can aid in recounting your own experiences.
  • Contrasting Ideas: Expressions like “while” and “although” are used to juxtapose his feelings about Helena and Lucia, which teaches you to express complex thoughts clearly.
  • Questions for Engagement: The rhetorical question, “Why were you not honest since the beginning?” highlights how to pose reflective questions, a vital skill for engaging in more profound conversations.
  • Emotional Vocabulary: Words such as “deception,” “pride,” and “resentment” are essential when expressing feelings. Learning this vocabulary expands your ability to discuss emotional topics in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice your speaking skills through this narrative, be mindful of several tricky words and phrases:

  • Dedication: Watch for the pronunciation of “dedication,” as it can be challenging. Break it down to “ded-i-ca-tion” to pronounce it correctly.
  • Extraordinary: This word is often mispronounced; practice saying “ex-tra-or-di-na-ry” slowly to avoid blending sounds.
  • Emotional Nuances: Pay special attention to how emotional words are pronounced. Emphasizing the emotions behind words like “devastating” or “passionate” can make your speech more impactful.

By focusing on these aspects, you not only improve your overall communication skills but also ensure your improve English pronunciation through this effective **shadow speech** method. Make sure to practice repeatedly for the best results on your language journey!

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.

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish

  1. Choose your video: Pick a YouTube video with clear, natural English speech. TED Talks, BBC News, movie scenes, podcasts, or IELTS sample answers all work great. Paste the URL into the search bar. Start with shorter videos (under 5 minutes) and content you find genuinely interesting — motivation matters.
  2. Listen first, understand the context: On your first pass, keep the speed at 1x and just listen. Don't try to repeat yet. Focus on understanding the meaning, picking up new vocabulary, and noticing how the speaker stresses words, links sounds, and uses pauses.
  3. Set up Shadowing mode:
    • Wait Mode: Choose +3s or +5s — after each sentence plays, the video pauses automatically so you have time to repeat it out loud. Choose Manual if you want full control and press Next yourself after each repetition.
    • Sub Sync: YouTube subtitles sometimes appear slightly ahead or behind the audio. Use ±100ms to align them perfectly so you can follow along accurately.
  4. Shadow out loud (the core practice): This is where the real work happens. As soon as a sentence plays — or during the pause — repeat it out loud, clearly and confidently. Don't just mouth the words: mirror the speaker's exact rhythm, stress, pitch, and connected speech. Aim to sound like a shadow of the speaker, not just a word-by-word recitation. Use the Repeat feature to drill the same sentence multiple times until it feels natural.
  5. Scale up the challenge: Once a passage feels comfortable, push your limits. Increase speed to <code>1.25x</code> or even <code>1.5x</code> to train high-speed language reflexes. Or set Wait Mode to <code>Off</code> for continuous shadowing — the most advanced and rewarding mode. Consistent daily practice of 15–30 minutes will produce noticeable results within weeks.

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