Shadowing Practice: How I only study Arabic 10 minutes a day. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Open a new tab, go on YouTube, search up how to learn Arabic or any language for that matter, and videos like these will pop up.
2
Now, I have no problem at all with the message of this video or these kinds of videos, but 45 minutes a day,
3
two hours a day, these are the numbers you're going to be constantly hearing on YouTube.
4
And for someone that's working a full-time job, doing full-time uni, just most people in their everyday lives are not going to have that time.
5
And that is a huge barrier to learning Arabic.
6
And most people give up on the first step.
7
وأنا تعلمت اللغة العربية بنفسي.
8
وبعد ثلاثة إلى ستة شهور تقريبا بدأت أن أستطيع أن أتكلم باللغة العربية وأفهم اللغة القرآن.
9
وأتكلم مع الناس أيضا طبعا بطيئا لكن ما زلت أستطيع أن أتكلم.
10
And I was only learning for around 3 to 6 months and I gained that amount of progress.
11
and the craziest part was most days I wasn't learning more than 10 to 20 minutes a day.
12
There would be that occasional day where I'd spend 45 minutes, maybe even an hour, just sat down, had a lot of time but most days it wasn't a lot
13
and that's what I want to focus on in this video.
14
If you have the passion, the desire to learn a language,
15
how do you realistically build a routine that will help you learn that language alongside your busy life, not having to sacrifice anything else.
16
I'm going to go through everything step by step.
17
I'm going to cut out the stuff that I felt like wasted my time and just focus on the core principles.
18
There is only one caveat, which is this assumes that you can read the Arabic script already.
19
That is the only thing.
20
If you cannot read the Arabic script, just put all your focus on doing that.
21
Now there are apps that can help you do this.
22
For example, Duolingo has a built-in reading course, but the best thing to do is learn from a one-to-one teacher.
23
I also teach this as well.
24
If you're interested, join my community and send me a message, but make sure you get that out of the way because that is the hardest part of learning Arabic.
25
And I don't recommend you self-learn it.
26
All right.
27
So let's understand the logical flow of learning Arabic.
28
The first thing we want to understand is entering the caveman phase.
29
This is a thing a lot of people overlook.
30
From day one, they're trying to get the perfect grammar, the perfect sentence structure, everything.
31
No, you just need to learn to understand someone's message and get your message across.
32
Doesn't matter how broken it is.
33
So to do this, you're going to be learning words and phrases in pretty much a random order.
34
You're going to build a massive vocabulary all over time, and then you're going to learn to communicate your message.
35
Then over time of the next year, many years, you're going to polish your grammar as I am doing over time.
36
So how do you enter this logical flow?
37
Well, the first thing to have is a minimum viable daily learning.
38
When I started learning Arabic, it was through an app, Duolingo.
39
And Duolingo is notoriously not great for learning Arabic, especially if you're learning Arabic as a Muslim.
40
But I disagree to some extent.
41
And that is because Duolingo, a very well-developed, very well-established app, is great for keeping you accountable,
42
keeping you on the journey of learning Arabic, making sure you stick to it in the long run.
43
Why?
44
Because it's fun, because it's easy to access, because it's free, and because it has a streak feature, meaning every day you're making that streak go up and up.
45
I know people who have five, 600-day streaks.
46
I myself have almost a 400-day streak on this app.
47
And does it teach me a lot anymore?
48
No, pretty much doesn't teach me anything.
49
But that streak feature, that minimum viable daily learning just keeps you in touch with learning Arabic no matter how busy your life gets.
50
So if you want to take my recommendation, just use Duolingo.
51
But if not, set aside a minimum viable daily learning through another app
52
or another habit that will take only five to 10 minutes of your day at most.
53
You don't want to push it too much with this because this has to be something you do every day.
54
All right, the most important part of learning Arabic is gaining vocabulary, gathering vocabulary.
55
In this video, I want to focus on one of the methods that I use to learn vocabulary.
56
I don't want to obviously show every single way.
57
I want to show you the most effective thing for me.
58
And that was actually present in this video right now.
59
Those papers on my walls.
60
What I would do is whether I was watching YouTube, Netflix, something that had Arabic in it, mostly, most of the time it was YouTube or Instagram reels, I would pick out words that stood out to me
61
that didn't mean that I didn't know the meaning of in no particular order.
62
Or I would watch a channel called Talk Arabic Today that did that for me.
63
It just showed me keywords in an, in an extract from a news thing or whatever.
64
It gave me those words.
65
And what I would do is I would write them onto a big piece of paper and put it on my wall.
66
I'd write the English word, the Arabic word, and then I would write maybe an example and I would denote whether it's a noun or a verb.
67
If it was a noun, I would also put the plural format of it.
68
If it was a verb, I would also put the past tense format of it.
69
That's it.
70
I've learned like 90% of the way to learn the word.
71
Everything else I can form through the root letter patterns in Arabic.
72
Those two were the most important plural and past tense
73
and the definition obviously that's what I did for all those words
74
and I put them in a row like that
75
and then every night that's it my bed's right there I look at my wall
76
and I can just practice those words in Arabic
77
and I can try forming sentences the most important thing is
78
that you don't stress too much about
79
which type of words to choose every single word counts there have been times where I learn an Arabic word
80
that feels like I will never use this word.
81
The next day it shows up.
82
One time it was in the Quran, a word that I just learned showed up in the Quran the next day.
83
And from then it was concrete in my mind.
84
Learn any word, doesn't matter what it is.
85
Vocabulary is what will get you to that caveman phase.
86
Because if you know a thousand words and you can barely form a sentence, you can still get your point across to people.
87
Whereas if you have the most polished, perfect grammar and only know like 100, 200 words, you won't really get by too much.
88
You will struggle a lot with getting complex messages across.
89
Now, like I said, the way to get that vocabulary pretty easy.
90
You can go through YouTube and use that channel like I did, or you can find a textbook online that has a list of words.
91
I actually found one like this.
92
It's in my free community, all completely free, by the way.
93
You can request to join and get access to those resources
94
that I found online and created this library of over time
95
or you can use an app like link I like to use an app called link not sponsored by them
96
but it's a great app in my opinion
97
because it helps you look at real articles
98
and just pick out words from them and add to your vocabulary bank
99
which is exactly what we want to do with vocabulary collect and collect and collect and then practice now the final thing, the most obvious, the elephant in the room,
100
how do you actually practice speaking to someone?
101
Now, obviously the most obvious thing that comes to mind is if you had an Arabic speaking person, you could just converse with them.
102
And that is fantastic.
103
If you can do that five minutes a week, even, it will be massively beneficial for you.
104
However, not everyone has this option.
105
And I certainly didn't for a while.
106
I had one friend who I could speak in Arabic too.
107
And I did at the start a lot and it most definitely helped.
108
He could speak in a lot of dialects and especially he could speak in Fusha, which was very useful.
109
But after a while, I needed to practice.
110
I didn't have that friend around.
111
And I came across a method last year that I felt like would benefit a lot of people.
112
And that is using AI, an AI chatbot like ChatGPT.
113
These kind of AIs are able to put into voice mode and then put into Arabic.
114
And then you can speak to them in Arabic.
115
You can give instructions like speak slowly, anything like that.
116
I have a full guide that's not too long.
117
That's on my channel.
118
You can check it out.
119
That shows you exactly how to do that.
120
But when AI and voice mode wasn't a thing, I used to record myself speaking in Arabic,
121
pretending like I was just having a conversation by myself or talking about my day in Arabic, recording it in selfie mode, and then just reviewing it,
122
listening and seeing where I struggled, which words I didn't know, and seeing how to say those words in English.
123
That sounds like it doesn't do a lot, but it's really, really useful.
124
And I would highly recommend it to learn Arabic or even any other language.
125
Now, if you, like I said, want access to a lot of free resources and you want to be surrounded by people that are learning Arabic, go down.
126
There's my free community that I created with over a thousand members.
127
Join and inshallah, I will see you on the inside and the next video.

Context & Background

In the journey of language learning, many aspiring speakers often face the challenge of finding enough time in their busy schedules. In a recent discussion about learning Arabic, the speaker emphasized the daunting time commitments suggested by popular online resources. For those balancing full-time jobs, studies, or other responsibilities, dedicating 45 minutes to 2 hours daily can seem overwhelming. The speaker, who successfully learned Arabic while only spending 10 to 20 minutes a day on average, aims to provide a practical framework for efficient language learning while managing a hectic lifestyle. This approach not only addresses common barriers to learning but also highlights the importance of consistent daily practice, no matter how brief.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • أين الحمام؟ (Ayn al-hammam?) - Where is the bathroom?
  • أنا أحبك (Ana uhibbuka for males / Ana uhibbuki for females) - I love you.
  • كيف حالك؟ (Kayfa halak?) - How are you?
  • أحتاج مساعدة (Ahtaaj musaa'idah) - I need assistance.
  • ما اسمك؟ (Ma ismuk?) - What is your name?

Integrating these phrases into your daily routine can enhance your English speaking practice while learning a new language, bridging the gap between familiarity and practical use.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively tackle the difficulty of learning Arabic or any new language, the shadowing technique can be a transformative tool. Here’s a structured approach to applying this method using quick daily sessions:

  1. Start Small: Dedicate at least 10 minutes a day to practice. Pick a phrase or sentence related to your daily life.
  2. Listen and Repeat: Find audio resources related to your chosen phrase. Use a shadowing site to listen closely and repeat after the speaker. This method helps with pronunciation and rhythm.
  3. Record Yourself: Use a smartphone or a computer to record your voice as you practice. Listen back to identify areas for improvement.
  4. Expand Gradually: Once you feel comfortable with basic phrases, incorporate more complex sentences and vocabulary. Continue using the shadowing technique to solidify your learning.
  5. Create a Consistent Routine: Engage in brief daily sessions and aim to maintain a streak. Regular practice, even for a few minutes, can lead to significant progress over time.

Applying the shadowing technique can facilitate rapid improvement in your language skills. It keeps learners engaged and accountable, fostering a habit that can easily fit into any busy schedule. By leveraging resources available online, such as shadowspeak, you can enhance both your speaking and listening capabilities, firmly establishing the foundations of fluency in your target language.

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.