Shadowing Practice: How I Practice English by Myself - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Medium

YouTube

Shadowing Controls

0% completed (0/202 sentences)

Hello everybody, welcome back to another video where I show you how to practice English by yourself at home.

⏸ Paused

Speed:

Repeat Count:

Wait Mode:

Sub Sync:0ms

All Sentences

202 sentences

Hello everybody, welcome back to another video where I show you how to practice English by yourself at home.

0:00.00 – 0:05.47 (5.5s)

Today we're going for a walk. But first I want to show you this view that I have from my window right now.

0:05.47 – 0:12.33 (6.9s)

Do you see the ocean? How beautiful is the water? What a gorgeous sunny day.

0:12.33 – 0:18.63 (6.3s)

So we are currently in Madeira, we are pet sitting as you can see and we're about to go on our first walk.

0:18.97 – 0:25.33 (6.4s)

We're supposed to go down to the pier to the little harbor area.

0:25.53 – 0:29.83 (4.3s)

It's a very popular spot because this is a fisherman village and they have lots of boats and cute seafood restaurants around that area.

0:30.00 – 0:38.63 (8.6s)

So let's go see it together.

0:38.93 – 0:40.63 (1.7s)

Okay, the idea is for you to watch me how I do it.

0:40.63 – 0:43.93 (3.3s)

So then the next time you go for a walk, you do it yourself.

0:43.93 – 0:47.23 (3.3s)

So you want to just comment on everything you see and try to figure out, do you know these words?

0:47.23 – 0:53.10 (5.9s)

Do you not? Because a lot of the times you know these words when you hear them, but you're not able to use them whenever you need them.

0:53.17 – 1:00.83 (7.7s)

Hey, are you ready?

1:00.83 – 1:01.53 (0.7s)

Okay, so I'm going to put my sunglasses on because it's really sunny outside and I'm also going to put on my cap.

1:01.77 – 1:10.23 (8.5s)

I don't want to get a sunstroke or a heat stroke.

1:10.57 – 1:12.93 (2.4s)

And I also applied some SPF on my arms and my neck just in case.

1:12.93 – 1:17.43 (4.5s)

So when you're putting your clothes on, say what you're doing.

1:17.80 – 1:20.73 (2.9s)

When you're putting everything you need in your bag, say what you're putting in your bag.

1:20.93 – 1:25.73 (4.8s)

Just comment on everything.

1:25.73 – 1:27.30 (1.6s)

You're going to see you thought you knew a lot more words than you do.

1:27.53 – 1:30.43 (2.9s)

These little guys are so excited.

1:30.43 – 1:32.13 (1.7s)

They think they're going with us, but they're not.

1:32.13 – 1:34.83 (2.7s)

Sorry guys, we're going to come back soon.

1:35.07 – 1:37.33 (2.3s)

Not this time. We went for a walk already.

1:37.53 – 1:39.57 (2.0s)

You guys are good.

1:39.83 – 1:40.87 (1.0s)

We played with you.

1:40.87 – 1:42.03 (1.2s)

You have food, you have water.

1:42.03 – 1:43.73 (1.7s)

We're now locking the door and we're going to take the elevator.

1:43.73 – 1:47.70 (4.0s)

So a lot of the times when you're going to do this exercise, you're going to find yourself not knowing some words and that's okay.

1:47.73 – 1:54.27 (6.5s)

Just try to explain what that word is and what it does and just like move on.

1:54.27 – 1:58.33 (4.1s)

Look at this view.

1:58.33 – 2:00.97 (2.6s)

These are all banana trees if I'm not mistaken.

2:00.97 – 2:03.87 (2.9s)

Madeira is absolutely gorgeous.

2:04.27 – 2:07.13 (2.9s)

So right now we're walking and we're going to go down a very steep road, which means very abrupt like this.

2:07.33 – 2:14.07 (6.7s)

Look at this.

2:14.07 – 2:14.77 (0.7s)

See how steep that is?

2:14.77 – 2:15.87 (1.1s)

So we're going to take these stairs one by one and hopefully we don't fall.

2:15.90 – 2:21.03 (5.1s)

There are a lot of lizards, very, very tiny lizards or geckos.

2:21.03 – 2:25.03 (4.0s)

I don't think they're geckos.

2:25.03 – 2:25.97 (0.9s)

They're lizards.

2:25.97 – 2:26.50 (0.5s)

So I have to be careful not to walk on them.

2:27.07 – 2:30.07 (3.0s)

Hold on. Look.

2:30.33 – 2:31.03 (0.7s)

Okay. Do you see it?

2:31.33 – 2:32.43 (1.1s)

So cute. These stairs are made of cobblestone, which is popular here in Portugal.

2:33.67 – 2:40.20 (6.5s)

And it's good because you don't slip on these stairs when it's wet because these rocks are very uneven and kind of sharp.

2:41.17 – 2:50.47 (9.3s)

So it helps with the grip of your shoes.

2:50.93 – 2:54.70 (3.8s)

Wait, in the last video you said the cobblestone is bad because it's uneven.

2:55.23 – 2:59.57 (4.3s)

Now you're saying it's good.

3:00.83 – 3:01.97 (1.1s)

Well this one is good.

3:01.97 – 3:03.27 (1.3s)

That one was not.

3:03.50 – 3:04.47 (1.0s)

What do you think about this pathway?

3:04.73 – 3:06.43 (1.7s)

Yeah. Why do you like it?

3:08.10 – 3:09.07 (1.0s)

I like it because there's stairs and I don't have to go like this because it puts a lot of pressure on knees and stuff.

3:09.10 – 3:16.03 (6.9s)

And you can like slip and fall so it's very dangerous.

3:16.27 – 3:19.03 (2.8s)

So these steps are probably made by the locals so then you don't slip.

3:19.43 – 3:24.77 (5.3s)

But see how steep this is.

3:24.77 – 3:26.87 (2.1s)

I don't know if you can see like in comparison to the actual straight line here, how steep this road is.

3:26.87 – 3:34.07 (7.2s)

I think it's, I don't know, it's like 45 degrees or something.

3:34.63 – 3:38.83 (4.2s)

45?! What is it?

3:39.10 – 3:41.63 (2.5s)

15. I don't even know.

3:41.97 – 3:42.63 (0.7s)

15? No, maybe it's like 25 degrees.

3:42.63 – 3:45.50 (2.9s)

See? Look, it's so steep.

3:45.87 – 3:49.33 (3.5s)

Okay there's also a really beautiful river here.

3:49.57 – 3:52.13 (2.6s)

Let me show you.

3:52.13 – 3:52.73 (0.6s)

Look, it's so beautiful and then there are some bananas over there and that is a banana flower.

3:53.03 – 4:00.53 (7.5s)

Okay so Madeira landscape is very hilly.

4:00.77 – 4:04.30 (3.5s)

There's a lot of hills.

4:04.53 – 4:05.77 (1.2s)

There's a lot of steep roads.

4:06.33 – 4:08.13 (1.8s)

There's a lot of narrow streets and the streets have maximum two lanes I believe, unless it's a highway that connects some cities or towns.

4:08.57 – 4:21.47 (12.9s)

But we are going down the hill right now towards the water.

4:22.27 – 4:26.27 (4.0s)

Oh my god, something smells so good like burned caramel or burnt sugar or something.

4:26.53 – 4:31.53 (5.0s)

Is there a restaurant here?

4:31.87 – 4:32.77 (0.9s)

Look at these houses.

4:33.00 – 4:34.07 (1.1s)

They're literally at the edge of that cliff.

4:34.07 – 4:36.67 (2.6s)

The sidewalks in Madeira are very small and they're only on one side of the street because there's not enough space for two sidewalks on each side of the street.

4:36.70 – 4:48.03 (11.3s)

Some streets don't even have sidewalks and do you see how all of them just kind of like go in like serpentines like this?

4:48.27 – 4:56.00 (7.7s)

So you can't really tell if there's a vehicle coming from around the corner or not.

4:56.00 – 5:01.17 (5.2s)

So you have to be very careful.

5:01.17 – 5:02.33 (1.2s)

Look at this.

5:02.33 – 5:02.57 (0.2s)

So next time you go for a walk in your mind, try to comment on everything that you see, that you feel, that you want.

5:03.23 – 5:12.20 (9.0s)

Look at this layering.

5:12.50 – 5:13.57 (1.1s)

Seems a little scary.

5:13.83 – 5:14.87 (1.0s)

I don't know if these things might fall or not, but look at those cacti and those flowers.

5:15.17 – 5:21.33 (6.2s)

So pretty. Everything is just so green and beautiful.

5:22.10 – 5:26.43 (4.3s)

I don't know what that is.

5:26.43 – 5:27.30 (0.9s)

Some sort of urban island art, but looks kind of creepy to be honest.

5:27.63 – 5:36.23 (8.6s)

So again, see how curvy this road is.

5:36.57 – 5:39.73 (3.2s)

So we have to go all the way down there.

5:39.73 – 5:41.77 (2.0s)

Okay, so there's a crosswalk here.

5:42.27 – 5:44.27 (2.0s)

You can go that way, but then if you go back, there isn't a sidewalk over here.

5:44.27 – 5:49.17 (4.9s)

And there's a beautiful garden over there and I think that might be a school.

5:49.93 – 5:53.47 (3.5s)

So we are getting closer to the center of this small village.

5:54.03 – 6:00.93 (6.9s)

So here you start seeing lots of street signs and the roads are a little bit bigger here.

6:01.33 – 6:06.73 (5.4s)

And you can see like some small restaurants.

6:07.77 – 6:11.27 (3.5s)

Look at that cliff.

6:11.83 – 6:13.43 (1.6s)

Do you see how that house is literally built on that rock and it's just so abrupt.

6:13.83 – 6:19.77 (5.9s)

There is a tunnel going through this rock.

6:20.13 – 6:21.30 (1.2s)

Through this mountain.

6:21.63 – 6:24.57 (2.9s)

And can you imagine that Madeira is literally like this.

6:25.60 – 6:29.73 (4.1s)

Like the whole island is like this.

6:29.73 – 6:32.60 (2.9s)

100

This is a beautiful roundabout here and they have a monument.

6:32.60 – 6:36.33 (3.7s)

101

I don't know exactly what that is.

6:36.63 – 6:38.13 (1.5s)

102

I would have to go around it and read what's on it.

6:38.13 – 6:41.03 (2.9s)

103

And then we're going to go down the street.

6:41.03 – 6:43.30 (2.3s)

104

As you can see, there aren't any sidewalk crosswalks.

6:43.30 – 6:46.90 (3.6s)

105

So I'm just going to jaywalk. So when you cross the street, not on a crosswalk, it's called jaywalking and you should not be doing that.

6:46.90 – 6:56.37 (9.5s)

106

So another thing that comes up every time I post a video with activities like this is people asking me, well what if I'm making mistakes when I'm talking and there's nobody there to correct me.

6:56.73 – 7:08.17 (11.4s)

107

And I always tell everybody this exercise in particular is not about mistakes.

7:08.87 – 7:13.97 (5.1s)

108

It's about vocabulary, refreshing your vocabulary and practicing it.

7:14.23 – 7:18.90 (4.7s)

109

Dan and I speak English to each other because otherwise we would forget the language.

7:19.13 – 7:24.63 (5.5s)

110

I also practice by posting videos and going live and whatnot.

7:24.87 – 7:30.53 (5.7s)

111

So it's a way for me to maintain my language as well because if I stop speaking English then it'll go away.

7:30.83 – 7:38.67 (7.8s)

112

I've already started noticing my English kind of Oh god, what's that word?

7:38.70 – 7:45.80 (7.1s)

113

Deteriorate?

7:46.40 – 7:46.83 (0.4s)

114

Yes, deteriorate, becoming worse since I left Canada.

7:46.87 – 7:51.20 (4.3s)

115

This dog is for some reason.

7:51.20 – 7:52.47 (1.3s)

116

Hey! Hey! We don't have any food, I'm sorry.

7:52.83 – 7:56.67 (3.8s)

117

Okay, so this is a stray dog.

7:58.83 – 8:00.70 (1.9s)

118

Clearly he isn't with anybody.

8:01.27 – 8:03.83 (2.6s)

119

He's just so happy.

8:04.10 – 8:05.40 (1.3s)

120

He looks well fed.

8:05.40 – 8:06.97 (1.6s)

121

He just decided to show us the way.

8:07.00 – 8:09.43 (2.4s)

122

He's not following us, he's leading us, he's guiding us.

8:09.70 – 8:13.43 (3.7s)

123

Okay doggy, where should we go next?

8:13.73 – 8:15.50 (1.8s)

124

He's a local guide.

8:16.07 – 8:17.40 (1.3s)

125

We found him on TripAdvisor.

8:17.97 – 8:19.63 (1.7s)

126

Where is he?

8:19.63 – 8:20.10 (0.5s)

127

Hi, sweetie!

8:20.93 – 8:22.30 (1.4s)

128

Someone is playing, is that pickleball or padel?

8:22.30 – 8:25.23 (2.9s)

129

I don't know what that is but they are playing it.

8:25.63 – 8:29.33 (3.7s)

130

Literally waited for us and now he started running in front of us again.

8:29.33 – 8:33.73 (4.4s)

131

Where is he going?

8:34.53 – 8:35.53 (1.0s)

132

Are we supposed to follow him?

8:35.57 – 8:37.17 (1.6s)

133

Another thing that you can do if you're not ready to speak in full sentences yet is just to name every object that you see.

8:37.97 – 8:45.00 (7.0s)

134

For example, crosswalk, fence, sidewalk, street sign, traffic lights.

8:45.20 – 8:52.23 (7.0s)

135

Okay, so we are crossing the street now on the crosswalk and look at this view.

8:52.23 – 8:58.67 (6.4s)

136

It's a little bit windy so there is a print museum here in Madeira and look at this printer that they have outside.

8:59.03 – 9:07.53 (8.5s)

137

Look at all those pieces.

9:07.77 – 9:09.53 (1.8s)

138

If you're an engineer and you're learning English, try to name all of the pieces.

9:09.83 – 9:15.50 (5.7s)

139

What do we know?

9:15.90 – 9:16.83 (0.9s)

140

We know keyboard, tube, lever, what else?

9:17.60 – 9:20.97 (3.4s)

141

Knob. Where's the knob?

9:21.33 – 9:22.20 (0.9s)

142

Oh that's a knob, a plaque, a chain, yeah.

9:22.43 – 9:26.60 (4.2s)

143

What is it? A hook?

9:26.90 – 9:27.57 (0.7s)

144

A hook. That is a hook.

9:27.80 – 9:29.90 (2.1s)

145

That is a spring.

9:30.23 – 9:31.57 (1.3s)

146

Okay, so there is a beach club over there.

9:32.00 – 9:34.87 (2.9s)

147

The beaches here are not sandy.

9:35.07 – 9:37.43 (2.4s)

148

Oh my god, look at that.

9:37.77 – 9:42.77 (5.0s)

149

Do you see those houses over there on the hill?

9:43.13 – 9:45.47 (2.3s)

150

On the cliff.

9:45.80 – 9:46.63 (0.8s)

151

So we arrived.

9:46.63 – 9:47.63 (1.0s)

152

This is the little harbor area.

9:48.03 – 9:50.20 (2.2s)

153

Look at those colorful boats there.

9:50.53 – 9:52.53 (2.0s)

154

So we're gonna go and find maybe a place to eat in that area.

9:52.53 – 9:57.50 (5.0s)

155

This place is a volcanic island.

9:57.50 – 10:00.37 (2.9s)

156

Look at this.

10:00.77 – 10:01.37 (0.6s)

157

So gorgeous.

10:02.97 – 10:04.57 (1.6s)

158

I don't know what the colorful floating things are called.

10:04.57 – 10:08.33 (3.8s)

159

If you're talking to somebody from here that is used to this environment, they will probably know what these things are called.

10:08.33 – 10:15.40 (7.1s)

160

But because they're not part of my vocabulary, I don't use them.

10:15.73 – 10:19.43 (3.7s)

161

I don't need that word.

10:19.43 – 10:20.57 (1.1s)

162

I just said, what are those little colorful floating things?

10:21.03 – 10:24.77 (3.7s)

163

And then if I am talking to someone from here, they will tell me.

10:25.00 – 10:28.20 (3.2s)

164

So you use the other person that you're talking to as your dictionary.

10:28.60 – 10:32.23 (3.6s)

165

You just describe the things to them and then they just give you the word.

10:32.50 – 10:36.23 (3.7s)

166

And that's perfectly fine because native speakers do the same thing.

10:36.23 – 10:40.50 (4.3s)

167

And even you in your native language, sometimes you forget the word.

10:40.80 – 10:44.20 (3.4s)

168

Sometimes you don't know some words.

10:44.40 – 10:46.07 (1.7s)

169

But if you know that the person who you're talking to knows it, you're just going to describe it to them and then they're going to give you the term.

10:46.43 – 10:52.60 (6.2s)

170

So this is a pretty popular thing in Portugal, I think.

10:52.83 – 10:56.20 (3.4s)

171

I've seen it before where they do this street art.

10:56.20 – 10:59.00 (2.8s)

172

But it's with metal and plastic and I don't know if it's recycled stuff.

10:59.20 – 11:04.03 (4.8s)

173

But look at this pretty seal.

11:04.63 – 11:05.87 (1.2s)

174

It's so cute.

11:06.10 – 11:07.00 (0.9s)

175

That person is opening the garage doors so the car can get out.

11:07.00 – 11:10.70 (3.7s)

176

And we're just going to go around the sea wall and get to that little harbor area.

11:10.93 – 11:16.37 (5.4s)

177

Look at the waves splashing into the rocks.

11:16.60 – 11:19.20 (2.6s)

178

I think this is a hotel, Pestana Churchill Bay.

11:19.60 – 11:22.23 (2.6s)

179

Because it says reception over there.

11:22.23 – 11:24.10 (1.9s)

180

Oh my God! Look, there's Churchill over there.

11:24.10 – 11:26.57 (2.5s)

181

Look at him.

11:26.57 – 11:27.10 (0.5s)

182

He's so serious.

11:27.10 – 11:27.90 (0.8s)

183

Sounds like little claps.

11:28.20 – 11:29.47 (1.3s)

184

Also, I don't quite understand how this is 16 degrees and it's so warm.

11:32.80 – 11:38.67 (5.9s)

185

Like I feel completely fine with a short sleeve.

11:38.67 – 11:41.63 (3.0s)

186

When 16 degrees anywhere else that I've been was really cold.

11:42.83 – 11:47.93 (5.1s)

187

And I'm by the ocean and it should be breezy and colder.

11:47.93 – 11:51.90 (4.0s)

188

I don't get it.

11:52.10 – 11:53.30 (1.2s)

189

Madeira is known to be the island of the eternal spring because the temperatures don't fluctuate a lot and it's always pretty much just like this.

11:53.30 – 12:03.50 (10.2s)

190

Maybe in winter it gets a little bit colder and then it's also said that this island is the Hawaii of Europe.

12:03.50 – 12:10.50 (7.0s)

191

So I'm really excited to explore more.

12:10.50 – 12:12.30 (1.8s)

192

Okay, so we're back from our walk and this is how you practice English by yourself.

12:12.30 – 12:16.20 (3.9s)

193

Now we're going to grill some chicken and some veggies.

12:16.20 – 12:19.03 (2.8s)

194

And if you want to, when you do that, narrate what you're doing.

12:19.07 – 12:23.13 (4.1s)

195

You're cutting the chicken, you're slicing it, you're putting it on the grill, you're searing it, whatever you're doing.

12:23.43 – 12:28.03 (4.6s)

196

Chopping the vegetables, slicing the onions, tossing the salad.

12:28.73 – 12:32.47 (3.7s)

197

So many things that you think you know, you understand when someone else says that, but you can't use it the same way.

12:33.07 – 12:40.43 (7.4s)

198

I will post more of these vlog style videos hello, quiet please.

12:40.43 – 12:45.90 (5.5s)

199

I'm going to be posting more videos like this where I show you how you can practice your passive vocabulary and turn it into your active vocabulary.

12:46.20 – 12:52.80 (6.6s)

200

So make sure you subscribe and make sure you hit that notification bell so you know when I post a new video.

12:53.07 – 12:58.20 (5.1s)

201

You can check the link in the description for more resources and recommendations from me and I will see you next time.

12:58.20 – 13:04.13 (5.9s)

202

Bye!

13:04.43 – 13:04.60 (0.2s)

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

☕ Buy us a coffee

ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏

Donate via PayPal

ShadowingEnglish.com – English Shadowing Practice

Speak English fluently using the Shadowing technique. Listen to native YouTube videos, repeat sentence by sentence, and build real pronunciation and fluency — used by IELTS learners worldwide.

Shadowing Practice: How I Practice English by Myself - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Context & Background

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

What is the Shadowing Technique?

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish