Shadowing Practice: How I Practice English Every Day by Myself - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel.
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Long time no see, right?
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I know I haven't made a long video in quite a while, but I promise, I promise to myself and I promise to you that I'm going to get better at this.
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My goal is to be more regular and consistent with creating long videos, not just shorts.
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So today I wanted to share with you what I do to practice English Every day by myself.
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Over the years I've developed a system that works really well for me
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and I try to be as consistent as possible with this routine because it helps me to maintain my
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English level
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and also keep improving keep learning something new every day of
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course not every day looks the same we all have busy lives sometimes I'm exhausted
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or I simply don't have enough time to follow all the steps of my routine
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but what I'm about to show you is more or less what my English routine looks like.
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And yeah, one important thing to mention is that I do not live in an English speaking country.
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In fact, I've talked about it in my previous videos.
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I have never been to the US or Canada or the UK.
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So since I'm not surrounded by native English speakers,
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i have to create this environment for myself in order to practice english i can't just go outside
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and pick it up naturally you know on the streets
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and i thought if i can do it you can do it as well
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so without further ado let's get into it
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so the first thing i do is consume content in english
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nowadays we spend a lot of time watching youtube netflix and other streaming platforms in English.
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If I'm going to spend time watching something, I might as well improve my English at the same time, right?
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Oftentimes I watch YouTube while having breakfast alone.
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For example, let's say my husband is not at home or he's working.
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I know this is not super healthy.
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The scientists say that you are not supposed to do it, but I can't help it.
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I'm really into travel vlogs and my American couple who travel around the world and their videos are incredibly inspiring.
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Plus, I absolutely love their personalities.
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And on top of that, I get to listen to natural American English, which is another huge bonus.
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And as for TV shows, I usually watch them with English subtitles.
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Yes, I do put the subtitles on, but not because otherwise, I don't understand the characters.
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that's not the case at all.
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It just helps me to notice interesting vocabulary,
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useful expressions, grammar structures that I can later use in my lesson material that I create for my students.
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And also this way I draw inspiration for my content.
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When it comes to recommendations, I honestly think that TV shows and movies are a matter of personal taste.
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Everyone enjoys different For example, I for some reason do not connect with the majority of modern TV shows and movies.
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Every time there is a new TV series on Netflix, I give it a chance.
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I watch an episode or two.
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But most of the time, it just doesn't keep me interested.
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end up going back to the classics
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the office how i met your mother um friends yeah those are the shows
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that i can re -watch over and over again
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if you have any recommendations if there's a movie
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or a tv show
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that completely blew your mind please leave them in the comments
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i'm always looking for something good to watch next i keep
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a vocabulary list whenever i come across an unfamiliar word or expression i write it down in
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And every now and then I go back to it
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and review this list and if I notice that I have forgotten a word, I look it up again, I make a few example sentences with it,
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it helps me to retain the information.
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I used to really like flashcards, I know they're incredibly effective but for some reason, I don't know, I just don't use them.
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anymore.
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Maybe I've become a little lazy, but if flashcards work for you,
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definitely keep using them they are a fantastic learning tool next i practice shadowing
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if you don't know what shadowing is it's
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when you listen to a native speaker
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and repeat what they say almost immediately trying to copy their pronunciation rhythm stress and intonation
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In every language, we use the muscles of our tongue, lips and jaws very differently.
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So shadowing helps our mouth get used to these new movement patterns, which in turn helps us to produce English sounds more accurately.
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And I normally don't do super long videos.
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I practice shadowing right before my classes to warm up my muscles, my mouth.
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And I believe that even one minute of shadowing can be very effective next thing
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that i highly highly recommend is reading out loud i read a lot
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and i try to read out loud even though my husband kind of hates it
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he says that it sounds like i'm quietly whispering curses but Old jokes aside, it's incredibly beneficial, you guys.
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It makes your brain work really hard.
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It improves your pronunciation, your grammar.
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It helps you notice how sentences in English naturally flow.
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She doesn't like me, she said to herself.
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And at once, this possibility became an established certainty.
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John had refused to come because he didn't like her.
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He didn't like her.
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I don't know.
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Maybe it's just my feeling.
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But reading makes me feel smarter.
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it's like with food, you know, healthy food and junk food.
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After eating junk food, I usually feel guilty.
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Same way after consuming a lot of content, watching a lot of stupid videos on social media,
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I feel guilty i feel like i've just wasted my precious time
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and with reading i feel like i'm feeding my brain healthy food it's almost like a book is
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a huge bowl of salad for my brain.
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if it makes any sense.
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And I'm not extremely picky with what I read.
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Sometimes it's self -help books, novels, science fiction, autobiographies.
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It really depends on my mood.
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And last but definitely not least, I teach English.
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I mentioned that in my previous videos that teaching is one of the best ways to improve your own English.
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When you explain something to others, it helps you understand it
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advanced so they often challenge me with difficult grammar questions or topics and when I'm preparing lessons for them I'm learning too.
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I do a lot of research, I look things up and all of that deepens my own understanding of the language.
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a fortune.
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If something is crazy expensive, yeah, you can say costs a fortune.
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Uh -huh.
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Thank you.
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All right.
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Now I'm not saying that everyone has to become an English teacher, of course not, but This could be a great idea,
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you know, to teach maybe your children, your friends, family members.
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etc okay my microphone is dying i have to charge it
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but that's pretty much it for my daily english routine thank you
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so much for watching and spending some time with me today
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and now i would love to hear from you guys what
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do you do to practice english by yourself do you have any habits
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that help you stay consistent on your journey i would love to hear from you please share in the comments
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And of course, like this video and subscribe and i'll see you in the next one bye bye
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How I Practice English Every Day by Myself”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: english, shadowing, practice. This video has 106 sentences and 1279 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:01. The speaker talks at a steady 142 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| flashcard noun | /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/ | A card used to aid rote memorization. One side of the card contains data of one kind, or a question, and the other side contains the associated response which… |
| subtitle noun | /ˈsʌbtaɪtəl/ | A heading below or after a title. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| consume verb | /kənˈsum/ | To use up. |
| junk noun | /d͡ʒʌŋk/ | Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items. |
| recommendation noun | /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ | An act of recommending. |
| deepen verb | /ˈdiːpən/ | To make deep or deeper |
| intonation noun | /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/ | The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. |
| oftentimes adverb | /ˈɔf.ənˌtaɪmz/ | Frequently; often. |
| unfamiliar adjective | /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/ | Strange, not familiar. |
| autobiography noun | /ˌɔː.tə.baɪˈɒɡ.ɹə.fi/ | A self-written biography; the story of one's own life. |
| microphone noun | /ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌfəʊn/ | A device (transducer) used to convert sound waves into a varying electric current; normally fed into an amplifier and either recorded or transmitted over radio. |
| whisper verb | /ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/ | To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| read out verb | /ˌɹiːd ˈaʊt/ | To read something and say the words to inform other people; to call. |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| warm up verb | /ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/ | To become warmer. |
| watch over verb | To guard and protect. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: flashcard /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/
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 grammar, flashcard, subtitle.
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.