Shadowing Practice: How I REALLY Learned Languages | Slow English Story for English Learners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello, welcome back to English with Eleanor.
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Hello, welcome back to English with Eleanor.
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Today we're in the garden and having a coffee
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and I'm going to use slow English to tell you about my experience learning languages.
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so I have learned a few different languages
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so far I started learning French when I was probably nine
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or ten years old and I started learning that through classes that my school
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offered so I didn't have any private tuition or anything like
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that and it was just a class that was offered as part of my school day and I really liked it.
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I don't know why but I just really enjoyed those classes
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and the feeling of being able to say even something really basic in another language.
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It felt amazing.
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So when I went to secondary school,
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aged 11, I learned French on a more regular basis there.
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And I also started learning German.
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I enjoyed both of those languages,
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but when I was probably 17 I got a different teacher for German
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and that made a huge difference to how much I enjoyed the language
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because this teacher didn't really seem to inspire us to love the language.
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There were also entire parts of our final exam that she didn't teach us,
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so consequently we got fail marks in that paper,
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even though we got better marks in the ones that she had prepared us for.
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So this experience with this teacher and the fiasco with the exam put me off German,
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kind of turned me a little bit against it also I
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suppose I didn't enjoy it as much as French not only
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because of the teacher but also because of the sound of the language German just
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I'm sorry but it doesn't sound quite as beautiful to me as French does.
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So I started learning Spanish in a night class.
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So after my school I went to the college and I attended a night class
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in Spanish so that I could get a flavor for the language
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and I could see if it was something that I wanted to continue later.
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So I enjoyed Spanish and because I was not having good experience with German and I really enjoyed French,
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I decided to study French and Spanish at university.
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So my experience studying these languages was in a quite controlled environment.
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So I was studying in a school situation,
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which meant that we were learning very systematically.
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We were learning grammar and vocabulary by topic and we maybe weren't speaking a lot,
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but we were learning the basics of how the language worked.
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And then when I went to university,
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there was more of the same,
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more of the systematic learning of the language.
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when I was about 20 I went to Geneva for my Erasmus year
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and when I was there I stayed with a Swiss family
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and I will never forget the first night that I spent with that family because I arrived just in time for dinner
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and the family had three children.
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The mom was pregnant with her fourth child and there were three children there and they were aged seven,
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five and two.
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And I remember the seven-year-old girl asking me a question in French and I didn't know what she was talking about.
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It took me a bit of time to figure out what she was asking and how to answer.
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It was about whether or not I liked organic food and I remember feeling so
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lost because I had been studying French for like 10 years by
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that point and at university and at school I had very good grades
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and I was writing essays about French politics and you know deeper issues
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but when it came to the everyday conversation and just talking casually with other people
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that felt like the hardest thing I'd ever had to do
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and now as a teacher I see that with students as well
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because they maybe they know some of the higher level vocabulary but they really struggle
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when it comes to just maintaining a natural conversation.
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Now I am starting to learn Portuguese.
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I'm learning Portuguese in a different way.
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I'm learning Portuguese in a different way because I am learning it in a more communicative way.
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From the students that I have had,
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I have seen that there are basically two types of learners.
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There are the learners who learn very systematically and they're afraid to speak
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if they don't know the grammar perfectly or they don't know the vocabulary that they feel they need.
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So this fear of not being perfect almost prevents them from communicating.
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And then there are the other people who have no fear of communicating and they can talk and talk and talk.
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But it's not grammatically accurate and maybe they don't have the correct vocabulary.
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but they learn to communicate earlier and I think
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that gives them the confidence to continue learning and continue communicating and building and that confidence is very motivational.
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So with Portuguese I am learning not systematically at all because
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if you asked me to do a grammar exercise I would probably be lost
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but I can maintain a basic level of conversation with a person who is a native speaker when I need to.
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And so it has been really interesting for me to compare these two ways of learning
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because they both have pros and cons.
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And I think it's probably best,
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like in most situations, to find a middle ground
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and to find a situation where you have enough confidence to communicate
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but you are still concerned about the way that you are speaking
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and the grammar that you are using and the vocabulary that you need.
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So it's not easy to find this middle ground and it takes practice.
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It's always good to have people to talk to so
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that you can practice your language and it's even better if they are people who are
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sympathetic and understanding and who you know aren't going to laugh at your mistakes
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or criticize you for not being perfect
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so i don't know about you i don't know what your language learning experience has been like.
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Maybe you can identify with one of these types of learners that I was talking about.
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Let me know in the comments because I'm curious and let me know what languages you have been learning.
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Probably English but maybe there are others too.
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So let me know in the comments.
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I'd love to hear from you and don't forget to hit like and subscribe and I'll see you next time.
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Thank you.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice listening and speaking skills through the engaging story of Eleanor's journey in learning languages. This content emphasizes the importance of enjoying the learning process and how personal experiences, including different teaching styles, impact language acquisition. By the end of this practice session, you will have enhanced your English speaking abilities and gained insights into exploring multiple languages. This lesson is designed to help you improve English pronunciation and gain confidence in your speaking skills, making it a great resource for those preparing for exams like the IELTS speaking practice.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Erasmus - A program in Europe allowing students to study abroad.
  • Private tuition - One-on-one teaching outside of the classroom.
  • Conversation - A verbal exchange between people.
  • Controlled environment - A structured setting for learning.
  • Night class - Evening courses typically for adults or part-time students.
  • Organic food - Food produced without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
  • Inspire - To motivate or encourage someone.
  • Flavour - The distinctive taste of something.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this video for your English practice, consider using a technique known as shadowspeak. As you listen to Eleanor's slow and clear narration, try to imitate her pronunciation and intonation. Start by pausing after each sentence and repeating it aloud, matching the tempo and tone of her speech. This method will not only help you learn English with YouTube, it will also assist in improving English pronunciation through consistent practice.

Remember, it's perfectly fine to feel challenged when trying to respond to conversational prompts, like the question Eleanor encountered about organic food. Use this as an opportunity to expand your vocabulary and practice forming sentences. Aim for clarity and confidence in your delivery, which will be particularly beneficial for those engaged in English speaking practice and preparing for the IELTS speaking practice. Lastly, embrace the enjoyable aspects of language learning, just as Eleanor did, as this will keep you motivated and enhance your overall learning experience.

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.

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