Shadowing Practice: How to get a Million YouTube Subscribers in 100 Seconds - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
42 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
1 million subscribers.
2
A YouTube milestone I never expected to reach, but here's the story of how I got here.
3
In 2017, I started the channel with no video editing skills and zero expectations.
4
I hated the sound of my own voice and have been told I have the personality of a carrot.
5
But I was like, screw it, I'm going to try YouTube and probably fail and disappoint my mom again in the process.
6
I found there was a need for developer content around Angular and Firebase, so I created some really bad videos that were very useful to this highly specialized audience.
7
Welcome to Angular Firebase.
8
If you create a new app with the Angular CLI, then these files are going to be here by default.
9
I even remember my very first comment that motivated me to keep pushing forward.
10
In the early game, the key is to find a specialized unmet need in the market, then create the useful educational content that audience is looking for.
11
If you're consistent, uploading a new video, say once a week, that should take you to about 10,000 subscribers in about a year or so.
12
But then, you'll hit a ceiling.
13
By the mid-game, my video editing skills were much improved.
14
To grow further, I created videos targeted at a wider audience.
15
My first real banger was Firebase Basics.
16
My philosophy has always been to make the next video better than the last one.
17
It takes a lot of time and experimentation to really optimize the content for what your audience is looking for, listen to feedback, and give the audience what they want.
18
Like, I don't show my face in my videos because my handsomeness is distracting, and it forces me to find useful graphics that actually represent what I'm talking about.
19
What you don't want to do is copy somebody else.
20
Not only will that eat away at your soul, but in order to grow on YouTube, you really need to find the thing that makes you unique.
21
To reach 100k subscribers, it took 675 days and 150 uploads.
22
The late game is where things get difficult.
23
You'll be extremely burned out at this point, and 10xing the road to 100k might seem impossible.
24
To keep growing though, the formula is simple.
25
Keep uploading and keep getting better.
26
At this point, I started taking a more scientific approach by optimizing two metrics, the click-through rating and the watch time.
27
To optimize clicks, you need a good title and thumbnail.
28
That's more of an art form than anything.
29
You need to know what your audience wants and how to surprise them with something creative.
30
For me, that comes easy because I also have a lot of fun and get really excited about every video I create.
31
For watch time, I have a formula with three ingredients.
32
Most importantly, the content needs to be educational and useful.
33
The second ingredient is storytelling.
34
There are so many interesting stories to tell about the history of software and the people behind it.
35
The final ingredient is humor.
36
I can tell jokes that are actually encoded messages of things that I couldn't say otherwise without sounding like a total dick.
37
This has been How to Get 1 Million YouTube Subscribers in 100 Seconds, and I want to send a huge thank you to everybody who supported my channel over the years.
38
It truly means more to me than you'll ever know.
39
I've learned so much, met amazing people, and have the rare privilege of actually enjoying what I do for work.
40
And now, we get to start down the road to 10 million.
41
I'm not sure how we'll get there yet, but we will get there or die trying.
42
Thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next one.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
📺 Same Channel
C11
PostgreSQL in 100 Seconds
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
A $6.3 billion open-weight model just got embarrassed by the French...
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Every app on Earth is now open source... whether it likes it or not
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
OpenAI’s lead engineer was secretly a spy...
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
OpenAI’s new browser feels familiar…
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
Intel chips can’t possibly be this bad… 100% crash rate?
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Did Google just kickstart the intelligence explosion?
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
Godot in 100 Seconds
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C17
The most interesting "hack" in history...
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
Grok 4 pushes humanity closer to AGI… but there’s a problem
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Array Map in 100 Seconds
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C130
Docker in 100 Seconds
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C110
The one OpenAI announcement that can actually make you money...
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C16
How to NOT Fail a Technical Interview
American AccentInterview EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C112
10 weird OSS projects you need right now...
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Firefox and Tor hit with 9.8 critical level exploit
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
5 open source tools that replaced my $320/mo AI stack...
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B210
25 crazy software bugs explained
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
C++ in 100 Seconds
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
DHH has gone completely off the rails...
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
✨ Recommend Video
B27
168 sentences
“i don't have time to make content" | how I stay RIDICULOUSLY consistent on social media
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
163 sentences
My Secret Warehouse Tour
American AccentBusiness EnglishHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B25
178 sentences
How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (Starting Today)
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
143 sentences
What if it works out?
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
134 sentences
Reacting to My First Videos 10 Years Later
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
152 sentences
Conan Learns About His YouTube Audience | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B15
8 sentences
6 years of picking up the camera 📷
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
72 sentences
MrBeast's advice for new YouTube creators
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B228
29 sentences
How to build a startup in one month | Pieter Levels and Lex Fridman
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
486 sentences
From $0 To $2M Trading Prop Firms In 20 Months
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B110
99 sentences
A Day in the Life of a Minimalist
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
204 sentences
The Lazy Method: How I Build $10K/Month Apps
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: audience, subscribers, Youtube, useful, content. This video has 42 sentences and 631 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:42. The speaker talks fast, about 234 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| subscriber noun | /səbˈskɹaɪbɚ/ | A person who subscribes to a publication or a service. |
| optimize verb | /ˈɑptɪmaɪz/ | To act optimistically or as an optimist. |
| ingredient noun | /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ | One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food. |
| upload verb | /ˈʌpˌloʊd/ | To transfer data to a computer on a network, especially to a server on the Internet. |
| specialize verb | /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/ | To narrow in scope. |
| banger noun | /ˈbæŋ.ə/ | A firework that makes a bang. |
| encode verb | /ɪnˈkoʊd/ | To convert (plain text) into code. |
| experimentation noun | /ɪkˌspɛɹ.ə.mənˈteɪ.ʃən/ | The act of experimenting; practice by experiment. |
| handsomeness noun | /ˈhænsəmnəs/ | The quality of being handsome. |
| thumbnail noun | /ˈθʌm.neɪl/ | The fingernail on the thumb. |
| unmeet verb | To undo the process of meeting. | |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| carrot noun | /ˈkæɹət/ | A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, family Apiaceae, especially the subspecies sativus. |
| storytelling noun | The act and skills of presenting stories and tales. | |
| disappoint verb | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/ | To sadden or displease (someone) by underperforming, or by not delivering something promised or hoped for. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| eat away at verb | To erode. |
| push forward verb | To continue to act or do something, especially with a lot of effort |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been told · has always been · has been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been told · are actually encoded |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: specialize /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/, experimentation /ɪkˌspɛɹ.ə.mənˈteɪ.ʃən/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, experimentation /ɪkˌspɛɹ.ə.mənˈteɪ.ʃən/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, developer /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like subscriber, optimize, ingredient.
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.