Shadowing Practice: How to go from B1 to C1 in English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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If you're a B1 or B2 level of English, you might feel like you've hit a wall.

You can have conversations, you can understand what people say, you know a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but somehow you still don't feel advanced.

You make the same mistakes over and over again, and sometimes you freeze.

This is one of the problems you need to fix in order to become a C1 on native level English speaker.

We all know that going from intermediate to advanced is way harder than going from beginner to intermediate.

That's why in this video I'm going to give you 10

tips in order to bridge the gap between a B1 level and a C1 plus level.

So let's get into it.

Number one is to make sure that you know all of the essential grammar structures.

It's like building a house.

We need to start with the foundations.

I don't teach grammar that much, but you see, we need to know all of the basics.

You need to have all of the foundations set.

The present simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, present perfect continuous,

past perfect, future forms, conditionals, modal verbs, the passive voice, and reported speech.

If you still struggle with any of these tenses and you're unable to use them automatically, then you need to go over that.

And it should come naturally.

My message here is don't try to run before you walk.

Forget idioms and expressions and phrasal verbs if you're still struggling to use these essential tenses.

So first things first, make sure you set the foundations.

Now we've covered that, let's move on to the second tip

and this one i'm pretty passionate about it is to stop studying english

and start living in english here we have to mention my favorite word

when it comes to language learning immersion

because now the foundations are solid let's make english a part

of your everyday life at b1 you still consider english to be a subject

that you study but at c1 english needs to be just another element aspect of your everyday life.

So instead of thinking, I need to study English today, think, how can I do more of my life in English?

Here, the answer is obvious.

Watch YouTube in English.

Check, listen to podcasts.

My podcast, for example.

Read the news and follow other English -speaking creators about any industry and any topic that you're into.

Watch films, and series but most importantly as i said use english for things

that you already enjoy

if you already like football like me do things related to football in english

that way when you're immersing yourself in the language you forget

that you're kind of studying because what you're doing is just living in english

and that is a powerful way to improve my third tip is to stop learning individual words,

but rather to learn chunks of language.

This is another one of the huge differences between a V1 student and a C1 learner and user of the language.

Let's take, for example, the word decision.

Maybe you learn this word at A2 level, but advanced speakers, when they learn a word,

it's never just a word because they memorize and know the words that go together.

You know what I'm talking about.

Collocations.

For example, make a decision, come to a decision, reach a decision,

a snap decision, and you make up your mind.

I'm an indecisive person.

My friend is quite decisive, so it's easy for him to make up his mind.

This is called learning with chunks and collocations, which makes English much more natural.

So from now on whenever you learn a new word ask yourself what other words

or phrases could go along well with this word.

It sounds simple and insignificant but I promise you it isn't and this practice this technique will take you a long way.

The fourth tip is to listen listen and listen.

Get massive amounts of input.

Comprehensible input.

Listening practice.

In my opinion, this is the easiest thing to start doing right now from today.

As I mentioned, obviously, listen to my podcast.

You can also listen to the conversations I have with my mum or other teachers and creators.

That's what it's there for.

That's why I create these conversations.

But, of course, you know, sometimes I speak quite slowly.

I explain things at the same time, which is really beneficial.

It's really helpful.

But sometimes you need to go out of your comfort zone and you need to push yourself.

So how do we do that?

Well, you need to start consuming native level content.

Content, podcasts, series, documentaries, TV shows that are designed for native speakers,

not for learners of a second language sometimes it can be a little bit intimidating

and the idea can frighten you but sooner

or later you've got to give it a go and don't worry

if you don't understand everything as long as you're able to understand the majority

and to get the overall gist of the series

or whatever you're watching then that's enough to be able to enjoy it

and stick with it don't give up

and the typical question is Louis should I watch series

and films with or without subtitles if you don't feel comfortable at first

and you feel like you're going to be lost by all

means put on the subtitles as long as they are subtitles in English not in your mother tongue then

when you're up for a challenge you want to push yourself remove them get rid of them

and see how it goes bit by bit i promise you'll

make progress the fifth tip is to copy native speakers this

one is incredibly powerful don't just listen to native speakers that's great as well obviously

but you need to try to copy them to imitate them

so find a short clip

or watch a section of one of my podcasts then listen to it again

and try to copy exactly what they say or what i say with exactly the same stress, tone, intonation.

Imagine you are me and try to speak exactly how I speak.

I'm sure you're already aware of this but this is a technique called shadowing

and it's useful because you're training your mouth to be able to imitate and copy the way that natives actually speak.

Because sometimes studying isn't the best way forward.

The best way forward is copying.

It's like cheating and an exam

but without the guilt you haven't done anything wrong copy me

please over time this will become second nature it will become natural and normal

so you won't even think twice about it you'll just speak

like me maybe i'll meet you i'll see you in class one time

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and i'll be thinking to myself wow is

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that me am i talking to myself number six is to speak every single day and as much as you can.

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Because you cannot become an excellent speaker without speaking.

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You can study grammar for years, learn 10 ,000 words, and watch thousands of hours of YouTube.

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But if you don't actually speak, then you're not actually magically going to become a fluent speaker

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but you don't necessarily need hours

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and hours every single day you have to adapt to the time

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that you have available to you if you're very very busy

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and you only have 15 20 minutes every day well it's better than nothing you can talk to a teacher

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if you want to have classes with me there's a link

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in the video description you can talk to yourself you can record voice messages and send them to friends or relatives.

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Of course, you can also speak to AI, ChachiBT, Gemini, or you can download English with Lewis.

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And even when you're going for a walk or you're daydreaming,

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you can just practice describing what you can see and recounting what you did the day before.

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Any practice is better than no practice.

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Remember that there is a huge difference between I understand

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that word when I hear it and I can use

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that word naturally when I'm speaking and

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that is what separates maybe a B1 level student from a C1 level user of the language.

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Tip number seven is to become obsessed with your own improvement

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and above all your own mistakes

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because everybody makes mistakes i make mistakes as well even speaking english

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when recording these videos and podcasts so you're not alone

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but what most people do is forget about that mistake and that correction just minutes later.

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Don't do that.

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You should think of your mistakes as like a guide or a map, which is telling you in real time what you should focus on,

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what you should concentrate on, and what you need to improve on.

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Because if you start correcting your mistakes, then your accuracy and fluency will go up

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so what i recommend here is having a little mistake notebook

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you could do this digitally as well you could create a folder on google drive

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or in your notes and write down the mistakes

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that you've been making and just review them revise them check them

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so in theory the next time you want to say said

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phrase well you'll say it correctly without making the blunder the

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mistake the error the objective isn't to become obsessed with speaking perfectly

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because nobody ever speaks perfectly but the goal should be to notice patterns

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and think about how you can become a better speaker

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because in every aspect of life we should all be trying to improve

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and make ourselves a better version of ourselves

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and we need to avoid fossilized errors repeating the same mistake

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constantly tip number eight once you've set the foundations you're immersing

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yourself in the language is well to upgrade the vocabulary

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that you use

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and you don't need to learn every word in the dictionary

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of course in fact memorizing huge vocabulary lists is probably not

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the way forward instead focus on high frequency advanced phrases words that allow you to express yourself more precisely.

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For example, instead of always saying, very important, you could use crucial,

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essential, pivotal, and instead of a lot of, you might use a considerable amount of,

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a wide range of, a huge variety of.

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Then another important point is to know which words

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and phrases are used when are they informal formal colloquial can i use them with my boss

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or should i keep this to only chit chats with my mates

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so you need to be aware when to use

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which different types of words

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and phrases the good news is my advice for this tip is simply to keep immersing yourself in the language

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and reading listening watching different types of content so then you know

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if it's a crime series with gangsters gangsters are going to use those words

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and phrases if you're watching The Crown

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or Downton Abbey it's going to be quite maybe outdated old -fashioned

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but very formal so simply put keep immersing yourself in English following up on that point we have tip

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number nine and this is to start using lots of phrasal verbs idioms

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and expressions if you want to sound native you can't possibly avoid phrasal verbs yes there are times

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when you can use a normal verb instead of using a phrasal verb

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and it sounds the same they're perfect synonyms but there are other occasions

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when you need a precise phrasal verb to express exactly what's going on

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or a precise idiom to express exactly what's going on going

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on by the way a phrasal verb to mean happen

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or taking place

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so what you should be doing here is well every chance

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you have to use a phrasal verb give it a go

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give it a shot give it a try you know what have you got to lose nothing keep using them

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and copy how other native speakers use expressions and phrasal verbs

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and that way it'll become much more normal and natural for you

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and well i teach loads of phrasal verbs and expressions in my podcasts

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and videos so take note and then in the moment

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when you really want to use them just be brave go for it finally last

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but not least number 10 is to make english a long -term habit

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if you're really motivated and focused and improving so much don't give up don't throw in the towel.

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You need to stick with it and incorporate English into your daily life needs to be part of your day -to -day.

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So this is a bit of a recap, a review of the second tip,

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which was to stop studying English but start living in English.

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The reason why I'm finishing with this is because I truly believe

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that it is the most important thing you can do to,

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well, become a really good competent English speaker listening to podcasts in English watching the news series

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and films in English reading books in English writing emails in English speaking to me other teachers

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or AI in English if you're really busy

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if you haven't got a lot of free time don't worry too much you know our time is limited

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but if you do have a little break a walk cooking driving try

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and do something in English at the same time

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and this is something that from today after watching this video you should never forget

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that you need to immerse yourself in the language on

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that note i think i've told you everything hopefully you have all the tools

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in order to make the improvement from intermediate b1 level all the way up to a c1

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or advanced level if you have any questions

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or anything is unclear let me know in the comments a reminder

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that you can join my speaking classes by clicking on the link in the description and thank you so much for watching.

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If you're still here, leave a thumbs up and I'll see you next time.

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Bye!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 197 sentences and 2365 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:48. The speaker talks at a steady 141 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% 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

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
verb noun	/vɝb/	A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
podcast noun	/ˈpɑdˌkæst/	A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
grammar noun	/ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/	A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
intermediate adjective	/ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/	Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.
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.
naturally adverb	/ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/	In a natural manner.
everyday adjective	/ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/	Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions.
technique noun	/tɛkˈniːk/	The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements.
formal adjective	/ˈfɔɹməl/	In accordance with established forms.
aspect noun	/ˈæspɛkt/	Any specific feature, part, or element of something.
input noun	/ˈɪnpʊt/	The act or process of putting in; infusion.
continuous adjective	/kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/	Without stopping; without a break, cessation, or interruption.
creator noun	/kɹiːˈeɪ̯təː/	Something or someone which creates or makes something.
precise adjective	/pɹɪˈsaɪs/	Both exact and accurate.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
give up verb		To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
make up verb	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	To constitute, to compose.
follow up on verb		To take further actions regarding (something).
go along verb		To participate, cooperate, or conform.
go over verb		To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.
go together verb		To be in a relationship.
go up verb		To move upwards.
write down verb		To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something.

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	you've hit · we've covered · haven't done
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is called · are designed · be lost
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	collocations, which makes · time, which is · map, which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, passionate /ˈpæʃənɪt/
Long words — get the stress right: intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/

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 verb, podcast, phrase.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How to go from B1 to C1 in English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?