Shadowing Practice: How to introduce yourself in a natural, advanced way. (C1+ English) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello everyone and welcome to English with Lucy.
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I'm Lucy and it's nice to meet you.
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Have you ever felt awkward when it comes to introducing yourself?
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Maybe you look online for a video on how to introduce yourself but it's at a very basic level.
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I mean introducing yourself in another language is one of the first things they teach you
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but how do we introduce ourselves at an advanced level of English.
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Let's say C1 or even C2.
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I'm going to help you today.
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I'm going to train you to introduce yourself in English in a very natural, advanced way.
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I'm going to give you lots of options so they will definitely apply to you in your situation.
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Introductions are so important.
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I want to help you get it right.
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To help you even further, I've also created a PDF
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introductions guide you can download this for free it covers everything
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we're going to talk about in this lesson plus lots of extra information i've included some extra dialogues a quiz
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and a link to some secret exercises so
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that you can put what you've learned into practice
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if you'd like to download that pdf just click on the link in the description box
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or scan that qr code there enter your name
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and email address sign up to my mailing list and the pdf will arrive directly in your inbox.
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After that, you will automatically receive my free weekly PDFs, plus all of my other updates, offers and course information.
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But now let's get started with the lesson.
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So in this lesson, you're going to listen to two dialogues.
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The first one is going to be fairly simple.
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You'll hear two people introducing themselves at a cheese convention.
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This is my dad's dream situation.
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Later in the video, you'll hear a much more advanced version.
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Hi, I'm Alex.
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Nice to meet you.
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Claire, nice to meet you too.
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What are you doing here?
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I sell cheese.
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You?
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I'm with the marketing team.
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Now, I want to make this clear.
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There is nothing wrong with that exchange.
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In fact, I've had hundreds of conversations like that.
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But today, we're focusing on C1 or advanced English.
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So let's learn some more advanced phrases.
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So how do you begin?
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You could say, I don't think we've been introduced, or I'm not sure we've met before.
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You can use these phrases if you're fairly sure that you haven't met the person before.
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They're just polite introductory phrases.
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If you want to introduce someone else, you might say, I'd like to introduce my colleague, Carlson Cheng.
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This is more formal.
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A less formal way to do this would be, have you met Julie?
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She's a mate from school.
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Okay, when you introduce yourself, you need to share your name.
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That's probably the most important thing.
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It's fine to just say, I'm Lucy, but you could expand a little, especially if you use a shortened version of your name or you have a nickname.
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Here are some phrases to use.
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I'm Magdalena, but most people call me Magda.
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Or, my name's Roberto, but I usually go by Beto.
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I go by means I use this name.
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Or, please call me Patty.
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It's short for Patricia.
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Or, a longer, more advanced one, Bartholomew's my given name, but only my grandmother calls me that.
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I've always felt more like a Bart.
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You could also inject a little humour.
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I respond to William or Will, but never Bill.
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Now, let's say you know you have a mutual connection with someone, you could say, I'm a friend or colleague of Keiko's.
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You might add, she speaks very highly of you.
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This means that Keiko says very nice things about you.
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And this is a very flattering thing to say when you first meet someone.
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Nearly everyone loves a compliment.
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Another common phrase is, I've heard a lot about you.
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And the most common responses are,
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You could also say, Now,
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let's say you might have met someone before, but don't remember clearly.
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You can say, I think our paths have crossed before.
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This phrase is perfect when you vaguely recognise someone but aren't entirely sure where from.
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When you cross paths with someone or your paths cross, it means you've met by chance at some point.
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If you're in a similar social or professional circle, you could say, we must move in the same circles.
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And if you're surprised that you haven't met sooner, you might add, I can't believe we haven't crossed paths before.
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So next, you might want to ask someone where they're from.
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You could say, are you from around here?
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And some different ways to answer.
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Yep, Portsmouth born and bred.
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Or, yeah, I was born and raised just around the corner.
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These phrases mean you were born and grew up in a place.
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Here are some more.
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Originally, but I've moved around a lot.
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I'm based in Milan at the moment.
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Or, I grew up here, but I've been living in Belfast for the past few years.
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Or you could say, nope, just passing through.
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To pass through means to stop in a place for a short time before going somewhere else.
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Now, let's say you want to introduce yourself to someone at an event.
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You could ask, why are you here?
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But that is very direct.
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So here are some alternatives.
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What brings you here today?
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What brings you to this part of the world?
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What brings you to the conference today?
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You might add business or pleasure.
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For example, What brings you to the World Coffee Championships today?
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Business or pleasure?
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And the answer could be business.
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I'm with beans, beans, beans.
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Or, oh, purely pleasure.
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I'm a bit of a caffeine addict.
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Did you hear that additional detail?
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I'm a bit of a caffeine addict.
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We often add something about our likes, interests, and hobbies when we're introducing ourselves.
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I'm a bit of a is a common expression used to soften a statement about ourselves.
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It suggests we have a certain trait or interest, but in a more casual or modest way.
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For example, I'm a bit of a foodie.
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You might also say, I guess you could say I'm a bit of a bookworm, or I consider myself a bit of a language geek.
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You'll often hear people refer to themselves as a geek, but I don't recommend calling someone else that.
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You could also say that you have or have got a soft spot for something or someone.
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It means, I like it or I like them.
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For example, I've got a soft spot for stray cats and now I have seven at home.
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Or I've always had a soft spot for cheesy 80s music.
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Okay, are you ready for a more advanced dialogue now?
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You're not just going to listen.
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There are some gaps in this dialogue, so you need to complete the phrases as we go.
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Hi, I don't think we've been introduced.
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I'm Alexandra, but I usually buy Alex.
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What do you think?
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Go.
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I go buy Alex.
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All right, let's continue.
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Nice to meet you.
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I'm Claire.
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So what you hear today?
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Brings.
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Did you get that one?
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I'm with the marketing team organising this event.
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What about you?
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Business or...
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Business or pleasure?
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Bit of both.
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I'm here on holiday, but I sell cheese back in London, so I thought I'd pop in.
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You know, I think our...
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have crossed before, actually.
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Were you at the Cheddar Together conference in Melbourne?
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What about that one?
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Paths.
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Our paths have crossed before.
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Yeah, I was.
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We must move in the same.
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So, are you a bit of a cheese addict too?
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Yeah, you could say that.
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They move in the same circles.
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Okay, how did you do?
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I would love for you to practice introducing yourself in the comments.
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Let me know if you have a nickname you go by, if you have a soft spot for something.
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I'll keep my eyes peeled for your practice introductions.
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And with that, we're at the end of the lesson.
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Make sure to download the PDF introductions guide to refresh your memory of everything we've covered today
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and to get access to another dialogue as well as a quiz and some secret exercises.
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The link is in the description or you can scan the QR code there.
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I will see you in the next lesson.
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Master Advanced Self-Introductions: Key Skills to Build
This video equips you with 3 critical speaking skills for natural C1+ introductions. First, you’ll learn to replace basic openers like “Hi, I’m…” with polished phrases such as “I don’t think we’ve been introduced” or “I’m not sure we’ve met before” to sound more sophisticated. Second, you’ll discover how to expand on your name—whether using a nickname or full form—adding subtle depth to your introduction. Finally, you’ll practice adapting formality, from formal “I’d like to introduce my colleague” to casual “Have you met Julie? She’s a mate from school,” ensuring you fit any situation.
Listen For These Connected Speech Patterns
The dialogue features common linking and reductions that native speakers use. Notice how “I’m Lucy” becomes a smooth “I’mLucy” with no pause, and “nice to meet you” shortens to “nice t’meet you” (eliding the “o” in “to”). In the phrase “I don’t think we’ve been introduced,” the “t” in “don’t” softens to a glottal stop, making it sound more natural. These small adjustments prevent your speech from sounding stilted—key for advanced fluency. Use a shadowing app to replay these lines and mimic the flow until they feel automatic.
Say It Like a Native: Rhythm and Stress Tips
To mirror the speaker’s natural rhythm, focus on stressing content words. In “I sell cheese,” emphasize “sell” and “cheese” to highlight your purpose. In the advanced opener “I’m not sure we’ve met before,” stress “not sure” and “met” to convey politeness without sounding unsure. The shadowing technique is ideal here: repeat the speaker’s lines immediately after, matching their pace and stress. Platforms like ShadowSpeaks or shadow speak tools can help you record and compare your delivery, making it easier to refine your pronunciation. With practice, you’ll move beyond basic introductions to sound confident and native-like in any setting.
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 you ever felt · I've also created · i've included |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | we've been introduced · was born · were born |
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.