Shadowing Practice: How to Introduce Yourself in English | Tell Me About Yourself - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr.
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English Channel, where learning English is easy and fun.
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I'm Emily.
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Hello Emily, and hello to all our listeners.
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It is so good to be here again today.
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It really is Paul.
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How are you doing today?
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I am okay.
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A little bit hungry, actually.
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I had a very early breakfast.
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Oh, no.
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What did you eat for breakfast?
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Just some toast and a little bit of fruit.
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It was not enough for a long morning of work.
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How about you, Emily?
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I am doing very well.
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I had a big breakfast.
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Eggs, bread, and a very large coffee.
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So I have a lot of energy for our episode today.
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That is good.
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We need energy today because we have a very important topic.
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We do.
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Today we are talking about a question that everyone hears.
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It is, tell me about yourself.
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Oh, that is a big one.
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I hear that question at parties, at work, and when I meet new neighbors.
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Exactly.
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It sounds simple, but sometimes it is hard to know what to say in English.
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It is.
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Sometimes my mind goes blank.
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I just stand there and say, Uh, I am Paul.
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Well, that is a good start.
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But we can help everyone say a little bit more.
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I hope so.
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But wait, Emily.
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Before we get into the details, we should ask our friends for a favor.
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You are right.
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If you are watching on YouTube, please take a second to like this video.
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It really helps our channel.
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Yes, and please subscribe to Mr.
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English Channel.
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We love seeing our community grow every week.
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And if you have a friend who is learning English, share this episode with them.
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Learning is better with friends.
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Okay, now I'm ready.
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Let's talk about introductions.
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Where do we start?
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We start with the basics.
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Your name and where you live or where you are from.
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That makes sense.
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My name is Paul and I live in the city.
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Simple and clear.
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I had a funny situation yesterday, Paul.
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I met a new woman at the park.
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Oh, what happened?
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Well, I saw her dog.
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The dog was so cute.
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It was a small, white dog with very long ears.
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I started talking to the dog first.
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You talked to the dog before the person?
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Yes.
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I said, hello, little friend.
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You are so beautiful.
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And the owner looked at me and smiled.
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Then I realized I didn't say hello to her.
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That is funny.
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So what did you do?
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I felt a little bit silly.
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I stood up and said, oh, I am so sorry.
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My name is Emily.
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I live just around the corner.
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That is a perfect way to fix it.
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Did she tell you about herself?
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She did.
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She said, Nice to meet you, Emily.
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My name is Susan.
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I am from Chicago, but I moved here last month.
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See?
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Name and where you're from.
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It is the best way to open the door to a conversation.
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It really is.
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And it is realistic.
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You don't need to say your whole life story in one minute.
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That is true.
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Sometimes I want to say too much.
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I want to talk about my cat, my car, my favorite food.
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But maybe that is too much for the first minute.
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Maybe save the cat stories for the second minute.
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Good idea.
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So after the name and the place, what's next?
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Usually, people talk about what they do, their job or their studies.
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Right.
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Like, I'm a teacher or I work in an office.
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Yes.
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or if you are a student, I study engineering or I'm a high school student.
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I remember my first job interview, Emily.
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It was many years ago.
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I was so nervous.
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Oh, I hate interviews.
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They make me sweat.
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Me too.
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The manager looked at me and said, So, Paul, tell me about yourself.
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And what did you say?
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Well, I wanted to sound very professional.
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I said, I am Paul.
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I am very hardworking.
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I like to arrive on time, I am a fast learner.
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That sounds very good.
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Did you get the job?
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I did.
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But the funny part was that I was so nervous, I forgot to tell him that I actually had experience in that work.
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I just talked about being hardworking.
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At least you were honest.
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But it shows that even in serious situations, you can keep it simple.
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Exactly.
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You don't need big, difficult words.
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I work in a bank is better than a long, confusing sentence about financial systems.
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I agree.
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Simple English is the best English for beginners.
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You know, Emily, I sometimes meet people at my guitar class.
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Oh, I forgot you take guitar lessons.
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How is that going?
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It is going well, but I am still a beginner.
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Last week, a new student joined the class.
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His name is Marco.
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And did he introduce himself?
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He did.
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He said, Hi, everyone.
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I am Marco.
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I work as a chef in a restaurant downtown.
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In my free time, I want to learn music because it makes me relax.
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That is a great introduction.
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He said his name, his job, and a little bit about why he was there.
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Yes, it felt very natural.
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I liked that he mentioned his free time.
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That is a great point, Paul.
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Talking about your hobbies is a very friendly way to tell people about yourself.
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I agree.
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It makes people want to ask more questions, like, Oh, you are a chef?
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What do you like to cook?
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Exactly.
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It creates a real conversation.
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For example, if I say, I'm Emily, and I love hiking in the mountains, you might ask me where I go.
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Right.
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Or I might say, I love hiking too, but I'm very slow.
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Being slow is okay.
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The mountains don't run away.
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That is true.
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Hey, Emily, I have a quick idea for our listeners.
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What is it?
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If you're still listening right now, we want to hear from you.
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Comment the word hello in the comments below.
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Oh, I love that.
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It's a simple way to say you are here with us.
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Yes, just type hello and maybe tell us your name.
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We love reading your names.
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We really do.
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It makes this feel like a big family.
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It does.
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Okay, so we talked about name, place, work, and hobbies.
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What if someone asks about your family?
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That is common too, especially in a relaxed setting.
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Like at a dinner party?
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Yes.
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You can say, I have a small family or I come from a big family.
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I usually say, I have one brother and one sister.
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My brother lives in Canada.
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That is perfect.
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It gives just enough information.
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You don't need to give their names or their ages if you don't want to.
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Right.
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It's just a way to show who you are.
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I think people like to know if you have siblings or if you have a dog.
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Oh, definitely.
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People love talking about pets.
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If I say, I have a very naughty cat, people always laugh.
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Why is your cat naughty?
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She likes to jump on the table when I'm eating.
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She thinks my dinner is her dinner.
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That is a very cat thing to do.
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See?
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Now I know something more about you.
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You are a cat person.
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Exactly.
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These small details are what make an introduction feel real.
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You know, Emily, I think some people are afraid of making a mistake when they talk about themselves.
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I understand that fear.
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fear.
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But honestly, most people are just happy to meet you.
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They are not checking your grammar.
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That is so true.
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I met a man at a cafe last week.
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He was from France.
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His English was not perfect, but he was so friendly.
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What did he say?
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He said, Hello, I am Pierre.
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I am here for holiday.
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I love this city.
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That is beautiful.
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It is simple, but I understand everything.
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exactly he didn't say i am currently spending my vacation here he just said i am here for holiday it worked perfectly i love that it proves that you don't need to be an expert to have a conversation i agree but i did have one oops moment a few months ago oh tell me i love your oops moments Well, I was at a wedding.
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I met a woman and she asked, So, Paul, tell me about yourself.
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Okay.
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I was eating a very large piece of cake at that moment.
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Oh, no.
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Yes.
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My mouth was full of chocolate cake.
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I tried to speak and I said, I am Paul.
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I work.
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Oh, Paul, that is terrible.
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It was.
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had chocolate on my teeth, too.
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She just laughed and said, maybe you can tell me after you finish your cake.
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That is a very good lesson.
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Don't introduce yourself with a mouth full of cake.
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Yes, that is a very realistic tip for our listeners.
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Definitely.
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Wait for a second, swallow your food, and then smile.
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A smile is the most important part of an introduction.
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It tells the other person, I am happy to talk to you.
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It really does.
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Even if your English is very basic, a smile makes it go well.
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I also think it's good to have a routine.
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You know, a few sentences you always use.
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Like a script?
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Not a script you read, but just a few things you are comfortable saying.
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For me, it is, I'm Paul, I'm from this city, I love music, and I work in media.
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I can say that in my sleep.
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That is a great idea.
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If you practice those three or four sentences, you won't feel so nervous when someone asks the question.
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Right.
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You can even practice in front of a mirror.
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It sounds silly, but it works.
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It does.
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I used to do that before I started this podcast.
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I would stand in the bathroom and say, hello, I'm Emily.
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Welcome to our show.
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Did anyone hear you?
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My cat looked at me like I was crazy, but it helped me feel confident.
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Cats are very good at making us feel crazy.
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They are.
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But seriously, practice makes it feel natural.
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What about talking about your dreams or your future?
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Is that part of telling about yourself?
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Sometimes, especially if you are talking to a new friend.
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Like, I want to travel to Japan next year.
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Yes, or I am learning English because I want to get a better job.
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Oh, that is a very common one for our listeners.
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It is, and it's a great thing to share.
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It shows you are a person who likes to grow and learn.
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I agree.
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It makes you interesting.
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People like people who have goals.
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I remember when I first met you, Paul.
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Do you remember?
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Hmm.
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Was it at the studio?
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Yes.
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You were wearing a very bright yellow t-shirt.
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Oh, I remember that shirt.
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I loved that shirt.
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It was very yellow.
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You walked up to me and said, Hi, I'm Paul.
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I'm going to be your partner on the podcast.
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I'm a bit nervous, but I'm ready to work.
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Wow, I said that?
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I don't remember being that brave.
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You were, and I liked it because you were honest.
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You said you were nervous, but you also said you were ready.
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That is a good tip, too.
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Being honest is okay.
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You can say, I am a bit shy, but nice to meet you.
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Exactly.
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It makes the other person feel relaxed, too.
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Maybe they are shy.
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Most people are a little bit shy when they meet someone new.
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It's normal.
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It's very normal.
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So, Paul, we have covered a lot of ground today.
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We have.
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I feel like I know how to introduce myself better now, even after all these years.
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Good.
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I'm glad.
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Should we do a quick recap for everyone?
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That's a great idea.
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Let's see what we talked about.
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Okay.
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First, we said start with the basics, your name and where you are from.
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Right.
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I am Paul, and I live in the city.
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Simple.
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Then, talk about your job or your studies.
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I work as a teacher or I am a student.
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No need for big words.
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Third, mention a hobby or something you like to do in your free time.
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Like my guitar lessons or your hiking in the mountains.
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It makes the conversation fun.
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And finally, don't forget the small things, like your family or your pets.
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And the most important rule, no cake in the mouth when you are talking.
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Yes.
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Smile, be honest, and if you're nervous, it's okay to say so.
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That is a perfect summary, Emily.
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I think our listeners can really use these tips.
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I hope so.
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Telling people about yourself is the first step to making new friends.
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It really is.
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And English is just a tool to help you do that.
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Well said, Paul.
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I think that is all the time we have for today.
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Oh, the time went so fast I didn't even notice.
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That's because we were having fun.
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True.
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Well, before we say goodbye, don't forget everyone… Yes, please subscribe to Mr.
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English Channel.
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It means a lot to us.
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And give us a like if you enjoyed this episode.
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We have a question for you for the comments.
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Yes, in the comments, tell us about yourself.
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Use the tips from today.
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What is your name?
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Where are you from?
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And what do you like to do?
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We are so excited to read your introductions.
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We will read every single one.
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Yes, we will.
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It's a great way to practice your writing.
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Thank you so much for listening today, everyone.
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Yes, thank you.
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It was a pleasure.
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We will see you in the next episode.
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Until then, keep practicing and have fun.
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Bye for now.
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Bye-bye.

Why practice speaking with this video?

In the journey to learn English with YouTube, one of the most crucial skills is the ability to introduce yourself effectively. This video provides an engaging platform for English speaking practice, where learners can hear real-life dialogues and pick up essential conversational skills. By watching and listening to conversations about self-introduction, viewers can understand the nuances of social interactions, which is particularly beneficial for contexts like job interviews, social gatherings, and networking events.

Furthermore, viewers can practice shadowing the speakers—imitating the way they speak, their tone, and their expressions. This technique enhances fluency and builds confidence, making it easier to respond when asked to explain, "Tell me about yourself." The shared experiences in this video offer a supportive environment to sharpen speaking skills and feel more at ease in everyday conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The dialogue in this video features several useful structures that English learners can incorporate into their speaking repertoire:

  • Starting with your name: "Hello, I am Emily." This straightforward introduction sets a friendly tone.
  • Sharing background details: "I live in..." or "I am from..." These phrases help provide context about your identity and location.
  • Incorporating current feelings: "I am okay, a little bit hungry." Using emotions in your introduction makes your speech relatable and engaging.
  • Transitioning to common interests: "I had a big breakfast." This opens the door to further conversation and shows that you are personable.

By practicing these expressions, learners enhance their ability to communicate naturally in English, which is essential for IELTS speaking practice and other conversational settings.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While the words in the video may seem simple, pronunciation can often pose challenges. Here are some common traps for learners:

  • The word "hungry" can be pronounced incorrectly if not practiced. It's important to emphasize the first syllable: HUN-gree.
  • Expressions like "Tell me about yourself" may lead to blending sounds, causing confusion if not articulated clearly. Pay attention to the fluid transition between "tell" and "me."
  • In phrases like "I had a big breakfast," the speed of delivery can affect clarity. Practicing slow shadow speak can help learners master the rhythm and pronunciation.

By being aware of these pronunciation pitfalls and practicing them through repetition and shadowing, students will gain confidence in their speaking abilities and sound more fluent in everyday conversations.

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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