Shadowing Practice: How to learn English ALONE (no teacher!) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Is it possible to learn a language entirely on your own?
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If you're somebody who's learning a second language, you've probably asked yourself this exact question.
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Do I need a teacher to teach me grammar, vocabulary, speaking, pronunciation, all that stuff?
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Or can I do it on my own?
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I'm going to talk to you about that in today's video, but the short answer is yes.
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It is 100% possible to learn a language entirely on your own.
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The long answer is a bit more complicated.
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And first of all, it depends on your style of learning.
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Everybody learns differently.
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Personally, I'm somebody who learns languages quite independently.
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I like to do things on my own.
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I like to do my own research.
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I like to study by myself.
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And I find this the most efficient way to learn a language.
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If you're somebody who prefers to learn independently, the biggest challenge you're going to face is staying motivated.
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It's incredibly difficult to stay disciplined when you don't have anybody pushing you
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or forcing you to put in the work and to put in the effort that's necessary.
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I would say that I'm somebody who is able to stay disciplined, but obviously I'm human and it's not always easy to stay on track,
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especially after weeks or months.
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So if you're somebody, and be honest with yourself about this, if you're somebody who is not able to stay disciplined,
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then it honestly might be better to join a program, to find a teacher, or at least to have somebody there to help you and to push you.
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even if you are somebody who is able to stay motivated and disciplined by yourself, it can still be useful to have that extra push because obviously we are all human.
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We are not machines.
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We are not robots.
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We will get off track.
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We will get distracted.
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That's completely normal.
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Now, if you are somebody who finds it lonely, maybe you're more extroverted.
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personally I'd say I'm maybe a bit more on the introverted side
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but if you are somebody who's more extroverted I would say
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that learning with other people is probably the best way to go
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because you will be in an environment where you speak you
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meet people you have a chance to actually use the language in a social situation
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which is something as an extrovert you probably we enjoy quite a bit
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and it's going to help you remember what you learn
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and obviously stay motivated as well if it's something fun and something enjoyable.
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If you are somebody like me who prefers to learn alone,
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then what I recommend you do is you set aside a chunk of time every single day
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and you write this down in your calendar.
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This is not something you just make mental note of.
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It's something you actually write down and you have scheduled in your calendar every single day.
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It could be in the morning, could be in the afternoon, could be in the evening,
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but you set aside a block of time that is specifically dedicated to studying that language.
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This is so important because as I said before,
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the number one reason people fail when trying to learn something on their own is that they don't stay disciplined, they don't stay motivated.
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So if you can put that in your calendar, if you can create a routine, if you can create a habit, you're going to find it a lot easier to stay on track.
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there will be times when you don't feel like doing it.
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There will be times you don't want to study.
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You feel tired.
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You feel a bit lazy.
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That's totally normal.
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But if you look at your calendar
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and you see you've blocked it off in your calendar and you know that now is the time to spend 30 minutes,
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45 minutes, however long it may be on learning that language,
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you might feel a bit guilty if you don't do it.
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So you're going to feel a bit more motivated to sit down and put in that time.
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All right.
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So what can you actually do that's going to help you become fluent in that language?
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What can you do on your own?
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Well, the first thing I'd recommend is to read.
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Reading is probably the best way to improve your vocabulary on your own.
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Whenever you read something new, you will encounter new words.
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Write those words down.
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Search the translation for those words.
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I actually recommend the website Wiktionary.
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If you've ever heard of Wiktionary, it's totally free.
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You can search basically any word there, any phrase, even slang, even idioms, even words that aren't that common.
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And you can probably find it in Wiktionary, not only in English, but also in different languages.
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So search the translation on a site like Wiktionary.
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Write it down, keep a journal, you need to keep a journal.
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And practice speaking with yourself.
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What I also find really helpful is to watch movies or long-form content on YouTube.
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You can watch movies on Netflix, obviously, on any of these streaming platforms.
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But YouTube is a really good source for more organic content, real-world content.
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You can actually watch vlogs from people who speak your target language.
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And again, turn on the subtitles.
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YouTube has closed captions.
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You can find that down in the toolbar on a YouTube video.
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And when you see a word you don't recognize, write it down, do the exact same thing, put it into Wiktionary and keep a list,
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keep a journal of new vocabulary.
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So that's a great way of learning new vocabulary on your own.
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But obviously you need to implement that vocabulary in conversation.
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I always say this, if you don't speak a language, you will not improve.
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And it is 100% possible, obviously it's not ideal, if you can speak with other people, that's the best thing to do, but it is possible to speak on your own.
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Imagine you are an actor.
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An actor learns their lines on their own.
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they learn their lines alone, they memorize their lines, and then they obviously deliver those lines when they perform in the movie.
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You can imagine yourself as an actor where you basically come up with real-world situations that you might encounter in daily conversation.
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Got to be careful here.
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And you write those situations out, you script them, you use the vocabulary you learn and then you memorize those lines.
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Now you might be wondering about pronunciation.
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How do you improve your pronunciation?
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Well, thanks to technology nowadays, what you can do is you can run that into ChatGPT.
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You put those lines into ChatGPT and you can get ChatGPT to repeat those lines back to you.
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and then you imitate the pronunciation that ChatGPT or whatever AI tool gives you.
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You can also ask ChatGPT to correct your own pronunciation.
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I've used this, I know, in the ChatGPT app.
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You can actually dictate to it.
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You can speak to it.
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This is okay.
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This will work.
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Obviously, it's not a replacement for a real human.
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It's not always perfect, but again, if you are looking to learn on your own, you can do this with Chachipiti.
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Now, earlier I said this will get you probably about 80% of the way there.
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It will take you months.
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It might even take you years to get to a B1 or B2 level.
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But the issue that you will inevitably come across
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when you try to learn a language on your own is the speaking part.
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because you might be able to speak decently on your own but if you lack the real world
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experience of having conversations with people in
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that language you won't feel confident to speak and this is something
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that is a huge problem for students learning english
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because they learn english in school maybe they even learn english on their own but they don't feel confident to speak
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They don't feel sure of what they're saying.
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And that's something that only comes with practice.
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That's something that only comes after putting yourself out there in the trenches, speaking with real people, getting that experience,
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making mistakes, and eventually learning from those mistakes and feeling more confident.
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So that is the problem.
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That's why it will only get you about 80% of the way there.
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obviously that's something you can learn in class with a teacher that's something you can also work on
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when you go to an english-speaking country i always recommend that
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and this is the approach that i took
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when i studied german i speak german i speak italian quite well
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and i also speak a bit of french this worked well for me because i combined my preference for self-study with
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an additional 20% with a teacher, with real people in conversation.
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So not only did I learn on my own, I also supplemented that with real conversation, with real experience speaking with real people.
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And for most people, I'd say probably nine out of 10 people, this would be what I recommend.
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I never say that you should learn everything with a teacher
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because actually there's something that I think are better learnt on your own.
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For example, grammar.
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I think it's better to learn grammar on your own and then to get a teacher to correct you, to give you feedback on that.
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But I would say that for most people, a combination of self-study and then having somebody like a teacher, a friend to give you feedback,
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to correct you and to give you real speaking practice is the most ideal situation.
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Now if you are looking to improve your English, we offer several programs to help you speak more confidently, to improve your business English,
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your reading, your writing, your vocabulary, your speaking, anything you need we can help.
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If you want to apply to study with us just click the link in the description below to submit an application.
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If you found this video useful let me know in the
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comments do you prefer to study English on your own or do you prefer to study with a teacher.
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Leave a like and subscribe to English at the Ready here on YouTube.
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I will see you in the next video.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to learn English ALONE”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: learn, language, speak, somebody, obviously. This video has 141 sentences and 1732 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:05. The speaker talks at a natural 156 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| extroverted adjective | /ˈɛkstɹəˌvəɹtɪd/ | Turned or thrust outwards, especially |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| independently adverb | /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəntli/ | In an independent manner. |
| confidently adverb | /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/ | In a confident manner; with confidence; with strong assurance; positively. |
| decently adverb | /ˈdiːsəntli/ | In a decent manner. |
| imitate verb | /ˈɪmɪteɪt/ | To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of. |
| introverted adjective | /ˈɪn.tɹəˌvɜːɹ.təd/ | Thinking about internal or spiritual matters. |
| subtitle noun | /ˈsʌbtaɪtəl/ | A heading below or after a title. |
| toolbar noun | /ˈtul.bɑɹ/ | A row of buttons, usually marked with icons, used to activate the functions of an application or operating system. |
| dedicate verb | /ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪt/ | To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| set aside verb | /sɛt.əˈsaɪd/ | To separate and reserve something for a specific purpose. |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Is it possible to learn a language entirely on your own?
- Personally, I'm somebody who learns languages quite independently.
- There will be times you don't want to study.
- What can you do on your own?
- How do you improve your pronunciation?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | somebody who learns · somebody who prefers · somebody who is |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've probably asked · have scheduled · you've blocked |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, caption /ˈkæp.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, extroverted /ˈɛkstɹəˌvəɹtɪd/, independently /ˌɪndɪˈpɛndəntli/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/
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 vocabulary, pronunciation, motivate.
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.