Shadowing Practice: How to Learn English: for Beginners! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com.
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How can I learn English?
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I'm a beginner.
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Help! Let's talk about it.
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Are you a beginner at English?
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Wonderful. Do you know someone who would like to begin learning English?
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Awesome. Usually my English lessons are for intermediate English learners, but today we're going to slow things down and talk about some essentials.
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First, who is a beginner?
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Did you learn English in elementary school?
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And do you want to relearn?
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Congratulations.
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You're a beginner.
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Are you starting to learn English now?
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Congratulations.
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You are a beginner.
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Being a beginner is great because you can see fast progress.
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One day you knew nothing about English and the next day you know something.
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Wonderful. It's progress.
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La donna. Oh, hi, Theo.
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What are you doing?
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Tu sei un ragazzo!
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I'm learning Italian, Theo.
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Thanks to the sponsor of today's lesson, Duolingo, I'm starting to learn Italian.
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My great grandmother, Antoinette Manolfi (so Italian!) and my great grandfather came from the south of Italy.
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So, it's my job to learn Italian, right?
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Even though I'm really busy with my family and my job, I can find five to 10 minutes to study a quick fun lesson on the app.
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But really it doesn't feel like studying because you get points and rewards, which makes learning a language feel like a game.
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Because the app is completely free, anyone around the world can use it.
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I also have a special giveaway to 10 lucky subscribers on my channel, but you'll have to wait until the end of the video to find out!
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Let's talk about my top five tips for beginners in English.
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My first tip is #1 Learn Vocabulary.
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Look around your house and put notes on items.
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You can write just one word or a simple sentence or a more complex sentence.
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When you use the microwave, read the word and sentence out loud.
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You will remember the word microwave, the sentence structure "this is" and the verb “to heat up.” Go crazy and put notes everywhere!
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Let's go to tip #2.
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#2 Improve Listening.
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Watch simple English videos, like this lesson, and listen to simple English songs.
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Don't be worried about using English subtitles or reading English lyrics to the songs.
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You're a beginner, so it's okay to use this extra help.
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Subtitles and lyrics can help you a lot.
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Make sure that you understand at least 70%.
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If you watch a five minute video and you are completely lost, stop.
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It's okay. Find something easier.
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When you understand the ideas, but not every single word, this is great.
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That means you're on the right path.
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A good way to improve your listening is with simple songs.
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What kind of music do you like?
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The Beatles, Queen, Taylor Swift?
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Whatever you like, choose one song, look up the lyrics, and listen to the song again and again with the lyrics.
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You can sing, too.
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Congratulations!
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You are improving your listening skills right now with this video.
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All right, let's go to tip #3.
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Tip #3 is Practice Pronunciation.
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If you know a lot of English vocabulary, but other people can't understand you easily when you speak, that's a sad situation.
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So don't forget to practice your pronunciation.
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In tip #2, Improve Listening, I said you should watch simple English videos and listened to simple English songs.
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Well, you can use these, too, to practice your pronunciation.
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Listen to real English and repeat directly after it.
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It's important to hear your own voice using English.
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Every time you see an English sentence, say it out loud.
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“This is a microwave.” Every time you hear an English sentence, say it out loud.
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“We are the champions, my friends, and we'll keep on fighting till the end!” When you practice pronunciation, you are becoming more and more confident when you speak.
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I used to go to work every day.
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I used to go to work every day.
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I used to go to work every day.
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Are you ready to practice pronunciation and speak out loud?
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All right, let's do it during tip #4.
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My tip #4 for beginners learning English is to Grow Your Grammar skills.
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This is the biggest mistake that a lot of English learners make.
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They study only grammar.
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Don't study tons and tons of grammar books.
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You will feel tired, frustrated, and annoyed.
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Not good. I recommend studying basic sentence structure and basic verb conjugations.
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What is basic sentence structure?
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Subject + verb+ object.
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Vanessa is a teacher.
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Can you say that with me?
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Vanessa is a teacher.
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Great work.
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You just practiced your pronunciation.
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Let's go on to some simple verb tenses.
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I recommend focusing on the simple past, the present continuous, and the simple future.
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Let's take a look at some sentences and I challenge you to speak out loud, imitate my voice and say these sentences directly after me.
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Are you ready?
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I watched this lesson.
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It's your turn.
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Say it out loud.
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Great work.
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This is the simple past because it uses -ED at the end.
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I am watching this lesson.
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Your turn. Say it out loud.
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Great. This is the present continuous.
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It's happening right now.
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I'm going to watch this lesson.
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Say it out loud.
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Go ahead. Great.
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This is the future.
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I used “going to” and not “will” because “going to” is more common in daily conversation.
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Let's look at some more examples.
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I learned English.
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Go ahead. Say it out loud.
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Excellent. This is the simple past because it uses -ED at the end.
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I am a learning English.
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Say it out loud.
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Go ahead. Excellent.
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This is the present continuous.
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It's happening right now.
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You are learning English.
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I am going to learn English, say it out loud.
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Excellent. This is the future.
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It's something that is going to happen in the future.
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I ate breakfast.
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Say it out loud.
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Go ahead. Excellent work.
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This is the simple past, but do you see -ED?
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Nope. This is an irregular past tense verb.
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There are a lot of them in English.
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I am eating breakfast.
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Now it's your turn.
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Go ahead. Great.
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This is the present continuous it's happening right now.
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I'm going to eat breakfast.
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Say it out loud.
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Go ahead. Excellent work.
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This is the future.
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And you're also using a contraction.
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“I am” becomes “I'm.” So, great work imitating, practicing your pronunciation, and also growing your simple grammar skills.
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Are you ready to learn vocabulary, improve your listening, practice your pronunciation, and grow your grammar skills at the same time?
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Okay, let's go to tip #5.
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My fifth tip for beginners learning English is to use Duolingo.
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Duolingo is the world's number one language learning app.
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It is perfect for beginners and it's completely free.
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You can do all of the four skills I just talked about.
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Here I am learning Italian: learning vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, improving listening, growing my grammar skills.
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Knowing English can give you so many benefits in life, a better job, easier communication with other people, and simply opening your mind to another language.
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On YouTube, I share these lessons with you every week, 100% for free.
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And I love that Duolingo shares the same mission: Make education free and accessible to everyone!
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I have only just started to learn Italian, so I'm a beginner just like you.
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But I know that if I continue the daily quick lessons, my skills will grow every day.
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This is my challenge for you.
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Maintain a positive attitude and a lot of determination and your English skills will continue to improve lesson by lesson.
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Because my subscribers are the best, I want to offer 10 lucky subscribers, maybe you, a free one year subscription to Duolingo Plus, which is their ad free platform and you can also download the lessons for offline use.
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Of course, you can use the regular version of Duolingo for free forever, which is awesome!
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But if you would like to get the ad free version, they're offering it to 10 of my lucky subscribers.
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To win a year free subscription to Duolingo Plus, all you need to do is subscribe to my YouTube channel, download the Duolingo app with the link in the description box, and number three is I want to know “Why do you want to learn English?” I love learning more about my subscribers, learning more about you.
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Tell me in the comments: Why do you want to learn English?
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In a couple of days, I will announce the winners in the community tab of my channel.
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Before we go, I want to tell you something.
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You can do it.
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I know learning English is a big task, but it is rewarding and you're not alone.
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There are over 2 billion people who use English around the world.
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So welcome to the family: the very, very big family!
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Thanks so much for learning English with me.
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And I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.
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Bye! Did you enjoy this free lesson?
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The next step is to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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Don't forget to write a comment to tell me why do you want to learn English?
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I can't wait to read what you have to say.
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Keep up the good work with English.
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Bye.
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Boost Your Beginner English Speaking with Quick, Fun Wins
This video is perfect for beginners aiming to build confidence in english speaking practice and hit that first fluency milestone: understanding and using basic daily vocabulary and phrases. Whether you’re starting fresh or relearning, you’ll walk away with actionable tips to make progress fast—no overwhelming grammar rules, just practical steps that work.
Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions to Start Speaking Today
- “How can I learn English? I'm a beginner. Help!” (A natural way to ask for guidance)
- “You're on the right path” (Encourage yourself or others)
- “Go crazy and put notes everywhere!” (A fun, motivating phrase to embrace learning)
- “Don't be worried about using English subtitles” (A reassuring reminder to use tools)
Fix Your Weak Spots: Listening, Pronunciation, and Shadowing
One of the biggest challenges for beginners is understanding spoken English—and that’s where shadow speak (or shadowspeaks) comes in! The video emphasizes listening to simple videos and songs, then repeating them aloud—this is shadow speech in action. By mimicking the rhythm and pronunciation of native speakers, you’ll train your mouth to form new sounds and your brain to process English faster. Start with short clips: pause, repeat, and focus on matching the tone. Even 5 minutes a day of shadow speak will improve your pronunciation and make speaking feel more natural. And if you’re aiming for exams like IELTS, this practice builds the foundation for IELTS speaking practice too—since clear pronunciation and fluency are key scoring areas.
Remember: Every small step counts. Whether you’re labeling your microwave or singing along to a Taylor Swift song, you’re building skills that will make english speaking practice easier. Celebrate progress, not perfection—and keep that enthusiasm alive!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to go |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who would · rewards, which makes · Plus, which is |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the biggest · the best |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm learning · I'm starting · are improving |
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.