Shadowing Practice: How to Love Learning a Language (and Progress Faster) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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The key to language acquisition is input,
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The key to language acquisition is input,
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but the problem is listening practice doesn't work when you're tense, frustrated, or anxious.
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As I learned from a linguistics professor and through years of trial and error,
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you absorb the most when you're relaxed,
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having fun, and ultimately when you love what you're doing.
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And so today I wanted to share with you five things
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that help keep that love alive and ultimately kept me from quitting.
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These will not only make you want to study and practice more,
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but they'll also increase the rate at which you pick up new material.
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I promise.
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All right, so the first thing is to bring the language to you.
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You don't go to the language.
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And what I mean by that is,
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you know, as adult language learners,
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a lot of times we have a tendency to want to alter our lives,
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learn more about the culture of our target language
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and that's great it is very important
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but you want to try to activate the things
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that you already love
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and incorporate the language into your life i want to tell
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you a quick story during my year abroad in kazakhstan
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when the target language was russian they had somebody fly out
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from st petersburg to basically get us ready for this big test basically their standardized test for russian speakers
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and to what they would give to foreigners to see if we could function in a Russian-speaking country.
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It was more for just kind of a qualification and the certification of it all.
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And we had a couple of months to kind of
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keep getting ready and prepare for these exams as they were about to come up.
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And reading was naturally one of the big sections of it.
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And of course, she recommended,
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you know, always have a book on you,
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always be reading a book.
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And when we asked, well,
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what type of book should we be reading.
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You know what she said?
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It has to be a book that you are personally interested in.
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And this really caught my attention because it had nothing to do with the subject matter,
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the formality level, nothing like that.
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It all had to do with what you were interested in.
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Now, you might be thinking,
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if you're a beginner, you might be thinking,
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well, great, I can't even read a whole book yet.
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So how does that apply to me?
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Well, you can also think about subject matter.
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I'll give you one other example real quick.
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Around the time that I started studying Russian,
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It was about the same time that kind of been new to skydiving.
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And that was a hobby that I got a little into.
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And I had to, I learned the pilot chute in skydiving is the,
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is the small little parachute that comes out first and basically initiates the whole opening of the parachute.
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And pilot chute in Russian is their word for jellyfish, meduza.
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Meduza is their slang word kind of for like how skydivers would refer to pilot shoot.
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Now very random, obscure, I know,
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but I share that with you because if,
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had I not known what even a pilot shoot is,
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you know, that would make no sense to me.
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But not only did I know what a pilot shoot was,
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it was also interesting to me and I was
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that much more engaged in the language
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and it was a little bit more of a you know you could say like a technical jargon
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but you can apply this to almost anything it's best to apply the 50 rule
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that basically if as long as you can understand 50 of what's being said then it's good practice
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but it is so much more effective when that 50
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can be applied to familiar uh lexicon
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because you already have all these touch points things that are are familiar to you that you understand.
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So basically bringing the language to you
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and incorporating it into the life you already have will make it that much more enjoyable.
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You'll be more engaged and it'll really help the process.
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The next thing I want you to focus on is don't talk, just do.
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I want to preface this by saying there's even research out there
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that shows people who talk about their goals are much less likely to achieve them.
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I think it has something to do with the fact that you get a false dopamine hit when you talk about it.
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It's exciting, but you haven't actually done anything.
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I wanted to point out too that from personal experience,
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it's much more fun when you stay in the game and you kind of keep it from outsiders,
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if that makes sense, because a lot of times you'll get some negative feedback or even just you might confuse people.
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Why are you learning that language?
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Oh, that's kind of weird.
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What are you going to do with that?
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Remember that the language that you chose to learn is yours alone.
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You know, I don't want to just learn one more language.
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I have multiple languages that I'm interested in and they all have their reasons.
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So I would say go ahead
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and share it with people who you're studying the language together and keep their reasons for wanting to study the language,
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wanting to practice and learn it.
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Keep those reasons close to your heart.
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Next, avoid comparison and instead try to learn from others.
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So whether it's your classmates,
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peers, other people on YouTube.
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Always be grateful for other people with whom you can learn the language and follow the journey along with them.
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But remember that your own progress is going to be non-linear.
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So throughout your journey, there's going to be bumps, you know, setbacks.
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There's going to be, there are going to be times where you feel like you're going backwards,
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but a lot of times that's where the real work begins.
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This also brings me to my fourth point is document
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and of course celebrate wins now i think a video journal
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is probably one of the best ways you know speaking to camera like this
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and just documenting yourself speaking in the target language this is
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something i want to start doing more actually publicly on youtube for my spanish
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and keep you guys posted keep you guys updated on
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that journey you know even for i would say homework assignments uh
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when i was learning russian and i still have to keep it activated by by the way.
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My wife doesn't speak Russian,
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so a lot of times it's through podcasts and everything,
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but even just going back,
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you know, a couple months ago,
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found some old college assignments and just seeing those papers,
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seeing me struggling with whether it be conjugations,
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participles, you know, verbal adverbs,
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that was a long time ago,
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but I'm glad that I still kept some of those sheets.
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You can really get a lot more out of that,
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a lot more joy when you celebrate the wins and you just remember where you were,
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where you came from.
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Because if you're starting from scratch,
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you know, like I did as an adult, I was 22.
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For one, I think that's evidence that you're never too old to start learning a language.
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In fact, I don't plan on ever being done learning new languages.
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I want to keep learning more.
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One example I want to bring up on this subject is during my time abroad,
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we were actually forced to write up weekly reports,
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basically kind of go online and fill out this form where we had to talk about things in our,
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with the language proficiency, as well as cultural moments that,
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you know, cultural encounters that were maybe challenging for us or just different and basically write our perspective of it,
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write our interpretation.
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And, you know, of course,
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I got to be honest,
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it was a little tedious at times.
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And a lot of us would be like,
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man, oh, we got to sit down.
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We got to write this by the end of the week.
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But after a while, it became a really good habit to kind of think back on those obstacles that we overcame.
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At least for me, that was my impression.
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And I went back and read a lot of the reports that I had and it made me really appreciate the process.
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I got a lot of joy, honestly.
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It just made me love the experience a lot more knowing that I had gone through all those steps.
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And when you have to write about it,
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you're actively thinking about those different moments
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and having to articulate what parts of your brain
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or what thought processes did you have to go through during that learning experience,
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whether it be for the language proficiency or the culture itself,
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or even just time abroad.
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And I think a lot of the times domestically,
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it can be just as challenging.
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So you don't have to be abroad,
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you don't have to do some crazy immersion program,
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even though I recommend those if you can,
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but just make sure that you're documenting, celebrating the wins.
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I promise it'll make the experience,
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the language learning journey that much more enjoyable.
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Before we get into the fifth point,
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I want to encourage you to sign up for the life and language letter.
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If you're not already signed up for it,
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you can use the QR code on the screen
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or the link in the description going to help you stay consistent and also enjoy the process along the way.
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Point number five.
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Lastly, today I want you to establish connection and need.
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What I mean by that is,
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first of all, connection, in my opinion,
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is the meaning of life.
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It's what kind of relationships do you have?
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That could be, some people call it service,
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being in service to others.
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But basically, what kind of relationships do you have with other people and what are you doing that's bigger than yourself?
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And I think that it's so much more enjoyable when you find that connection through the target language.
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So, meaning the language learning journey is more enjoyable when you have that connection, right?
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And the need part of it is going to be basically,
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why do you have to keep going?
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Because of course, maybe you've already experienced this,
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those reasons for studying the language in the first place are going to fall by the wayside.
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Maybe not for you, but for me, that's been my experience.
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And you have to find things to sort of rekindle that passion or rekindle a reason to keep going.
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And here, what I'm talking about is a real need.
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And there are some people out there who say it's impossible to learn a language
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if you do not need it for survival.
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Well, I think that's kind of unrealistic,
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especially if your native language is English.
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There, of course, are still plenty of places where English is not spoken,
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but it's hard to make the argument
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that you need a foreign language to survive or
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that you have to go and immerse yourself in another country to truly learn it.
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Maybe some people believe that,
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but I don't think that's true.
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I think you can become very proficient without doing those things.
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You just have to have some form of immersion.
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And even if your life isn't on the line, you can get there.
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And the easiest way for me that I've found for this to be the case is to create lifestyle rituals.
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So basically just things that you do automatically that also have meaning behind them.
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Again, relationships and then that need.
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Why do you, you should feel like you have to do it.
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And if you do something even just a few days in a row,
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then it's going to become so much more automatic.
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And I know that if you start to miss two days in a row of something,
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then it just starts to slowly slip away.
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But just remember, you can get it back.
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Before we go, I want to provide you with one concise plan of action moving forward
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that I really think is going to help implement all of these things that we talked about.
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And that is pick three things that you want to be able to do
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or situations that you want to be able to handle but basically there should be an actionable,
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like an action to it.
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So three things within three weeks time with three other people.
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So I call it the 3-3-3 plan.
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Three actions,
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three things you want to be able to do in the target language in three weeks from now with three other people.
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And basically these three,
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these different components are going to help you implement the time constraint forces you to stay in the game.
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the three the other three people again it's about connection
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and need and then the actions to begin with is about actually doing something
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that also forces interest personal interest something
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that you want to do don't pick something
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that you don't have much interest in
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but you feel like you should be able to do it no don't worry about
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that what what is your personal interest leave in the comments
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your plan for these i'd love to hear what your plan
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is in fact i'll probably drop mine in there for for spanish
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and um yeah hope you guys have a good week thanks for watching
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and we'll see in the next video thanks guys
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will explore effective strategies to cultivate a passion for learning English while simultaneously enhancing your language skills. By integrating the language into your daily life, you can transform studying into an enjoyable experience. This section will guide you through understanding the importance of input and how to practice listening and speaking with ease. You will not only gain valuable insights but also learn methods that will help you progress faster in your English learning journey.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Input: The language exposure you receive through listening, reading, and conversation.
- Relaxed: A state of mind that facilitates better language absorption.
- Activate: To bring language into use in your life.
- Subject matter: The content or topics that are of personal interest.
- Skydiving: A recreational activity that involves jumping from an aircraft and free-falling.
- Pilot chute: A small parachute that initiates the deployment of the main parachute.
- Meduza: The Russian word for jellyfish, an example of vocabulary associated with personal hobbies.
Practice Tips
To effectively improve your English pronunciation and speaking skills, consider implementing shadow speech techniques in your daily practice. As you watch videos or listen to native speakers, try shadowing their speech patterns. Here’s how:
- Choose the Right Material: Select videos or audio clips that match your interests to keep you engaged. This could be related to hobbies, travel, or any subject matter that excites you.
- Imitate the Tone and Speed: Pay attention to the speaker's pace and intonation. Aim to mimic their tone to improve your English speaking practice naturally. Try to match the speaker's emotions and expressions as well.
- Break It Down: If the material feels too fast, pause it and practice in shorter segments. Focus on one sentence at a time and then gradually build up to longer phrases.
- Daily Shadowspeak: Incorporate shadow speaking into your daily routine. Allocate at least 10-15 minutes daily to practice, allowing the phrases to flow more naturally over time.
- Record Yourself: Whenever possible, record your shadow talk sessions. This practice will enable you to identify areas for improvement, particularly in pronunciation.
By embracing these techniques, you can create a supportive and enjoyable learning environment, making it easier to progress in your English language journey while also discovering the joy in learning.
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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