Shadowing Practice: How to Measure Progress in Language Learning - Learn English Speaking with Video

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If you've been learning a language for some time, do you happen to ask yourself questions such as what level am I at?

Am I actually making progress?

When am I going to reach the next level?

Am I improving my grammar, pronunciation, or fluency in that target language?

Hi, my name is Luca from lucalamparello .com

and today we're going to talk about how to measure progress when learning a foreign language.

there is really nothing wrong with asking yourself where you stand

and where you're going i did that all the time back in the day

when i was at school and i was 15 i can remember as clear as day

that i was jotting down all my language goals

and i was fantasizing about learning tons of languages

and i was writing down the level at which i thought i was and where i wanted to go

With time and experience, I've just realized that while setting up goals is important, the most important

and efficient way to tackle how to measure foreign languages is actually to set up a system

which will allow you to learn in the long term, and that is developing the right habits.

How do I build a system?

The people who follow my blog have noticed that I've recently published some logbooks where I keep meticulously,

I would say, track of my learning process.

I think that having a logbook is a great idea.

You can keep track of your progress, but how do you measure progress?

Well, one thing that I've recently added, and I think it's making a difference, is actually to add some self -reflection exercises.

After writing what I did and how long it took me, I normally spend two or three minutes, even 10 minutes when it's necessary,

jotting down the things I did

and asking myself whether the things I'm doing are actually good for me and how I can refine them.

In fact, the most important goal is not only to keep track of my progress,

but actually to refine the system through which I am actually learning.

So I ask things such as, am I using the right resource?

Is this resource nice and good and comprehensible and intelligible and interesting for me at this level?

What else can I add?

How can I organize my time?

And these bits and pieces of information are actually adding up and they're helping me refine the system better and better.

Refining the system means to be able to learn in the long term.

Language learning is always and always will be a marathon.

And if you want to be successful, the most important thing you want to do is actually stick to it over the long haul.

And with time, I've developed a system which allows me to learn not only one language, but two or even three at the same time.

In language learning, there are things you can more

or less measure for example the amount of words

that you know you can save them you can look back at them

and say okay this is more or less the list of words

that i know but unfortunately language learning is not just a corpus of knowledge it's also a skill

that you develop and it entails a number of sub skills in

and of itself

and within itself for example being able to speak being able to write being able to read

and so on and so forth and unfortunately it is much more difficult to not only to keep track of this,

but also to measure whether you're actually making progress or not.

In his popular book, Peak Secrets from the New Science of Expertise,

the author Anders Ericsson makes the case that experts in any field actually operate within a consistent framework that they build.

And this framework is based upon consistent mental representations that these experts develop with time.

It's a really, really interesting book, and I recommend you read it.

So, how do I operate within the language learning framework?

What are my mental representations?

I divide language learning mainly in three areas, beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Actually, I define my level according to the resources that I use, the what, and how I use them, the how.

Let me give you an example.

If I'm at the very early stage of language learning, that is, I'm a beginner,

I always use a book like Asimil or Teach Yourself or another resource and I apply my bi -directional method to it.

So I define the what, I know the how, and for me I am at this beginner stage.

So after I finish Asimil, I do not ask myself whether I have reached an intermediate level or not.

For me, it's actually automatic.

And once I get into the intermediate realm, intermediate ground, whatever you want to call it, I just change the what,

that is the resource or resources, and I also change the how.

A lot of people think that my bidirectional translation is a complete method to learn a language,

but the reality is that mine is a combination of methods which evolve with time.

So what do I do when I have reached an intermediate level?

Well, again, I change the what and I change the how.

Most often than not, I find some resources on the internet, podcasts with scripts and audio that i can keep working on

but i do not use my bi -directional translation anymore i do more intensive listening

and reading and jotting down vocabulary and also i start talking with some tutors online

or with some friends

and in the advanced phase i do something different such as starting watching movies

or starting absorbing more authentic content the key point here is that you should not ask yourself whether you are beginner,

intermediate or advanced.

I think that it's much more important to focus on building a consistent system that works for you,

a kind of mental framework where you constantly know where you are

and if you do that for one language then you can simply replicate it for any other language.

It really helps you not only figuring out where you are

but also motivates you in the long run because you know where you're going.

Learning a language is a little bit like climbing a mountain or setting upon a very long journey.

It takes time.

It's an endless journey, actually, because we never stop learning.

So instead of focusing whether you're constantly making progress, because if you're walking or you're climbing or you're running, you are getting to your destination,

you're getting closer and closer, I think you should focus on the small victories that are along the journey.

Let me give you an example about what I do when I happen to have these eureka moments or celebrate victories.

When it comes to reading, I really get excited when,

for example, I stumble upon a Wikipedia article about something I really like and I understand the gist of it.

Whoa, that's great! or when I listen to something a podcast

or a movie and I start understanding bits

and pieces of this I clearly remember when that happened

when I was watching a Swedish movie I got so excited about

that speaking when I first have a conversation on Skype with someone

and I can get my point across or

when I stumble upon someone I'm in a given country

and I happen to have a conversation with someone that happened in Hungary in Budapest some three years ago I started learning

Hungarian for some time and then I started talking to this granny who could actually understand me.

I was so excited about that.

These are small victories.

These are the things you want to focus on

because these small victories will push

you through exactly like they will push climbers to move from one base camp to the other.

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You reach this thing.

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so there you have it first focus on the system instead of goals setting up goals is fine

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but i think that refining the system is so much better

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because at the end of the day that's what is going to allow

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you to learn in the long term second develop your own mental representations of where you stand

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and where you're going in my case it's beginner intermediate advanced and each stage I use and how I use it.

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And third, celebrate small victories because small victories do count and add up in the long run.

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As usual, this video comes with a very lengthy and thorough article I've put together on my blog.

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If you like the content of this video,

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you can click on the link in the description box and you will find a ton of other material, resources, links and whatnot.

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Thank you very much for listening to me and I'll talk to you very, very soon.

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Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Measure Progress in Language Learning”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: language, learning, resource, intermediate, progress. This video has 5 sentences and 1508 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:55. The speaker talks at a natural 169 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
resource noun	/ɹɪˈzɔːs/	Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel.
intermediate adjective	/ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/	Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range.
beginner noun	/bəˈɡɪnɚ/	Someone who is just starting at something, or has only recently started.
framework noun	/ˈfɹeɪm.wɜːk/	A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size.
consistent adjective	/kənˈsɪs.tənt/	Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature.
representation noun	/ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/	That which represents something else.
translation noun	/tɹænzˈleɪʃən/	The conversion of text from one language to another.
define verb	/dɪˈfaɪn/	To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
climb verb	/ˈklaɪ̯m/	To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending).
podcast noun	/ˈpɑdˌkæst/	A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
audio adjective	/ˈɔ.di.oʊ/	Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight.
efficient adjective	/ɪˈfɪʃənt/	Making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy.
skill noun	/skɪl/	A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
automatic adjective	/ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/	Capable of operating without external control or intervention.
script noun	/skɹɪpt/	A writing; a written document.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
set up verb	/ˌsɛt ˈʌp/	To make ready for use.
add up verb		To take the sum of; to total.
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
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:

Am I actually making progress?
When am I gonna reach the next level?
How do I build the system?
What else can I add?
How can I organize my time?

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 22 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I've, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/, authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, thorough /ˈθʌɹoʊ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: representation /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/, translation /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, reflection /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, representation /ˌɹɛp.ɹə.zɛnˈteɪ.ʃən/, automatic /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/, destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/

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 resource, intermediate, beginner.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How to Measure Progress in Language Learning - Learn English Speaking with Video

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