Shadowing Practice: How to Practice English Alone Every Day (Only 15 Minutes!) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Making English Easy for Everyone Hey English learners!
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Can I ask you something?
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Do you ever feel like you want to practice your English, but you don't have anyone to practice with?
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Yeah, I know that feeling.
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And honestly, so many of my students tell me the same thing.
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They say, May, I don't have a speaking partner.
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I don't live in an English-speaking country.
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I don't have time to take classes every day.
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And I always tell them the same thing.
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You don't need any of that.
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Wait, really?
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Yes, really.
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You can practice English alone, every single day, and you only need 15 minutes.
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I'm Mae, and welcome to Speak English with Jay and Mae.
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Today I want to show you exactly how to use just 15 minutes a day to practice your English – alone,
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at home, anywhere you are.
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And by the end of this episode, you are going to feel so much more confident because you You are going to have a real plan.
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A simple plan.
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One that actually works.
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So let's go.
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First, I want to ask you something.
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When you think about practicing English, what do you imagine?
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Do you imagine sitting at a big desk with a huge textbook?
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Maybe a very strict teacher pointing at the board?
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Yeah, a lot of people think practicing English has to be serious.
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It has to be hard.
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It has to be uncomfortable.
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But I want to change that idea today.
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Practicing English can be simple, it can be fun, and it can happen in your everyday life while you are drinking your morning coffee,
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while you are walking to work, while you are getting ready in the bathroom.
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Yes, the bathroom!
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Some of the best English practice happens in the bathroom.
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We'll talk about that in a minute.
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Okay, so let me ask you this.
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How long is fifteen minutes?
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It's the time it takes to watch one short YouTube video.
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It's the time it takes to eat a snack.
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It's the time you spend scrolling on your phone before you go to sleep.
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Don't tell me you don't have 15 minutes.
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You do.
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I know you do.
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And those 15 minutes, if you use them the right way, can change your English completely.
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Not in one day, but over weeks, over months, you will be amazed.
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Okay, so I have a simple plan for you.
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I call it the 15-minute daily English habit.
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And it has three parts.
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Part 1 is 5 minutes of listening.
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Part 2 is 5 minutes of speaking.
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And Part 3 is 5 minutes of writing or reading.
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Simple right?
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5, 5, 5.
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15 minutes total.
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Now, I'm going to walk you through each part.
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I'm going to tell you exactly what to do,
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why it works, and give you real examples you you can start using today, not tomorrow, today.
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Let's start with part one, five minutes of listening.
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Now, I know what some of you are thinking.
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Mae, I listen to English all the time.
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I watch Netflix, I listen to music.
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Does that count?
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Okay, here's the truth.
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Listening to English in the background, while you're doing other things, while you're not really paying attention, that is not real practice.
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That's just noise.
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Real listening practice means you are focused.
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You are paying attention.
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You are trying to understand every word, or at least most of the words.
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And here's the beautiful thing.
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You only need to do this for five minutes.
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Just five minutes of focused listening.
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So what should you listen to?
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I recommend short content.
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A short podcast episode, like this one.
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A short YouTube video.
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A scene from a TV show you like.
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But here's the key.
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Don't just listen.
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Listen with a goal.
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What is a listening goal?
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It means before you press play, you ask yourself a question.
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For example, what is this video about?
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Or how does this person feel?
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Or what three things did they say.
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When you have a question in your mind, your brain listens differently.
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It becomes active.
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It's looking for the answer.
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And that is when you really start to learn.
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Let me give you an example.
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Let's say you choose to watch a one-minute video of someone talking about their morning routine.
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Before you press play, you ask, what does this person do first in the morning?
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Now you listen you find the answer.
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Maybe you hear, first, I wake up and drink a glass of water.
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Oh, that's the answer.
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You got it.
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And then, this is important, you listen one more time.
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This second time, don't look for the answer, just enjoy it.
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Try to catch more words.
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Try to feel the rhythm of the language.
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Two listens, one question, five minutes.
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That is your listening practice done.
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Now I also want to give you a little tip here.
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If you can, find a transcript.
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A transcript is the written version of what someone is saying.
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A lot of YouTube videos have subtitles.
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That is a kind of transcript.
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Use it.
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There is no shame in reading while you listen.
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In fact, it helps your brain connect the sound of the word to the spelling of the word.
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That is incredibly powerful for beginners.
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OK, so that's part one.
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Five minutes of focused listening.
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You have a goal.
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You listen twice.
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You use subtitles or a transcript if you can.
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Let's move to part two.
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And this is the part that I think surprises people the most.
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Five minutes of speaking.
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I can already hear some of you.
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Mae, I said I don't have anyone to practice speaking with.
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That's why I'm listening to this episode.
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I hear you, but here is the secret.
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You don't need another person to practice speaking.
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You can speak alone.
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And it works.
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I promise you, it works.
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There's actually a name for this.
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It's called self-talk.
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Or you might hear people call it shadowing, or solo speaking practice.
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And language researchers have studied this, and they say it is one of the most effective ways to improve your speaking fluency.
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Why?
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Because when you speak, even alone, your mouth is practicing the movement of English sounds,
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your brain is practicing putting words together quickly, and your confidence is growing because you are doing it,
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not just thinking about doing it.
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So, how do you practice speaking alone?
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I have three favorite methods.
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Let me share them with you.
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Method 1 is called describe your day.
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This is exactly what it sounds like.
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You talk about your day out loud in English.
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You can do this in the morning, you can do it at night, you can do it while you're walking.
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You just say what you are doing, what you did, or what you are going to do.
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Simple sentences, short sentences.
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For example, today is Monday.
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I woke up at 7.
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I had coffee and a piece of toast.
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Then I got dressed.
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Now I am going to work.
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Simple.
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That's it.
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But here's the thing.
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When you say those words out loud, you are practicing real English,
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real grammar, real vocabulary, things like past tense, present tense, time words like then,
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now, after, and the more you do it, the faster and more natural it becomes.
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Method two is called talk to yourself in the mirror.
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Yes, go stand in front of your mirror and talk.
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I do this.
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My students do this.
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It feels a little strange at first, I know, but it is so good for you.
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Why the mirror?
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Because you can see your face.
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You can see your mouth moving.
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And, this is the important part, you can practice your expressions.
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English is not just words.
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It's also your face, your voice, your energy.
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When you practice in the mirror, you practice all of that together.
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What do you say?
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Anything.
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You can introduce yourself.
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Hi, my name is Mae.
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I'm from Thailand.
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I love learning languages.
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You can describe what you see.
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I see a person with long hair.
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She looks a little tired.
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She needs more coffee.
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You can even pretend you are in a situation.
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A job interview.
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A coffee shop.
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A conversation with a new friend.
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Just play.
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Have fun with it.
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Method 3 is my personal favorite.
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I call it the repeat and change method.
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Here's how it works.
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You take a sentence, any sentence, and you say it out loud.
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Then you change one word and say it again.
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Then you change another word and say it again.
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Let me show you.
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Start with I want to drink coffee.
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Now change one word to I want to drink tea.
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Change another word to I want to eat tea.
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Okay, that doesn't make sense.
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So change it back.
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I want to eat rice.
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I want to cook rice.
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She wants to cook rice.
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She wants to cook dinner.
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See what we're doing?
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We're building sentences.
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We're playing with grammar, and we're doing it by speaking out loud.
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This trains your brain to be flexible, to change and adjust quickly when you speak.
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Do this for five minutes.
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Set a timer on your phone, and just play with sentences.
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Okay, so we have covered part one, five minutes of listening, and part two, five minutes of speaking.
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You are doing great.
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Stay with me because part three is coming up and it is going to completely change how you learn vocabulary.
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Plus, I'm going to give you the full 15-minute daily schedule written out step by step
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so you know exactly what to do every single morning when you wake up.
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5 minutes of writing or reading.
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This is part 3.
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And I love this part because it is so flexible.
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You can do it anywhere.
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On the bus, in bed, at your desk, anywhere.
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Now I want to be clear about something.
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This is not study time.
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This is not open your grammar textbook and do exercises time.
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No, this is real, practical writing and reading, the kind that actually helps you use English in your life.
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Let me start with the writing side.
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Every day I want you to write just three to five sentences in English.
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That's it.
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Not a paragraph, not an essay, just three to five sentences about anything.
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You can write about your day.
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Today I felt tired.
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I had a busy morning.
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But I drank my coffee and felt better.
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Done.
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That is your writing practice.
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You can write about something you saw.
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I saw a funny dog on my walk today.
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It was wearing a little jacket.
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looked very serious.
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Perfect!
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That is great writing practice.
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You can write about how you feel.
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I feel nervous about speaking English.
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But I am trying every day.
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I am getting better.
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Do you see what's happening?
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When you write, you are thinking in English.
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Your brain is choosing words, building sentences, checking grammar all at the same time.
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And it does this quietly, naturally, without pressure.
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And here's a tip I tell all my beginners.
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Don't worry about being perfect.
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Don't stop and look up every single word.
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Just write.
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Write with what you know.
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Because writing with confidence is more important than writing perfectly.
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You can always fix mistakes later, but you cannot always get back the confidence you lose when you are too afraid to try.
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I really mean that.
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Please don't be afraid to make mistakes when you write.
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Mistakes are how you learn.
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Every single mistake is your brain figuring something out.
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Okay, now let's talk about reading.
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If writing feels hard for you right now, you can swap it for reading.
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Just five minutes of reading in English.
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But again, focused reading.
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Not just scrolling through an English social media post and moving on.
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Actually reading.
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Slowly, with attention.
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What should you read?
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For beginners, I recommend short, simple texts.
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Children's books in English are amazing.
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I know, I know, it sounds funny, but children's books use simple words, short sentences, and clear stories.
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They are perfect for building your reading confidence.
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You can also read simple news websites.
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There are websites called Easy English News or News in Levels.
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These are made especially for English learners.
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The vocabulary is simple, the sentences are short, and you're reading about real things happening in the world.
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Another great option is reading the captions or subtitles of something you already watched.
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You watched a video earlier for your listening practice, right?
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Now read the transcript.
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Read it slowly.
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Notice the words.
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Notice how the sentences are built.
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This is called recycling your content.
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You use the same material for listening and reading.
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And when you do that, your brain sees the language twice, once with your ears, once with your eyes.
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And that repetition is gold for learning.
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Now, I want to talk about something very important.
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Something that a lot of English learners forget.
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Vocabulary.
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Oh yes, vocabulary.
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Because you can practice listening, speaking, and writing every day.
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But if you don't build your vocabulary, you will always feel stuck.
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You will always feel like you know what you want to say, but you don't have the words.
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So here is how I want you to handle vocabulary inside your 15-minute practice.
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I want you to choose just one new word every day.
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One word.
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Not ten, not twenty.
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One.
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I can hear some of you saying, May, only one word?
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That's so slow.
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But listen to me.
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One word that you truly understand, truly remember, and truly use,
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that is worth more than 50 words you memorized and forgot.
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So every day, pick one word, learn what it means, say it out loud three times, write it in a sentence,
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and then, and this is the most important step, try to use it during your speaking practice.
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Let me show you how this works.
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Let's say today's word is exhausted.
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Exhausted means very, very tired.
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More than just tired.
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Your whole body is tired.
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Say it three times.
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Exhausted, exhausted, exhausted.
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Now write a sentence.
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After work, I felt exhausted.
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Simple, clear, good.
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Now use it in your speaking practice.
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When you describe your day, say it out loud.
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Yesterday, I was so exhausted.
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I came home and went straight to bed.
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See?
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Now that word is not just in your notebook.
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It is in your mouth.
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It is in your memory.
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And next time you need it, in a real conversation, in a message to a friend, it will come out naturally.
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That is how vocabulary really sticks.
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Okay, so now you have the full plan.
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Let me say it one more time, nice and clearly.
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Part 1.
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Five minutes of focused listening.
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Choose short content.
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Have a listening goal.
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One question you want to answer.
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Listen twice.
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Use subtitles or a transcript if you can.
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Part 2.
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Five minutes of speaking alone.
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Pick one method.
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Describe your day, talk in the mirror, or play the repeat and change sentence game.
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Speak out loud.
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Don't whisper.
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Use your real voice.
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Part 3.
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Five minutes of writing or reading.
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Write three to five simple sentences about anything.
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Or read something short and simple.
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Recycle your listening content if you can.
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And every single day, choose one new word.
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Learn it, say it, write it, use it.
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Five, five, five.
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Fifteen minutes, one word a day.
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That is your plan.
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Now, I want to talk about something that I think is just as important as the practice itself.
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And that is your mindset. Because here's the truth.
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A lot of English learners start with a great plan.
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They feel excited on day one.
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Day two is still good.
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Day three, maybe.
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Day four, hmm.
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Day five, they skip.
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Day six, they feel guilty.
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Day 7, they give up.
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Does this sound familiar?
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Please don't feel bad.
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This happens to almost everyone.
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It's not because you're lazy.
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It's not because you're bad at English.
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It's because you didn't build a habit yet.
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A habit is something you do without thinking, like brushing your teeth.
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You don't wake up every morning and say, hmm, should I brush my teeth today?
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You just do it, because it is a habit.
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That is what we want English practice to become for you.
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A habit.
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Something small, easy, and automatic.
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And the secret to building a habit is this.
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Attach it to something you already do.
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This is called habit stacking, and it is so powerful.
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For example, every morning you drink coffee, right?
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So you say, After I make my coffee, I do my five minutes of listening.
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Every evening, you wash your face before bed.
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So you say, While I wash my face, I talk to myself in the mirror in English.
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Every lunch break, you eat alone.
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So you say, While I eat, I read five minutes of English.
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See?
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You are not adding something new to your day, you are just plugging English practice into moments that already exist.
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That's it?
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That's it!
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Small, easy, sustainable.
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And I want you to remember this.
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Consistency beats intensity every time.
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It is better to practice for 15 minutes every day than to practice for 3 hours once a week.
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Because your brain learns language through repetition over time, not through one big stressful session.
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Think of it like watering a plant.
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If you water a plant a little bit every day, it grows.
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If you dump a huge bucket of water on it once a week and then forget it, it struggles.
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Your English is the plant.
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Water it every day, just a little, and watch it grow.
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OK, we're getting close to the end, and I want to leave you with one final thought.
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A lot of English learners wait.
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They wait until they feel ready.
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They wait until they have more time.
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They wait until their English is good enough to start practicing.
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But here's what I want you to know.
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You will never feel ready.
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Waiting does not build confidence.
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Doing builds confidence.
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Every time you open your mouth and speak English, even alone, even quietly, even with mistakes,
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you are becoming a better English speaker.
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Every single time.
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So, today, not tomorrow, not Monday, not when things are less busy,
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today I want you to try your 15 minutes.
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Five minutes of listening, five minutes of speaking, five minutes of writing or reading.
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You have the plan, you have the tools, and now you have absolutely no excuse.
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I say that with so much love.
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You can do this.
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I believe in you, and I will be here, every episode, cheering you on.
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Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
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I'm May from Speak English with Jay and May.
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Keep practicing, keep going, and I will see you in the next episode.
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Bye for now!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 409 sentences and 3142 words to shadow. The speech runs for 24:06. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (noun) — A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
- habit /ˈhæb.ɪt/ (noun) — An action performed on a regular basis.
- exhaust /ɪɡˈzɔst/ (verb) — To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely.
- mirror /ˈmiɹɚ/ (noun) — A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
- transcript /ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/ (noun) — Something which has been transcribed; a writing or composition consisting of the same words as the original; a written copy.
- grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ (noun) — A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
- beginner /bəˈɡɪnɚ/ (noun) — Someone who is just starting at something, or has only recently started.
- naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ (adverb) — In a natural manner.
- desk /dɛsk/ (noun) — A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a…
- brush /bɹʌʃ/ (noun) — An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including…
- quietly /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ (adverb) — Producing little or no noise.
- fifteen /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ (noun) — An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut.
- flexible /ˈflɛk.sɪ.bəl/ (adjective) — Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking; able to be turned or twisted without breaking.
- tense /tɛns/ (noun) — The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
- scroll /skɹoʊl/ (noun) — A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.
- look for (verb) — To seek.
- play with (verb) — To fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.
- speak out (verb) — To assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.
- think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
- book in (verb) — To check in (to a hotel).
- come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ (verb) — To be discovered; to be revealed.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 40 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brush /bɹʌʃ/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, caption /ˈkæp.ʃən/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, automatic /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like vocabulary, habit, exhaust.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be amazed · is called · are made |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have studied · have covered |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | practice speaking · love learning · practice listening |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should you listen · should you read · should I brush |
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.