Shadowing Practice: How to Speak a New Language with Confidence - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
Hi everybody!
270 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hi everybody!
2
Welcome back to my channel.
3
I hope you've been doing great.
4
I missed you so much.
5
Today we're talking about confidence when learning and practicing a new language.
6
So, if you're an English learner,
7
let me guess something about you.
8
You understand a lot in English,
9
you read articles, you listen to podcasts,
10
you watch videos, you study grammar,
11
you do vocabulary lists, but when it's time to speak, you freeze.
12
Everything disappears.
13
You speak perfectly in your brain but whenever somebody asks you a simple question it feels like your brain just goes empty.
14
You know the words, you just can't say them.
15
It feels like you forgot everything you knew.
16
Well if this happens to you,
17
trust me, you are not alone.
18
I get these comments every single day so a lot of people struggle with this.
19
So I want to show you five things you can do to make your language learning easier and to feel more confident.
20
And this is not just theory.
21
These are the things that I did when I was learning English and that my students do as well.
22
Plus, these are real things that you can start doing today.
23
All right, step one, the everybody's watching me illusion.
24
Most language learners think that everybody is judging them.
25
Everybody's analyzing their speech.
26
Everybody's paying attention to their grammar,
27
their vocabulary, how well they said something,
28
how they structured a certain sentence.
29
So the moment they say one sentence,
30
they immediately start thinking, did I say that right?
31
Did I say that wrong?
32
Did I pronounce everything correctly?
33
Was my grammar okay?
34
Did they understand me?
35
But here's something very funny.
36
Most people are not analyzing you.
37
They are analyzing themselves, just like you are analyzing yourself.
38
They're thinking, what are they going to say next?
39
What is something that they wanted to maybe ask you?
40
What they forgot to buy at the supermarket?
41
In fact, most people are actually impressed when somebody speaks another language.
42
Imagine someone speaking your language with an accent.
43
Do you start judging them or do you think,
44
wow, that's really cool, right?
45
So the pressure you feel while speaking a different language is much,
46
much higher in your mind than in reality.
47
Step two, the silent learner trap.
48
A lot of people spend years learning a language silently.
49
They watch videos, they study grammar,
50
they read books, they analyze complicated articles,
51
but they almost never speak.
52
It's like trying to learn how to swim by watching videos and reading books about swimming.
53
At some point, you have to get into the water and your brain needs practice turning thoughts into words.
54
And the only way to train that skill is by speaking.
55
Even if it's messy, even if you pause,
56
even if you make mistakes,
57
speaking is not the result of learning.
58
Speaking is part of the learning process.
59
And speaking confidence doesn't come from studying.
60
It comes from real conversations with real people.
61
So no matter what you learn and how much you learn,
62
you have to put that into practice.
63
Describe the things around you.
64
Talk about what you see.
65
Talk about how are you feeling today.
66
Talk about your goals.
67
Talk about your opinions on something.
68
Start journaling.
69
All of these things you can do by yourself at home,
70
kind of like a warmup.
71
If you study for five minutes,
72
then spend 15 to practice what you learned.
73
Confidence comes from repetition and studying for a few minutes doesn't actually give you the confidence that you now own that knowledge.
74
It's just information.
75
It's just something that you read about.
76
You need to build this habit and strengthen your brain and train your muscles just like going to the gym.
77
Unfortunately, we cannot read a book or study about working out and all of a sudden become fit.
78
So there are many ways to practice English,
79
but one of the most efficient and powerful ones is to speak to native speakers,
80
of course, because that gives you a completely different level of confidence for comprehension, listening, and speaking.
81
And if you're wondering where you can find someone to fit your schedule and your budget,
82
I highly recommend italki, who is also kindly sponsoring today's video.
83
Italki is an online language learning platform where you can take
84
personalized one-on-one lessons with native speaking teachers from all over the world.
85
This way you can have conversations that actually improve your listening and speaking skills at the same time.
86
And whatever language you've been dreaming of learning,
87
italki will probably have it because they offer over 150 different languages.
88
I recently started learning Spanish so here's a clip from my first lesson on italki with a native Spanish speaker from Spain.
89
Thank you so much.
90
Gracias.
91
De nada, Rudika.
92
No pasa nada.
93
Verbos regulares.
94
The verbs that ends with R.
95
So yeah it's a lot to work.
96
Sounds exciting.
97
So we have yo, tu, el, ella.
98
So for example we have bailar that is to dance.
99
How can we conjugate it in present for I?
100
Yo bailaron?
101
No. First of all, don't worry.
102
So first thing, we need to delete AR.
103
As you can see, what makes italki lessons really effective is that you can get real-time feedback.
104
The teachers can work on your mistakes right away so you improve as you speak.
105
Plus, you pay per lesson so there's no long-term commitment.
106
If speaking fluency is your goal, I highly recommend italki.
107
You can click the link in the description below
108
and use my promo code to get $5 off on your first lesson when you spend $10.
109
But the discount is only available for the first 50 users,
110
so hurry up and grab it.
111
So big thanks to italki for sponsoring this video and for supporting so many language learners all over the world, including myself.
112
Now let's continue with the third tip to improve your confidence.
113
Step three, the simple sentence secret.
114
One thing I see all the time with my students is they try to speak in very complicated sentences.
115
And honestly, it makes sense.
116
A lot of English learners think that in order to sound fluent,
117
you have to speak with a very advanced vocabulary.
118
So when they speak, they don't just try to communicate,
119
but they try to impress.
120
They start thinking, okay, how do I say this the absolute best way?
121
How do I make this sound smart?
122
What's the most correct way of saying this?
123
And while they're doing all that mental work, the conversation keeps moving.
124
The other person probably already changed the subject and the moment's gone.
125
And now they feel behind,
126
awkward, and even more nervous to continue.
127
But native and fluent speakers actually do something very different.
128
They do not try to build the perfect sentence every time they open their mouth.
129
They focus on saying the idea quickly, clearly, and naturally.
130
And that's the real difference.
131
Fluency is not about delivering the most beautiful sentence.
132
It's about being able to respond fast without freezing.
133
So instead of saying, I would like to elaborate on my perspective regarding this topic,
134
you say, I think that because instead of trying to sound advanced,
135
you choose words that you can deliver fast.
136
And that's such an important shift because that is real fluency.
137
Plus, when your sentences are kept simpler,
138
your brain has less pressure going on.
139
You don't have to search for the perfect grammar structure.
140
You don't have to panic about vocabulary.
141
You don't have to build a giant sentence in your head before you say something.
142
You just speak.
143
And that's where confidence starts to grow.
144
Because confidence doesn't come from trying to sound impressive.
145
It comes from actually being able to open your mouth and express yourself quickly.
146
Simple sentences create fast communication.
147
Fast communication creates smoother conversations and smoother conversations make you feel confident automatically.
148
So if you want to speak a language more confidently,
149
stop asking yourself, how do I sound more advanced?
150
Start asking, how can I say this the easiest,
151
fastest way possible for me?
152
Give yourself permission to speak simply at first.
153
Simple is not bad English.
154
Simple is often real English.
155
And simple is what helps you become fluent faster.
156
Okay, step four, your brain needs speaking reps.
157
Confidence in speaking works almost like going to the gym.
158
First time you go to the gym, everything feels awkward.
159
You don't know what you're doing.
160
You don't know any of the machines.
161
Your body feels stiff and you're very self-conscious.
162
And even the smallest exercises can feel weird at first.
163
But if you keep going, something changes.
164
After repeating the same exercises over and over again,
165
your body starts understanding them.
166
They stop feeling foreign, they stop feeling uncomfortable,
167
and eventually they start feeling natural.
168
So speaking a language works in a very similar way.
169
A lot of people think that confidence comes first and then they will start speaking more.
170
But it's the opposite.
171
You become confident because you've repeated speaking so many times that your brain starts to feel safe doing it.
172
That's why just studying English is often not enough.
173
You can read grammar, you can watch videos,
174
you can learn vocabulary, you can understand a lot.
175
But if you're not actually using your mouth,
176
your brain will never develop the skill of speaking in real time.
177
And speaking in real time is a completely different skill because when you speak,
178
your brain has to do a lot very fast.
179
It has to find the words,
180
it has to build the sentence,
181
it has to move your mouth,
182
you have to listen to yourself,
183
and you have to keep going without freezing.
184
That's a lot.
185
And if you don't practice that process regularly,
186
of course speaking will feel hard.
187
Not because you're bad at English,
188
not because you're not confident enough,
189
but because your brain simply hasn't had enough speaking reps yet.
190
And that's actually good news because that means that confidence is trainable.
191
One of the best things you can do is actually very simple.
192
Talk out loud during your day.
193
Not only during a lesson,
194
not only when you're studying,
195
but in your everyday boring life.
196
For example, I am putting this t-shirt on.
197
I am making a coffee right now.
198
I need to send this email.
199
Oh, I hate this colleague of mine.
200
Oh, they never do their job properly.
201
Oh, it's really sunny outside.
202
I should go for a walk.
203
I'm a little bit hungry.
204
Let me go make myself a sandwich and so on and so forth.
205
It sounds almost too simple to matter,
206
but trust me, this is one of the most powerful practices you can do because what you're training is not perfect English.
207
You're training speed and you're training comfort and you're training your brain to turn your thoughts into spoken English automatically.
208
Trust me, confident speakers are not always the people with the best grammar.
209
Most often, these are just the people whose brains are more used to producing English quickly.
210
That's it.
211
They've had more repetitions.
212
They've had more moments to open their mouths,
213
more moments of trying, more moments of saying something,
214
even if it was wrong.
215
And every one of those moments taught their brains that it's okay to say that,
216
it's safe, nothing terrible happens if you open your mouth and speak this language.
217
That's why speaking out loud to yourself is not silly.
218
It's not fake practice.
219
It's one of the smartest,
220
most efficient, and easiest things you can do.
221
Repetition is key.
222
So if speaking still feels uncomfortable for you,
223
don't take this as a sign that you're not good in English.
224
Take it as a sign that you simply need more reps.
225
Because the more often you use English out loud,
226
the less scary it feels and the more confident you become.
227
Real confidence is being able to say what you want,
228
when you want, without freezing, hesitating, or panicking.
229
Step five, prepare emergency sentences.
230
There's one small trick that could make conversations in a new language much less stressful.
231
And that is preparing a few emergency sentences.
232
These are simple phrases you can use whenever your brain freezes.
233
For example, that's a good question.
234
Let me think for a second.
235
I love that you brought that up.
236
I'm not too sure how to explain this.
237
That's an excellent point you made there.
238
So these sentences do something very powerful.
239
They buy you time.
240
Instead of panicking and staying silent,
241
you keep the conversation moving while your brain organizes the next sentence.
242
And native speakers do this all the time.
243
Try to pay attention to that.
244
They say things like, hmm, that's interesting.
245
Wow, let me think about it for a second.
246
So if you prepare a few of these emergency phrases,
247
then you'll feel much more confident going into a conversation
248
because you will know how to fill these awkward moments when you're not really sure what you're going to say next.
249
And then because you are a little bit more relaxed,
250
the conversation becomes easier.
251
We don't like nerves around here.
252
We don't like stress.
253
We don't like anxiety.
254
So confidence when speaking a new language doesn't suddenly appear and people are definitely not born with it.
255
It grows slowly, one step at a time.
256
You're just not there to see everybody's journeys and how they go through it.
257
Confidence grows like a snowball and every little speaking moment makes the snowball bigger and bigger.
258
So if you want to feel more confident speaking a new language,
259
remember these five things.
260
Most people are not judging you.
261
Don't fall into the silent learner trap.
262
Keep your sentences simple.
263
Train your brain with speaking repetitions and prepare emergency sentences.
264
Speaking a language is not about perfection, it's about communication.
265
And the more you use the language,
266
the more confident you become.
267
Okay, so now I'm curious.
268
What language are you currently learning and what is the hardest part about speaking it?
269
All right, thank you so much for watching and see you in the next video.
270
Bye!
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
Why practice speaking with this video?
Speaking a new language can often be challenging, but practicing with this video provides a unique opportunity to build your confidence. By following the practical tips shared, you can shift your focus from the fear of speaking to the enjoyment of communication. One common scenario many English learners face is the fear of being judged while speaking. This video emphasizes that most people are more concerned with their own thoughts than analyzing your language skills, helping to alleviate that anxiety. Engaging with the content allows you to actively participate and improve your English speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker uses several key structures that can enhance your English fluency. Notable expressions include:
- "Let me think for a second." This phrase serves as a helpful pause filler, allowing you to maintain the flow of conversation while organizing your thoughts.
- "I love that you brought that up." This expression demonstrates an appreciation for the other person's input, which can foster a more engaging dialogue.
- "That’s an interesting point." Acknowledging the speaker’s remarks with such phrases encourages a two-way conversation, making it easier to follow up and contribute further.
Incorporating these expressions into your speaking can make your conversations more natural and fluid, essential for IELTS speaking practice as well.
Common Pronunciation Traps
One of the significant challenges for English learners lies in pronunciation, particularly with common phrases that may be used in conversational contexts. For example, the phrase "that's a good question" can sometimes lead to mispronunciation of "good," particularly with different regional accents. Additionally, words like "sentence" and "practice" may often be pronounced incorrectly. Practicing these phrases using shadowing techniques, such as employing a shadowing app or a dedicated shadowing site, can help you improve your fluency and confidence in speaking.
Listening closely to native speakers and mirroring their pronunciation can significantly assist your language learning journey. Engage in daily practice and repetition to overcome these common hurdles, as mastery comes with time and effort. Remember: the more you practice, the more natural speaking will feel, leading you to achieve your language goals!
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.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏