Shadowing Practice: How to start thinking in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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If you're struggling with speaking English, it might be because you are translating everything in your head.
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So let me give you a test.
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Just answer this question here.
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What has been the best part of your day so far?
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Okay, so when you went to answer that, did you think of your answer in your native language and then translate it to English and then speak in English?
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Or did you think of your answer in English
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and then speak in English? because for most learners it will be the first one
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because that is just how you are taught.
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However, if you want speaking to feel easier and more natural and just more enjoyable as well, then we need to change that.
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And here's why.
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So when you're speaking and you have to translate everything in your head, it just adds this extra mental step.
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And that's why when people are speaking English as a second language, quite often they will have these long pauses.
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So they'll be speaking, speaking, speaking.
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and that's because it's during this time during these pauses
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that they are translating in their head and I bet
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when you are speaking your native language you don't pause anywhere
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near as much of course some pauses are natural however it won't be to the same extent
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and that's because you are thinking in your native language and then speaking in your native language you're not translating everything.
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Now another problem with translating and not thinking in the language is
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that especially in English some words or expressions just won't have direct translations.
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So not only will you have these long pauses to worry about
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but when you do finally manage to speak it may not sound that natural.
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Now I'm not saying all of this to make you feel bad.
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As mentioned when you start learning a language you have to learn by translating.
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There is no other way okay.
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It's just that I know it can be extremely frustrating if you've been studying for years
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and you still don't feel 100% confident or natural when you are speaking that language.
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To be honest with you, with listening you can get away with translating for the most part, but when it comes to speaking you need your English brain.
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So I'm just going to show you how you can get that, how you can develop your English brain
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and therefore how you can finally start to speak English more naturally and more confidently as well.
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And it's actually very easy.
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Basically, you just need to immerse yourself in English, okay?
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You need to surround yourself in it.
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Now, I'm not saying that you have to suddenly move to the UK in order to do this.
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You just need to create an environment where you are regularly seeing, hearing, and using English throughout your day.
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Okay, so the important thing here when it comes to consuming content is
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that you need to be able to understand most of it.
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Not all of it, but most of it.
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So let's say that you are watching a video, right?
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And you have to pause every 10 seconds in order to translate a word.
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It's probably too difficult.
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And you're better off finding a video where you don't have to constantly translate all of these words.
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Now, let's say that you do find a word that you don't know the meaning of, okay?
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So, for example, you're watching a video and the guy says, I'm absolutely shattered after doing all of that work last night.
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And let's say that you don't know what this word shattered means.
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instead of translating it, I want you to just keep watching and try to gather from the context what it could mean.
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Okay, so let's say that this person looks tired and you know they've done all this work, so you could probably guess that the word shattered means tired.
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Then you hear someone else say it again next week, maybe your colleague, maybe one of your friends, or maybe you're just watching something on YouTube, and then you hear it again.
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And eventually, when you hear this word shattered, you don't think of the translation of your language.
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Maybe you don't even need to know what it means in your language.
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But instead you hear shattered and you just know the meaning in English.
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You just know the feeling of this word.
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Now, I know that sounds a bit hippie.
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Oh, yeah, man, you just gotta feel the vibes, you know.
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But to be honest with you, that's exactly what we want.
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Because if you're doing this, it means that you are finding a direct connection between English
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and the meaning of the word without having your native language in the middle, without having to keep constantly translating.
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And that is how you build your English brain
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and that's how you start speaking without needing to translate in your head first.
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So that's the best way of consuming English but you are also going to have to practice using it as well.
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And thankfully you can start doing this right away by yourself at home, right?
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And the easiest way is just to kind of narrate what you are doing in that moment.
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So start speaking out loud and describing what you're doing.
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Maybe you're making a coffee.
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You might say, okay I'm making some coffee.
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I need some milk.
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Where is the milk?
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Oh, it's here.
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Okay, now I need a mug.
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Where are the mugs?
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Okay.
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Now, if you're walking somewhere, you might try to describe what you can see.
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So maybe you want to do this when there is no one else around because you're going to be speaking out loud.
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You can do it in your head as well.
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But for speaking, it's best to actually speak out loud, obviously.
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So you might be saying, Oh, wow, that's a nice tree.
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Oh, that looks like the tree I have back in my home country.
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Oh, wow, it's very hot today.
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Did I put sunblock on?
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Those are the thoughts that I have.
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Anyway, now at first I want you to keep this very simple.
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It doesn't have to be this crazy complicated conversation with yourself.
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The goal is simply just to have periods of your day where you are exclusively thinking and speaking in English.
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Now I know that might sound challenging so honestly just start small.
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Start with just 10 minutes a day.
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10 minutes where you are exclusively thinking in English, you are watching in English, you are listening in English, you are speaking in English,
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then gradually I want you to make these periods of time longer.
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Now, another important tip here is
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when you don't know how to say something try not to immediately translate it in your head.
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You want to keep your brain in English.
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So let's say you don't know the word kettle for example the thing that you use to boil the water.
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Instead of trying to find the translation instead just say something
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like okay now I need to turn on the thing I use to boil the water so just keep it in English.
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It really does not have to be perfect.
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The main thing is that you are keeping your brain in English.
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You're not translating.
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And that means the next time that someone asks you a question like, So, what has been the best part of your day so far?
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You can simply say in English without having to translate,
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The best part of my day so far has been watching Dylan from British Education explain how to train my English brain.
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That's my name, by the way.
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I'm Dylan, if you're new here.
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So those are the most effective ways of consuming and using English in order to develop your English learning brain.
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Now if you are looking for the fastest
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and easiest way to instantly build an English learning environment I'd recommend joining my private online community
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and that's because you get eight live calls and lessons every single week covering speaking and vocabulary and accent training.
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You get daily posts and messages and support and tips
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and most importantly you are surrounded by a group of people who are also learning English.
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Okay, so it's the perfect English learning environment.
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So you can join right away.
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There's a seven-day free trial and the link is in the top comment.
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The trial won't last much longer, but that basically means you can try a full week in the community and you don't need to pay anything.
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Okay, so definitely check that out.
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And finally, if you are looking to further immerse yourself in English with my videos, I'd recommend checking out this playlist here.
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It's a fun one.
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All right, guys, thank you so much for watching.
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I'll see some of you inside of the community and I'll see the rest of you in another video very soon.
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Cheers.
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Why Thinking in English Matters for Fluent Speaking
Many English learners struggle with natural speech because they translate from their native language, leading to long pauses and awkward phrasing. The video explains that this extra mental step makes speaking feel hard—while in your first language, you think and speak without translating. Plus, English has unique words and expressions that don’t have direct translations, so translating can make you sound unnatural. But the good news? You can develop an "English brain" to speak more confidently, and it’s easier than you think.
Top 5 Phrases to Start Thinking in English
- "What has been the best part of your day so far?" (A great daily question to practice thinking in English.)
- "I'm absolutely shattered after doing all that work." (Learn "shattered" as "tired" through context, not translation.)
- "I need to immerse myself in English." (Key for building your English brain.)
- "Surround yourself with English daily." (No need to move abroad—create your own environment.)
- "Understand most, not all, of the content." (Choose materials that fit your level to avoid constant translation.)
Step-by-Step Guide to Start Thinking in English (and Improve Shadowing)
Ready to build your English brain? Follow these simple steps for better english speaking practice and shadow speak skills:
1. Immerse Yourself in Understandable English
Surround yourself with English daily—watch videos, listen to podcasts, or read articles where you understand most of the content. If you pause every 10 seconds to translate, it’s too hard. Find material that feels comfortable, so you can focus on absorbing instead of translating.
2. Learn Words Through Context, Not Translation
When you hear a new word (like "shattered"), guess its meaning from the situation. If someone looks tired and says they’re "shattered," you’ll figure out it means "tired." Over time, you’ll recognize it without translating—perfect for improve english pronunciation and fluency.
3. Practice Shadowing Daily
Use a shadowing site or simple videos to mimic speech. Play a short clip, pause, and repeat it aloud, copying the tone and rhythm. This trains your brain to think and speak in English at the same time, making your speech more natural. Start with 5 minutes a day—consistency is key!
With these steps, you’ll soon notice fewer pauses and more confidence. Remember: your English brain grows with use—so keep immersing, guessing, and shadowing, and you’ll be speaking naturally in no time!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | you've been studying · has been watching |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · they've done |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are taught · are surrounded |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · the most part · the easiest |
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.