Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Your Studies in English - Learn Spoken English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, I'm Sam.
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Hi, I'm Sam.
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Welcome to Oxford Online English.
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In this lesson, you can learn to talk about your studies in English.
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Are you a student?
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Do you study at school or university?
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If you’ve finished your studies, can you describe what you studied, when and where?
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Talking about your studies could help you in conversation, in an exam such as IELTS or in a job interview, so it’s good to be able to talk clearly about your studies in English.
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Let's start with the basics.
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Look at a simple sentence: I’m a student.
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I study at __________.
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What could you put in the gap?
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You could say: I study at high school.
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I study at university.
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I study at vocational college.
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What’s vocational college?
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It’s a kind of college where you can learn practical skills to get one specific kind of job.
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For example, you can study hairdressing, plumbing, or cookery at vocational college.
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You can also put the place before the word student, like this: I’m a high school student.
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I’m a university student.
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I’m a vocational college student.
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Of course, you can also say: I’m an English student!
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What else could you say here?
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You could also add what year you’re in.
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Look at some incomplete sentences: I’m in __________ of high school.
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I’m a __________ university student.
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How could you complete these sentences?
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You could say: I’m in year 11 of high school.
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I’m a first-year university student.
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For school, we normally talk about year 1, year 2, year 3, etc.
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Because different countries have different school systems, different numbers can have different meanings in different places.
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In American English, say grade instead of year.
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In the UK, year 1 is for children who are 4-5 years old, and the school system finishes with year 13, when students are 17-18 years old.
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For university, you can say first year, second year, third year and final year.
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For example: I’m in my final year.
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I’ll graduate in June.
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It’s my second year.
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I’ve got two more years to go.
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What about you?
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If you’re a student now, can you make a sentence to say where you study, and what year you’re in?
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Pause the video.
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and practice!
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Next, let’s see how you can talk about what you study.
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Again, let’s start with a simple sentence: I’m studying for __________.
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What could you say here?
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Look at some examples: I’m studying for an International Baccalaureate. I’m studying for a bachelor’s in economics.
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I’m studying for an MA in English literature.
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Instead of I’m studying for…, you can also say I’m doing…, like this: I’m doing a PhD in cryptography.
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I’m doing an FCE course.
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If you’re taking a professional certification, you can also say I’m studying to become… For example: I’m studying to become a cardiology nurse.
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I’m studying to become an accountant.
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What about you?
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What are you studying?
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Pause the video and make a sentence!
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Okay, you can say a couple of basic things now.
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Let’s see how you can make your answer more detailed.
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Look at some of the sentences we saw in part two: I’m studying for an International Baccalaureate.
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I’m doing an FCE course.
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I’m studying to become an accountant.
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Our job is to add one more sentence to each example, giving more details.
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To help you do this, think about these questions: What do you have to do for this course?
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Why are you doing this course?
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What do you hope to get at the end of this course?
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Can you think of a way to make our examples more detailed?
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Pause if you want to think about it.
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Let’s do some examples together: I’m studying for an International Baccalaureate.
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That means I’m doing English language and literature, maths, history and philosophy.
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I’m doing an FCE course.
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I wanted to improve my English because I’d like to work in Australia or New Zealand in the future.
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I’m studying to become an accountant.
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I’m hoping to get my CPA qualification so I can start working.
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What about you?
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Think about our questions again: Can you answer these questions to make your speaking more detailed?
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Pause the video, and try to say as much as you can about your studies, using the three questions to help you.
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Hopefully, now you can talk about where and what you study and give some details.
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But what do you think of your studies?
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How could you describe your course or whatever you’re studying now?
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Do you like what you’re studying?
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Why or why not?
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To help you, think about these ideas.
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Is what you’re studying interesting or boring?
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Why? Is it difficult or easy?
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Again, try to explain why!
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Let’s do some examples together: I’m studying for an International Baccalaureate.
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I like it but it’s hard work, because we have to do five different subjects and there’s a lot of work for each one, so I don’t have much free time.
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I’m doing an FCE course.
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It’s quite interesting because I have to use my English in new ways, and having the exam to prepare for gives me the motivation to study more than I would otherwise.
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I’m studying to become an accountant.
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To be honest it’s very easy and I find it quite boring.
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I can already do everything—I just need the qualification!
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Do you think you could make an answer like this?
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Here’s a basic template you can use: I’m studying __________.
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I find it __________, because __________.
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Let’s do one more example, so you can see how to use this template: I’m studying engineering.
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I find it quite hard, because there’s a lot of maths and things you have to remember.
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See? Easy! Now pause the video and make your own answer.
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At this point, you should be able to talk about what you study, give details about your course or subjects, and give your opinion about what you’re studying.
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Now, let’s put everything together and make a longer answer.
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Just use the sentences you’ve practised in the previous sections, like this: I’m in my last year of high school.
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I’m studying for an International Baccalaureate.
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That means I’m doing English language and literature, maths, history and philosophy.
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I like it but it’s hard work, because we have to do five different subjects and there’s a lot of work for each one, so I don’t have much free time.
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That’s an answer only using examples you’ve already seen in this video.
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Let’s do another longer answer with original examples: I’m a second-year university student.
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I’m studying psychology, because I’ve always been interested in how people think, and I’m hoping to work as a psychologist in the future.
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I’m really enjoying it and I find it quite easy, because everything’s so interesting that it doesn’t feel like work!
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Now, what about you?
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Can you make a longer answer like this?
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It should be easy: just put together the example sentences you made at the end of each section!
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If you want, put your answers in the YouTube comments and we’ll give you feedback on your English.
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That's the end of the lesson. I hope you learned something new.
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You can see more of our free English lessons at Oxford Online English dot com.
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See you next time!

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will enhance your ability to talk about your studies in English. Whether you are currently a student or have completed your studies, being able to describe your educational background clearly can be beneficial in everyday conversations, exams like the IELTS, or even job interviews. You'll practice constructing sentences about where you study, what year you are in, and what qualifications or courses you are pursuing. This will enable you to speak confidently and fluently about your academic journey.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • I’m a student. - A basic introduction to your status as a learner.
  • I study at __________. - A structure to talk about your educational institution.
  • I’m in year __________. - A way to express your current level in school.
  • I’m studying for __________. - A phrase to discuss your current educational goals.
  • I’m doing __________. - An alternative way to convey what you are studying.
  • I’m studying to become __________. - A phrase used when discussing career-focused studies.
  • Vocational college - An institution focused on practical skills for specific careers.
  • International Baccalaureate - A globally recognized educational program.

Practice Tips

To effectively use the shadowing technique for this lesson, find a quiet space where you can concentrate. Start by watching the video at a slow speed, focusing on Sam's pronunciation and tone. Repeat each sentence after him, mimicking his voice as closely as possible. This will help you internalize the phrases used to discuss educational backgrounds.

Since the dialogue is clear and informative, practice shadowing the sentences multiple times, gradually increasing the speed as you become more comfortable. Engage in IELTS speaking practice by using the vocabulary learned to form your own sentences. You might say, "I’m a first-year university student studying for a bachelor’s in economics." This not only helps build your speaking skills but also boosts your confidence in using English in various contexts.

Finally, to maximize your learning, use the video’s transcript as a script to practice. Read aloud, and record yourself to assess your pronunciation and fluency. This method can significantly enhance your speaking abilities, reinforcing the lessons learned from this video as you learn English with YouTube.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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