Shadowing Practice: How to THINK in English (and why you must) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
You're never going to become fluent in English if you keep making this mistake.
219 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
You're never going to become fluent in English if you keep making this mistake.
2
You need to stop translating in your head from your own language into English.
3
You need to start thinking directly in English.
4
And that's why in today's video,
5
I want to talk to you about why this happens,
6
why it's a bad thing to translate from your own language into English,
7
and how you can start thinking directly in English.
8
Now, before we start, let's talk about why this is actually a problem.
9
Why shouldn't you translate from your own language into English?
10
Now, think about this.
11
If you're like most students, you have translated.
12
You have done this before.
13
You want to say something.
14
You have an idea.
15
you translate that idea into English,
16
you look for the correct grammar,
17
you look for the correct vocabulary,
18
maybe even pronunciation, and then finally you say it.
19
You say it out loud in English.
20
And what happens is it slows you down.
21
It's unnecessary.
22
You're creating this unnecessary step and we don't want that because you should be able to speak just like that
23
right without having to actually think about the mechanical side of the language you want to get rid of
24
that extra step because it's not natural it's not a natural way of speaking you don't do this in your native language.
25
You don't even think about language when you're speaking your native language.
26
So why should it be any different in English?
27
And obviously there is the problem of,
28
well, grammar in certain languages is completely different from grammar in English.
29
Some words in other languages don't have a translation in English.
30
So yes, it's obviously going to slow you down if you translate,
31
but in some cases it might not even be possible to translate from your own language into English.
32
It might be totally incorrect.
33
So forget translation.
34
Forget that.
35
You need to think directly in English without worrying about the mechanics of the language.
36
Now I want to talk to you about how you can actually do this.
37
How do you think directly in English?
38
How do you make speaking English something natural,
39
something comfortable, something that you don't need to think about?
40
Well, in English we have an expression.
41
Fake it it till you make it.
42
Fake it till you make it.
43
It means you pretend to do something until eventually after you do it a lot,
44
you got it.
45
You've made it.
46
You've succeeded.
47
Okay?
48
Fake it till you make it, we say.
49
And what I want you to do is fake being a native speaker.
50
Fake being a native English speaker.
51
Now the reason why your native language is so natural to you is
52
because your whole world when you grew up was in that language.
53
Your whole environment was in your native language.
54
And when you learn a second language or a third language,
55
which might be English or another language,
56
suddenly you have a different environment.
57
It's not the same.
58
Your parents might not speak it.
59
Your friends might not speak it.
60
You still do things in your native language.
61
And when I say fake it till you make it,
62
I mean pretend you're a native English speaker and live your life like a native English speaker would.
63
Surround yourself with the English language.
64
Think about what a native English speaker would do in the morning when he or she wakes up.
65
They'd turn on their phone.
66
Their phone would be in English.
67
Put your phone in English.
68
They would go get ready for the day.
69
Maybe they would watch YouTube as they brush their teeth in English.
70
Maybe they would turn on the radio as they prepared breakfast.
71
The radio would be in English.
72
Everything in their life would be in English.
73
Because that's their native language.
74
And since they're exposed to the language,
75
since they're surrounded by the language, it's natural to them.
76
They don't need to think about it.
77
They just speak.
78
And that's the key.
79
That is the key to becoming fluent in a language.
80
Surrounding yourself with the language.
81
Making the language part of you.
82
Part of your life.
83
If you don't do this,
84
it will always just be a school subject.
85
It will always be something that you have to study,
86
that you have to think about.
87
It will never be part of you.
88
So as I said, fake it till you make it.
89
Do the things that a native English speaker would do in their life.
90
It's not rocket science.
91
If you do the same things a native English speaker does to learn the language,
92
to live their life, then you can achieve the same results.
93
It's very simple.
94
And I think a lot of students forget this.
95
They're too focused on the textbook.
96
They're too focused on conjugation tables.
97
they're too focused on all these academic things
98
and I think a big problem
99
or a big part of this problem is the school system
100
because in school
101
when you learned English you probably learned in a very unnatural
102
way you probably divided your day into one hour of English and you sat down you read a textbook,
103
you did some exercises for that one hour.
104
And then after the class was over,
105
you switched into your own language,
106
which is fine, of course.
107
It's obvious why, but that method of compartmentalizing English or just blocking it off in a way won't help you become fluent
108
because it doesn't allow the language into your whole life.
109
If you're serious about becoming fluent,
110
you should allow the English language to consume you,
111
to be part of everything in your life, as much as possible.
112
Obviously, some things you can only do in your native language.
113
But the point here is that you need to pretend you're a native speaker.
114
Let's say you like to cook.
115
A student came to me recently and she loved cooking.
116
She loved reading recipes.
117
And I asked her, okay,
118
what language do you read those recipes in?
119
And she read them in her native language.
120
So that's a simple change.
121
I told her, read them in English.
122
You're cooking, you're doing something you love,
123
and you're also improving your English at the same time.
124
we say you're killing two birds with one stone maybe not a very nice idiom
125
but we say
126
that in English you're killing two birds with one stone you're doing two things at the same time
127
and you're getting double the benefit for less the time so it's not about creating extra time.
128
It's not about trying to find extra hours in the day.
129
It's about using the time you have in the 24-hour day and replacing some things.
130
Replacing things that you're already doing in your native language with things in English.
131
Maybe you're on the bus.
132
Maybe you're commuting to school or to work and you like to scroll through the news in your native language.
133
Well, that's another great fix you can make.
134
You can make that change.
135
You can now start to read the news in English.
136
Or maybe you like to listen to podcasts.
137
You can listen to the podcasts in English.
138
Maybe you like to create a to-do list before bed every night.
139
You can create this list in English.
140
Maybe you have a calendar.
141
You write things in your calendar.
142
You can do this in English.
143
Once you've allowed English into your life,
144
and of course you need to speak too,
145
it's great to surround yourself with the language,
146
but you also need to speak.
147
If you don't have anybody to speak to,
148
you can speak with yourself,
149
but there are so many resources online you can find people to speak to on various platforms.
150
One of those, by the way,
151
is the English at the Ready Club.
152
If you are interested in learning more about the club,
153
click the link in the description below.
154
It's an amazing opportunity to meet people to practice speaking to have live classes
155
and to study English every week but as I was saying the key is speaking
156
and surrounding yourself with the language now eventually
157
when you make this a habit don't do it for a week don't do it for two weeks
158
you need to do it for a month,
159
two, three or four months to actually see a difference.
160
But if you do this,
161
if you allow English into your life,
162
speaking is going to feel so much more natural.
163
Eventually you're not actually going to have to think about language.
164
You'll just be able to speak.
165
You'll be able to express your ideas without allowing language to slow you down or to burden you.
166
And when we talk about fluency,
167
that's the key to fluency.
168
Fluency doesn't mean being perfect.
169
It doesn't mean being able to conjugate verbs in all 12 tenses on the back of your hand 50 times
170
because honestly most native speakers probably couldn't do that either.
171
Fluency in a language whether that's English or your native language
172
just means
173
that you can express your ideas you can communicate your thoughts without allowing language to slow you down
174
or to burden you or to be a problem for you.
175
I'll give you an analogy.
176
Think about when you're sick.
177
Think about when you have a bad cold and your nose is really really stuffed.
178
You can't breathe through your nose.
179
All you can think of in that moment is, ah, I can't breathe.
180
My nose is so stuffed.
181
But then think of the remaining time in your life,
182
99% of the time when you can breathe just fine,
183
you're not actually thinking about your nose.
184
It just happens.
185
So, when you're allowing yourself to translate from your own language into English,
186
it's like you have a stuffed nose,
187
because that's all you can think of now.
188
But if you clear your nose and you think directly in English,
189
you won't even think about the language.
190
Everything will just flow.
191
It will be in the background operating while your ideas,
192
while your thoughts that you're communicating are in the front.
193
And that's what fluency is.
194
That's all it is, allowing yourself to express your ideas without feeling restricted by language.
195
So what I want you to do now,
196
if you've made it this far into the video,
197
I want you to create a plan.
198
Sit down, take 10 minutes,
199
15 minutes, come up with a list of things in your life.
200
Maybe that's reading recipes, maybe that's creating a to-do list,
201
a calendar, your phone, your computer, anything.
202
But create a list of things in your life that you can change into English.
203
Because remember, fake it till you make it.
204
Pretend you're a native speaker.
205
Do that for a while
206
and I'm very confident you will be surprised at how much progress you can make
207
and how confident you can feel with the English language.
208
I hope you found this video useful.
209
If you want to support the channel,
210
make sure to leave a like.
211
Let me know in the comments what you are going to do to make English a part of your life.
212
Let me know.
213
I'm curious to read your list of things that you created.
214
Don't forget to subscribe to English at the Ready here on YouTube
215
so you don't miss any future lessons and videos on English.
216
If you want to learn more about how I can help you improve your English this year,
217
then click the link in the description below to learn more.
218
I hope you have a great day and I'll see you in the next class.
219
Bye for now.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice a crucial skill for achieving fluency in English: thinking directly in English. Many learners make the mistake of translating their thoughts from their native language, which can significantly slow down their communication. By focusing on how to think in English and speak naturally, you'll eliminate unnecessary steps in your conversation process. Throughout this lesson, you’ll learn why translation can hinder your progress and discover effective techniques to enhance your speaking fluency, making your exchanges more spontaneous and authentic. This is not only critical for everyday communication but also beneficial for IELTS speaking practice, where fluidity and naturalness are paramount.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Think in English: The ability to formulate thoughts directly in English without translating.
- Translate: Converting words or phrases from one language to another, often slowing down communication.
- Fluency: The ability to speak a language smoothly and without hesitation.
- Fake it till you make it: An expression encouraging practice and imitation until proficiency is achieved.
- Natural communication: Speaking in a way that feels spontaneous and unforced.
- Mechanics of the language: The grammatical rules and vocabulary that govern how a language is spoken or written.
- Shadow speak: A technique where learners repeat what they hear to improve their fluency and accent.
- Shadowing technique: Engaging with audio materials, imitating the speaker to practice pronunciation and rhythm.
Practice Tips
To effectively implement the shadowing technique while practicing this lesson, consider the following tips:
- Start Slowly: If you're new to shadow speaking, begin with slower-paced videos or audio recordings. This will give you time to catch phrases and practice without feeling rushed.
- Understand Before Imitating: Listen to a section of the audio or video and pause it after a few sentences. Try to understand what is being said before you attempt to mimic the speaker.
- Repeat Often: Go over the same sections multiple times. The more you hear and speak the phrases, the more natural they will feel.
- Focus on Intonation: Pay attention to how the speaker emphasizes certain words. Try to replicate the rhythm and intonation to improve your fluency.
- Record Yourself: Consider recording your shadowing practice. Listening back can help you identify areas for improvement, especially in pronunciation and fluency.
- Gradually Increase Speed: As you become more comfortable, increase the speed of the videos you use. This mimics real-life conversations and helps with your IELTS speaking practice.
By utilizing these strategies and focusing on thinking directly in English, you’ll be well on your way to improving your speaking skills and achieving greater fluency.
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! 🙏