Shadowing Practice: How We Met in a Parking Lot (Q&A) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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351 sentences

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What is the best thing on earth?

Sniffing.

Sniffing is the best thing on earth, isn't it?

Yeah.

Oh no, pets.

Pets.

I'm not really going to do it like this.

Alright, so I think we can start um

but anyway um this week we thought we could uh film a q a

because i feel like we haven't really introduced ourselves especially jul yeah you're a bit of a mystery yeah

so we have a bunch of questions that we're going to answer to

and uh yeah should we get started i guess yeah yeah

how did you guys meet oh that's a nice one to

start with that's a really good question um it's a really

good story by the way you want to tell them or should i start yeah okay so this goes

back three and a half years ago oh thanks for filling

that in yeah so like three

and a half years ago we were both uh traveling in

morocco uh separately we didn't know each other at the time

so you were traveling with your camper van yeah my blue van baby blue camper you might remember it yeah

and i was traveling with a car um a very small

red car super tiny car i slept like this yeah maybe we can put a picture here oh yeah yeah

so yeah i remember i was also dreaming of traveling with the camper van

but i just couldn't afford so i did it with a car yeah

and then at some point um we both went to merkesh on the same day yeah and

and then we ended up on the same parking lots we

parked right next to each other i parked there first

because i arrived in the morning

and then i went to the city to explore on my own

and then at some point you arrived yeah i arrived i remember there were only very boring basic campers on

that parking lot and i just like to to be close to some very cool designs

and then there was just one

that ended up being my van yeah i came for a van

and that was yours so i can't i parked next to it

and then yeah a bit later you showed up yeah at

the end of the day i was walking back to the van

and then there was this cute red car parked next to it yeah

and jul was sitting on the trunk yeah yeah i was like reading reading a book i think

and then i just said something like hey nice setup you have something like

that you said that

and then yeah we spoke for a little bit then we

ended up having dinner together yeah we had my carrera soup

on the medina yeah square in marcus oh good memories yeah it was nice

and the rest is history the rest is history what were your first impressions of each other

when i saw you on the trunk yeah yeah what did

you think um well i immediately thought you were super cool

because like how often do you see a girl traveling alone

in a tiny car in morocco i was like damn she's cool

and um well i also thought you were cool

because you told me you built that camper van

and i saw it from the inside and i was like what the

how did you do that like yeah it just looked really impressive

and really good

and i could spend you actually thought i was polish oh yeah i thought you're polish

because my car plate has a p which stands for portugal

but you thought it was i think i even mentioned right like hey you're from poland yeah i think so

but i think we were just like aligned from the beginning we were both really into adventure

and just going with the flow yeah

and it just felt good yeah it felt super easy

because i also remember when we met each other i just had spent

so much time with other people

that i felt like oh i i arrived in marrakesh being a bit tired like socially

and i felt like oh i just really want to be alone for some days

but then i showed up showed up and yeah i just felt like i have to I have to take this

opportunity and have dinner with you I'm glad you did.

What language do you speak together?

Dutch.

Yeah, in your dreams.

We speak English.

We speak English, yeah.

In case you don't know, I am Portuguese.

Yeah, and I'm Dutch.

So English is just the obvious answer. For now.

Yeah, I hope in the future it will change.

We've tried to learn each other's languages.

Because Jules actually knows quite a bit of Portuguese.

Sometimes I'm actually impressed.

What I still know.

Yeah, exactly.

But it's not like I can have a proper conversation or I can properly express myself.

But maybe if one day, I don't know, we end up in Portugal.

Maybe.

We switch.

But I should also learn a bit of Dutch.

I think you should.

jul how do you feel about being in front of the camera

do you like it yeah good question um do i like

it it's not your favorite part i would say no it has never been

and it will also never be i think but i think i've i've been

yeah i feel like i'm way more comfortable now than i

was in the beginning no definitely yeah yeah i remember the

first time we filmed a video together you felt super oh my god i was

so was like self -conscious and i just hated it like looking at it

and oh i just but funny enough

that video is actually my most watched video ever yeah crazy it's the capsule video

if you haven't watched it you can go watch it here it's a really good video yeah

but even after

that success i didn't feel like oh i yeah i want

to be part of this now no not yet i think nowadays you're way more comfortable yeah

100

and more confident yeah i think i just i just i

101

don't know i just uh started to feel motivated to put effort a bit more effort into it

102

because i realized how much it gave us the youtube thing

103

and how much freedom opportunities and how much freedom it gave us yeah

104

so last one how can i not support

105

that where is the question where did you grow up

106

and how did you end up living abroad you go first okay so i grew up in the netherlands in nijmegen

107

very cozy city yeah it's a very cool city i really like it there

108

and my parents actually still live in the house where i was born

109

so they also really enjoy you can go back sometimes yeah

110

yeah for sure i miss it sometimes i grew up in a really nice neighborhood with friends very close by

111

and school very close by and yeah city life it's a cool place i enjoy it

112

when i'm there yeah and how did you end up living abroad um yeah

113

so i just lived my life there until i was a student

114

and i enjoyed it but i yeah i don't know i just think i felt like

115

yeah i could either finish studies and find a job

116

and yeah be here but i also felt like there's something more to life maybe

117

so yeah i broke that rhythm and bought a car and here we are

118

so i grew up in portugal i was actually um born in lisbon but then

119

when i was about three years old my parents moved to

120

a small village about an hour north of lisbon pretty close to the beach

121

and um yeah i was living there until i was 25

122

or so and then that's when i started traveling more

123

and i think in the back of my mind there was

124

always this idea of experiencing life in other parts of the world

125

because i already know what it's like to live in portugal

126

but i've i've always been curious to life in other places

127

and i think we both ended up here because of how unique it is

128

like you don't really get these conditions anywhere else in the world in norway specifically yeah um

129

and so far north yeah um just having such cold winters um with the northern lights

130

and polar night

131

and then in the summer you have the midnight sun yeah

132

um i think all those things um were very interesting to me

133

and i was curious to what life was like here so yeah yeah i agree What are your backgrounds? In terms of studies?

134

I think so, yeah.

135

I studied computer science.

136

Don't ask me why, because I don't really have an answer to that.

137

um it just felt like it was the future at the

138

time um it felt pretty promising even though now with ai yeah it's not the future i don't really know

139

if it would have been a good decision

140

but um yeah i studied for four and a half years so i was almost done with my masters

141

but then i decided to do a semester abroad in india

142

and that's when i decided to give youtube a try

143

because i had always been passionate about making videos

144

but i think i was never brave enough to put myself in front of the camera

145

but in india i just found that courage

146

and those first videos did pretty well and

147

so i decided to stop my studies and just pursue youtube

148

and eight years later i'm still doing this so

149

that was a good decision i think yeah i'm happy with it yeah um

150

so i have studied nursing so officially i'm a nurse yeah

151

but i've only worked as a nurse for one year

152

when was this in like 2020 yeah during covid yeah on a covered department yeah um so So yeah, I've done that for one year,

153

but then realized that was just not where I wanted to be.

154

So I continued with, yeah, pedagogische wetenschappen.

155

What is that?

156

Yeah, there's not a real translation for these studies,

157

I think, but it's basically child's psychology because it's the same degree and also focused on child's development.

158

so that's what i did for two years

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and then i yeah then i decided to take a break from studying at all

160

and that's when you i bought a car to morocco

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and i drove to morocco and then everything changed

162

and then i ruined the plans yeah i never went back

163

yeah what's something you're completely different on in something you're really

164

like it's not just one thing we're different on i think

165

should i start it's many things yeah no it's not it's not

166

that bad but i think the first thing

167

that comes to my mind is how our schedules sometimes are

168

so different yeah yeah because julie is really a morning person like early morning 5 a .m and

169

i enjoy that maybe not five not 5 a .m maybe six yeah you try

170

and i try my best

171

but i it's always just difficult to get out of bed in the morning it's just not in your nature

172

and i'm also not a night person

173

because i go to bed quite early yeah you just like

174

sleeping i just like sleeping basically i think of uh the fact

175

that we are yeah i just think i'm a bit more emotional

176

and you're more rational yeah so i would say so yeah

177

and those differences can be big sometimes yeah sometimes it's difficult to understand each other

178

because yeah we just we base our opinions on very different things yeah just like

179

that yeah which we learn from i think as well it's it's yeah

180

and i think we can navigate it refreshing sometimes to just

181

hear for me then like a very rational perspective from something we talk about yeah

182

so it's it's it's good in ways but sometimes it's a struggle yeah and so then what's something we're really like

183

um yeah i mean i think the main thing

184

that connects us is uh i'd say like our approach to life yeah

185

that we are not afraid of just diving into something new

186

without having anything figured out yeah i think we're very alike in

187

that sense yeah it translates because we met in a parking lot

188

while traveling alone so yeah it was meant to be like this yeah um

189

but yeah i think that's the main thing

190

that connects us there are definitely more things we are like

191

like i mean there are a lot of things we enjoy doing together like like like going on hikes

192

or bike packing or fishing a lot of adventures outdoor activities we enjoy we have a good balance I would say

193

what do you miss about home?

194

what is home?

195

is this not home?

196

I think our home countries quite a few things I would say well first and more obvious one is the weather

197

I knew you were gonna say that was my biggest question

198

when we moved here and it's still the thing I think I miss the most

199

besides my family and friends um yeah those are the two main things i think

200

um but usually you wouldn't miss your family as much

201

when you're traveling yeah i think maybe

202

because um our life here is quite a bit slower yeah

203

there's more time to think about those things yeah i feel the same

204

and it's yeah just the routine give space for those thoughts i would say

205

when we were traveling we were constantly busy with new things

206

so yeah you're also distracted yeah yeah yeah for you yeah i also feel

207

that a bit like being so far from family is not

208

so easy here yeah um

209

but also just uh yeah i don't know i just miss

210

how in the netherlands how easy it is to just hop on my bike and bike to the city

211

and meet with some people there just stroll uh have a

212

coffee in a cafe like those city things i can we definitely don't have

213

that here no you have to drive everywhere and the cities are not

214

that cozy no it's like the cities are very industrial no very practical yeah

215

so we can find everything we need

216

but it's not like you don't go there to like have a nice walk

217

or go to a coffee shop no sorry norwegians

218

but it's just the reality yeah do you see yourself staying there long term yeah we're not

219

so sure i think yeah that's a good question

220

because we definitely have our doubts um especially after living here

221

for almost a year now yeah um we've just come to

222

realize how far this is from everywhere else in the world yeah yeah and how remote we are actually

223

um and besides that it is one of the most expensive countries to live in um yeah

224

and we feel that yeah

225

so all those things combined definitely makes us question sometimes yeah whether it's worth to be

226

so far from yeah in a place with those doubts

227

and just the feeling yeah that it might which feeling

228

so yeah all those things combined uh sometimes make question um

229

whether it's realistic to stay here long term um i think

230

we definitely want to finish uh what we started we want to continue with the renovations yeah um but after

231

that we'll see um how we feel i think we're still

232

pretty glad we did this super glad yeah we don't regret anything um

233

but there are definitely things

234

that we've learned along the way um yeah it's not the easiest life here

235

and we felt that and yeah we take those things into consideration yeah basically

236

what exactly is jul working on uh yeah

237

so i have a side job here in uh norway

238

or side job i've in the summer you were working full

239

-time yeah i've worked a lot as a cleaning lady yeah

240

yeah there yeah i gained a lot of respect for cleaning uh yeah for cleaning as a profession it's

241

so tough and uh very physical very physical yeah

242

and just really tough especially in winter conditions to then drive

243

in the snow to houses yeah it was quite the adventure

244

but i really enjoyed it because i got to know yeah really nice colleagues

245

and also people where we cleaned like norwegians yeah you got to meet a lot of people yeah yeah like

246

that yeah yeah it was good um yeah

247

so that's what i do how do you divide the renovation work and who's more patient

248

who's more patient who's more patient

249

let's just say my perfectionism can be a bit annoying sometimes thanks for putting it like

250

that no i'm definitely not so patient unfortunately i think i am in like human relations

251

but not with practical stuff

252

if you just want to get things done yeah i just like to see progress yeah

253

and yeah we we sort of balance each other out in

254

that way um but basically the way we split it is i'm i'm doing more of the research

255

because i also had a bit of experience with woodworking

256

um i've built my own camper van a few years ago

257

so um i can use that knowledge um in this house but then When the time comes to actually work,

258

we basically split it 50 -50.

259

We work together.

260

We work together.

261

And I think we're a pretty good team.

262

I think so.

263

We get things done fairly quickly.

264

Yeah.

265

And we really enjoy working together like that.

266

Yeah, it's fun. So, yeah.

267

Yeah.

268

What do you enjoy more, the polar night or the midnight sun?

269

It's interesting.

270

It was quite unexpected i think for us yeah i mean they're both pretty unique

271

and i think we enjoyed both of them

272

um but i would say the polar night was easier to live through than the midnight sun yeah i think

273

so too yeah yeah also

274

because um the polar night here is not what we expected

275

uh we thought it would be complete darkness 24 7 um

276

but it's not like

277

that at least here where we live there's still some light

278

in the sky between 10 in the morning until two in the afternoon yeah the sun is not rising

279

but it's just too close to the horizon so there's still some brightness

280

and so there's still this contrast between daytime and nighttime yeah um

281

and besides that it's just a very cozy time yeah with the northern lights

282

and the snow impressive yeah there's a lot of time to do things

283

and there's no rush no everyone slows down

284

so you it feels like you can join that pace yeah

285

and yeah it's just really relaxed

286

and in the midnight sun it's pretty much the opposite you're

287

just trying to get as many things done as possible

288

because there are a lot of things you can only do during summer here yeah um

289

so it's it feels a bit rushed and you just don't there's constant light

290

so you don't get that impulse of feeling tired

291

so at night you have to tell yourself i have to

292

go to bed now yeah it's it's kind of weird because it's

293

so bright outside i mean the sun is shining yeah it's

294

full -on bright during the night it's it's a really weird experience

295

and it's really cool you can go on hikes during the night

296

and yeah and we could work on the house until midnight yeah

297

so it was nice

298

but we also felt really really tired all the time you

299

know we i think we missed having night yeah i think

300

we just realized how important it is yeah yeah to have

301

that time to slow down a little bit yeah exactly um

302

but yeah they were both pretty unique yeah what does a normal day look like when you're not filming

303

well there are many days we don't film yeah i think we try to find our balance

304

because we definitely don't want to end up in a situation

305

where we have to film our whole lives no no no um

306

that would be quite intense yeah

307

and i think also the people watching might think the weather

308

here is pretty good oh yeah there's a lot of sun

309

and because we mostly film when the weather is good yeah uh

310

when it's when it's just raining

311

and windy like it is today we are just inside doing like inside stuff inside stuff editing doing research

312

or writing or whatever so we don't film as much um

313

but yeah the weather is definitely yeah

314

and also this summer has been really bad with a lot of rain yeah um

315

but um yeah we we do a lot of things um

316

what does a normal day look like yeah normal day what is a normal day it depends it depends

317

but like we have to

318

get a lot of supplies for the house um yeah

319

but we also go out and hike around here yeah or fishing

320

yeah we spend a lot of time on the boats yeah

321

or with shaya outside or we go to cities to buy stuff

322

we do many things yeah yeah what's something that really annoys you about each other Okay.

323

Oh, I know.

324

Oh, so quickly.

325

Not something about you that annoys me, but something about me that annoys you.

326

Oh, which is?

327

Which is this.

328

Yeah, it's really accurate.

329

Or if I drink like...

330

Yeah, stop.

331

What's something you do that annoys me?

332

That I don't close the doors, right?

333

Oh, yeah.

334

I never close the doors, apparently.

335

Because we have the heaters on.

336

Yeah.

337

And then I'm like, can you just close the doors so that the heat doesn't...

338

Yeah.

339

I know something else.

340

Just sometimes if we go to a restaurant and...

341

because i just really enjoy to go to a cafe

342

and then to have a coffee or something and then sometimes

343

if you just

344

if you are just not thirsty you just don't order anything i don't have anything no also

345

because in norway it's super expensive yeah okay so

346

that i can understand but even if we are in portugal sometimes yeah

347

if you're not thirsty then no i'm good i'll just sit here stare at you drinking a coffee

348

and yeah i think this is it yeah do you want to add anything else no

349

if you have any other questions you can ask them below we can answer them in the comments um

350

and yeah thank you so much for being here

351

and for following this journey yeah and thank you so much we'll see soon bye bye bye bye great babe

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “How We Met in a Parking Lot”. This video has 351 sentences and 3886 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:58. The speaker talks at a natural 150 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
midnight noun	/ˈmɪd(ˌ)naɪt/	The middle of the night: the sixth temporal hour, equidistant between sunset and sunrise.
arrive verb	/əˈɹaɪv/	To reach; to get to a certain place.
polar adjective	/ˈpoʊlɚ/	Of, relating to, measured from, or referred to a geographic pole (the North Pole or South Pole); within the Arctic or Antarctic circles.
morocco noun		A soft leather, made from goatskin, used especially in bookbinding.
adventure noun	/ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/	A feeling of desire for new and exciting things.
nurse noun	/nɝs/	Anyone performing this role, regardless of training or profession.
abroad adverb	/əˈbɹɔːd/	Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
hike noun	/haɪk/	A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise.
practical adjective	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/	Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.
rush verb	/ɹʌʃ/	To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
impressive adjective	/ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/	Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress.
curious adjective	/ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/	Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.
pet noun	/pɛt/	An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.
connect verb	/kəˈnɛkt/	To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
polish verb	/ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/	To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
show up verb	To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
work together verb	To be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
slow down verb	To decelerate.
figure out verb	To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
get out of verb	To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
go out verb	To leave, especially a building.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Sniffing is the best thing on earth, isn't it?
I'm not really going to do it like this.
What language do you speak together?
We've tried to learn each other's languages.
What's something you do that annoys me?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	haven't really introduced · We've tried · has never been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was born · was meant
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	were traveling · was traveling · was also dreaming
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the best · my most watched · my best

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 82 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: thirsty /ˈθɝs.ti/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, polish /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/, rational /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/, renovation /ɹɛnəˈveɪʃən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/
Long words — get the stress right: renovation /ɹɛnəˈveɪʃən/, psychology /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, perfectionism /pɚˈfɛk.ʃə.nɪ.zm̩/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like midnight, arrive, polar.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: How We Met in a Parking Lot (Q&A) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

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English Reading Practice - A Short Beginner ESL Conversation

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?