Shadowing Practice: I'm Learning to Appreciate My Phone - Learn English Speaking with Video

we're pretty bad at appreciating our smartphones especially

when they're already a few years old i made a huge mistake yesterday

so i sat down and watched phone reviews for a device i don't even own

and half an hour later i looked at my phone looking

like it was some relic from tomb raider the battery is

10 minutes too short the phone corners are not curved enough

like the latest fruit phone the camera can't stop people from a mile away and suddenly i'm suffering

except i wasn't suffering yesterday my phone was working completely fine

and honestly that's the core issue here we've gone too conditioned to look for what's missing

that we forget to appreciate what's right in front of us that's working especially

when our devices are a couple of years into their lifespan

i actually got this video idea from a comment on an older video

and it really opened my eyes

so shout out to time to mask up too by the

way there's a lot of truth to what they said in

the u .s upgrading every two to three years is almost a no -brainer

because carrier tradings make new devices that cheap sometimes even free

but for the rest of us without

that option we have to be a bit smarter with our

money here in singapore for example you can sign a one to two year telco contract

or carrier as some of you might call it to offset

the upfront cost technically you can even make a new phone feel free

if you're willing to handle the hassle of setting your old

one on the second hand market for a solid price before

i get too deep into the weeds here my point is

that in most parts of the world getting a phone for

free just isn't realistic that's why most of us stick with our older devices for a while

and for most people that's not a problem they text browse social media watch youtube maybe take a few photos

and call it a deck but if you're like me

and you're constantly surrounded by tech news spec sheets

and new launches how do you keep your current phone feeling fresh

and more importantly how do you stop yourself from constantly wanting

to replace it i've touched on this before in an older video

but i wanted to revisit the idea with a different angle

not just here are a few tricks to make an old phone feel brand new

but more like here's what i personally do to actually appreciate the phone i already have

so without further ado let's start with something super simple

but extremely important so number one is to replace

that filthy case of course this only applies

if you actually use a case but I see

so many people family members included who let their phone cases get completely murky

and a little gross God knows what kind of a bacteria is breathing in there

and without realizing it a nasty case makes you dislike holding your phone

when all it needs is a quick replacement

so let's stop breathing lab experiments in the palm of our

hands you can pick up awesome cases online from China for literally a couple of bucks your wallet your eyes

and your hygiene will thank you plus a new case generally changes how the device feel in your hand

so same phone same screen same cameras but suddenly it looks fresh

and you didn't even have to drop $1 ,000 to get that feeling second wipe that damn phone I

can't stress this enough the more care you put into keeping

your device in means condition the more you'll appreciate it everyone has their own way of taking care of things

but keeping your phone spotless is the easiest way to remind your brain

that hey this thing still looks amazing beyond aesthetics you should

clean your phone regularly anyway tiny dust particles get trapped inside the case

and end up scratching the finish over time

so pull the case off give the frame

and screen a proper wipe down clean out the camera module wash the case

and suddenly your three -year -old phone doesn't look

or feel nearly as old third is to declutter your system whether you're on ios

or android storage

and home screen clutter build up over time it just happens

those single use reward apps you downloaded for a five percent

discount at a restaurant you'll never visit again trash them photos

of payment receipts from six months ago yate saved locations adept screenshots

or thousands of promotional emails clogging your inbox just get rid

of them clearinghouse might make your phone run a bit smoother

but more than

that it makes you feel better using it obviously opening a

clutter phone makes the whole experience feels like undated anyway maybe

you just give it a proper cleanup the fourth is to go naked no not you nobody wants to see

that i mean your phone your device actually looks and feels incredible without a shell

try taking

that rubber off for a bit you know go raw you might naturally handle it with a little more care

which suddenly bumps up how much you value it now i know most people prefer keeping their devices protected 24 7.

i won't stop you doing that

and i'm definitely not saying you should abandon case permanently especially

if you're prone to dropping things please don't come crying to me

when your phone turns into a very expensive piece of shit like almost literally

but every once in a

while give yourself a favor pop the case off let it breathe feel the premium materials

and take in the design We often forget how nice our phones actually are

because we've been staring at them through a piece of TPU for three years.

Now, the fifth one is to remember why you bought it.

So this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Just think back to the day you unboxed your current phone.

Why did you pick it?

Was it the camera, the battery life, the screen, or maybe just how nice it felt to hold?

Whatever attracted you to it in the first place hasn't vanished.

Your phone did suddenly get worse.

A Pixel 7 Pro didn't wake up today and go, oh man the pixel 11 is out i guess i should

jump off the building now it's still the exact same capable device it was on day one

when we see flashy ads for new models with brighter screens

or faster chips we instantly forget what the device in our

pocket is capable of doing remind yourself why you chose it

in the first place the sixth is to actually use the features you paid for

it sounds obvious

but how many of us actually explore everything our devices can

do your phone almost certainly has features you've never touched

or hardly touched maybe a camera mode you haven't tried you know deep customization settings

100

or some handy toggle buried in the settings menu

101

that you completely forgot

102

or didn't know about i i catch myself doing this all

103

the time i randomly decide to mess around with the camera

104

try out the telephoto lens test some of the pro

105

or expert mode features or tweak a setting i usually ignore

106

and instantly it hits me right this is why i love

107

this phone sometimes you don't need new hardware you just need

108

to rediscover what you already have the seventh is to stop

109

watching reviews this one is really the hardest for me

110

because well i make tech videos for a living

111

and my job is literally telling you about smartphones i'm certainly

112

tracking new releases the latest iphone the newest pixel samsung's flagship

113

or some wild phone from china with 8 000 million pounds battery

114

and a sensor the size of my face but after consuming enough of

115

that content your own phone actually starts feeling outdated

116

you start thinking maybe i should upgrade maybe my camera is

117

falling behind maybe my battery life is terrible no just stop

118

right there the best thing you can do is really to just stop looking

119

if you constantly compare what you have to the shiny new thing you'll always find a reason to be dissatisfied

120

that applies to everything not just tech a perfectly good laptop

121

feels slow once you watch a review of the latest m

122

-series macbook a great tv looks dull after you stare at

123

the new ones at the electronic store a great car feels old the second the refresh model drives by

124

so your gear didn't magically get worse your expectations just got inflated

125

and this is something that we all just forget at this point

126

but just think about the photos you take of your friends your partner your kids,

127

your parents, and all those random little moments you want to look back on years down the road.

128

Call your friends, hang out with your family, go somewhere new, do something spontaneous, and capture those moments.

129

Because at the end of the day, we don't need high benchmark scores or faster chips.

130

We need real human connection.

131

I don't mean to get super philosophical here, but in an age where we can get instant dopamine hits from scrolling,

132

it's easy to forget that we're social creatures we need people we need experiences good conversations and genuine laughs

133

and honestly that's what i want my smartphone to do above

134

everything else not win a spec war on paper not score high in synthetic benchmarks

135

and not serve as a flex just help me document my life

136

because just down the line the old phone you were

137

so eager to replace might be holding some of the most

138

meaningful memories you'll ever own there are plenty of other small

139

things you can do to keep your device feeling fresh like updating the latest software version cleaning out system storage

140

or simply turning off silent mode to hear your ringtones again small changes go a long way not

141

because they magically transform old hardware into a new flagship but

142

because they shift your perspective on what you're already on

143

and i definitely haven't exhausted the list

144

so let me hear you down in the comments what do

145

you do to appreciate your phone do you have any specific setups customization tricks or rituals

146

that keep it feeling fresh drop your thoughts below I'm really

147

curious to read them at the end of the day the

148

best smartphone isn't automatically the newest one often it's just the one you already own thank you guys

149

so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one

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24 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “I'm Learning to Appreciate My Phone”. This video has 149 sentences and 1806 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:29. The speaker talks fast, about 190 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
smartphone noun	/ˈsmɑɹtfoʊn/	A mobile phone with more advanced features and greater computing capacity than a feature phone.
pixel noun	/ˈpɪk.səl/	One of the tiny dots that make up the representation of an image in a computer's memory.
clutter noun	/ˈklʌtɚ/	A confused disordered jumble of things.
customization noun		The act of customizing something.
magically adverb	/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kli/	In a magical manner; by magic, or as if by magic.
benchmark noun	/ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/	A standard by which something is evaluated or measured.
flagship noun	/ˈflæɡʃɪp/	The ship occupied by the fleet's commander (usually an admiral); it denotes this by flying his flag.
stare verb	/stɛɚ/	To look fixedly (at something).
speculation noun	/ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/	The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
wipe verb	/waɪp/	To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.)
bacterium noun	/bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəm/	A single-celled organism with cell walls but no nucleus or organelles.
brainer noun	/bɹeɪ.nə(ɹ)/	someone with a certain type of brain
declutter verb	/diːˈklʌtə(ɹ)/	To remove clutter from, to tidy.
dissatisfied adjective	/dɪsˈsætɪsˌfaɪd/	Feeling or displaying disappointment or a lack of contentment.
dopamine noun	/ˈdoʊ.pəˌmin/	A monoamine C₈H₁₁NO₂ that is a decarboxylated form of dopa, present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including adrenalin.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
clean out verb	To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.
bump up verb	To increase something suddenly.
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
fall behind verb	To be late (for a regular event)
jump off verb	To move from an elevated place by one jump.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.
sit down verb	To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
try out verb	To test (something) to see how it works or whether it is suitable.

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	we've been staring · I've been thinking
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	we've gone · i've touched · hasn't vanished
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are not curved · be dissatisfied

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 42 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: aesthetics /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪks/, filthy /ˈfɪlθi/, synthetic /sɪnˈθɛtɪk/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: benchmark /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/, speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, flashy /ˈflæʃi/, vanish /ˈvænɪʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, dissatisfied /dɪsˈsætɪsˌfaɪd/, spontaneous /spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/, promotional /pɹəˈmoʊʃənəl/, philosophical /ˌfɪl.əˈsɑ.fɪ.kl̩/

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 smartphone, pixel, clutter.

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 →

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