Shadowing Practice: I Speak 8 Languages. This Is the Habit I Wish I'd Started Sooner - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I've learned 7 languages over the past 10 years as an adult
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And I actively use 4 of them in my PhD research Languages have changed my life At this point,
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learning languages has basically become part of my life I've tried so many different methods,
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routines, and ways of practicing But there is one exercise I discovered
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that genuinely made me think Why didn't I start doing this earlier?
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For me, it was a game changer for speaking And after I started teaching it to my students, it became one of their favorite exercises too It cost nothing, you don't need a teacher,
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you don't need a language partner You can do it almost anywhere The only problem,
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you might feel a little crazy doing it Because the exercise is talking to yourself Yes,
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self -talk, that's it You were probably expecting something a little more sophisticated
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But don't underestimate it There is actually a fascinating scientific reason why something this simple can be so powerful
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So in this video I want to show you why self
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-talk works How it can help you speak more naturally
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and confidently And how you can start using it in your own language learning
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Think about what happens when you speak your native language You have a thought
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and almost instantly your brain turns
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that thought into language You don't consciously search for every word
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or construct every sentence You just speak
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But now think about how we usually learn a foreign language We learn a word here, a grammar rule there, 20 new expressions,
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another vocabulary list Everything can become these little separate pieces of knowledge
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And then suddenly we are in a conversation
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And we expect our brain to take a thought
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And immediately turn all of these separate pieces into language But here's the question How often have you actually trained that process?
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This is what I find
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so interesting about self -talk Instead of starting with a vocabulary list
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or an exercise You start with a thought And then you ask your brain How do I express this in this language?
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That might sound simple
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But from a psycholinguistic perspective This is actually a fundamental part
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of speech production Your brain has to move from an idea To selecting
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and organizing language to actually articulating it
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and speaking is also a high coordinated motor act think about
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learning a sport you can understand a movement perfectly you can watch someone perform it 100 times
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but eventually your body has to practice doing a movement itself
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speaking is similar at some point you need to practice turning thought into spoken language
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and self -talk gives you a very low pressure way to do exactly
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that and this is actually part of a much bigger idea about speaking
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that I'm teaching in my upcoming free live masterclass the three
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keys to start speaking a language faster in this live master
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class I'm going to show you the three key principles I use to help learners start speaking earlier
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and build their speaking ability as they progress it is completely free
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and live so if you'd like to join me click the link below
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and save your sport and
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if you are watching this After the live masterclass has already
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happened You can still use the same link to join the waitlist
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And you will be the first to know when I run the next one Now back to self -talk
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Self -talk has become one of those habits I barely even think about anymore I do it
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when I'm walking When I'm making coffee When I'm commuting Sometimes
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when I'm just waiting somewhere and I'm bored I simply switch into the language I'm learning
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and see Can I express what I'm thinking right now?
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Sometimes it is incredibly simple Sometimes I realize I can express much more than I expected
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And sometimes I immediately hit something I don't know how to say
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And that's useful too
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Because self -talk gives you a very honest picture of the difference between the language I've learned
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and the language I can actually use
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And I've seen the same thing happen with my students They often discover
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that the words they struggle to say aren't even difficult words
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sometimes they are words they've already started many times they recognize them they understand them
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but they've never really practiced pulling them out of their own mind
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and using them to express their own thoughts that's a very different kind of practice
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don't over complicate it
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if you are a beginner self -talk can simply mean describing what's around you
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or what you are doing in very simple sentences if you are more intermediate you can talk through your day, something that happened, an opinion,
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or anything that's already on your mind.
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It doesn't have to be long, the point isn't to have an impressive conversation with yourself.
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The point is simply to start creating a stronger connection between
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what you think and what you can say
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and today AI can make this even easier you can speak using speech to text
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and ask AI for feedback afterwards
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or you can ask AI to give you a question
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and answer it out loud so even when you don't have a teacher
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or a language partner available you can still create opportunities to
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produce the language self -talk is really just one example of a much bigger principle
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if you want to become comfortable speaking a language language, you need to deliberately train yourself to produce it, not just learn it.
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And that's exactly what we are going to explore much more
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deeply in my free live masterclass The 3 keys to start speaking a language faster.
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This is actually the first time I'm hosting a live masterclass like this and I'm really excited about it.
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Not only will I be sharing what I've learned from my own language learning journey and from working with other learners,
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but I will also get to interact with you live and answer your questions in real time.
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So if you'd like to join me, you can set your spot through the link below.
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I'd really love to see some of you there.
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Alright guys, thank you so much for watching.
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I will see you in the next one.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “I Speak 8 Languages. This Is the Habit I Wish I'd Started Sooner”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: language, speaking, self, learning, word. This video has 82 sentences and 1053 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:07. The speaker talks at a natural 172 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| discover verb | /dɪˈskʌvə/ | To find or learn something for the first time. |
| principle noun | /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ | A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| impressive adjective | /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ | Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress. |
| select verb | /sɪˈlɛkt/ | To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| afterwards adverb | /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/ | At a later or succeeding time; after that; |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| upcoming adjective | Happening or appearing in the relatively near future. | |
| fundamental adjective | /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ | Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| explore verb | /ɪkˈsploɹ/ | To examine or investigate something systematically. |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| talk through verb | To tell (someone) step by step how to do something. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/
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 discover, principle, vocabulary.
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.