Shadowing Practice: I speak English at native speed - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, my name is Evie and this is a video at Native Speed English to help you practice your listening comprehension.
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Hello, my name is Evie and this is a video at Native Speed English to help you practice your listening comprehension.
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Feels funny to say that at normal speed
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but this is the 100,000 subscriber special so I thought maybe I should mix it up a little bit.
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Yeah, this is going to be eight minutes of me speaking at native speed.
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I would love to know how much you can understand, so watch the whole thing and comment down below if you could understand me or not.
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So I am making this video because I am about to hit 100 000 subscribers.
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I'm about 1000 away right now but I wanted this video to be filmed
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and ready so that I could upload it it um upload it for
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when I hit 100k because that is
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so freaking cool um I've been running my channel now for
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about four months I think it's actually four months today since my first upload
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and this is the exact beach that I filmed in my very very first vlog
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and I was so nervous I was so nervous in
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that video I was like my voice was shaking
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and I had to keep retaking the video because I was
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so scared and that was just four months ago
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so feels pretty cool to uh to be here now
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and hopefully I come across a little bit more relaxed um
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in this video I wanted to talk about a couple things
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one I wanted to speak about the difference between advanced like how I speak to an advanced English learner
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and how I speak to a native
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and I wanted to speak a little bit about the future of this channel as well.
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So, you know, see if you can follow it.
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So, the first thing I wanted to talk about was the
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difference between the way I speak to an advanced English learner
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and the way I speak to a native because these are actually two different things.
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When I speak to an advanced English speaker, like even somebody who's like C1,
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C2, they're basically fluent, they can work in English I do still change my language even
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when I've made friends with people from other countries my my English is completely different oh Christ my
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that dog scared me my English is completely different compared to
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how I would speak with a with a like a native speaker
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and the main difference is not necessarily the speed
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but like the words that I choose and the words
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that I use so
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when I speak to an advanced English speaker I will avoid
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like really heavy slang I'll avoid heavy slang I'll avoid using too many expressions
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or colloquialisms or kind of leaning too much into the sarcasm uh for example like
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if I'm speaking to another Brit I will literally be like shut up
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I would just be like your banter like your Brits are
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very sarcastic we're very dry like we like to take the
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piss out of each other sometimes I speak to like my advanced students
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and they might even find this video a bit difficult
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because I'm speaking faster and I'm using more specific words
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and phrases in here as well now I don't know
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if any of you have moved abroad at some point in your life to an English-speaking country
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because I think this is one of the main times
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that people really feel that difference between an advanced English speaker and a native speaker.
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In particular if you make friends with natives it's fine
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when you're one-on-one but the minute that you end up going into like a bar
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or a group
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or like a big social event where there's lots of natives who are speaking to each other that's actually
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when a lot of people find
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that their listening comprehension drops a lot even though they're like
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c1s maybe like c1 speakers like super advanced speakers b2c1
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and the biggest problem there is a lack of cultural understanding um you need to understand like the jokes
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and the culture and the background of the country
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that you're in i think in order to necessarily like pick
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up on the jokes on the intonation on the kind of banter
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that goes back and forth between people and i think the UK is particularly bad for this because we're very dry.
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We're very sarcastic, like I said.
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So my advice for people who struggle with this or if you are like an advanced speaker,
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maybe my videos are too slow for you or you want something more challenging, you need to watch reality TV.
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And I know it's not for everyone.
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Like people don't always enjoy reality TV, like dating shows, but they are so important to watch because
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that is one of the only times
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that you will hear natives speaking to each other particularly in
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these like small talky getting to know each other contexts without having like their language changed at all
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so watch reality tv
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if you want to be like conversational making friends in english
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watch reality tv no subtitles you already know the drill
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if there's like a word or a phrase that you don't get then just turn them on them
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So that would be my advice.
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If you want to make friends or if you're trying to go from
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that kind of advance to like kind of native level like banter, watch reality TV.
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Once you're comfortable with that, then start watching comedies because that will give you like the kind of cultural understanding to if you can get the joke, you're going to be fine.
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You're going to be like C2.
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No worries.
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okay it's now about six minutes
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so I want to talk a little bit for the last
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couple minutes here just kind of reflect on my channel
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and everything that's gone on in the last few months
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so I started this back in January because I noticed
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that a lot of videos that help you learn English are very educational
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and by that I mean and there's nothing wrong with this okay
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if you're creator that does this or you like channels
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that do this i noticed
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that they do a lot of stuff like oh let's go to a supermarket
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and i'm gonna like tell you what all of these words are um
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and that's fine and it's very useful right you need
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that sort of content but i am of the opinion that
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if you want amazing english
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or to learn any language it needs to become a part of your life
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if you need to be every single morning watching whatever you would normally watch in spanish
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or korean or portuguese you need to be watching that in
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english
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and as soon as you start like replacing all of your
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habits with habits in english your fluency is going to go through the roof like
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because your brain needs to be kind of immersed it's immersed sorry it's like this kind of immersion
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so you know I wanted to make content
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that you would actually want to sit
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and watch after a day of work like at least for me
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when I finish work I like watching vlogs
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or I like watching lifestyle content that's just me
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so I try to make content like that in English
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but just for people who are learning um and
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that was kind of my idea behind behind my channel
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and you know that's why I've not done any like vocabulary builder videos
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or anything like this I'm I'm more trying to make native content that's accessible basically
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and um you know I I'm trying to make one video a week at the minute
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so I just don't have time to do anything else at the moment
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but yeah in the future it would be great to
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to do a little bit more um I have lots of
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plans for the future I'll keep them quiet for now
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because I don't know if I can pull them off
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but um I just really wanted to say thanks to you
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guys I mean this has been really really quick growth um four months
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and I know that a lot of my videos suck
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but they're getting better I try
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and make every video a little bit better than the last
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and I I hope you can see that and you can feel
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that and I just really appreciate your patience and all of your comments
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and all of your support it it really means a lot to me
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and um you know just thanks so much for watching
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and for subscribing
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and for getting me to 100 000 subscribers how much could you understand let me know um
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but that is everything from me today and uh I will see you in the next video bye
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
In the video "I Speak English at Native Speed," Evie offers a unique opportunity to learn English with YouTube as she speaks at a natural pace, mimicking real conversations you might encounter in everyday life. This immersive experience is a fantastic way to practice your listening comprehension skills and helps bridge the gap between advanced English learners and native speakers. As you listen, you will become more familiar with the rhythm and flow of conversational English, which is crucial for enhancing your overall fluency.
Engaging with this video not only boosts your listening skills but also helps you develop your speaking abilities through techniques like shadow speech. By repeating what Evie says in real-time, you're employing a method that builds pronunciation, intonation, and confidence in your speaking abilities. As you comment on your understanding in the video, you're also reinforcing your active learning process.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, Evie uses various grammatical structures and expressions that are particularly valuable for learners:
- Conversational Phrasing: Evie frequently uses colloquial expressions such as “take the piss” which is a British slang that means to make fun of someone. Understanding these idioms can enhance your conversational skills.
- Modals for Suggestion: Phrases like "you might find" indicate how suggestions and hypotheticals are expressed in English, making it clear how to offer advice or recommendations.
- Comparative Structures: The mention of differences in speech between advanced learners and natives illustrates how to use comparative language in conversation, helping learners articulate their understanding of language variations.
Using these expressions in your own speech will make you sound more natural and fluent.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice with Evie’s video, watch out for a few tricky pronunciations and accents. Here are some examples:
- Speed Variance: Evie's quick pacing may pose challenges, particularly when she uses contractions such as “I’m” instead of “I am” or “that’s” instead of “that is.” Catching these nuances is essential for improving your listening and speaking speed.
- Slang and Colloquial Terms: Words like “banter” or phrases like “shut up” may be difficult if you’re not familiar with British slang. Practicing these terms through shadowing can help your articulation and familiarity with regional variations.
- Intonation Patterns: Notice how Evie’s tone changes with her emotions, particularly in sarcastic remarks. Mimicking these intonation patterns will not only make you sound more natural but will also help convey your emotions effectively in conversations.
By incorporating these elements into your practice, you’ll enhance your shadowing technique, making you a more effective communicator in English.
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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