Shadowing Practice: I was fired 3 times - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

22 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I have been fired not once, not twice, but three times in my career.
2
And it wasn't pretty.
3
Each time it was on the spot firing.
4
No warning.
5
I didn't even see it coming.
6
And it was brutal.
7
They would say, we're letting you go.
8
We'll send your stuff in boxes later.
9
Go spend time with your family.
10
And I was like, I don't want to go.
11
And my family is the last thing I want to see when I get fired.
12
Being fired is tough.
13
Each time I was unemployed, it lasted for more than six months.
14
And every day it felt like a struggle reaching into my network or talking to recruiters.
15
I felt embarrassed.
16
I felt like I was a failure.
17
I was ashamed.
18
And I was disappointed in myself.
19
But here's what I've learned.
20
Failure is not our tormentor.
21
It's our teacher.
22
If you learn from it, it will prepare you for success.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan QR
Scan QR
Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

How To  Learn Faster Than 99% of PeopleB2
242

How To  Learn Faster Than 99% of People

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
The Best Vibe Coders Aren't EngineersB2
1

The Best Vibe Coders Aren't Engineers

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
These guys made billions copying businessesB2
1

These guys made billions copying businesses

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
7 Skills That Will Be Worth Twice As Much By 2030C1
7

7 Skills That Will Be Worth Twice As Much By 2030

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
How To Use Claude Better Than 99% Of PeopleC1
2

How To Use Claude Better Than 99% Of People

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
4 Conversation Habits That Make You Unforgettable (Using Psychology)B2
1

4 Conversation Habits That Make You Unforgettable (Using Psychology)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
How To Manage Your Time Like a CEOC1
5

How To Manage Your Time Like a CEO

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Everything I Learned Sitting in Billion-Dollar BoardroomsC1
2

Everything I Learned Sitting in Billion-Dollar Boardrooms

Business EnglishWorking Adults
High-Value Hobbies Everyone Should Master, Start TodayB2
6

High-Value Hobbies Everyone Should Master, Start Today

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Give Me 18 Minutes and I’ll Make you Dangerously Smart (with AI)C1
5

Give Me 18 Minutes and I’ll Make you Dangerously Smart (with AI)

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
How To Think SO Clearly People Assume You're BrilliantB2
4

How To Think SO Clearly People Assume You're Brilliant

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A 4-Step System to Process Information with Extreme ClarityC1
1

A 4-Step System to Process Information with Extreme Clarity

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
How To Learn So Fast It’s Almost UnfairC1
14

How To Learn So Fast It’s Almost Unfair

University StudentsWorking Adults
How To Speak Like A Billion-Dollar CEOB2
5

How To Speak Like A Billion-Dollar CEO

Business EnglishWorking Adults
The Only 7 Books You Need to Educate Yourself Like the Top 1%C1
12

The Only 7 Books You Need to Educate Yourself Like the Top 1%

University StudentsWorking Adults
You’re Not Behind (Yet): Learn AI Agents in 13 MinutesC1
5

You’re Not Behind (Yet): Learn AI Agents in 13 Minutes

Working Adults
The Notebook System That Saved My BrainC1
8

The Notebook System That Saved My Brain

University StudentsWorking Adults
I Learned A System For Remembering EverythingC1
1

I Learned A System For Remembering Everything

University StudentsWorking Adults
If You Only Read One Book This Year, Make It ThisB2
1

If You Only Read One Book This Year, Make It This

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
How To Become Dangerously Self-Educated (with AI)B2
4

How To Become Dangerously Self-Educated (with AI)

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU

Recommend Video

I’ve failed so I come back strongerB2
1
315 sentences

I’ve failed so I come back stronger

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Conversation: I Hate My JobB1
5
81 sentences

Conversation: I Hate My Job

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
ENGLISH SPEECH | JACK MA ALIBABA: We Never Give Up (English Subtitles)B1
1
34 sentences

ENGLISH SPEECH | JACK MA ALIBABA: We Never Give Up (English Subtitles)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Laid Off After 4 Months as a Software EngineerB2
1
159 sentences

Laid Off After 4 Months as a Software Engineer

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
I feel stuck and don’t want to learn English anymore | ACTION PLANB1
2
235 sentences

I feel stuck and don’t want to learn English anymore | ACTION PLAN

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
I Tried 50 Business Ideas. These 3 Made Me Rich...B2
2
106 sentences

I Tried 50 Business Ideas. These 3 Made Me Rich...

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Why I became a Truck Driver at 21B1
1
17 sentences

Why I became a Truck Driver at 21

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Midori monet top 3B1
1
11 sentences

Midori monet top 3

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Dave And Lars InterviewB2
1
75 sentences

Dave And Lars Interview

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Against All Odds: Never Give Up When Life Gets Hard | Elon Musk MotivationB2
2
178 sentences

Against All Odds: Never Give Up When Life Gets Hard | Elon Musk Motivation

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Emily is fired CLIP | Emily in Paris | Lily Collins | Lucas Bravo | Ashley Park | NetflixB1
4
37 sentences

Emily is fired CLIP | Emily in Paris | Lily Collins | Lucas Bravo | Ashley Park | Netflix

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
My Family Laughed At My Husband. So He Bought Their Company ✅ Learn English Through Story (A1-A2 LevA2
1
196 sentences

My Family Laughed At My Husband. So He Bought Their Company ✅ Learn English Through Story (A1-A2 Lev

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “I was fired 3 times”. This video has 22 sentences and 157 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:47. The speaker talks fast, about 201 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% 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:

WordPronunciationMeaning
disappointed adjective/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/Defeated of expectations or hope; experiencing disappointment; let down.
brutal adjective/ˈbɹuːtəl/Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.
ashamed adjective/əˈʃeɪmd/Feeling shame or guilt.
embarrassed adjective/ɪmˈbæɹ.əst/Having a feeling of shameful discomfort.
unemployed adjective/ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/Having no job despite being able and willing to work.
tormentor noun/tɔːˈmɛn.tə(ɹ)/One who torments; a person, animal, or object that causes suffering.
struggle noun/ˈstɹʌɡəl/A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task.
warning noun/ˈwoɹnɪŋ/An instance of warning someone.
prepare verb/pɹɪˈpɛ(ə)ɹ/To make ready for a specific future purpose; to set up; to assemble or equip; to forearm.
failure noun/ˈfeɪ.ljə/State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
spend verb/spɪnd/To pay out (money).
reach verb/ɹiːt͡ʃ/To extend, stretch, or thrust out (for example a limb or object held in the hand).
spot noun/spɑt/A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
teacher noun/ˈti.t͡ʃɚ/A person who teaches, especially one employed in a school; preceptor.
twice adverb/twaɪs/Two times.

Sentences worth repeating

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

  • I didn't even see it coming.
  • They would say, we're letting you go.
  • We'll send your stuff in boxes later.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does ithave been fired · Being fired · was unemployed
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave been fired · I've learned
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionWe'll send · will prepare

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

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

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 →