Shadowing Practice: I wish I had a best friend for just one day - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I wish I had a best friend for just one day.
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Why one day?
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I don't know.
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It's just like, one day would be enough.
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Some people have best friends for years, maybe their whole life.
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And I've never had a best friend.
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I've had friends, and, you know, maybe not in a while, but I've had friends.
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But I've never had a best friend.
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And I don't really know what that feels like.
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I think I've had something close to it.
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I'm not sure if it was quite there in completion or like fully, but I think I had something close to it.
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And if I just had a best friend for one day, just to know what it felt like to have that, I don't know.
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I feel like it would be great.
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But I remember in second grade, you know, I had a friend from second grade through fifth grade, all throughout elementary school.
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We were friends, you know, we played football together.
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We did all this stuff.
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I mean, we didn't hang out outside of school, I guess because it was just elementary school.
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But, you know, we were in the same class every single year from second grade to fifth grade.
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And it was incredible, you know, because it's like we followed each other around in some sense.
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We were always playing the same games.
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We always sat at the lunch table together.
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You know, if there was a project, we tried to do a project together.
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It was so fun.
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And it felt really great to have that companionship, to have that sort of connection.
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And we were just kids.
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So like, how deep can it be, right?
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But maybe because we were kids, that's why it was so good, because it wasn't superficial.
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It wasn't based off of anything that was, you know, performance or like any sort of social dynamics.
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It was just because we liked the same stuff and we enjoyed being with each other.
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And I haven't had that in a while.
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There's been people that I've met that I really clicked with.
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You know, I really was like, man, this person's so cool.
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They're so great, but I was only with them for so long.
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You know, like I've met a lot of people at like summer camps and stuff, but you only know people for a few weeks and then they're gone from your life.
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Probably for good.
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You know?
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And it's not that those relationships or those, I guess, like getting to know that person was a waste.
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It's just that it was fleeting.
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And there wasn't time to let that relationship grow enough where you felt this like deeper connection.
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And that's what I really want.
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I want, I just want to feel that, you know, because here's the thing, it takes, it takes years I guess for someone to become a best friend like you consider them a best friend
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but like I just want to have that feeling for one day where it like you know I guess like that culmination, that trust, whatever it is because I don't know how to describe it
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because I've never had it but it would be nice for just one day
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and the thing is I watched this video it's like something
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about like proximity like the proximity you are to the people you're friends with
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that it's like what greatly determines how that relationship will go
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because if you're if you don't see someone physically like physically see them then like
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that relationship it it dies off and it's it becomes you know weaker and weaker
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because like there's people you know like I try to stay in contact with people you know you text them
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but like sometimes you know you don't reply back
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or they have a busy life
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or whatever it's just like you don't see them anymore
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so it's not it's not the same dynamic online as it
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is in person it's completely different you know interacting with someone and you miss that so I guess really I
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I miss having friends.
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I miss having people, you know, you could text or you can call up, hey, you want to hang out?
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You want to go do something?
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You know?
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Or you want to just meet up and do nothing?
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You know, you don't even have to do anything.
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It's just that you're together. But I miss that.
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I miss that a lot.
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And I think, I think there's friendship out there for me somewhere.
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I don't know where or when, but there's obviously been a big gap between, you know, having friends and not having friends.
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And I just, I want to get to know someone on a deep level.
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You know, I work best one-on-one when I can be real with someone and they're being real with me. because
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when you're with someone one-on-one it's like there is no there's no need to perform there's no pressure to perform
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because it's just you and them it's like hey it's me
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and you let's just be real and that is the best thing
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that is like the best thing and
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and that's like what i realized is that's where i get to know people the best
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when i talk to someone and it's just me and you you know
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like we're here together and we can just be free with each other
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and that is probably it's got to be one of like the most peak experiences in life where you have
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that with someone.
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Because life is like this thing where like we all feel alone.
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We all feel lost.
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We all feel like we don't know what to do.
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But if you have someone, it's not like those feelings go away.
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But it's like you're with them on that.
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You have that alignment where you both equally are clueless.
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But that's okay because you have each other.
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So It's It's just weird It's weird to think about because
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I haven't had friends in a while So I don't really remember what it's like To like Just like
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Have that dynamic with someone And It's so fun
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Like I think back And I think man
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It was so great to have people around me that you could just be with.
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It's like, you know, this guy's my friend.
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We're cool.
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We're, you know, we're together and we're connected.
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And, you know, we can rely on each other.
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It's so great.
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It's a beautiful thing.
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It really is.
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And that is what I seek.
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I hope to find that very soon.
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And maybe I have found it.
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But that physical, that like physical meeting, being in physical presence with someone else,
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that is the most important thing.
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That is like the height of it.
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Because you can know someone, you know, online or whatever, and you can really get to know someone.
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And that's great.
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But there's always this yearning or this want to be with that person in person.
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You know, it's just like with the people, you know, I've met before, but then, you know, we're apart.
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And then you talk to them on the phone or texting, but it's just not the same.
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It's not the same as seeing them face to face and knowing them in that way.
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And there's no way to, like, make up for it or, like, reconcile it.
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It's just a matter of like, you know, you meet these people, then they leave your life, and that's just it.
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And it's fine.
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It's just how it works sometimes.
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But for me, I guess I'm a bit tired of it.
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I don't want to just keep meeting people and then know them for a few weeks, and then we go back to strangers.
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You know?
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It's just, it's not a waste, but it feels so...
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It hurts in some way.
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Because you get to know someone you really like hanging out with them. And talking to them.
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And then it's all over.
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And maybe like the short amount of time is what makes it worth it or something like that. But like...
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I wonder, what would it be like if like...
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There's someone I met and then...
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There wasn't that separation.
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There wasn't that like...
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That big distance or something.
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And, you know, I could see them.
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Maybe, like, you know, every day or whatever.
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But it's just like, it just makes you think.
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But one day, one day, I'll have a friend.
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Maybe multiple friends.
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I don't know if I have a best friend.
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I don't really know what defines a best friend.
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Some people say they have multiple best friends.
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Some people say they have just one best friend that they've had for the rest of their whole life.
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And some people, you know, their best friends change all the time. So I don't know.
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I feel like for me I'm, I guess I'm a little bit more strict on like what constitutes a friend.
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And then especially what would make a best friend.
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But I guess to me a best friend would be someone that I feel like,
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you know what, I don't have to be anything in particular.
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I'm just like existing and that's enough to be their friend, right?
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It's enough to just talk.
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It's enough to not talk And it's just the fact that we know each other on some deeper level
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On some aligned level That we require nothing of each other to some extent Yet we also may require everything
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Like we still push each other, we still want more out of each other Yet,
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it's not because we wouldn't be friends with them if they weren't It's because we just, we want each other to be better And that would be,
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that'd be the greatest thing Where, you know, you're both, you hold each other accountable And you make each other better And even,
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maybe we even love each other,
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you know But, um, yeah We'll see because I'm sure I'm sure there's many friendships to be made
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for the rest of my life and I just wonder I wonder I wonder what it's going to look like
Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with the video titled "I wish I had a best friend for just one day" provides a unique opportunity to practice speaking in English while exploring emotional and relatable themes. The speaker shares their feelings about friendship, connection, and the yearning for deeper relationships, making it an ideal content choice for improving your English-speaking abilities. As you read and listen, you can improve your English pronunciation and develop a natural speaking rhythm through shadow speech techniques.
This video allows learners to reflect on personal experiences while practicing how to articulate their thoughts coherently in English. By mimicking the speaker's intonation and emotional delivery, you can enhance your language skills and gain confidence in expressing your feelings about friendship.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker uses various grammatical structures and expressions that are useful for conversational English. Here are a few key elements to focus on:
- Conditional Statements: "If I just had a best friend for one day..." - This construction highlights hypothetical situations and is valuable for learners to express wishes and possibilities.
- Past Continuous Tense: "We were friends, you know, we played football..." - This tense recounts personal history and is essential for discussing past experiences in a detailed manner.
- Descriptive Language: "It felt really great to have that companionship..." - Using descriptive adjectives helps convey emotions and enrich your vocabulary, making your speech more engaging.
- Expressing Uncertainty: "I'm not sure if it was quite there in completion..." - This showcases a way to express ambiguity, which is common in everyday conversation.
Practicing these structures while speaking will aid in making your English speech sound more fluent and natural.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice, pay attention to certain pronunciation challenges that may arise from this video. Here are some key words and phrases to focus on:
- Friendship: The 'sh' sounds in this word can be tricky; ensure you pronounce it clearly to communicate your thoughts effectively.
- Companionship: This longer word might lead to mispronunciation; break it down into syllables to practice before integrating it into your speech.
- Proximity: The initial 'pro' sound should be emphasized, as it is essential in correctly conveying the context of the relationships discussed in the video.
Using shadow speaks techniques, try repeating these tricky words after hearing them in the video. This practice will help solidify your understanding and improve your overall English pronunciation.
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.