Shadowing Practice: Improve Your English 10x Faster with Real Dialogues! (B1–B2 Learners) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is Max and Mia Podcast.
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Hey everyone, welcome back to Max and Mia Podcast.
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Hi there, we're so happy to have you with us today.
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How are you doing, Max?
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I'm doing great, Mia, and I hope all our listeners out there are having a wonderful day too.
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Before we dive into today's episode, don't forget to hit that like button if you're enjoying our content.
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Absolutely.
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And if you haven't subscribed yet, make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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Your support really means the world to us and helps us keep creating content to help you improve your English.
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So, Mia, what do we have in store for our listeners today?
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Well, Max, today we have a really complete episode packed with lots of useful content.
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That's right!
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We're going to cover several important topics that will help you take your English to the next level.
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We'll be reviewing complex numbers, those big figures that can be tricky to pronounce and understand.
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We'll also dive into some essential phrasal verbs that native speakers use all the time.
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And we can't forget about the third conditional.
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It's super useful for talking about hypothetical situations in the past.
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Plus, we'll be introducing some new vocabulary that you can start using right away in your conversations.
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By the end of this episode, you'll have practiced so many different aspects of English.
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It's going to be a fun and productive session.
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So, are you ready to get started?
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Let's do this.
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All right.
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So, before we jump into our first audio, we want to go over some useful words and expressions that you're going to hear.
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This will make it so much easier for you to understand what's going on.
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The audio is actually a conversation between two friends.
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One of them is asking for advice, and the other one is responding.
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Exactly.
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And, you know, when people ask for advice in English, there are tons of useful expressions that come up.
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We'll be covering more of these throughout the episode, but let's start with a few key ones.
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Okay, so the first one is actually a question.
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What would you do if you were me?
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Oh, yeah, this is super common.
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It basically means you're asking someone to put themselves in your position and tell you what they would do.
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Right.
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So, for example, imagine you're not sure if you should quit your job or not.
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You might say to your friend, I don't know what to do.
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What would you do if you were me?
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See?
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You're asking them to imagine being in your situation.
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Perfect example.
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Okay, next we have deal with.
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This is a phrasal verb, by the way.
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Yeah.
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Deal with means to handle a situation or to manage a problem.
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Um, let me think of an example.
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Oh, you could say, I have to deal with a difficult customer at work today.
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That means you have to handle or manage that situation with the customer.
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Nice.
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Alright, the next word is regret.
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Ah, yes.
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Regret is when you feel sorry about something you did or didn't do in the past.
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It's that feeling of, oh, I wish I hadn't done that, or I wish I had done something differently.
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Exactly.
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So, as an example, you might say, I regret not studying harder in university.
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That means you wish you had studied more back then.
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Good one.
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Okay, what's next?
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Oh, trust your gut.
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I love this expression.
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So, trust your gut means to follow your instincts or your intuition.
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It's like, you know, that feeling you get deep down about what's right or wrong.
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Yeah.
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Like, if someone asks you for advice and you want to tell them to follow their intuition,
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you could say, I think you should trust your gut on this one.
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That's basically saying, listen to your inner voice.
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Follow what feels right to you.
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Perfect.
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And the last one we want to mention before the audio is sort out.
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Another phrasal verb.
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Sort out means to resolve a problem or to organize something.
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Um, for example, I need to sort out my finances before the end of the month.
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That means you need to organize or fix your financial situation.
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Great example.
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So those are the main expressions you'll hear in the audio.
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Again, there are so many more useful phrases for giving and asking for advice,
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and we'll be talking about them as we go through the episode.
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All right.
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Now let's listen to that conversation.
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Hey, Lena.
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Thanks for meeting up with me.
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I really needed to talk to someone. Of course.
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You sounded pretty stressed on the phone.
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What's going on?
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Yeah, I've been dealing with this situation at work, and I don't know, I'm just not sure what to do about it.
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Can you give me some advice?
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Sure.
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Tell me what's happening.
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Well, so my boss offered me a promotion last week, which sounds great, right?
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But here's the thing, it would mean relocating to another city, and I'd have to leave in like two months.
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Oh, wow.
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That's a big decision.
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um do you want the promotion that's the problem i mean
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yeah it's a great opportunity better salary more responsibility all
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that stuff but i've built my whole life here you know my friends my apartment everything and honestly
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if i'd known this would happen i would have thought twice
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before taking this job in the first place i totally get you it's tough
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when you have to choose between your career in your personal life.
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Have you tried talking to your boss about maybe delaying the move or finding another solution?
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Not really.
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I've been avoiding it because I don't want to seem ungrateful or anything.
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But the deadline to give them an answer is next Friday and I'm running out of time to figure this out.
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What would you do if you were me?
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Like, seriously, if you were in my shoes.
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Hmm, that's tough.
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If I were you, I'd probably make a list of pros and cons first.
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You know, write down everything that could go right and everything that could go wrong.
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Sometimes seeing it on paper helps you sort out your thoughts.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
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I've been trying to do that in my head, but it just feels like a mess.
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Exactly!
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And here's the thing, you need to think about what you'd regret more?
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Would you regret not taking the opportunity and always wondering what could have been?
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Or would you regret leaving everything behind and starting over somewhere new?
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I don't know.
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That's what's killing me.
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I feel like either way, I'm going to regret something.
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Look, I'd suggest taking a day or two to really think it through.
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Don't rush this decision.
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Maybe you could visit the new city first.
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Like go there for a weekend, check out the neighborhood, see if you can actually picture yourself living there.
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That's not a bad idea.
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I hadn't thought of that.
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Do you think I should tell my boss I need more time?
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Why don't you ask for an extension?
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Just be honest with them.
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Say you want to make sure you're making the right choice.
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Most employers would understand that.
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It might be a good idea to show them you're taking this seriously.
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Yeah, you're probably right.
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I've just been so worried about making the wrong choice, you know?
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Like, if I had been more careful about my career path earlier, I wouldn't be in this mess right now.
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Hey, don't be so hard on yourself.
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You couldn't have predicted this would happen.
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Listen, at the end of the day, you need to trust your gut.
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What does your intuition tell you?
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Honestly, part of me is excited about the challenge, but another part of me just wants things to stay the same.
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I'm scared of change, I guess.
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That's totally normal.
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Change is scary for everyone.
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But you know what?
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If I were in your shoes, I'd also think about where I want to be in five years.
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If you don't take this opportunity, will you still be happy at your current position?
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Or will you always wonder what if?
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You're right.
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I need to look at the bigger picture.
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Maybe I'm just focusing too much on the immediate discomfort and not enough on the long-term benefits.
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Exactly.
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And another thing, if you had taken the promotion without thinking, you might have regretted rushing into it.
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So taking your time to make up your mind is actually smart.
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Thanks, Lena.
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This really helps.
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I think the best thing to do is to talk to my boss tomorrow and ask for that extension.
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and then maybe book a trip to check out the city next weekend.
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There you go.
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That sounds like a solid plan.
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And hey, whatever you decide, I'm here for you, okay?
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Thanks.
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I really appreciate it.
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I feel a bit better now.
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At least I have a plan to sort this out.
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Good.
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Just remember, there's no perfect choice here.
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You just have to figure out what feels right for you and go with it.
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Yeah, you're right.
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I'll let you know how it goes.
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Okay, so that was a really natural conversation between two friends, right?
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And there's actually a lot we can learn from it.
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First of all, did you guys notice how many times they used the third conditional?
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This is something that B1 and B2 learners often struggle with.
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Oh, absolutely.
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The third conditional is tricky because it talks about hypothetical situations in the past.
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Things that didn't happen, but we imagine what would have happened if they had.
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Exactly.
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So, let's break down the structure real quick.
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The third conditional uses if plus the past perfect and then would have plus the past participle.
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So it's like if plus had plus past participle would have plus past participle.
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Right.
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And we heard Jake say, if I had known this would happen, I would have thought twice before taking this job.
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So he's saying that he didn't know, but if he had known, he would have acted differently.
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Perfect example.
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And notice how in spoken English we usually contract would have to would have.
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It sounds much more natural that way.
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Yeah, and there was another one.
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Um, Jake also said, if I'd been more careful about my career path earlier, I wouldn't be in this mess right now.
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Oh, good catch.
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But wait, this one's actually a bit different.
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Did you notice?
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He used the third conditional in the if clause, but then he said wouldn't be, present tense, in the result clause.
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Oh, yeah.
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That's called a mixed conditional.
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It's when the past action affects the present situation.
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So he's saying his past decisions are affecting his current situation.
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Exactly.
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This is really common in real conversations.
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Native speakers mix conditionals all the time when they're talking about past actions that have present consequences.
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And Lena used one, too.
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She said, if you had taken the promotion without thinking, you might have regretted rushing into it.
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That's the standard third conditional structure.
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Nice.
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Now, beyond the grammar, there were some really useful expressions for giving advice that I think are worth highlighting.
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Oh, yeah.
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Like, if I were you, this is super common when giving advice.
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Lena said it a couple of times.
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And notice it's if I were you, not if I was you.
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Technically, were is more correct in this situation, though in casual speech, you'll hear both.
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Right.
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And she also used if I were in your shoes.
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Same idea, just a different way of saying it.
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It's a bit more idiomatic.
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I also really liked how Lena said trust your gut.
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This is such a natural expression, and it's way more common than saying follow your intuition, even though they mean the same thing.
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Yeah, and sort out appeared a few times too.
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Jake said he needed time to figure this out, and later he wanted to sort this out.
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Both are phrasal verbs that mean to resolve or solve a problem, but they're slightly different in tone.
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How so?
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Well, figure out is more about understanding or finding a solution, like solving a puzzle.
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Sort out is more about organizing or fixing something that's messy or complicated.
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They overlap a lot, though.
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Oh, that makes sense.
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And I think it's worth mentioning, make up your mind too.
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This is a really common expression that means to make a decision, especially when you've been uncertain for a while.
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Definitely.
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And one more thing I noticed, the way they used regret.
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Jake kept talking about what he might regret in the future.
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This shows how we use regret not just for past actions, but also when we're worried about future regrets.
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Oh, that's a good point.
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He said things like, I feel like either way I'm going to regret something.
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So he's anticipating regret, not just experiencing it from the past.
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Exactly.
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And that's very natural.
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When we're making big decisions, we often think about what we might regret later.
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One last thing.
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Did anyone notice how Lena used,
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why don't you… this is a softer way of giving advice compared to just saying, you should.
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It sounds less direct and more like a suggestion.
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Yeah.
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Why don't you ask for an extension?
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friendlier than, you should ask for an extension.
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It's a small difference, but it makes your English sound more natural and polite.
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So there you have it.
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That conversation was packed with useful language for B1 and B2 learners, the third conditional, mixed conditionals,
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phrasal verbs, and tons of natural expressions for asking for and giving advice.
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And remember, these are the kinds of expressions
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that will make you sound more fluent and natural when you're speaking English in real situations.
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Alright, now we're moving on to our second conversation, and this one's going to be a bit different.
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This time you're going to hear lots of large numbers.
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You know, the kind that can get a bit confusing when you're listening.
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Exactly.
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like thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions.
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These can be tricky, especially when people say them quickly in conversation.
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So before we listen to the audio, let's go over some useful phrasal verbs that you'll hear.
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These are all related to money and finances, which is the topic of the conversation.
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Okay.
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First one, add up.
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This means to calculate the total of something, or it can mean that something makes sense.
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Um, for example, if you're looking at your expenses,
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you might say, let me add up all my bills to see how much I spent this month.
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Nice.
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And it can also be used like, his story doesn't add up, meaning something doesn't make sense or seems suspicious.
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But in our audio, it's used in the mathematical sense.
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Right.
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OK, next we have cut down on.
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This means to reduce the amount of something you're doing or using.
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Yes, like if you're spending too much money on coffee, someone might tell you, you should cut down on buying coffee every day.
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It means reduce or decrease.
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Good example.
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Alright, the third one is live on.
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This means to survive or support yourself with a certain amount of money.
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So, for instance, you could say, it's hard to live on minimum wage in this city.
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That means it's difficult to survive or pay for everything you need with that amount of money.
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Exactly.
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And the last one is pay off.
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This has a couple of meanings, but in the context of finances, it usually means to completely repay a debt or loan.
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Yeah, like, I finally paid off my student loans last year.
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That means you finished paying all the money you owed.
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Great.
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So those are the key phrasal verbs.
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Now remember, in this conversation, pay close attention to how they pronounce those big numbers.
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It takes practice to catch them when people speak at a normal speed.
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Absolutely.
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Let's listen to the conversation.
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Hey, Berka.
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Do you have a minute?
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I wanted to talk to you about something that's been on my mind lately.
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Sure.
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What's up?
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Well, I've been looking at my finances and honestly, it's a bit of a mess.
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I just found out that my credit card debt has reached $14,800 and I have no idea how it got this bad.
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Oh wow, that's quite a bit.
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Have you been tracking your spending at all?
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Not really, and I think that's part of the problem.
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I mean, I know my salary is $52,000 a year, which should be enough, right?
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somehow I'm always broke by the end of the month.
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Yeah, I get it.
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You know, I used to be in a similar situation a few years ago.
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My debt was around $19,000 and I was barely able to live on what was left after paying my bills.
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Really?
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How did you manage to turn it around?
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Well, the first thing I did was sit down and actually add up all my expenses.
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I'm talking about everything.
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Rent, utilities, groceries, subscriptions, eating out, all of it.
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And when I saw the total, I was shocked.
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How much were you spending?
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I was spending about $4,200 a month, but my take-home pay was only around $3,600.
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So I was basically going into debt every single month without even realizing it.
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Oh man, that sounds familiar.
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So what did you do?
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I had to cut down on a lot of things.
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Like, I was spending probably $600 a month on eating out and ordering food.
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So I started meal prepping and cooking at home more.
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That alone saved me around $450 monthly.
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That's actually a huge difference when you add it up over a year.
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Exactly!
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That's $5,400 a year.
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And then I looked at my subscriptions.
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Streaming services, gym membership I never used, app subscriptions I forgot about.
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All of that was adding another $230 every month.
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Yeah.
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Those small charges really add up, don't they?
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They do.
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So I canceled most of them and kept only the ones I actually used.
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And here's the thing.
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Once I started cutting down on unnecessary expenses, I was able to put aside about $800 a month toward paying off my debt.
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$800 a month?
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That must have taken a while to pay off $19,000 though.
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It took me about two years, but I did it.
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And now I'm actually saving money.
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I have around $12,700 in my emergency fund, and I'm putting away 15% of my salary every month.
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Wow, that's impressive.
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I don't even have an emergency fund.
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Like, if something unexpected happened, I'd be completely screwed.
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That's exactly why you need to start now.
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Look, I know it seems overwhelming, but if you can just cut down on your spending by even 20 or 30%,
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you'll see a difference pretty quickly.
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I guess you're right.
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I mean, I'm probably spending way too much on stuff I don't need.
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My car payment alone is $475 a month, and then there's insurance, which is another $180.
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Okay, so that's already $655.
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What about rent?
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Rent is $1,300 for my apartment, which I know is a lot, but I really like the place.
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I hear you.
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But if you're serious about getting out of debt, you might want to consider finding a roommate or moving somewhere cheaper.
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Even saving $300 or $400 on rent would make a huge difference.
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Yeah, maybe.
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I'll think about it.
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What about the credit card debt, though?
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The interest is killing me.
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I think I'm paying around 22% APR.
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That's brutal.
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Okay, so here's what I did.
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I called my credit card company and asked them to lower my interest rate.
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They actually dropped it from 24% to 17.5%, which doesn't sound like much, but it saved me hundreds of dollars in interest over time.
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Wait, you can just ask them to do that?
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Sometimes, yeah.
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It doesn't hurt to try.
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And another thing, if you can pay more than the minimum payment each month, do it.
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Even if it's just an extra $50 or $100, it'll help you pay off the balance faster.
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That makes sense.
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So if I could cut down on my spending and put, let's say, $1,000 a month toward the debt, how long would it take to pay off?
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Well, with $14,800 at 22% interest, probably around a year and a half if you're consistent with those payments.
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But if you get the interest rate lowered, it could be closer to 14 or 15 months.
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Okay, that's actually not as bad as I thought.
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I can do that.
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You definitely can.
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And once you pay off that debt, you'll feel so much lighter.
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Trust me.
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Then you can start building up your savings and actually living on less than you earn instead of the other way around.
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Yeah, I need to stop living paycheck to paycheck.
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It's so stressful.
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It really is.
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But look, the fact that you're thinking about this now and asking for advice means you're already on the right track.
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You just need a solid plan and the discipline to stick to it.
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Thanks, Becca.
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This really helps.
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I'm going to sit down tonight and add up all my expenses, figure out where I can cut back, and make a realistic budget.
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Perfect.
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And hey, if you need help or want someone to hold you accountable, just let me know.
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I'm happy to check in with you.
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I appreciate that.
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All right.
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Time to get my financial life together.
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All right.
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So, that was quite a different conversation from the first one, wasn't it?
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This one was all about money and finances.
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And wow, there were so many numbers flying around.
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Let's talk about that first, because numbers can be really tricky for English learners,
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especially when people say them at a normal conversational speed.
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Right.
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So Ryan mentioned his credit card debt was $14,800.
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Now, when we say large numbers in English, we break them down into chunks.
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We say $14,000 first, then $800.
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Yeah, and notice we don't say and between thousands and hundreds in American English.
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Some people do in British English, but in American English, it's just $14,800.
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And Becca mentioned her salary was $52,000 a year.
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That's a round number, so it's a bit easier.
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But then she got into monthly expenses, $4,200.
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And this is where it gets interesting for learners.
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When you're listening, you need to catch those numbers quickly.
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She also said she was only taking home $3,600, so she was spending more than she earned.
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Exactly.
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And then there were all those smaller numbers, too.
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$600 on food, $450 in savings, $230 on subscriptions.
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Yeah, and notice how native speakers often drop the word dollars when the context is clear.
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Becca said $600 at first, but then just $450, because we already know we're talking about money.
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Oh, that's a great observation.
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And percentages came up, too.
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She mentioned saving 15% of her salary, and Ryan's credit card had 22% APR.
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Right.
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When we say percentages, we always say percent, not percents.
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no matter the number.
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So it's 15%, 22%, 30%.
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Okay, so now let's talk about those phrasal verbs we mentioned earlier.
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Did everyone catch how they were used?
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That's right.
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Add up came up several times.
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Becca said she needed to add up all her expenses, meaning calculate the total.
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And then Ryan said, those small charges really add up, which means they accumulate or become significant over time.
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Exactly.
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Same phrasal verb, but slightly different meanings depending on context.
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That's what makes phrasal verbs challenging, but also really useful once you understand them.
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And cut down on was huge in this conversation.
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Becca talked about cutting down on eating out, cutting down on subscriptions, cutting down on unnecessary expenses.
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Yeah, this is such a useful phrasal verb for everyday life.
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You can cut down on sugar, cut down on screen time, cut down on spending.
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It's super versatile.
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Absolutely.
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Absolutely.
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Then we had live on.
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Becca mentioned she could barely live on what was left after paying bills.
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This is really common when talking about salaries and budgets.
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Right.
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Like, you might hear someone say, I can't live on minimum wage.
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Or, how do people live on that amount?
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It's about surviving or managing with a certain income.
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And finally, pay off appeared multiple times.
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Paying off debt, paying off a credit card, paying off a loan.
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This is essential vocabulary if you're ever talking about finances in English.
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And notice the difference.
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Pay by itself means to give money for something, but pay off specifically means to finish paying a debt completely.
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So, I paid my credit card bill is different from I paid off my credit card.
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Great distinction.
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Now, one more thing I want to mention.
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Did anyone notice the financial advice expressions they used?
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Oh, yeah.
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Becca gave lots of advice in a really natural way.
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She said things like, if you can just cut down on your spending by even 20 or 30 percent,
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she was being encouraging and realistic.
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And she used, you might want to consider when suggesting Ryan get a roommate.
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That's a softer way of giving advice than just saying, you should.
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Exactly.
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It's less direct, which makes it sound more like a suggestion than a command.
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Native speakers do this all the time when giving advice about sensitive topics like money.
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And Ryan used some good phrases, too, like, I have no idea how it got this bad, and I'm always broke by the end of the month.
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These are very natural colloquial expressions.
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Yeah, broke is informal, but super common.
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It means you have no money.
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And by the end of the month shows a specific time reference that's really useful when talking about finances.
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One last thing.
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Becca mentioned living paycheck to paycheck.
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This is an idiom that means you spend all your money before you get paid again, so you have nothing saved.
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It's a really common expression in conversations about financial struggles.
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Great!
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So, to sum up this conversation, we practiced listening to large numbers in context,
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learned essential phrasal verbs for money and finances, and picked up some natural expressions for giving and receiving financial advice.
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And all of this is super practical for B1 and B2 learners,
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because these are real conversations you might have with friends or colleagues Absolutely.
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Money is one of those topics that comes up all the time in everyday life, so having this vocabulary is really important.
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Well, that brings us to the end of today's episode.
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We covered a lot, didn't we?
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We really did.
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We went through the third conditional, mixed conditionals, tons of phrasal verbs,
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large numbers, and so much practical vocabulary.
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And the best part is, all of this stuff is what native speakers actually use in real conversations.
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It's not just textbook English.
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This is the real deal.
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Exactly.
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So, if you've been listening and following along, you should feel proud of yourself.
479
This was a packed episode, and if you understood most of it, you're definitely at a solid B1 or B2 level.
480
And hey, if there were parts that were challenging, that's totally normal.
481
Just go back and listen again.
482
That's the beauty of podcasts.
483
You can replay them as many times as you need.
484
And remember, learning a language is all about consistency.
485
Keep practicing, keep listening, and you'll see progress.
486
Before we go, don't forget to hit that like button if you enjoyed today's episode.
487
And if you haven't subscribed yet, please do.
488
It really helps us out and makes sure you don't miss any future episodes.
489
We've got so many more topics coming up in the next episodes, and we can't wait to share them with you.
490
Absolutely.
491
We're always working on new content to help you improve your English in a fun and natural way.
492
So, until next time, keep practicing your English.
493
And don't forget, trust your gut, add up your progress, and never stop learning.
494
See you in the next episode.
495
Bye, everyone.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Improve Your English 10x Faster with Real Dialogues!”. This video has 495 sentences and 4670 words to shadow. The speech runs for 33:48. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrasal adjective | /ˈfɹeɪzəl/ | Relating to, or used in the manner of, a phrase. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| conditional noun | /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/ | A conditional sentence; a statement that depends on a condition being true or false. |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| subscription noun | /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/ | Access to a resource for a period of time, generally for payment. |
| paycheck noun | /ˈpeɪ.t͡ʃɛk/ | A periodic payment, usually in the form of a paper check, received by an employee from an employer for work performed. |
| intuition noun | /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/ | Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes. |
| 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. |
| tricky adjective | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | Hard to deal with, complicated. |
| participle noun | /ˈpɑɹtɪˌsɪpəl/ | A form of a verb that may function as an adjective, noun or adverb. English has two types of participles: the present participle and the past participle. In… |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| hypothetical adjective | /ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/ | Based upon a hypothesis; conjectural. |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pay off verb | To bribe, especially to deter oversight. |
| add up verb | To take the sum of; to total. |
| sort out verb | To clarify by reviewing mentally. |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What would you do if you were me?
- Can you give me some advice?
- Why don't you ask for an extension?
- What does your intuition tell you?
- We covered a lot, didn't we?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if i'd known this would happen · If I were you, I'd probably · If I were in your shoes, I'd also |
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been dealing · I've been avoiding · I've been trying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't subscribed · i've built · Have you tried |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | finances, which is · insurance, which is · direct, which makes |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 120 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: hypothetical /ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conditional /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/, subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, intuition /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/, suspicious /səˈspɪʃ.əs/
- Long words — get the stress right: conditional /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/, intuition /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, participle /ˈpɑɹtɪˌsɪpəl/, hypothetical /ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrasal, verb, conditional.
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.