Shadowing Practice: Inception - helicopter conversation between Cobb, Arthur and Saito - Learn English Speaking with Video
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64 sentences
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1
Are you okay?
2
Yeah, I'm fine.
3
Why?
4
Well, down in the dream, I'm all showing up.
5
Like a mom.
6
I'm sorry about your leg.
7
It won't happen again.
8
It's getting worse, isn't it?
9
One apology is all you're getting, all right, Arthur?
10
Where's the edge?
11
He hasn't shown.
12
You want to wait?
13
No, we're supposed to deliver Saito's expansion plans to Cobal Engineering two hours ago.
14
By now they know we failed.
15
It's time we disappeared.
16
Where are you gonna go?
17
Buenos Aires.
18
I can lie low there, maybe sniff out a job when things quiet down.
19
You?
20
State side.
21
Send my regards.
22
He saw the art, thought to come to me and bargain for his life.
23
So I offer you the satisfaction.
24
It's not the way I deal with things.
25
What will you do with it?
26
Nothing.
27
But I can't speak for cobalt engineering.
28
What do you want from us?
29
Inception. Is it possible?
30
Of course not.
31
If you can steal an idea from someone's mind, why can't you plan one there instead?
32
Okay.
33
Here's me planning an idea in your head.
34
I say to you, don't think about elephants.
35
What are you thinking about?
36
Elephants.
37
Right, but it's not your idea because you know I gave it to you.
38
The subject's mind can always trace the genesis of the idea.
39
True inspiration is impossible to fake.
40
It's not true. Can you do it?
41
Are you offering me a choice?
42
Because I can find my own way to square things with coal.
43
Then you do have a choice.
44
And I choose to leave, sir.
45
Tell the crew where I want to go.
46
Hey, Mr. Cobb!
47
How would you like to go home? To America. To your children.
48
Can't fix that.
49
No one can.
50
Just like Inception.
51
Cop, come on.
52
How complex is the idea?
53
Simple enough.
54
No idea is simple when you need to plant it in somebody else's mind.
55
My main competitor is an old man in poor health.
56
His son will soon inherit control of the corporation.
57
I need him to decide to break up his father's empire.
58
Scott, we should walk away from this.
59
Hold on.
60
If I were to do this, if I even could do it, I'd need a guarantee.
61
How do I know you can deliver?
62
You don't. But I can.
63
So, do you want to take a leap of faith or become an old man filled with regret waiting to die alone?
64
Assembly team, Mr. Kong, and choose your people more wisely.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Inception - helicopter conversation between Cobb, Arthur and Saito”. This video has 64 sentences and 420 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:35. The speaker talks at a steady 117 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. 19 of its 64 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| elephant noun | /ˈɛlɪfənt/ | A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| inspiration noun | /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of breathing. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| regret verb | /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/ | To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead. |
| regards noun | /ɹɪˈɡɑɹdz/ | A greeting to pass on to another person. |
| trace noun | /tɹeɪs/ | An act of tracing. |
| satisfaction noun | /sætɪsˈfækʃən/ | A fulfilment of a need or desire. |
| disappear verb | /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ | To vanish. |
| apology noun | /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/ | An expression of remorse or regret for having said or done something that harmed another: an instance of apologizing (saying that one is sorry). |
| bargain noun | /ˈbɑːɹɡən/ | An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds themself to transfer the right to some property for a… |
| leap verb | /ˈliːp/ | To jump. |
| genesis noun | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.sɪs/ | The origin, start, or point at which something comes into being. |
| competitor noun | /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/ | A person or organization against whom one is competing. |
| wisely adverb | /ˈwaɪzli/ | In a wise manner; using good judgement. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
| walk away from verb | To abandon or leave; to shun; to refuse. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Where are you gonna go?
- What will you do with it?
- What do you want from us?
- What are you thinking about?
- Are you offering me a choice?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, competitor /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/
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 elephant, guarantee, inspiration.
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.