Shadowing Practice: Inside Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate Campaign Through Trump Country | Vanity Fair - Learn English Speaking with Video
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People would say, Abdul, you're running pre -West Senate, and you're a Democrat, why would you even show up to Cairo?
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Don't you know it's brick red?
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I don't see brick red here.
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I see people.
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I see people who want to know what their next
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United States Senator thinks about things, and who want to have a conversation about it.
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So, we got a question, please write your name.
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That's cool!
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Will you disavow a muzzle brotherhood?
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Simple question.
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No, your friend's got the mic.
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I'm going to ask you a simple question.
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You give me your name, I'll answer the question.
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Okay, Tommy.
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Hi, Tommy.
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How are you?
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Petoskey, how are we doing today?
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Real quick disclaimer, there are going to be people in the room today who may not agree with all of us, may not agree with Abdul,
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people coming here with open minds or otherwise, but everyone here is welcome.
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If we disagree, we can disagree respectfully, because this campaign is built on kindness and respect,
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and that's what we all need to do here to move our country forward right?
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And I'm really honored to be able to introduce the man you've come here to see, our next United States Senator, Dr. Abdul El -Sayed.
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All right, how are you doing from Abdu?
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If, like, an old lady comes up to you in the supermarket and it says, I know you're from somewhere, who are you?
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How do you respond to that?
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I usually just put out my hand and say, I'm Abdul.
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Nice to meet you. And if she...
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The nice thing about having a name that's uncommon is that you're not very...
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It's not like one of many Abduals that she probably knows.
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Yeah.
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So she either jogs her memory or she's like, nope.
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And I'm like, well, it's okay.
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You might know me.
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I'm running for office.
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And if she were to press you, if she were to say, what do you do for a living?
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How do you describe what you do?
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I would probably joke that I'm unemployed and I ask everybody I know for money.
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I'm a doctor by training, I rebuild health departments, and I'm running for U .S.
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Senate.
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What do you say if you hear Abdul El -Sayed is too progressive to win?
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I don't know what progressive means.
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Really, nobody's given me a definition of what progressive means.
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Are we speaking to politics of an era in the early 1900s?
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Are we speaking to a certain social milieu or speaking to certain economic policies?
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I am somebody who wants government to work for people.
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I've spent most of my career trying to make government work for people.
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I want you to have health care.
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I want you to have good schools.
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I want you to have good infrastructure.
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I want to build an economy that you can participate in rather than one
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that allows a billionaire to make a second billion when you can't even make your first 100 ,000.
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I want to know that our democracy really does work for people rather than against people.
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I want politicians to have to pay attention to the people they serve rather than the corporations who fund their campaigns.
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I want us to stop fighting wars.
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We don't need to be fighting.
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Does that make me progressive?
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I don't know.
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But that's what I'm about.
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And that's what I'm keep fighting for.
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And what I've found is that when you take those ideas to quote -unquote red communities, most people are like, that makes sense to me.
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And they're like, great, let's go do it.
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Hi, Abdul.
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Thank you so much for being in Petoskey and talking to us today.
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I've been looking forward to hearing from you.
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Can you tell us what you're going to do to keep all the Jewish communities in Michigan safe in this scary time?
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Yeah.
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What's your name?
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My name is Val.
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Val Esme.
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I really appreciate your question.
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You know, I have some very personal experience with knowing what it's like to be discriminated against because of my faith.
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I want to build a Michigan and America where nobody is discriminated against for how they pray or if they pray.
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To be honest, I wanted to ask him a harder question, but I felt like really in my heart what I'm afraid
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of is what's happening to the Jews in not just in Michigan but around the world right now.
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And it's really frightening for us.
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And when Temple Israel had that terrorist attack and a car drove into their temple and nearly killed almost,
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they could have killed, there was a hundred children in that temple at that time.
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And if it weren't for the armed security guard that they had, those kids would be dead.
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And I firmly believe in my right to have a safe and secure place to call home and that's Israel.
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I think there's a way to provide that safety for Jewish community
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and there's a way to provide safety and security for Palestinians and have it be a productive homeland for everybody.
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You've said that you don't believe in ethnostates and
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if there are Jewish Michiganders who feel like
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that statement alone makes them feel less safe how do you respond to
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that i might not get their votes but the idea
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that one can sustain an ethnostate to the detriment of the murder of 70 000 children
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and think that that is somehow you know inconsistent or consistent with our values we're just going to disagree
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um is that going to be on camera my feeling is um that I don't have a great choice in this election,
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to be honest with you.
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And I'm not a one -issue voter.
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And I think Abdul's got it right on most of the things that I care about.
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Health care is huge.
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Politics is broken.
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I feel like he understands that.
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So, yes, I'm going to vote for Abdul.
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And I think it's important for the Jewish community to all stand together and vote for him as well because I think
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Mike Rogers is not a good answer for us and won't solve any of these problems.
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You said on a Fox News appearance...
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I feel really good about being able to bring communities together and beat
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Mike Rogers, who you and I both agree is a beta.
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Their alpha is Donald Trump.
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And then all the rest of them are all betas.
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What does that make Mike Rogers?
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It's a choice.
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Does that mean you're an alpha?
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I don't know what that means, but I do know that if it's me or Mike Rogers,
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there is one person who's going to stand up and fight back,
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and there's one person who's going to turn around and take whatever orders come to him.
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So you know
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Beta, but you don't know Alpha?
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That's a choice for other people to make.
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Because the whole point of this campaign is to bring you with me to Washington, D .C.
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A lot of folks wonder, you know, why is it that you campaign this way?
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I'm like, oh, you guys don't understand.
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If the goal is simply to get elected, there are easier ways to get elected.
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But the goal is not just to get elected.
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That's not the point.
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The point is to do something with the seat in the first place.
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That's the point.
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He's not going to be my seat.
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He's going to be your seat.
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So, if you've got a question, please raise your hand.
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Abdul, will you disavow the muscle of brotherhood?
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You give me your name, I'll answer the question.
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Okay, Tommy.
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Hi, Tommy, how are you?
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I'm great. Are you?
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Do you know what the Constitution of the United States is?
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I have one simple question.
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Will you disavow Muslims?
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Sure.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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But I want to ask the question that you're asking.
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Why are you asking the question?
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Well, because they're a terrorist group.
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Okay.
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No, no, but what are you implying?
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Do you assume that I wouldn't?
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Yes.
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Why not?
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Because I have not heard you disavow them yet.
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Have you disavowed them?
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I haven't heard you disavow them yet.
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I disavow them. Do you?
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Great.
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But here's the thing about it.
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you're asking the question because implicitly you assume that I'll have dual loyalties right
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you assume that somehow I wouldn't disavow or that I'll have some higher order allegiance than to the constitution correct
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Tommy is that what you imply yes why would you think
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that about me because I have not heard you disavow no no no why would you actually think
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that about because I have not heard you disavow
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but I just did but why would you actually think
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that why would you have you asked everybody in your life if they disavow you?
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I have not.
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So why are you asking me?
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Because I have not heard you disavow you.
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No, no, no. Answer the question, Tommy.
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Everybody knows the answer to it.
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Answer the question.
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Alright.
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So let me just tell you.
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I'm going to swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States.
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And that Constitution guarantees us all the right to practice whatever faith you want or no faith at all. And now, you assume
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So, you assume, Tommy, that because I am Muslim, that somehow I would have some allegiance to something that is not our constitution.
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That's your assumption.
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That's implicit in the question.
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And what's interesting to me is that this is not the first time people have asked those kinds of questions.
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Because, do you know who John F.
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Kennedy is?
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Do you know who that is, Tommy?
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I do.
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Alright.
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Do you know what he was asked as the first possible
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Catholic president of the United States?
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What did they ask him?
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You don't remember?
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You should read history.
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Tommy, when he ran for president, he was asked whether or not he was going to have allegiance to the Pope at the Vatican because,
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of course, he's Catholic.
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And his answer, famously, was that he was not running to be a Catholic president.
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He was running to be president and happened to be Catholic.
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I'm not running to be a Muslim senator.
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I'm running for U .S.
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Senate and happened to be Muslim.
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And so, you know, It's important, I think, because you would ask this question in a way
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that suggests that somehow our constitution shouldn't be the thing that all of us bear allegiance to.
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And I'm just telling you that for me, that constitution is the guiding light.
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It guarantees me the right to pray as I choose to pray or not pray at all.
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guarantees you the right to pray as you choose to pray or not pray at all now
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Tommy I'm gonna ask you about your faith are you a man of faith
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I am what faith do you practice I am a Christian
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you're a Christian do you no no I mean
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it's a good question look I do you live by Christian doctrine I would say
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so yeah good
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and you try as hard as you can to live by Christian doctrine right do you think
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I have to live by Christian doctrine do you do you it's up to me right Why?
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Why is it up to me?
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Because we have free will.
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Right.
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Free will and also in this country, what else do we have?
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What else do we have, Tommy?
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You tell me.
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No, I mean, you're asking me about my allegiance to the Constitution.
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It's the Constitution, my guy.
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We have a Constitution.
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And that Constitution guarantees you the right to live by your faith and guarantees me the right to do the same.
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And the reality of it is this.
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I'm never going to tell you what faith you can or can't practice.
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I want to protect your right to practice your faith as you choose, as a Christian man.
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The implication, though, is that it seems like you don't want to protect my right to practice as I choose to pray.
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So I'm going to ask you,
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do you disavow any attempt to read any religious doctrine into the laws of our country?
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i do not you don't disavow that
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so i think it's you who needs to understand the constitution not me best of luck to you sir
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that was the first time i've heard him disavow
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it yeah outright how many from here uh no how far
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did you drive from uh an hour an hour are you working are you in school
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i am at school
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you're in school yeah in university yeah well not anymore okay no finished yeah okay what were you studying
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i was doing marketing marketing yeah okay
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tommy here yeah letty came look i'm i'm i'm all for a good conversation i really am
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and you know i think tommy came in thinking he had a gotcha moment
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and again sometimes the gotcha moments had in your mind are a little bit more complicated
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when you actually have to have a conversation with a real person i think you know tommy came in thinking
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or maybe he wasn't even thinking it but you know his question implied
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that somehow i have dual loyalties my my loyalty is the constitution united states there's literally nothing about me
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or my background that should call
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that into question for anybody i've been serving the public uh since you know
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i got into public service in 11 years ago by 2015
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and you know what came out was you know sometimes the ideology
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that assumes that somebody else doesn't believe in something implies
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that you don't right
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so look i want all of us to believe in the
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constitution the constitution is the highest law of our land and
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that you know because of our constitution nobody gets to dictate to anybody else how they pray
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if they pray who they love how they love right
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i just want everybody to have basic freedoms that's what this campaign is is
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and has always been about i don't need
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you uh to pray like me for me to protect your right to pray as you choose to pray
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or not pray at all right that's the idea of the constitution that's what makes this country
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so incredible it allows us to come together uh despite our
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differences to build together what we can't have alone um i love
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that about our country i hope tommy learns to love that too were you just funny that he walked out
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i mean it was his choice i think he had a lot to think about after that that is all time
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Thank you guys.
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Thank you.
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The assumptions that you have about what people think of you shouldn't get in your way.
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The assumptions that they have about you shouldn't get in your way.
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If you've got something to share, go share.
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But first, go listen.
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We've been all over the state.
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We're not going to a lot of places we haven't been already.
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We came and listened.
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We want to understand and we want to be able to offer that feedback.
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Here's what we could do.
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Whether you voted for Trump or you didn't vote for Trump, whichever way you voted, you deserve to know your politicians work for you.
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You deserve to know that you have a union at your workplace.
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You deserve to know that one good job is enough.
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You deserve to have housing.
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You deserve to have health care.
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You deserve to know that your tax dollars are going to work for you
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and your kids rather than destroying somebody else and their kids.
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So I have something to say.
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As Bay City, let us welcome our next U .S.
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Senator, Dr. Abdul El -Sayed.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Inside Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate Campaign Through Trump Country”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: constitution, tommy, pray, disavow. This video has 265 sentences and 2667 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:12. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 44 of its 265 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 |
|---|---|---|
| pray verb | /pɹeɪ/ | To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| allegiance noun | /əˈliː.d͡ʒəns/ | Loyalty or commitment to a cause, group, nation or of a subordinate to a superior. |
| progressive noun | /pɹəˈɡɹɛsɪv/ | One with liberal or progressive political beliefs. |
| doctrine noun | /ˈdɑk.tɹɪn/ | A belief or tenet, especially about philosophical or theological matters. |
| imply verb | /ɪmˈplaɪ/ | To have as a necessary consequence; to lead to (something) as a consequence. |
| temple noun | /ˈtɛm.pl̩/ | A house of worship dedicated to a polytheistic faith. |
| alpha noun | /ˈæl.fə/ | The name of the first letter of the Greek alphabet (Α, α), followed by beta. In the Latin alphabet it is the predecessor to A. |
| beta noun | /ˈbeɪtə/ | The second letter of the Greek alphabet (Β, β), preceded by alpha (Α, α) and followed by gamma, (Γ, γ). In modern Greek it represents the voiced labiodental… |
| loyalty noun | /ˈlɔɪəlti/ | The state of being loyal; fidelity. |
| disagree verb | /dɪsəˈɡɹi/ | To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. |
| assumption noun | /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/ | The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting. |
| elect verb | /ɪˈlɛkt/ | To choose or make a decision (to do something). |
| alright | /ɔlˈɹaɪt/ | Used to indicate acknowledgement or acceptance; OK. |
| terrorist noun | /ˈtɛɹəɹɪst/ | A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| come together verb | /ˈkʌm tʊˈɡɛðɚ/ | To assemble; to congregate; to combine. |
| come up to verb | To approach. | |
| fight back verb | /faɪt bæk/ | To defend oneself by fighting. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| put out verb | To blind (eyes). | |
| stand together verb | To remain allied through difficulties. | |
| stand up verb | To rise from a lying or sitting position. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Don't you know it's brick red?
- Will you disavow a muzzle brotherhood?
- Petoskey, how are we doing today?
- How do you respond to that?
- Does that mean you're an alpha?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been looking · i've been serving |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've come · I've spent · I've found |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is built · be discriminated · is discriminated |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who want · somebody who wants |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 85 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: brotherhood /ˈbɹʌðɚˌhʊd/, oath /ˈoʊθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, discriminate /dɪˈskɹɪm.əˌneɪt/, complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, infrastructure /ˈɪnfɹəˌstɹʌkt͡ʃə/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like pray, guarantee, allegiance.
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.