Shadowing Practice: Interview - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Absolutely.
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For shadowing, I would keep each answer short, natural, and easy to speak.
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Don't try to memorize every word, repeat these a few times until the idea and sentence structure become natural.
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1. Why are you looking for a change of school?
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She is currently studying at Eurokids, which is mainly a preschool environment.
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Now that she is ready to start her formal schooling, we wanted her to move to a well-established school where she can continue her education for the long term.
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That is one of the main reasons we are considering Lotus Valley.
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2. Why have you chosen Lotus Valley?
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Lotus Valley has a very good reputation and we have heard positive feedback from many parents in our society.
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We also like the balance between academics, extracurricular activities and overall development.
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So, we felt that Lotus Valley would be a good environment for our daughter.
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3. What are your expectations from the school?
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We want our daughter to enjoy learning and develop into a confident and well rounded person.
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We would like her to explore new things, participate in different activities, and make good friends.
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We also want her to become independent and comfortable handling different situations as she grows.
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4. Tell us about your daughter.
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She is a very active and cheerful child.
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At home, she is quite talkative and expressive, although she can be a little shy when she meets new people.
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She is also very kind and caring, and we have noticed that she often tries to help others when she sees someone having difficulty.
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5. What are the areas where she needs improvement?
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I would say she is still developing confidence when interacting with new people.
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At home, she is very talkative, but she can sometimes hesitate to approach strangers or ask questions on her own.
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We are encouraging her to take small steps towards becoming more confident and independent.
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6. How do you spend time with your daughter?
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We try to spend quality time with her through different activities.
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She enjoys building blocks, playing with clay, drawing, and coloring, and I also play badminton with her at home using a balloon instead of a shuttlecock.
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We also play with her and encourage her to explore different activities.
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7. How do you handle discipline at home?
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We try to teach discipline through routine and by encouraging her to become independent.
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We ask her to do age-appropriate things on her own rather than doing everything for her.
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We also try to lead by example and consciously reduce our own phone usage when we are around her.
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8. How much screen time does she get?
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We try to keep her screen time limited, although on some days it can be around two hours depending on our routine.
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We are conscious about it and are gradually trying to reduce it.
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We also encourage her to spend more time.

Why This Interview Video Is Perfect for Speaking Practice

If you’re looking to learn English with YouTube, this interview video is a goldmine. It’s packed with natural, everyday language—no overly formal phrases or confusing idioms. The questions and answers mirror real-life conversations, making it ideal for shadowspeak practice. Whether you’re preparing for a school interview or just want to sound more fluent, the dialogue here feels authentic, which is key for building confidence in speaking.

Breaking Down Natural Sentences

Let’s look at a few lines that make this dialogue shine. First: “Now that she is ready to start her formal schooling, we wanted her to move to a well-established school.” The phrase “now that” flows smoothly, connecting a current situation to a decision—something we use daily. Next: “We also like the balance between academics, extracurricular activities and overall development.” The structure “balance between X, Y, and Z” is simple but effective, showing how to list priorities clearly. Finally: “We try to teach discipline through routine and by encouraging her to become independent.” Using “through” and “by” to explain methods sounds natural, avoiding stiff phrases like “via” or “by means of.” These sentences are easy to mimic, which is why they’re great for shadow speech.

A Simple Shadowing Routine to Try

Ready to practice? Here’s a repeat-and-record loop that works. First, pick one question-answer pair (start with a short one, like “Tell us about your daughter”). Play the video, pause, and repeat the answer out loud—focus on copying the tone and rhythm. Do this 3-4 times until it feels comfortable. Then, record yourself. Compare your recording to the video: Did you stress the right words? Did your pauses match? This is how shadowing builds muscle memory for natural speech. If you want extra help, try a shadowing app to slow down the audio or track your progress. The key is to keep it short—don’t tackle all 8 questions at once. Consistency beats perfection!

By using this video for shadow speak, you’ll not only learn interview-specific phrases but also how to sound more like a native. Give it a try—you might be surprised how quickly your speaking improves!

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave heard · have noticed
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing formenjoy learning · enjoys building
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around noware considering · is still developing

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →