Shadowing Practice: It's my BIRTHDAY! | British English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

459 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hello everybody and welcome back to British English Pod with me Lewis

and this week in class we've been speaking all about birthdays.

Why?

Why did I choose this topic?

Well the reason is because yesterday was my birthday.

So the 24th of September is my birthday and yesterday I turned

34 years young.

Normally we'd say 34 years old but you know despite being now in my mid -30s Ugh,

I hate saying it.

I feel relatively young.

You know, I'm just about to get married.

I haven't got children yet, so I still feel quite young.

So right now, as of yesterday, I am 34 years young.

Happy birthday to me!

But before I start having a chat about the topic birthdays, parties and teaching you some British English slang,

some colloquialisms, some phrasal verbs and some expressions, let me know in the comments.

When's your birthday and how old are you?

I know for some people it's not a very polite question

if you ask them how old are you

but for me it's normal there's nothing wrong with that so

if you feel brave enough confident enough tell me in the comments when's your birthday

and how old are you oh

and as i'm sure you will already recognize i'm still at my mom

and dad's house and i've got a cup of tea here just to keep me going.

But in fact, I'm speaking to you from the past because I'm recording this video on the 31st of August.

So technically it's not my birthday yet and I'm still 33 years old.

So thinking about future, Louis, hopefully I have a great time for my birthday.

And I'll be in Brussels for my birthday.

And I believe my plan will be to go out for a meal with my fiance somewhere nice.

It'll be a Thursday evening.

So, you know, for me, Thursday is the beginning of the weekend

so it falls on quite a nice day

and then on Friday I believe I already have plans

because my neighbors who live downstairs

and who are Spanish I think they have some friends coming over to visit them

so we're probably going to hang out with them and maybe go out for dinner together we will see.

And then on Saturday, I'm going to do my favorite plan, which is waking up, going out for a coffee and a nice walk.

Fingers crossed the weather will be nice and warm and sunny and at least not raining.

Then, you know, just playing it by ear, improvising, going with the flow for the rest of the day.

And well, knowing that it'll be my birthday, I hope to have a birthday cake as well.

You know, a nice chocolate birthday cake.

Or maybe a cheesecake.

Or perhaps a carrot cake.

Just give me all of the cakes.

All right, now let's go over a few first questions.

And the first question, which you will now see if you are watching this video, is how do you normally celebrate it?

How do you normally celebrate your birthday?

Well, I kind of just told you,

but usually I celebrate my birthday by going out for a meal with my fiance.

I don't ever expect big presents.

I'm not really a fan of material gifts.

I prefer to get experiences.

So sometimes we'll go away for the weekend, you know, looking for a cheap flight somewhere else in Europe,

renting a place to stay, a hotel in the city center, and then we walk, we eat, and we drink.

I'm a simple man and I have simple pleasures, just wandering around, going for a drink,

getting a little bit tipsy and eating some really high quality food.

So that is usually how I celebrate my birthday.

And in recent years, I'm not usually home with my family for my birthday

because I tend to be back in the UK in August or maybe the first week of September.

So sometimes we have a little bit of an early birthday meal to celebrate my birthday, but that's it.

Nothing major.

But what about last time?

So last year, how did I celebrate my birthday?

Well, kind of in the same way.

I remember that my fiancé had booked a night away in a hotel, and it was a surprise.

I didn't know where we were going to go, but I did manage to get an idea.

She gave me some clues, and she told me that, well, we weren't going to fly anywhere.

So being in Brussels, I was thinking, all right, maybe we're going to get the train.

We might get the train to Bruges or to Ghent or to Liège or to Antwerp.

And if we were to go even further afield, perhaps we were going to go to Cologne in Germany,

or Lille in France, or Rotterdam or Amsterdam in the Netherlands,

because all of these are cities that are relatively close to Brussels.

You can perfectly get a train and be there within an hour or slightly longer.

But no, we didn't go too far away.

We went to a very small town, which is called La Hulpe.

L -A space H -U -L -P -E.

And it's just outside of a forest on the outskirts of Brussels.

And as it happened, there was actually a local fair going on that day.

And the sun was out.

It was a lovely day.

So when we got there, we saw that there were lots of food stalls and even like some town fair activities.

So, you know, we were quite lucky because we hadn't planned that.

We had only planned on going to this small town, staying overnight in a hotel, and that was it.

And in the end, the weather was lovely and there was a local town fair.

So I had a blast.

I had a ball.

I had a whale of a time.

That's how I celebrated my last birthday.

Now question number three.

Is turning 18 a big deal in your country?

So some people don't realize this, but in the United Kingdom, when you turn 17, that's when you're allowed to drive.

That's when you get your driving license, or at least you are in your right to do your driving lessons and sit your driving test.

So you get a little bit of freedom and independence a year before you are 18.

But of course, when you're 18, it's the big one because officially you become an adult.

From that point, you are allowed to vote, and you are allowed to drink alcohol.

So suddenly, overnight, you become an adult and gain this freedom.

So I'd say that turning 18 is quite a big deal in the UK.

And I think it's the same in many different countries.

But I know in some countries in South America,

100

they celebrate your 15th birthday, especially girls, I think.

101

If we have anybody from South America, let me know.

102

Is it a big deal when you turn 15, especially as a girl?

103

I've heard and seen on some American TV programs that you have La Quincena or something similar to that.

104

So please clear that up for us if you know about it.

105

Now, number four, have you ever pretended to like a present?

106

Yes, I have definitely pretended to like different presents, and that's probably one of the reasons why I never really request.

107

presents from my fiance or my family anymore because I'm a minimalist.

108

I don't need a lot of things.

109

With black t -shirts, that's all.

110

That's enough.

111

So there are times when people get me a new shirt or new trousers, you name it.

112

And I have to smile, receive the present and say, oh, thank you so much.

113

That's so thoughtful of you.

114

I really appreciate it.

115

I really needed these new gloves.

116

And I'm often not that appreciative.

117

Maybe I should be, but it's hard for me to get excited about physical gifts.

118

So just to be nice and to show that I'm grateful, I do pretend to like a present,

119

even if I'm never going to wear it in my life.

120

Now, number five, has anyone ever thrown you a surprise birthday party?

121

And in English, we can also use the phrase throw a party to say like to organize a party, to have a party.

122

But no, I don't think anybody has ever thrown me a surprise birthday party, and I'm quite happy about it.

123

I don't really want anyone to throw me a surprise birthday party because I feel under pressure, like all eyes are on me.

124

I wouldn't be very, very comfortable, to be honest.

125

I know some people absolutely love it when their best friends or their partner throw them a surprise birthday party.

126

But for me, it's just not my thing.

127

I'd rather know what's going on.

128

And for me, it's already enough of the surprise if I don't know which restaurant I'm going to go to.

129

With that surprise, that is plenty, more than enough.

130

Now, question number six is an interesting one.

131

If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to your birthday, who would you invite?

132

Well, who would I invite?

133

Let me think.

134

Let me have a bit of my cup of tea whilst I'm thinking. Do you know what?

135

Right now, maybe I'm feeling a bit emotional because I no longer have any grandparents.

136

Unfortunately, all of my grandparents have passed away.

137

My granddad and my grandma, well, granddad from mom's side of the family and grandma from dad's side of the family,

138

both of them passed away almost 10 years ago.

139

and then my grandma from my mom's side of the family

140

and my granddad from my dad's side of the family have passed away within the last year

141

so of course they were very very old they no longer really had a high quality of life

142

and they passed away peacefully so it made sense I accepted it Of course, I got a little bit emotional,

143

but it wasn't a shock.

144

It was their time.

145

They had had wonderful lives.

146

But whenever you say goodbye to a family member, you always think back to the good old days.

147

And you think back to memories of what you did as toddlers, young children, teenagers.

148

so for that reason I think I would choose all four of my grandparents

149

and all of them are dead but I would invite them to my birthday

150

and have a meal with them and have a chat with them

151

and ask them questions that maybe I didn't ask them

152

when I was kind of too young to realize or I didn't ask them about their childhood,

153

when now it'd be so interesting to hear what they had to say and hear their experiences.

154

So for that reason, I'd choose my grandparents.

155

And then the only living person that I would choose to invite to my birthday party would be my fiance,

156

of course, because for her as well, I think it would be beautiful

157

because she didn't really know a couple of my grandparents who passed away about 10 years ago.

158

She had met them once or twice, but that's it.

159

So it would be great for her to share this time with them and with me.

160

So yeah, I haven't prepared this answer.

161

But I'm quite happy with my response because sometimes with these questions,

162

these hypothetical questions, you think maybe I would invite Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, maybe not Michael Jackson,

163

but you know, you get the idea.

164

Famous, influential people throughout history.

165

But I think it would mean a lot more to me if I invited loved ones who unfortunately are no longer here.

166

So yeah, what about you?

167

Would you do a similar thing?

168

Would you invite your parents or grandparents or maybe cousins?

169

Who would you invite to your ideal birthday party?

170

But now we're going to look at some words and phrases.

171

So I encourage you to watch the screen and you can see some images with some questions.

172

The first question is just, what's he doing?

173

So what is this boy doing?

174

Well, I can see a boy.

175

It looks like he's wearing his pajamas and the lights have been turned off and he's holding a cake.

176

And the cake has, I think, six different candles on it and all of the candles are lit.

177

So what do you do on your birthday?

178

You blow out the candles.

179

So this boy is blowing out the candles.

180

Do you blow out the candles on your birthday?

181

And if you do, I imagine that maybe you close your eyes at the same time and you make a wish.

182

At least, I think this is the culture in most of Europe.

183

I know in Spain they do it, in the UK we do it as well

184

when you blow out your birthday cake candles you always close your eyes and make a wish

185

now the next question

186

and the next image you can see a group of people

187

in a house with some lights up with some food on

188

the table it looks like they're having a chat they're mingling

189

so this one's not necessarily related to birthdays but hey it's interesting what's the first party in a new home called?

190

You know, when you move into a new flat or home and you invite your friends.

191

What's this party called?

192

Well, it is a housewarming party.

193

So if in the future I buy my own house, I think I'd invite people around for a housewarming party.

194

Now the next one, we can see a little girl

195

and she's got a present in her hands and the present is wrapped up.

196

And you know, a lot of little children, they struggle to do this.

197

They're like, they're trying to open the present.

198

So she is unwrapping this present.

199

She's trying to open it.

200

And by the way, I am terrible at wrapping up presents.

201

Every Christmas, my mum and dad laugh at me because I put the wrapping paper on a table, put the present in the middle,

202

and I fold it over, get a bit of sallow tape, and then job done.

203

I don't really take much care in making sure it looks beautiful with a ribbon and everything.

204

Now a phrasal verb, we can see an image of somebody maybe at work giving a present to somebody else.

205

So how do you say contribute financially to buy a gift?

206

Contribute financially to buy a gift?

207

Well, it is chip in.

208

A lot of colleagues chipped in to buy this gift.

209

They all contributed a little bit of their money.

210

Now the next phrase, what about relax and enjoy oneself?

211

Is there an expression that means relax and enjoy yourself?

212

In particular, it's common with women because it's related to long hair

213

so this friday i'm going to let my hair down so

214

if you let your hair down you either chill and go out with your friends partying

215

well yeah that's what you do letting your hair down is you know your hair is up it's tied

216

and And then you let it down to go out, have fun, and stop worrying about things. And...

217

How about go out partying in a city?

218

What is an expression that means to go out partying in a city?

219

Well, you can say go out out.

220

This weekend, I'm going to go out out, like out until late.

221

But maybe a more old -fashioned expression is paint the town red.

222

This weekend, I'm going to meet up with my friends and we're going to paint the town red.

223

When was the last time that you painted the town red?

224

For me, it's been ages.

225

Maybe it's my old age.

226

And a bit of British slang.

227

What's a British synonym for party?

228

I'm having a party but you can also say, I'm having a do.

229

Yes, a do, like the verb to do.

230

And if you think about bachelor party and bachelorette party, in the UK, we say a stag do or a hen do,

231

because a do means a party.

232

Good.

233

And how else can you say hungover?

234

Well, I have a hangover, or I am hungover, but quite a common British phrase,

235

if you've drunk too much alcohol, the next day you are hanging.

236

Oh, I'm going to be hanging tomorrow morning.

237

Oh, I feel a bit worse for wear.

238

And then related to this, a really, really British, super advanced phrase.

239

What about the cure, you know, to cure a hangover by drinking more alcohol?

240

Let me paint a picture for you.

241

So imagine that I've just gone out the night before and I'm hanging, I'm worse for wear.

242

But now I'm having breakfast with a couple of friends.

243

And we're all in the same boat.

244

We're all in the same situation.

245

And one of my friends goes to the bar and he's asking if any of us would like to buy a drink, an alcoholic drink.

246

And when he asks us, he says, all right, does anyone fancy a pint?

247

You know, hair of the dog.

248

Hair of the dog.

249

So there is an explanation for this phrase, and we'll get on to that.

250

But you say it when you're feeling hungover, when usually you're with other people,

251

and you know that just drinking a little bit more alcohol will cure your hangover.

252

You will get over it.

253

So we use this expression quite a lot in the United Kingdom.

254

We're not alcoholics, but it's quite commonly used.

255

But let me explain the origin of it, because I've heard of it before,

256

but I never remember the origin of this expression.

257

So I'm looking it up as we speak. So let me explain.

258

A morning drink may be the last thing you want after a night of boozing, but that's exactly what this quirky English expression means.

259

Originally, the expression referred to a method of treating a rabid dog bite.

260

Hair from the dog was placed in the wound.

261

So in that sense, having another drink or any drink is like taking hair from the dog that bit you.

262

So it's kind of like how vaccines work.

263

You're taking a little bit of the poison in order to build up your immune system.

264

Something along those lines.

265

So hair of the dog.

266

Okay.

267

Now let's get on to this dialogue.

268

This little chat between two people using all of these phrases.

269

So hopefully you've been paying attention to these phrases.

270

So now understanding the dialogue will be a piece of cake.

271

It'll be easy peasy.

272

Now let me have a little bit of my cup of tea.

273

And I'm looking outside that it was nice and sunny a couple of hours ago.

274

And now it's all cloudy.

275

And as I said earlier, we're still in August in the UK.

276

So genuinely, after such a great, hot, dry, kind of worryingly hot summer in the United Kingdom,

277

we're back to normal, back to British weather.

278

Hey, luckily, I'm used to it.

279

So no problem, no problem at all.

280

Now on to this conversation, this dialogue.

281

So the two characters are Emma and Jack, and I'm going to start with Emma.

282

Emma, hey, are you doing anything this weekend?

283

Jack, yeah, actually, it's my sister's birthday on Saturday.

284

She's going to turn 30, so we're having a big birthday do.

285

Emma, oh, nice.

286

Is it at her place?

287

Jack.

288

No, we're hiring a little venue in town.

289

Apparently, she's invited about 40 people.

290

Emma.

291

40?

292

That's quite a party.

293

Jack.

294

Yeah, she wants to let her hair down.

295

She's been working loads recently, so she deserves a good night out.

296

Emma.

297

Definitely.

298

Are you organizing anything special?

299

Jack.

300

Well, we're trying to keep it a surprise.

301

We're going to decorate the place, order loads of food, and get a massive cake.

302

Then, at some point, she'll have to blow out the candles while everyone sings, Happy Birthday!

303

Emma.

304

Classic.

305

What are you getting her?

306

Jack.

307

A weekend away.

308

It's pretty expensive, though.

309

So the whole family is going to chip in.

310

Emma.

311

That's a good idea.

312

How much is everyone putting in?

313

Jack.

314

About 20 quid each.

315

My parents are paying for most of it, though.

316

Emma.

317

Lucky her.

318

I bet she'll love it.

319

Jack.

320

I hope so.

321

After dinner, we're going to unwrap presents, and then we're planning to go into town.

322

Emma.

323

Sounds like you're going to paint the town red.

324

Jack Exactly, although I'm not looking forward to Sunday morning Emma Why not?

325

Jack Because knowing my sister will probably still be out at 2

326

or 3 in the morning I'll be absolutely hanging the next day Emma

327

You could always try hair of the dog Jack Absolutely not That's the last thing I need after a night like that.

328

Emma.

329

That's what everyone says.

330

Jack.

331

Well, we'll see.

332

Maybe I'll just stay in bed all Sunday and recover.

333

Emma.

334

Fair enough.

335

Have a great time at the birthday do.

336

Jack.

337

Thanks.

338

And if you don't hear from me on Sunday, you'll know why.

339

so there we have the dialogue between jack

340

and emma organizing her birthday do and they are siblings they are brothers

341

and sisters and it sounds like they're going to paint the town red

342

and emma is gonna let her hair down so as a result the next day both of them are gonna be hanging.

343

So let's see if they use the old method of hair of the dog.

344

But from there, let's, you know, just have a chat using some of these phrases, some of these expressions.

345

So I've got some really short, simple questions that encourage you to use these phrases.

346

And this is a reminder, as always, this is the content that I use in my classes with all of my students.

347

And we have a laugh and we let our hair down.

348

So if you're interested in joining my classes, I will leave a link in the video description.

349

So the first question, when was the last time you let your hair down?

350

Well, the last time I let my hair down was

351

when I met up with my friends a few weeks ago

352

because I hadn't seen them in a while and it was nice to catch up with them.

353

So We went out during the day and we found a nice bar next to the canal.

354

And then later on that night, we went to another place which had live music on.

355

So we were singing and dancing and we all let our hair down.

356

The second question, have you ever been hanging after a party?

357

Yes, absolutely.

358

But I'll tell you what.

359

The difficult thing, usually, is that when I'm hanging and I'm worse for wear and I'm back here in England,

360

it tends to be that the next day my family come around for a big meal

361

and to spend some quality time together.

362

And that's quite unfortunate because I usually go out the night before and then I'm hanging the next day.

363

So I'm a bit miserable when I'm hungover.

364

So it means I'm not very sociable seeing my auntie and my uncle and my cousin.

365

But it is what it is.

366

Sometimes the best solution is hair of the dog.

367

Okay, next question.

368

What's the best birthday do you've ever been to?

369

The best birthday party you've ever been to?

370

Well, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking now about when I was at university, because when you're at uni,

371

suddenly you've left your parents' house,

372

so there were lots of birthday dues in student accommodation or shared houses,

373

and because you didn't have to worry about parents anymore and you're a little bit carefree because you're young and foolish.

374

We had some amazing birthday do's where we'd have pre -drinks,

375

then we'd go out partying and we'd have an amazing time.

376

So of course I've had some great birthday do's in more recent years as well

377

but right now I'm thinking more than anything about my party days whilst I was at university.

378

Now I'm going to skip the next couple of questions

379

and move on to the one which includes the phrasal verb chip in, which is to contribute financially.

380

So do you normally chip in when buying presents for friends?

381

I don't.

382

In my group of friends, we never get each other presents.

383

I know some friendship groups will set up a WhatsApp group.

384

And weeks before somebody's birthday, they'll start brainstorming and thinking about what they can get,

385

the birthday boy or birthday girl and they'll say, okay, this jacket costs a hundred euros.

386

So everybody needs to chip in a tenner, 10 euros.

387

But I don't really like this.

388

And it's not only because I'm stingy, but I've never done it with my best mates.

389

So then there are times when some other friends will add me to one of these WhatsApp groups.

390

And they won't ask if I'm interested in participating before.

391

They'll just add me to the WhatsApp group.

392

And then I feel a bit uncomfortable having to say, I don't really want to do this because I don't do it with my own friends.

393

So I don't really understand why I should do it with another friendship group.

394

and then i feel like they're not doing the same for me

395

so it's a bit unfair so maybe it is

396

because i'm tight -fisted i'm stingy but i don't really like chipping in

397

when buying presents for friends like

398

if you want to buy a present just buy a present

399

you do you you don't have to drag other people into

400

the same situation in order to be able to afford something a bit more impressive.

401

So no, I don't usually chip in when it comes to buying presents for friends.

402

Sorry.

403

Okay, now from there, let's keep moving on.

404

Let's keep progressing.

405

And we've only got a couple of things that we're going to go over now.

406

But there is one interesting question that I'd like to ask you.

407

Because in English, we have an expression, which is your birthday suit.

408

Do you have any idea what your birthday suit could mean?

409

If you know, bravo, I will be clapping and applauding you.

410

But I'm going to give you a clue because the image I show you will give it away.

411

It will reveal the answer.

412

Your birthday suit, as we can see in this image, means...

413

naked, nude.

414

So if you are in your birthday suit, it means you are naked.

415

Another example could be that the postman was walking past my house and as he was dropping off some letters,

416

he saw that I just got out of the shower and I was in my birthday suit, meaning I was naked.

417

I hadn't put on any clothes yet.

418

So that's another expression just to be aware of.

419

And to finish, let me answer a few final questions.

420

The first question, are you good at memorizing friends and family birthdays?

421

Yes, I'm quite good at memorizing friends and family birthdays.

422

I know perfectly my sisters,

423

my nephews, my parents, my brother -in -laws, my fiancés, of course.

424

So really, really close people, I know them off by heart.

425

And my best mates from school, I also remember them perfectly.

426

So yeah, I'd say overall, I'm quite good at memorizing friends and family birthdays.

427

Yeah.

428

the next question do you normally dress up for a birthday do this could mean a fancy dress a costume

429

or it could mean to dress up formally

430

so i don't normally dress up formally for a birthday do i'm quite casual

431

and informal in the clothes that i choose to wear but there are times when some people love fancy dress parties,

432

costume parties.

433

And I quite like it as well.

434

I haven't been to one for a couple of years now, but I quite enjoy going to a fancy dress party.

435

So I wouldn't mind if somebody else chooses to do that in the near future.

436

But I don't normally do it, no.

437

next question if you forget somebody's birthday do you say happy belated birthday

438

let me explain this the phrase happy belated birthday is used

439

when you forgot somebody's birthday or it's not their birthday anymore

440

but you still want to wish them a happy birthday you say happy belated birthday

441

so if you are still watching this podcast until this point it's not my birth anymore

442

so what you should be telling me is lewis happy belated

443

birthday thank you now let's do a last question should employers companies bosses get given a day off for their birthday?

444

Should employers get given, well, should employers give a day off for their birthday?

445

Hmm.

446

I remember in my first company, we had this privilege that whenever it was your birthday,

447

all the other teachers would try to cover your classes so that you had a day off.

448

And it's quite a nice thing to do.

449

It's a nice little perk of the job.

450

But as soon as the company gets bigger, then I don't think it's that possible.

451

So I believe your boss or your employer should try to get you a present, maybe an Amazon voucher or something like that.

452

But actually giving you a day off work, I think is wishful thinking.

453

It's being very, very optimistic.

454

But if they do do this, then thumbs up.

455

Good for them.

456

And anyway, I'm going to finish my cup of tea and I'm going to make myself some brunch.

457

So thank you so much for watching this podcast

458

and happy belated birthday to me and

459

if you did enjoy this please leave a thumbs up and i'll see you next time bye

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

30 sentences

Planning a Surprise Birthday Party for a Friend

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

37 sentences

5 Common British English Expressions (Episode 3)

Cambridge Exam PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students

86 sentences

New Year's Eve and New Year's resolutions – Intermediate B1/B2 English Listening Practice

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

203 sentences

Do Brits Really Respect Their Mothers?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

272 sentences

you really can reinvent yourself at any time

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

608 sentences

872. The Birthday Party (Learn English with a Short Story)

Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students

141 sentences

I say this EVERY day! Daily British English (through story!)

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students

Day 13 - Celebrations & Family Events | 21days speaking challenge

151

10 sentences

Day 13 - Celebrations & Family Events | 21days speaking challenge

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

203 sentences

01 Happy Birthday | Tuning in the USA | Speaking American Accent

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

347 sentences

English Pronunciation Listening Practice | Strange Things I Love When I Travel

Travel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

Who Will Love This Birthday Chat?

This video is perfect for intermediate learners ready to level up their English speaking practice with real, casual British English. Whether you’re mastering daily conversations or prepping for social chats, Lewis’s friendly tone and relatable stories make it easy to follow—and fun to mimic. It’s ideal for anyone using the shadowing technique (or "shadowspeak") to boost fluency, as his natural pace and conversational style let you practice rhythm and intonation like a pro.

Must-Know Phrases to Sound Like a Local

The video is packed with everyday gems that’ll make your English feel less "textbook" and more "chatting with a friend." Here are a few to steal:

"Years young" (instead of "years old"): A playful way to downplay age—great for keeping conversations light! Example: "I’m 34 years young."
"Hang out": To spend time casually. Lewis uses it to talk about meeting neighbors: "We’re probably going to hang out with them."
"Play it by ear": To improvise, not plan strictly. Perfect for describing flexible days: "I’ll just play it by ear after coffee."
"Fingers crossed": Hoping for good luck. Try it when talking about plans: "Fingers crossed the weather’s nice!"

Nail Lewis’s British Accent with Shadowing

Lewis’s clear, warm British English is a dream for shadow speak practice. Focus on two key areas: reduced sounds (he often shortens "I am" to "I’m" and "you know" to a quick "y’know") and rising intonation in questions (like when he asks, "When’s your birthday?"). Use a shadowing app to replay short clips—mimic his pace, pauses, and even the casual "ugh" when he mentions his mid-30s. The more you mirror, the more natural your own speech will feel.

Ready to start? Hit play, pause, and repeat—your next conversation will sound smoother than a slice of Lewis’s birthday cake!

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	we've been speaking · you've been paying · She's been working
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	If you know, bravo, I will be
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've heard · have definitely pretended · has ever thrown
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is called · are allowed · have been turned

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 →

Shadowing Practice: It's my BIRTHDAY! | British English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Aging Like a Fine Wine | British English Podcast

How to go from B1 to C1 in English

How to go from B1-C1 in English | 10 Steps to follow

Walk & Talk By The Beach | Comprehensible Input in English

British English Conversation about Living Abroad

20 British English Phrases That Textbooks Don't Teach You!

English Idiom Masterclass | British English Pod

Improve your English with SHORT STORIES | British English Podcast

Walk & Talk in the English Countryside | Comprehensible Input

Can you understand this British English Conversation?

British English Shadowing with 25 Phrasal Verbs | PART TWO

Kitchen Vocabulary with Mum | Comprehensible Input in English

British English Conversation about FAMILY with my Mum

Can you understand this British English Conversation?

How to speak about Business in English

Planning a Surprise Birthday Party for a Friend

5 Common British English Expressions (Episode 3)

New Year's Eve and New Year's resolutions – Intermediate B1/B2 English Listening Practice

Do Brits Really Respect Their Mothers?

you really can reinvent yourself at any time

872. The Birthday Party (Learn English with a Short Story)

I say this EVERY day! Daily British English (through story!)

Day 13 - Celebrations & Family Events | 21days speaking challenge

01 Happy Birthday | Tuning in the USA | Speaking American Accent

English Pronunciation Listening Practice | Strange Things I Love When I Travel

Who Will Love This Birthday Chat?

Must-Know Phrases to Sound Like a Local

Nail Lewis’s British Accent with Shadowing

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?