Shadowing Practice: Lana Del Rey - Bartender - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Lana Del Rey - Bartender”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: tender, bartender, alive, Violet, truck. This video has 24 sentences and 314 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:17. The speaker talks slowly, about 73 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| tender adjective | /ˈtɛn.dɚ/ | Sensitive or painful to the touch. |
| bartender noun | /ˈbɑɹˌtɛndɚ/ | One who tends a bar or pub; a person preparing and serving drinks at a bar. |
| exit noun | /ˈɛɡzət/ | An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure. |
| cherry noun | /ˈt͡ʃɛɹi/ | A small fruit, usually red, black or yellow, with a smooth hard seed and a short hard stem. |
| coke noun | /koʊk/ | Solid residue from roasting coal in a coke oven; used principally as a fuel and in the production of steel and formerly as a domestic fuel. |
| canyon noun | /ˈkænjən/ | A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river. |
| vine noun | /ˈvaɪ̯n/ | Any plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining. |
| poetry noun | /ˈpoʊ.ə.tɹi/ | Literature composed in verse or language exhibiting conscious attention to patterns and rhythm. |
| sixty noun | /ˈsɪksti/ | A commercial lasting 60 seconds. |
| reside verb | /ɹɪˈzaɪd/ | To dwell permanently or for a considerable time; to have a settled abode for a time; to remain for a long time. |
| bedside noun | /ˈbɛdˌsaɪd/ | A position at the side of one's bed. |
| levitation noun | /ˌlɛvɪˈteɪʃən/ | The raising of something, such as a body, without apparent physical cause, allegedly using the power of the mind. |
| meditate verb | /ˈmɛ.dɪˌteɪt/ | To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon something; to study. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is playing · I'm just trying · I'm not drinking |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | It'll buy |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, it'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 tender, bartender, exit.
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.