Shadowing Practice: Learn English with FINDING NEMO — Dory Speaks Whale - Learn English Speaking with Video
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420 sentences
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Whale.
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Okay.
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Maybe he only speaks whale.
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We need to find his son.
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What are you doing?
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Are you sure you speak whale?
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Can you give us directions?
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Dory, heaven knows what you're saying.
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See, he's swimming away.
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Come back.
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He's not coming back.
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We've offended him.
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Maybe a different dialect like you're speaking like upset stomach maybe i should try humpback no don't try humpback
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maybe louder huh don't do
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that too much orca didn't it sound a little orca -ish
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it doesn't sound orca it sounds like nothing i've ever heard
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what's up global citizens today we're learning english with finding nemo
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so i'm ethan your real life english fluency coach
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and i watched this movie countless times when i was a kid
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and i'm excited to teach you with my favorite scene from
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the movie where we can learn to speak whale you know
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when you get into a conversation and a word you know you've learned won't come to your mouth
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you feel stuck using the same basic phrases all the time
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so your speaking isn't natural like it is in your mother tongue
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and this is normal most english learners understand much more english than they can speak
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because they spend a lot of time training their listening
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but not their speaking well to help with this i have
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a special gift for you it's the opportunity to speak with
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the exact words you are learning today with finding nemo it's
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so simple you have a natural conversation using these expressions on the real life app with your AI coach.
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What are you waiting for?
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Click the link below to get your present now.
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Let's kick off our lesson with this expression, heaven knows.
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This is a phrase you can use when something is a mystery.
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No one can explain it.
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It's a more dramatic way of saying, I have no idea.
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Merlin is basically saying that what Dory is saying to the whale is completely incomprehensible.
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You'll sometimes hear God knows, which means the same thing.
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Here are some examples.
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Wait, where did you know Kent Olive go?
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Heaven knows.
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In the American accent?
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I don't know, passages find America more reassuring, God knows why.
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Or like in the Beach Boys famous song.
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And I'm sure you get frustrated when you can't understand natives because we speak too fast.
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Usually it's not actually because of speed, but connected speech.
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That's how we cut, reduce, and link our words together in fluent speech.
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Like here.
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So when a T is between two vowels in American English, it usually becomes a tap T, which sounds like the.
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And the three first words of this question all link together into one sound.
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What are you?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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If you want to improve your speaking, you need to practice a lot.
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So listen to Marlon again and try to say that just like him.
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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And next, Marlon criticizes Dory's whale speaking skills.
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Dory, this is not whale.
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You're speaking like upset stomach.
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Hilarious.
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Marlon is saying that Dory doesn't sound like a whale at all.
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She sounds like someone with a stomach ache.
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An upset stomach is when your stomach feels uncomfortable.
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Maybe it's a little sick, crampy, or just off.
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You'd say this if you ate something bad or you're feeling nauseous.
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Check out this example.
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What do you think you're doing?
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Let the little ones have their share.
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We don't want you getting an upset stomach.
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Maybe I should try humpback.
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No, don't try humpback.
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Whoa!
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All right.
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Whoa!
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You actually sound sick.
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In this scene, we hear two types of whales.
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A humpback whale is one of the most famous species.
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They're known for their long, haunting songs, which scientists still study today then she mentions another type of
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whale dolphin actually too much orca didn't it sound a little
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orca it doesn't sound orca it sounds like nothing i've ever heard
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so this is an orca also called a killer whale the suffix story used is super native ish
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when you add ish to the end of a word it means kind of it makes the word less exact
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so orca ish means a bit like an orca are you hungry kind of I'm a bit peckish.
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What time did you arrive?
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11 -ish.
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Was the movie good?
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It was okay -ish.
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You can add ish to almost anything in casual conversation.
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It's one of those little words that immediately makes your English sound more natural and native.
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Now let's rewind.
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The reason Dory is speaking whale here is because she and Marlon got lost and need directions.
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Watch here.
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Let's see.
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Okay, no one there.
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Uh, nope.
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Nada.
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Oh, there's somebody.
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Hey!
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It's a fish we don't know.
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And if we ask for directions, it could ingest us and spit out our bones.
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What is it with men and asking for directions?
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You want to get out of here, don't you?
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Of course I do.
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Well, then, how are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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Huh?
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Huh?
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You don't fully understand.
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Come on.
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Trust me on this.
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All right.
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Excuse me!
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Woo!
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Little fella?
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Hello?
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Don't be rude, say hi.
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Hello?
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His son Bingo, Nemo, was taken to, uh...
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Sidney.
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Sidney!
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Yes, and it's really, really important that we get there as fast as we can, so can you help us out?
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Come on, little fella!
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Come on!
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Dory I'm a little fella I don't think that's a little fella oh oh big fella big whale
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so we saw some more nice expressions in
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that part let's take a closer look let's see okay no
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one there uh nope nada what do you think nada means a little bit everything nothing
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that's right nada means nothing zero zilch it actually comes from spanish
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but it's been fully absorbed in casual english you'll hear it all the time in everyday conversation
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if a friend asks did anything interesting happen today
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and nothing did you might just say nada it's a fish we don't know And if we ask you directions, it could ingest us and spit out our bones.
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What is it with men and asking for directions?
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Marlin is scared that the creature might eat them.
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That's what to ingest means.
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To swallow or take something into the body.
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It's a formal word.
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Doctors, for example, often ask, did you ingest anything unusual before you started feeling sick?
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And this next line had two great expressions.
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You want to get out of here, don't you?
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Of course I do.
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Well then, how are we going to do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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To give it a shot means to try something.
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especially when you're not sure if it'll work.
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It's the same idea as give it a try.
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You'll hear this one constantly in English.
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Think of Blackpink's Lisa.
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Before her acting debut in The White Lotus, she had never acted a day in her life.
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But when the opportunity came, she said she'd give it a shot.
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And listen to this other example.
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And I think if you give it a shot, you might love it too.
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And then hope for the best means to stay optimistic about an outcome, even though you can't control what happens.
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you do what you can and then you hope all we can do is wait
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and hope for the best think about these two expressions we
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just covered give it a shot hope for the best now
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if you got in a conversation later today would you be able to use these expressions naturally like a native speaker
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how about next week
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or a month from now every learner faces this problem one it's hard to remember new expressions
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and two even if you remember what it means when you hear
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or see it it's really not the same thing to feel confident speaking it.
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Well, over the last 13 years, helping millions of learners like you, we've discovered the most effective way to communicate confidently.
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Watch or listen to native media like Finding Nemo, practice the new vocabulary, and use that vocabulary in a real conversation.
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And this is exactly what you'll do on the real life app.
165
So try it yourself.
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And trust me, with this process, you will feel a lot more confident using these words in your life.
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Just click the link below to get your free gift on the RealLife Half Now.
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By the way, that line was absolutely packed with connected speech for us to break down.
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Listen again.
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Well then, how are we going to do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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Let me give you a tip for pronunciation.
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In English, we have content words.
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These are the nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc. that carry the main meaning of the sentence.
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We emphasize these.
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Then, there are the function words.
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These are the auxiliary verbs, pronouns, articles, prepositions, etc. that add grammatical structure.
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They're usually reduced.
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So, function words in this phrase like R, 2, It, a, for, and the disappear or link to the surrounding words.
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How are becomes how -er, how -er.
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Going to becomes gonna, gonna.
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It a becomes id -a, id -a.
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And for the becomes further, further.
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Pay attention to how I say it.
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How are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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How are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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All right, now you try.
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Listen to Dory again and try to say that line fluently like her.
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How are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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How are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best?
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Excuse me!
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Woo -hoo!
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Little fella?
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Aww, so fella is an informal word usually for a boy or man.
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Think of it like dude, but slightly more old -fashioned.
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So little fella is an affectionate way to dress someone or something small.
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And then, as Dory says later, he's actually a big fella.
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Dory, I'm a little fella.
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i don't think that's a little fella oh oh big fella big whale
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so dory is successful in getting the whale's attention it's just
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as well he might be hungry don't worry whales don't eat clown fish they eat krill run away oh look krill
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move dory move now let's see what happens after dory and marlin are sucked up by the whale What's going on?
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Don't know.
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I'll ask him.
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Dory.
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What's going on?
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What is that noise?
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Oh, no. Look what you did.
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The water's going down.
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It's going down.
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Really?
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You sure about that?
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Look, already it's half empty Hmm, I didn't say it's half full Stop that!
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It's half empty!
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Okay, that one was a little tougher He either said we should go to the back of the throat
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Or he wants a root beer float Of course he wants us to go there That's eating us!
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How do I taste, Moby?
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Huh?
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Do I taste good?
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You tell him I'm not interested in being lunch.
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What is going on?
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Oh, shit.
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Okay.
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Doreen!
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He says it's time to let go.
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Everything's gonna be all right.
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How do you know?
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How do you know something bad isn't gonna happen?
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I don't!
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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Uh, Sidney!
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Uh, Sidney again!
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You were right, Dory, we made it!
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We're gonna find my son!
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Thank you, sir!
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Wow, I wish I could speak well.
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Oh no, look what you did.
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The water's going down, it's going down! going down simply means something is decreasing
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or dropping in this case the water level inside the whale
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but this little phraser verb is super versatile an elevator goes
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down prices go down the sun goes down you can even
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use it to ask about a situation what's going down is informal slang for what's happening
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so depending on the context it can be totally literal
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or quite casual and And then we heard a classic expression in English about mindset and personality.
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really you sure about that look already it's half empty i didn't say it's half full stop
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that it's half empty
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when you say the glass is half empty it means you tend to focus on the negative side of things
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when you say it's half full you're focusing on the positive
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side this is one of the most famous ways to describe as someone is a pessimist
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or an optimist marlin the anxious clownfish who spent the whole
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movie worrying of course sees the glass as half empty and dory the eternal ray of sunshine?
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Half full, obviously.
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Think of someone like Nelson Mandela.
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He spent 27 years in prison, but came out determined to improve South Africa, not negative about what he lost.
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Now that's a glass half full kind of person.
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Now let's look at a bit of native grammar.
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You sure about that?
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Look, already it's half empty.
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So Dory doesn't say a full, are you sure about that?
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She says, you sure about that?
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This happened earlier too.
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She said, don't know instead of I don't know.
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Native speakers do this all the time in casual conversation.
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We drop words like I, are, do, and have, especially at the beginning of a sentence.
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It makes speech faster and more natural.
266
Here are a few more examples you'll hear constantly.
267
Got it instead of I got it.
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Seen that movie instead of have you seen that movie?
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coming tonight instead of are you coming tonight
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so next time you watch a movie or tv show
271
and feel like you missed the first words of a sentence this might be why okay
272
that one was a little tougher he either said we should go to the back of the throat
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or he wants a root beer float of course he wants
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us to go there that's eating us how do i taste movie huh i love this misunderstanding friend dory
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so a root beer float is a classic american treat it's
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a glass of root beer a sweet fizzy non -alcoholic drink
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with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top yum
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and marlin casually nicknames the whale moby this is referring to
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moby dick one of the most famous novels in american literature
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by herman melville it's about captain ahab who's obsessed with hunting a massive white sperm whale named moby dick even
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if american hasn't read it they probably know classic lines from it like, there she blows.
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This touching line from Dory actually has two meanings at once.
283
So the literal one, the whale is telling them to physically release their grip and drop.
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But the deeper meaning to let go also means to stop holding on to fear worry
285
or control for marlon the entire movie is about learning to
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let go of his fear of his need to protect nemo from every possible danger
287
and dory's role is helping him to discover this you'll hear this expression all the time both literally
288
and emotionally you need to let go of the past let
289
go of the rope sometimes you just have to let go
290
and trust the process and luckily we see that dory was right you were right dory we We made it!
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We're going to find my son.
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We made it is an expression of pure relief and triumph.
293
It means you succeeded at something difficult.
294
Ellie is so beautiful.
295
We made it.
296
We made it.
297
You've done great today.
298
And now comes the most important part.
299
You'll test your comprehension by watching all the scenes again without subtitles and answering some quiz questions.
300
Give it your best shot.
301
Let's see.
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Okay, no one there.
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Uh, nope.
304
Not a...
305
There's somebody.
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Hey!
307
It's you!
308
Dory, Dory, Dory!
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Okay, now it's my turn.
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I'm thinking of something dark and mysterious.
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It's a fish we don't know.
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And if we ask her directions, it could ingest us and spit out our bones.
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What is it with men and asking for directions?
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I don't want to play the gender card right now.
315
You want to play a card?
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Let's play the let's not die card.
317
You want to get out of here, don't you?
318
Of course I do well then your friend asked
319
if you wanted to try a new restaurant you've never heard of you're not sure
320
but you're willing to try what do you say i'll give it a shot heaven knows we made it
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and how are we gonna do that unless we give it a shot and hope for the best
322
you don't fully understand trust me on this All right.
323
Excuse me!
324
Little fella?
325
Hello?
326
Don't be rude.
327
Say hi.
328
Hello, his son Bingo Nemo was taken to Sydney,
329
yes, and it's really really important that we get there as fast as we can so can you help us out?
330
Come on little fella Come on Dory, I'm a little fella.
331
I don't think that's a little fella.
332
Oh Big fella big well,
333
okay, maybe only speaks whale We need to find a son.
334
Are you sure you speak, whale?
335
Can you give us directions?
336
See?
337
He's swimming away.
338
Come back.
339
He's not coming back.
340
We've offended him.
341
Maybe a different dialect.
342
Dory.
343
Dory, this is not whale.
344
You're speaking like upset stomach.
345
Maybe I should try humpback.
346
No, don't try humpback.
347
You actually sound sick.
348
Maybe louder, huh?
349
Don't do that.
350
Too much orca.
351
Didn't it sound a little orca -ish?
352
It doesn't sound orca -ish.
353
The suffix ish makes a word mean kind of or sort of.
354
Fill in the blank with the correct ish word.
355
What time does the party start?
356
You can arrive around...
357
What time does the party start?
358
You can arrive around seven -ish.
359
It sounds like nothing I've ever heard.
360
Just as well, he might be hungry.
361
Don't worry, whales don't eat clownfish, they eat krill.
362
Run away!
363
Oh look, krill!
364
Move, Dory!
365
Move!
366
What's going on?
367
Don't know, I'll ask him.
368
Dory, Dory, Dory, Dory, what is that noise?
369
Oh no, look what you did, the water's going down, it's, it's, it's, it's going down.
370
Really, you sure about that?
371
Look, already it's half empty.
372
true or false a person who says the glass is half full is a pessimist
373
false half full is an optimist half empty is a pessimist
374
okay that one was a little tougher he either said we should go to the back of the throat
375
or he wants a root beer float.
376
Of course he wants us to go there!
377
That's eating us!
378
How do I taste, Moby?
379
Huh?
380
Do I taste good?
381
You tell him I'm not interested in being lunch!
382
What is going on?
383
Oh, Jeff!
384
Okay!
385
Doreen!
386
He says it's time to let go!
387
Everything's going to be all right.
388
How do you know?
389
How do you know something bad isn't going to happen?
390
I don't!
391
I don't!
392
Match each expression on the left with a situation it fits best on the right.
393
We're going to find my son.
394
Thank you, sir.
395
Wow.
396
I wish I could speak whale.
397
Oh, yeah.
398
I hope you had a lot of fun learning English and even whale with Finding Nemo today.
399
And if you want to be able to understand fast -speaking natives without getting lost, without missing the jokes, and without subtitles,
400
Be sure to hit that subscribe button and bell down below.
401
That way you can join over 11 million learners around the world who are doing exactly this every single week.
402
And if you're ready to confidently live your English, to be able to have fluent conversations where you use advanced expressions,
403
then the best way to do that is by learning with these lessons on the real life app.
404
Get started for free with the link down in the description below.
405
And if you're sticking with us here on YouTube, you might want to check out this lesson next.
406
I knew it!
407
I knew I wasn't the only one!
408
Me too!
409
Everyone falls out of the tree every now and then.
410
They just don't admit it.
411
Wait, what?
412
Some of us have a tough time holding on to branches.
413
I mean, it's not like we're bats or something.
414
We don't have wings to keep us up.
415
And you were in the tree because...
416
Oh, I was looking for my brothers.
417
They are always getting into trouble.
418
Brothers?
419
You mean there's more?
420
Sure.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English with FINDING NEMO — Dory Speaks Whale”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: dory, whale, word, fella, sound. This video has 420 sentences and 3586 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:43. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 76 of its 420 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 |
|---|---|---|
| whale noun | /ˈweɪl/ | Any large cetacean, usually with the exclusion of dolphins and porpoises. |
| stomach noun | /ˈstʌmək/ | An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. |
| float verb | /fləʊt/ | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| throat noun | /ˈθɹoʊt/ | The front part of the neck. |
| nope | /noʊp/ | No. |
| spit verb | /spɪt/ | To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| rude adjective | /ɹuːd/ | Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| run away verb | To flee by running. | |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| kick off verb | To make the first kick in a game or part of a game. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are you sure you speak whale?
- Can you give us directions?
- What do you think you're doing?
- You want to get out of here, don't you?
- How do you know something bad isn't gonna happen?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | We've offended · i've ever heard · you've learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was taken · are sucked |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most famous · the best · the most effective |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might just say · might eat · might love |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 114 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
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 whale, stomach, float.
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.