Shadowing Practice: Learn English with PODCASTS — Priyanka Chopra - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So it was mostly a stereotypical...
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Actor or a stereotypical character with an actor having to speak in the accent
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or having to like do the work itself be a little bit more Indian.
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What does that even mean?
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Someone tell you that I was told in an audition.
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I think we needed the character to be a little bit more Indian and And I just didn't even understand why.
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There's so many versions of that.
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Today we're learning English with a podcast interview with Priyanka Chopra Jonas on the Joe Rogan Experience. In it,
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she shares how it was hard for her to be taken seriously as an Indian actress in the American
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and British film industries.
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And in today's lesson, you'll be learning tons of to,
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break out of, and stand on someone's shoulders.
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To remember these new expressions forever so that you can confidently speak them next time you get into a conversation, actually experience this lesson on the RealLife app.
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Get the premium Priyanka Chopra lesson for free with a link in the description below.
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I think there have been a few before me, you know, that have done work.
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That's the first one I heard of.
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So no one's made it to me yet.
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Well, thank you.
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Yes, I think that it's been few and far in between.
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I think America is a really hard country to break into, to be relevant in.
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And also, I think Hollywood controls a large part of the global entertainment business.
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So as an actor from anywhere in the world, if you want to break into the English language,
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global entertainment, Hollywood system, it's not easy to do that.
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you know, culturally it's different, language is different, jokes are different.
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So, That's a tough transition.
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So right off the bat, Joe makes an interesting observation.
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He tells Priyanka: "How many people have come from India, like you, and become stars in Western movies?" I think there have been a few before me, you know, that have done work.
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The first one I heard of.
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So no one's made it to me yet.
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So what Joe means here is that aside from Priyanka, no other Indian actors have become known or relevant to him.
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We may also say that you don't have anyone on your radar.
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Check out these examples: Ben, Priyanka responds with this: means.
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There aren't many of them.
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Very common and easy to find.
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Hidden in different places.
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Exactly!
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When something is few and far between, it means there are very few examples of it.
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They're rare, hard to find.
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Priyanka is saying that Indian actors in Western movies are not common at all.
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You'd use this expression anytime you want to say that something doesn't happen often.
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For example: "I love rainy days here in California, but they're few and far between." Here's another example.
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- The compliments from you are few and far between, and I appreciate them.
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- Moving on, Priyanka gives us a really honest take on Hollywood.
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"I think America is a really hard country to break into,
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to be relevant in." To break into somewhere means to successfully enter a world or industry that doesn't just let anyone in.
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It's about overcoming barriers.
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When Spotify launched in the US in 2011, it had to fight hard to break into a market already dominated by iTunes.
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Check out this example.
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"If you were selling menswear when you first got to Hollywood, how did you break into films?" And Priyanka continues to say that what she accomplished is tough.
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"It's a tough and also like I think Hollywood controls a large part of the global entertainment business.
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So as an actor from anywhere in the world, if you want to break into the English language,
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global entertainment, Hollywood system, it's not easy to do that.
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This just means that something is difficult.
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Native speakers use it constantly.
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That was a tough call.
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She's been going through a tough time.
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It's a tough market.
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Yeah, we had some tough years.
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I lost my job.
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Boys?
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Boys?
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It's a tough decision.
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And I know from my own experience learning six languages, it's really tough.
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But on the RealLife app, we make it simple for you with daily missions.
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With just 10 minutes per day, you can make the progress that you need to gain confident, natural English fluency.
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There are just three easy steps.
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Watch a short lesson with a TV series, movie, celebrity, or podcast.
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Learn the advanced expressions and practice speaking those expressions with shattering exercises or your AI fluency coach.
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It takes just a few minutes per day, but it's going to make a huge impact on taking you from being an intermediate learner to being a confident, natural English speaker.
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Thousands of learners just like you are already getting more fluent with the real life every day.
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And you can try for free right now.
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Just click the link in the description to get started.
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Alright, let's listen to Priyanka continue to explain about the difficulties of breaking into Hollywood.
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Yes, I was in high school in the States and I, you know, so it wasn't like alien to me.
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It's not like I was in India and I was like, I want to go to America and start working there.
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I really wanted to see what it would be like if I came down here.
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Would there be an opportunity for someone like me to, you know, be able to create an impact?
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many years later I feel like you know I'm on my way there.
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But there have been so many actors whose shoulders I've stood on.
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like Indian casting in English language entertainment, whether it was Hollywood or, you know, British entertainment, wherever, was usually...
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by us seen as a diversity check.
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So it was mostly a stereotypical actor, or a stereotypical character with an actor having to speak in the accent or having to do the-- - Work at 7 -11.
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- Be a little bit more Indian, what does that even mean?
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- Did someone tell you that?
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- I was told in an audition, I think we needed the character to be a little bit more Indian.
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And I just didn't even understand why.
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There's so many versions of that, but I think what this person meant was have a little bit more of the accent.
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Yeah, be the caricature.
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Yeah, be the caricature, which was really tough to break out of.
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So despite Priyanka having the advantage of spending time in the USA as a teenager, things were still tough.
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Yes, I was in high school in the States and I, you know, so it wasn't like alien to me.
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It's not like I was in India and I was like, I want to go to America and start working there.
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What does alien mean in this context?
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relating to outer space or extraterrestrials, strange, unfamiliar, or completely foreign, illegal or unauthorized.
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Bye.
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Exactly right.
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When something feels alien to you, it feels completely foreign or strange, like it belongs to a different world.
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Using an iPhone is natural for you.
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But for your grandmother, it might still feel alien.
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Next, Priyanka says...
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I really wanted to see what it would be like if I came down here.
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This is a really useful grammar structure.
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What it would be like is used to imagine or explore a possible experience.
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You're picturing a scenario that hasn't happened yet.
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Compare these two: What is it like to be famous?
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You're asking someone who is famous right now.
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I wonder what it would be like to be famous.
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You're describing an imagined scenario, something you were picturing before it happened.
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So whenever you're imagining a future or hypothetical experience, use what it would be like.
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You could say: Before I moved abroad, I kept thinking about what it would be like to live in another country.
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And the same line has another expression worth catching:
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I really wanted to see what it would be like if I came down here.
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To come down to a place simply means to travel to a specific location, usually one that's considered a destination or a lower geographic point.
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In American English, it often means moving or visiting from somewhere further north or less central, like come down to Los Angeles.
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It's casual and very common in conversation.
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Continuing on, Brianka talks about her motivation for making the move.
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Um, I really wanted to see what it would be like if I came down here, would there be an opportunity for someone like me to,
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you know, be able to create an impact?
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To create an impact, or make an impact, means to make a meaningful difference.
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Like the impact we want to make here at RealLife English is to help global citizens to not just learn English, but to live it.
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Which is exactly why we created the RealLife app to guide you in doing this.
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Here's another example: "Anyway, we try to make an impact in children's lives with worthwhile programs." Then Priyanka adds something humble
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and beautiful: "Many years later I feel like, you know, I'm on my way there.
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But there have been so many actors whose shoulders I've stood on.
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When you say you're on your way to something, it's an optimistic expression, meaning that you're making your way towards a goal.
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You're not there yet, but you're moving in the right direction.
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You might say, "I haven't mastered English yet, but I'm on my way." Surprising to hear this from Priyanka, who's already a global superstar.
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And continuing with her humility, she says: But there have been so many actors whose shoulders I've stood on.
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To stand on someone's shoulders means to benefit from the work, sacrifices, or achievements of people who came before you.
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It's a way of recognizing that your success wasn't built in isolation.
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Others made it possible.
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This expression actually comes from a famous quote by Isaac Newton, who said he could see further because he was standing on the shoulders of giants.
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Meaning he built his scientific discoveries on the work of the great thinkers who came before him.
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Priyanka is saying the same thing.
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The Indian actors who came to Hollywood before her, even if they didn't fully break through, made it a little easier for her to walk through the door.
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And by the way, can I ask you a favor?
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We depend on your feedback to continue making English lessons that you'll enjoy learning with.
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So, please take just a moment to pause and comment one movie, series, or celebrity that you would love a lesson with.
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The RealLife team and I read every one.
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Thanks so much.
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Moving on, Priyanka shares a pretty shocking and sad reality about the film industry.
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like Indian casting in English language entertainment, whether it was Hollywood or, you know, British entertainment, wherever,
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was usually by us seen as, you know, a diversity check.
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Let's unpack both expressions here.
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First, casting refers to the process of selecting actors for roles in a film or TV show.
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When a director is deciding who will play each character, that's casting.
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And the person who does this professionally is called the casting director.
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Now, a diversity check is a term used critically, often sarcastically, to describe when a film or TV show includes a person from a minority group,
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not because the story requires it, but simply to appear inclusive.
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It's a superficial gesture, a box that gets checked on a list.
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Priyanka is saying that for a long time, Indian actors were cast in Hollywood mainly as a way for productions to say,
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"Look, we included someone who isn't white," complex roles.
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And that leads directly into the next expression.
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So it was mostly a stereotypical
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actor or a stereotypical character with an actor having to speak in the accent
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or having to like do the - Work at 7 -11.
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Be a little bit more Indian.
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What does that even mean?
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Something stereotypical follows an oversimplified fixed idea of what a type of person is like,
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usually based on their nationality, ethnicity, gender, or background.
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A stereotypical portrayal flattens real complex human beings into a cliche.
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Think of how early Hollywood movies portrayed pretty much every nationality in a stereotypical way the wise old Asian man,
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the passionate Latin lover, The bumbling British villain.
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Priyanka is describing exactly that kind of limited, reductive representation.
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And finally: "I was told in an audition, I think we needed the character to be a little bit more Indian.
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But I think what the, like, this person meant was have a little bit more of the accent and speak a little bit…" Yeah, be the caricature.
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Yeah, be the caricature.
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Which was really tough to break out of, so… So earlier we heard "break into" and now "break out of." It means to escape a pattern,
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a label, or a situation that's been limiting you.
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It's about freeing yourself from whatever box you've been put in.
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Quantico.
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She didn't play a stereotypical Indian character.
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She played a typical American.
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That's no small thing.
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All right.
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I hope that this lesson with Priyanka has given you some food for thought.
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That means things to reflect on.
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But you're not done yet.
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In fact, now comes the most important part of the lesson.
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You will test everything that you learned today by watching all those clips again without subtitles
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and I'll make it a little bit more challenging by also asking you some quiz questions.
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You've got this!
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How many people have come from India, like you, and become stars in Western movies?
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I think there have been a few before me, you know, that have done work.
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That first one I heard of.
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So no one's made it to me yet.
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Well, thank you.
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Good coffee shops in my small town are.
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There's really only one decent place and it's always packed.
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Thank you.
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you you Good coffee shops in my small town are few and far between.
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There's really only one decent place and it's always packed.
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Yes, I think that it's been few and far in between.
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I think America is a really hard country to break into, to be relevant in.
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It's a...
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And also, I think Hollywood controls a large part of the global entertainment business.
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So as an actor from anywhere in the world, if you want to break into the English language,
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global entertainment, Hollywood system, it's not easy to do that.
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you know, culturally it's different, language is different, jokes are different.
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So, That's a tough transition.
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Yes, I was in I was in high school in the States and I, you know, so it wasn't like alien to me.
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If something feels alien to you, it means you find it completely natural and comfortable.
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You know, so it wasn't like alien to me, it's not like I was in India and I was like, "I want to go to America and start working there."
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I really wanted to see what it would be like if I came down here.
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Would there be an opportunity for someone like me to, you know, be able to create an impact?
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Many years later I feel like, you know, I'm on my way there.
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But there have been so many actors whose shoulders I've stood on.
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Which of these situations is a good example of someone standing on the shoulders of those who came before them?
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a musician who taught themselves guitar from scratch with no help, an athlete who wins a competition for the very first time,
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a scientist who builds on previous research to make a new discovery, Bye.
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So Indian like Indian casting...
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in English language entertainment, whether it was Hollywood or, you know, British entertainment, wherever, was usually...
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by us seen as a diversity check.
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So it was mostly a stereotypical actor
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or a stereotypical character with an actor having to speak in the accent or having to like do the, be a little bit more Indian.
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What does that even mean?
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Did someone tell you that?
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I was told in an audition, I think we needed the character to be a little bit more Indian.
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And I just didn't even understand why.
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There's so many versions of that, but I think what the Like this person meant was have a little bit more of the accent.
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Yeah, be the character.
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Yeah, be the character, which was really tough to break out of.
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So match the expression to its meaning.
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you you you you Bye you
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Oh yeah!
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So I hope you had a lot of fun learning English with Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
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And if you want to be able to understand fast speaking natives without getting lost, without missing the jokes, and without subtitles,
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we help you to do it every single week here on Learnish With TV series with two new lessons.
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And 11 million learners are already finding this to be the best way to learn English.
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So don't miss a single new lesson, hit that subscribe button and bell down below.
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And if being a stuck, lost intermediate learner to becoming a confident,
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natural English speaker, the best way to do that is with the daily missions on our RealLife English app.
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So check those out with the link down in the description.
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And if you're sticking with us here on YouTube, I bet you'll really enjoy this lesson.
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and she totally deserved it.
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Not only is Lisa an incredible singer and dancer, but also a polyglot.
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And language learners like you and me can learn a lot from her.
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Lisa?
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I'm a Korean.
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I've been 6 years since I've been in Korea.
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How many countries do you?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English with PODCASTS — Priyanka Chopra”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: actor, Priyanka, Indian, English, break. This video has 241 sentences and 2968 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:03. The speaker talks at a natural 156 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stereotypical adjective | /ˌstɛɹ.iː.əˈtɪp.ɪ.kəl/ | Pertaining to a stereotype; conventional. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| caricature adjective | /ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/ | Having the characteristics of a caricature, grotesque. |
| audition noun | /ɑˈdɪʃən/ | A performance, by an aspiring performer, to demonstrate suitability or talent. |
| fluency noun | /ˈfluːənsi/ | The quality of smoothness of flow. |
| subtitle noun | /ˈsʌbtaɪtəl/ | A heading below or after a title. |
| culturally adverb | In a cultural way. | |
| nationality noun | /ˌnæʃ.əˈnæl.ɪ.ti/ | Legal membership of a particular nation or state, by origin, birth, naturalization, ownership, allegiance or otherwise. |
| intermediate adjective | /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/ | Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| scenario noun | /sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/ | An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events. |
| bumble verb | /ˈbʌmbəl/ | To act or move in an awkward or confused manner (often clumsily, incompetently, or carelessly). |
| cliché noun | /kliˈʃeɪ/ | Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite… |
| confidently adverb | /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/ | In a confident manner; with confidence; with strong assurance; positively. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. |
| break through verb | To gain popularity. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- That's the first one I heard of.
- You're picturing a scenario that hasn't happened yet.
- You're asking someone who is famous right now.
- Did someone tell you that?
- How many countries do you?
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 | She's been going · that's been limiting |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · it's been · have come |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was told · be taken · wasn't built |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | caricature, which was · someone who is · people who came |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I've, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thinker /ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/, hypothetical /ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/, ethnicity /ɛθˈnɪsɪti/, worthwhile /ˌwɜː(ɹ)θˈwaɪl/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: audition /ɑˈdɪʃən/, nationality /ˌnæʃ.əˈnæl.ɪ.ti/, cliché /kliˈʃeɪ/, shatter /ˈʃætɚ/, superficial /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: stereotypical /ˌstɛɹ.iː.əˈtɪp.ɪ.kəl/, caricature /ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/, nationality /ˌnæʃ.əˈnæl.ɪ.ti/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/
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 stereotypical, accent, learner.
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.