Shadowing Practice: Learn Present Simple Tense | English Grammar Course 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi everybody!
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My name is Esther.
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I'm so excited to teach you the present simple tense in today's video.
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Now this lesson can be a little difficult, so I'll do my best to keep it easy and fun for you.
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My goal is for you to understand how and when to use this grammar by the end of the video.
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Let's get started.
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Let's start with the first usage for the present simple tense.
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The first usage is pretty easy.
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We use it to talk about facts, truths, and generalizations.
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Let's look at some examples.
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The sun is bright.
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Now that's a fact.
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It doesn't change.
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Everybody knows that the sun is bright.
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It was bright yesterday, it's bright today, and it will be bright tomorrow.
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That makes it a fact.
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Pigs don't fly.
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That's also a fact.
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Everybody knows that pigs don't fly.
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Cats are better than dogs.
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Now this you may not agree with.
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This is my truth.
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I'm making a generalization about cats and dogs in this example.
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And finally, it's cold in winter.
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This really depends on where you live, but for a lot of people, or let's say for most people it is cold in the winter.
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So that's the truth for some people.
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Now let's look back and see what verb I used in the present simple tense.
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For the first sentence we have is.
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I use the be verb is to talk about the sun.
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In the next sentence, I use the negative of do. do not.
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And you'll notice I use the contraction and put these two words together to make it don't.
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Cats are better than dogs.
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I use the B verb are to talk about cats because cats is plural.
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And finally, it's cold in winter.
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Here I use the B verb is again, but I use the contraction to combine it and is and made its.
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Let's move on to the next usage.
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We also use the present simple tense to talk about habits and routines.
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So things and actions that happen regularly.
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Let's look at the examples.
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I always eat lunch at noon.
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You'll notice I use the adverb always because I'm talking about something that I do regularly.
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What is that?
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Eat lunch at noon.
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So I use the present simple tense and here I use the verb eat.
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I eat.
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The second example says, you play games every day.
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Do you see the clue that helps you know that this is something that happens regularly?
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It's every day.
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So it's something that happens as a routine or a habit.
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So you play games.
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The verb here is play.
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You play.
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The next example says, Seth starts work at 9am daily.
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Again, this is something that happens regularly.
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Seth goes to work at 9am every day.
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Now you'll notice I put a blue line under the S in starts.
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Can you figure out why?
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Well, remember that when the subject of a sentence is he, she, or it, it, we need to add an S
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or ES to the end of the verb in the present simple tense.
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Seth is a he, so we need to add an S.
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Seth starts work at 9am daily.
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And the last example, they study English every Monday.
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Again, every Monday means that they do it regularly.
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And that's why we use the present simple tense.
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They study.
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So as a review, remember we use the present simple tense to talk about habits and routines that happen regularly.
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Let's move on.
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We also use the present simple tense with non-continuous verbs.
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These are verbs that we don't use in the continuous form, even if they're happening right now.
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They're also called stative verbs.
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These are connected with thoughts, opinions, feelings, emotions, and our five senses.
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Let's look at the examples.
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I love my mom.
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The verb here is love.
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That's an emotion.
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So I use the present simple tense.
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It smells good.
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Smell is one of the five senses.
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So I use the present simple tense.
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You'll notice I underlined the S because remember the subject is it.
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Kelly feels happy.
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This is talking about a feeling.
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Again, the subject here is Kelly, which is a she.
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So I added an S to the verb.
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And finally, they need help.
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We don't say they are needing help, even though it's happening right now.
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Need is non-continuous.
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So we say they need help.
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So remember you also use the present simple tense with non-continuous verbs connected with thoughts,
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opinions, feelings, emotions, and our five senses.
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Let's move on.
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Speakers occasionally use the present simple tense to talk about something that will happen in near future.
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Now this can be a little confusing, but we're not using the future tense.
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We're using the present simple tense.
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It's possible to do that and it's actually common for people to do that.
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Again, for something that will happen in the near future.
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Let's look at the examples.
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I have class at 6 p.m.
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6 p.m.
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That's pretty soon.
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So I can say, I have class.
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The present simple tense.
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Lisa arrives on Sunday.
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Again, the near future.
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Sunday.
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So I use the present simple tense.
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I added an S at the end of arrive because Lisa, the subject, is a she.
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We start work soon.
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Again, the near future.
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Soon.
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So I use the present simple verb start.
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And finally, my students come tomorrow.
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This is something that will happen in the near future.
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So I use the verb come.
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So remember, it is possible
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and it is common to use the present simple tense to talk about something that will happen in the near future.
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Let's go to the next usage.
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Let's talk about a possible negative usage for the present simple tense and that is do not and does not.
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The first example says, Mike eats bread.
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I put an s at the end of eat because the subject is Mike, which is a he.
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Now that's not a negative statement.
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What happens when I want to turn it into a negative statement?
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Well, I change it like this.
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Mike doesn't eat bread.
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So you'll notice that I didn't move the s here.
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Okay?
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Instead I added doesn't.
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I took does and not and I turned it into a contraction by combining the two and making it doesn't.
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So if the subject is he, she, or it, we use does not or doesn't to make it negative.
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You swim well.
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In this case, I don't need to put an s at the end of swim because the subject is you.
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If I want to make this sentence negative, I use don't.
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You don't swim well.
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I use the contraction for do and not.
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I combine them to make don't.
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So if the subject is I, you, we, or they, we use do not or don't.
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So to review, do not and does not or don't and doesn't
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is a possible usage for the negative for present simple tense.
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Let's continue on.
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Now I'll talk about one possible question form for the present simple tense and that is by using do or does.
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So let's look at the example.
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They live here.
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That's not a question, right?
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They live here.
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In order to turn it into a question, it's really simple.
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All I have to do is add do to the beginning and add a question mark at the end.
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Do they live here?
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So if the subject is I, you, we, or they, simply add do to the beginning of the question.
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How about this one?
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He plays soccer.
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In this statement, the subject is he
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and that's why you should know by now I have an S at the end of play.
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However, to turn this into a question, I add does at the beginning.
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Does he play soccer?
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What you'll notice here is that I no longer have the s at the end of play.
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Instead, I just use does at the beginning.
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So for he, she, or it, put does at the beginning.
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And don't worry about putting an s or es at the end of the verb.
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So to review, one possible way of forming a question for the present simple tense is using do
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or does at the beginning.
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All right, let's move on.
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Good job guys.
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You put in a lot of practice today.
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The present simple tense is not easy and I'm really happy to see how hard you guys worked on mastering it.
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Be sure to check out my other videos and thank you for watching this video.
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I'll see you next time.
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Bye.
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Thank you.
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What You'll Learn
This video helps you master two key speaking skills: using the present simple tense to talk about facts and habits, and adding "s" or "es" to verbs for third-person subjects (like "he," "she," or "it"). You'll also practice forming contractions, such as "don't" and "it's," which make your speech sound more natural in everyday conversations—perfect for english speaking practice.
Listen For These Sounds
Pay attention to connected speech in the examples. Notice how "do not" becomes "don't" (the "o" in "not" weakens to a schwa sound) and "it is" shortens to "it's" (the "i" in "is" blends into the "t" in "it"). These reductions are common in native speech, so catching them will boost your improve english pronunciation goals. Also, listen for the clear "s" in "starts" (for third-person "Seth")—this sound is crucial for grammar accuracy.
Say It Like a Native
To mirror the speaker's rhythm, stress the key words in each sentence. For facts like "The Sun is bright," emphasize "Sun" and "bright" to highlight the main idea. For habits, stress adverbs of frequency: "I always eat lunch at noon" or "They study English every Monday." Use the shadowing technique here: pause the video, repeat each sentence aloud, and match the speed and stress. Practice with a shadowing site to refine your timing—this helps you sound more fluent, not just correct. Remember, native speakers don't over-pronounce every word, so focus on smooth transitions between sounds, like in "pigs don't fly" (the "s" in "pigs" links softly to "don't").
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Kelly, which is · Mike, which is |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | better than |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll do · will be · you'll notice |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm making · I'm talking · they're happening |
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.