Shadowing Practice: learning a new language is easy, actually - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Learning a language is actually very easy. You start off by watching this video right here, then you stare at this screen, then you pick a language you have no business learning, do one lesson, forget about it, then search up videos about how to learn that language in 6 weeks, made by a youtuber who learned it in 6 years.
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Learning a language is actually very easy. You start off by watching this video right here, then you stare at this screen, then you pick a language you have no business learning, do one lesson, forget about it, then search up videos about how to learn that language in 6 weeks, made by a youtuber who learned it in 6 years.
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But if you want to actually learn a language, you have to make sure you're not doing it for the wrong reasons.
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Sure, if you learned a hard enough language it would probably, impress a lot of strangers and it would probably get you a lot of views on Youtube. subscribers too. I think some people even make money from it.
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But if you’re a beginner, you should really be picking a language that’s easy enough for you to actually enjoy learning it. You shouldn't pick a language if you're gonna treat it like a chore.
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So to maximize your chances of success, here’s a chart of some popular languages ranked by how much time it takes for an English speaker to learn them.
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If you're not sure what language you should start learning, I would just pick either Spanish, French, or Portuguese. Not only are they the easiest for English speakers, but many countries speak one of these as an official language.
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I don’t know why. but it’s probably just a weird coincidence.
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However if you do want to go for a harder language, it is possible.
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Just remember to ask yourself, do I really have the right motivation?
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For example. “wanting to understand anime” is not gonna motivate you to learn Japanese for more than a day.
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However, “My friends speak Spanish and I want to understand them” is a pretty good motivator, because that’s probably why they made a group chat without you.
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Some people have a take a language class for school. But that by itself is not a great motivator because your finger might slip and you might accidentally paste all your assignments into DeepL.
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However, The British invaded my country and I need English to survive, is the perfect motivation to start learning English, and so far it seems to have been a huge success.
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So now that you’ve picked your language, it’s time for the easy part, which is learning it.
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Usually, people on the internet will tell you that the fastest method to learn any language is to get a language partner, or a tutor, or a friend who’s willing to sit down with you, and talk to you like a baby, until you start picking up words and sentences.
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And while this is probably the fastest way, it requires human interaction.
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So instead here’s a method that you can do all by yourself, at home, to become fluent in a language.
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The first step, is learning the basics. This is actually a very easy step, but many people try to skip it by doing one or two Duolingo lessons . Other people get stuck on the language-learning side of youtube, watching 138 videos about how to Learn Korean, none of which include a single word of Korean.
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But the whole time, all you really had to do was find a beginner textbook for that language that has practice exercises for you to do.
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It might take you a month to finish the whole thing, but the progress you’ll make is equal to about 2 years of Duolingo, or about 12 years of school in America.
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,and you can find these books for free by just googling “beginner, then the language, textbook pdf.” And there you go. You could also get them from the library. Or, as they say in France, Once you finish the beginner book, it’s time to practice listening. You don’t even have to worry about speaking right now, because first you need to learn what the language is actually supposed to sound like.
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The easiest way to do this, is by watching youtube videos in that language.
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The idea behind this, is that you’re not gonna understand everything, but by looking at the video, and using context clues from what you do understand, you can slowly pick up the language without even realizing.
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This works especially well because every language only has a few thousand words that are actually used in regular conversation.
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So overtime, you’ll start recognizing the same few words and phrases in every video you watch.
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And you can really pick anything to watch, as long as it’s interesting, and you can understand at least 30% of it.
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If you put on a video and it sounds like gibberish, it’s not your fault, they’re just talking too fast.
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this is probably because they’re trying to gatekeep their language. Do not let them do this. To fix it, just go to the Youtube search bar, and add the magic word “easy”, and just like that, you get served up a bunch of videos that you can understand.
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Automatic captions also help a lot, cause you can rewind and look up the words you don't know.
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There are even websites like reversocontext where you can look up a word or phrase and actually see it used in a real sentence.
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But whatever you do, do not turn on english subtitles. IF YOU'RE READING THIS...I KNOW YOU HAVE THEM ON Many people who try to learn Japanese, for example, watch anime. This is not a bad way to learn Japanese. But people who turn on English subtitles, will just read the subtitles, and even though they think they’re learning Japanese, in 5 years, all they’ll have to show for it is this profile picture and a discord nitro subscription.
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But luckily, you’ve been using subtitles in the right language, and you can now understand at least 70% of everything you watch. It’s time to unleash step 3, which is speaking practice.
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to start speaking, just keep watching youtube, except now, you pause after each important sentence, and repeat it out loud. Or at least whisper it.
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Try to pretend like you’re having a real conversation with an actual person. And even think of different possible situations where you could use the sentence.
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Whenever you find a sentence that sounds really useful, write it down in a notebook. You're probably never gonna look at that notebook ever again, but it's nice to get some writing practice.
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Now, at any point in this entire process, once you feel ready to start speaking, sit down and record yourself talking to a camera. And just talk about your day, stuff you did, stuff you’re looking forward to, and even ask a couple questions to the imaginary person on the other side.
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If you ever forget how to say something, fill it in with english and move on.
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Later, you can watch the recording back, and look up whatever you didn’t know how to say using DeepL or reverso context.
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To an outsider, this might look like a lonely way to learn a language, but if you’ve ever heard someone say they’re self-taught, this is exactly what they were doing.
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And that’s all there is to it, if you keep reading about the language, watching youtube and talking to a camera for long enough you’ll become fluent without ever having to talk to an actual person.
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Congratulations.
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But one day in the future, you’ll probably have to travel, and you’ll eventually have to talk to native speakers.
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All you have to do is just learn the culture and keep up with the politics.
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For example, if you ever visit France, this is what you might expect to see, but what you’ll actually see is hundreds of French farmers driving their tractors into the capital to form a blockade.
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If you stop a Frenchman on the street to ask what happened, he’ll just tell you that this is just a normal day in France. French people use creative protest as a way to pass the time, and you clearly must’ve not read about it using Ground News. #sponsored.
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Ground News is an app, and a website, that feeds you news from multiple sources while also telling you straight-up if the sources reporting on an article, are biased.
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For example, When I'm reading that BBC article about how French farmers are protesting getting absolutely shafted by the government, the Ground News browser extension shows that this article is from the center, and the left and the right seem to be covering it pretty equally.
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If you click on Full Coverage, you can see that 306 sources are covering this story, and there’s a summary from each political viewpoint.
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The Bias insights feature tells you how the left, right, and center, are reporting on the story differently.
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You can even see tabs showing bias distribution, the factuality of the sources, and who owns them.
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But what I do most often, is compare headlines. This article makes the protestors look like angry manure-slinging traffic-blockers, while this article makes them look like strong, revolutionary heroes.
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I recommend browsing the International Edition so you’ll never look confused in foreign countries.
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Just go to THE LINK YOU SEE ON THE screen or click the link below, and you’ll get 30% off their unlimited access Vantage plan today.
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Context & Background
In a recent discussion, the speaker emphasized that learning a new language can be surprisingly easy if approached correctly. The dialogue brings attention to the common misconceptions around language learning, particularly focusing on motivation and practical methods. The speaker encourages learners to select languages based on their interests rather than just their perceived difficulty. Additionally, he highlights the importance of realistic self-assessment and understanding the learning journey, which can be accomplished through tailored practices like shadow speech and watching videos in the target language.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “I want to understand my friends” - A powerful motivator that can drive language learning, especially when social interactions are involved.
- “What does that mean?” - Useful for encouraging native speakers to share their knowledge while practicing your speaking skills.
- “Can you say that again?” - Perfect for engaging native speakers and improving your understanding through repetition.
- “I’m learning something new every day” - A great mindset that emphasizes continuous improvement.
- “Let’s have a practice conversation” - Encourages more interaction and real-life usage of the language you are learning.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
The shadowing technique is an effective method for enhancing language skills through imitation. Here’s how to effectively use this method in conjunction with learning English with YouTube videos:
- Select the Right Content: Choose videos that interest you and feature natural spoken English. Ideally, these should be engaging enough to hold your attention while also being at a level where you understand at least 30% of the dialogue.
- Start Watching: Begin by watching the video without attempting to speak. Focus on the pronunciation, rhythm, and tone of the speakers. This passive listening forms the foundation for your shadowing practice.
- Engage in Shadow Speech: Play the video again, pausing after each sentence. Repeat what you hear out loud, mimicking the speaker’s intonation and pace. This repetition reinforces your speaking skills and will enhance your confidence in using phrases from the earlier section.
- Reflect and Record: After several rounds of shadowing, record yourself speaking about your day, referencing the phrases you’ve learned. Playback the recording and take note of areas for improvement.
- Consistency is Key: Dedicate time daily for your English speaking practice. The more consistent you are in using the shadowing technique, the more fluent you'll become over time.
By adopting this structured approach to learning English using the shadowing technique, coupled with engaging content from platforms like YouTube, you can significantly enhance your language proficiency and speaking skills.
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.
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