Shadowing Practice: Lesson 1: Why you freeze (and why it's normal) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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all right welcome welcome to our english fluency
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and confidence mini course here we are going to talk about all of the tools tips
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and tricks to help you be fluent and confident
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when you speak english it's not about learning a lot of new english it's about optimizing what you already know
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and learning the techniques and strategies to unlock your english confidence so if you're ready?
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Let's jump right in.
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First of all, very important, you have to understand that knowing English doesn't automatically mean you're going to speak it fluently, as you know, of course.
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And there are many things that go into it.
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Having options is, of course, number one.
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That's your base.
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That's your vocabulary that you can use.
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That's your grammar that you can use and all of the options that they present to you.
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Now, of course, the next layer is decision making.
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You have to make a choice you have these options
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and you have to choose the one that fits your situation
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and the one that's going to be the most effective for you right the most acceptable quickest
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choice under pressure
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and of course the underlying layer to all of this is
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tolerance for imperfection of course it's not going to be perfect native speakers are not perfect either
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but it's all about making a choice
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and committing to it without being scared of making a mistake
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or being judged right good speakers they sound confident even
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when they're wrong so mistakes is not something you should be focusing on
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or thinking about too much english learners typically they feel insufficient
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or they feel like they're not enough they don't know enough
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or they can't do it well enough from
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that comes fear of judgment of course what
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if people laugh at me what if people think i'm stupid
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or something silly like that then you become nervous you get really really nervous
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and you don't want to make a mistake because of that and you are super super focused on sounding
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perfect meanwhile native speakers they have no ego they have no
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attachment to other people's opinions most of the time right grammar
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is secondary it's not the most important thing the most important thing is communicating what you're trying to communicate
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so they speak first they make a choice they commit and
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if they say something wrong or unclear they correct later
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that is super super important to remember
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so of course we cannot be native speakers
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and we can't compare ourselves to native speakers that doesn't make sense but we can learn something from them
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you know their approach
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so this is what fluency looks like you have options you make a choice
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and you commit and then you correct or clarify
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if necessary that's the ultimate technique but as learners we have some things
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that get in the way of that of course
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and first it's translation delay
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if you are still translating from your native language it takes time
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and it makes you very hesitant to what is the best
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way to do this according to what i think in my native language
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it's never going to work like this fear of commitment
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but what if this option i choose is not the best one what is the most natural way
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when you start thinking these things you can't communicate you just can't it's too much to take
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and then you're overthinking grammar so when all of these things are happening at the same time, how can you possibly speak, right?
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You know the feeling and you know exactly what I mean.
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So here's what helps.
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Instead of trying to translate in your head, build your sentence fully in English from the very beginning, right?
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Not before you say it, but as you're saying it.
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Do it in the moment.
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In conversations, make sure to give short spoken reactions to what the other person is saying even
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if it's just a sound effect
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it will help you relax a bit before it's your turn to speak but also in the culture it's
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expected and it's very common to give some kind of reaction
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while the other person is speaking in other cultures it might be a little rude
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or weird because you know you think i don't want to interrupt i want to focus
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and really listen but the reality of the situation is
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when you are talking to someone you know a native speaker like an american let's say and you're just silent
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they might depends on the person of course but most people might think you know oh am i boring
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is this person even listening to me why are they zoning out you know stuff like
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that so make sure you do something it'll help you get into it too
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and sort of warm up a bit before it's your turn
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to speak a complete sentence now focus on choosing the first thing
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that comes to mind even if it's wrong you can always correct it later
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but it's not about the perfect option it's about the first acceptable option you can think of
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and if you know something came out that wasn't the best
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and you realize it later go back
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and correct in the moment right away there's nothing wrong with
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that at all that's what everyone does
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and working on your pronunciation helps you enjoy the sound of your english
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which makes it a lot easier because it gives you more confidence to speak even
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when you're not sure what to say even when you're not sure
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if you're saying it correctly
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if it sounds beautiful doesn't matter it's kind of like packaging it's kind of like presentation right
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and good pronunciation good clear pronunciation really it helps you get
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away with some you know mistakes even really it feels smooth
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and it feels clear and very cool and confident
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and you know sexy even you know when you have very clear beautiful pronunciation so
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it's something
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that you should definitely think about a lot of people stay
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away from it a lot of schools teachers tutors even students tend to shy away from it
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but it is very very important and i love pronunciation as you know if you've been following for a while
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so yeah this is basically what we're going to be focusing on this time
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so i hope you took something very valuable away from it
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and these are very important mindset shifts
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that you really really need to be aware of
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and always remember it's not about perfection it's about just getting it done
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and it's hard of course it's not easy
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but as you keep doing it it keeps evolving
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and it keeps growing and you just get quicker and quicker
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and quicker and you know over time you will clean up all the things
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that you are insecure about
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but first you have to get yourself going you have to speak
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because if you don't speak
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and you wait for the perfect moment you never will the perfect moment is now
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so do it without fear and if you're scared do it scared
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and if you're nervous do it nervous
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but just do it all right okay i'll see you in
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the next one where we're gonna actually start breaking stuff down so i can't wait
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Lesson 1: Why you freeze”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: speak, english, native, option, speaker. This video has 105 sentences and 1234 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:26. The speaker talks at a natural 166 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| commit verb | /kəˈmɪt/ | To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto. |
| communicate verb | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ | To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| layer noun | /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ | A single thickness of some material covering a surface. |
| acceptable adjective | /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/ | Worthy, decent, sure of being accepted or received with at least moderate pleasure. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| meanwhile adverb | /ˈmiːnwaɪl/ | During the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| package noun | /ˈpæk.ɪd͡ʒ/ | Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| silent adjective | /ˈsaɪ̯lənt/ | Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet. |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| warm up verb | /ˌwɔː(ɹ)m ˈʌp/ | To become warmer. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, can't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, translation /tɹænzˈleɪʃən/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, insufficient /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, acceptable /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, insufficient /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/
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 pronunciation, commit, communicate.
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.