Shadowing Practice: Making Complaints - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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I'd like 20 chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, two cheeseburgers, and four Coca-Colas.

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133 sentences

I'd like 20 chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, two cheeseburgers, and four Coca-Colas.

0:15.70 – 0:23.18 (7.5s)

Will that be all?

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Yes.

0:27.20 – 0:27.84 (0.6s)

It's for here or to go, sir.

0:28.48 – 0:30.12 (1.6s)

For here, please.

0:30.58 – 0:31.22 (0.6s)

That will be $22.50.

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Your order will be ready soon.

0:35.08 – 0:36.50 (1.4s)

Oh, no.

0:42.74 – 0:43.26 (0.5s)

There are only ten chicken nuggets in here.

0:44.36 – 0:46.06 (1.7s)

There were supposed to be twenty.

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And these are fish burgers.

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But I ordered cheeseburgers.

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I'm going to take it back to the counter.

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We should get what we ordered.

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Excuse me.

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Yes?

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This is not what I ordered.

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I ordered 20 chicken nuggets, and I only got 10.

1:07.48 – 1:10.24 (2.8s)

Also, instead of two cheeseburgers, I got two fishburgers.

1:11.94 – 1:15.64 (3.7s)

I'm sorry, sir.

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Can I see your receipt?

1:18.14 – 1:19.08 (0.9s)

Yes, here it is.

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Can you correct this order?

1:22.80 – 1:23.88 (1.1s)

Sure.

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If you could just bear with me for a moment, I'll get you the correct order.

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Thank you.

1:30.80 – 1:31.30 (0.5s)

Here it is.

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I'm sorry about that.

1:34.42 – 1:35.76 (1.3s)

Your order got mixed up with someone else's.

1:35.76 – 1:38.52 (2.8s)

I gave you some free french fries to make up for it.

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Thank you.

1:43.02 – 1:43.54 (0.5s)

Did you find everything you needed today?

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Yes, thank you.

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These headphones are exactly what I need.

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My neighbor has a really loud dog, and I can't get any work done.

2:04.26 – 2:07.54 (3.3s)

I hope they do the trick.

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That will be $150.

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Wow, that's expensive.

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But these are supposed to be the best, right?

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Yes, that's a good brand of headphones.

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Do you want to purchase our protection plan in case something happens to them?

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That's okay.

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I don't think I need it.

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What's wrong with these?

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I just bought them.

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Can I help you?

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Yes.

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These headphones aren't working anymore.

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I'd like to return them and get a refund.

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Do you have the receipt?

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No.

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I must have dropped it.

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I bought these here a couple of days ago.

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Did you purchase a protection plan?

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No.

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Our return policy states that if you don't have a receipt or protection plan, then you cannot return the item.

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I'm sorry, sir.

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But I just bought them.

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Isn't there anything you can do?

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Well, you can't return the headphones, but you can exchange them for another pair.

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Okay, thanks.

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Hopefully, the new headphones will work.

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Wow, that's a great sale!

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Wow, these shirts are nice.

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I know, I really love them.

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Hey, that's not the right price.

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Those shirts are supposed to be on sale.

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These shirts are not on sale.

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The sales sign was still up from last week.

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I'm sorry.

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Does that mean I have to pay the full price?

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Yes, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding.

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I don't think it's a right to have a sale sign up on something that isn't on sale.

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I'd like to speak to your manager.

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I can get my manager for you.

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Wait here a minute.

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Hello, miss.

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Can I help you?

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Yes, I saw the sale sign here and I got these shirts, thinking that they were on sale.

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The cashier says I have to pay full price.

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I don't think that's right.

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I understand, miss.

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Our customers are very important to us.

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We've taken down the sale sign.

4:54.95 – 4:56.67 (1.7s)

Thank you for bringing that to our attention.

4:57.25 – 4:58.85 (1.6s)

I can ring those shirts up for you at the sale price.

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Thank you.

5:04.61 – 5:05.13 (0.5s)

I really appreciate it.

5:05.13 – 5:06.61 (1.5s)

Hi, I'm Brandon, your neighbor from downstairs.

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Hi, I'm Jessica.

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Nice to meet you.

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Sorry to bother you, but can I talk to you for a minute?

5:37.79 – 5:40.69 (2.9s)

Sure, is everything alright?

5:42.15 – 5:43.89 (1.7s)

I've been listening to you play the piano from my apartment for a while now.

5:45.33 – 5:48.93 (3.6s)

And it's nice to hear that you're getting better.

5:49.95 – 5:52.09 (2.1s)

Unfortunately, I tried to sleep in on weekends.

5:53.07 – 5:55.81 (2.7s)

I can't speak for our neighbors, but it's perfectly fine during the weekdays, because I'm up at 7am anyway.

5:56.71 – 6:04.31 (7.6s)

On the weekends, I'd really appreciate it if you can hold off until 9am.

6:04.81 – 6:09.09 (4.3s)

No problem, I'll postpone practicing the piano until 10am.

6:10.37 – 6:13.73 (3.4s)

100

Sorry about that, I didn't realize it was disturbing for you.

6:14.59 – 6:17.89 (3.3s)

101

Don't get me wrong, but weekends are the only chance I have to catch up on sleep.

6:19.43 – 6:23.21 (3.8s)

102

It's all good.

6:25.19 – 6:26.01 (0.8s)

103

You don't need to explain yourself.

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104

We appeared to be operating on different schedules, that's all.

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105

Okay.

6:33.45 – 6:34.01 (0.6s)

106

Thank you for being so kind.

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107

Have a nice day.

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108

Have a nice day too.

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109

The water was so cold.

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110

This is unacceptable.

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111

I'm going to make a complaint.

6:52.11 – 6:53.53 (1.4s)

112

This is the front desk.

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113

How can I help you?

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114

This is Anita Martin from room 101.

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115

I'd like to make a complaint.

7:05.87 – 7:07.05 (1.2s)

116

Sure, madam.

7:08.21 – 7:09.15 (0.9s)

117

What seems to be the problem?

7:09.37 – 7:10.61 (1.2s)

118

There's no hot water in my room, so I had to take a cold shower.

7:12.11 – 7:16.03 (3.9s)

119

This is unacceptable.

7:17.51 – 7:19.21 (1.7s)

120

I'm very disappointed with your service.

7:19.95 – 7:21.75 (1.8s)

121

I'd like you to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, or I'll have to cancel my reservation.

7:23.17 – 7:27.55 (4.4s)

122

Please accept our sincerest apologies for not having hot water.

7:28.95 – 7:31.87 (2.9s)

123

Unfortunately, our hot water system has developed technical problems this morning.

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124

We're working on this, and we promise to have this issue solved in almost no time.

7:39.05 – 7:42.97 (3.9s)

125

We'll make sure to give you a discount.

7:43.91 – 7:45.35 (1.4s)

126

Okay, thank you.

7:47.95 – 7:48.77 (0.8s)

127

Also, there's an issue with the heating.

7:48.77 – 7:51.27 (2.5s)

128

It's very hot in my room.

7:51.27 – 7:53.39 (2.1s)

129

You can adjust the temperature using the thermostat near the light switch.

7:55.29 – 7:58.23 (2.9s)

130

Oh, I see.

8:00.53 – 8:01.83 (1.3s)

131

Okay, thank you for your help.

8:01.83 – 8:03.33 (1.5s)

132

You're very welcome.

8:04.65 – 8:05.71 (1.1s)

133

Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

8:26.63 – 8:30.17 (3.5s)

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.

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish

Choose your video: Pick a YouTube video with clear, natural English speech. TED Talks, BBC News, movie scenes, podcasts, or IELTS sample answers all work great. Paste the URL into the search bar. Start with shorter videos (under 5 minutes) and content you find genuinely interesting — motivation matters.
Listen first, understand the context: On your first pass, keep the speed at 1x and just listen. Don't try to repeat yet. Focus on understanding the meaning, picking up new vocabulary, and noticing how the speaker stresses words, links sounds, and uses pauses.
Set up Shadowing mode:
- Wait Mode: Choose +3s or +5s — after each sentence plays, the video pauses automatically so you have time to repeat it out loud. Choose Manual if you want full control and press Next yourself after each repetition.
- Sub Sync: YouTube subtitles sometimes appear slightly ahead or behind the audio. Use ±100ms to align them perfectly so you can follow along accurately.
Shadow out loud (the core practice): This is where the real work happens. As soon as a sentence plays — or during the pause — repeat it out loud, clearly and confidently. Don't just mouth the words: mirror the speaker's exact rhythm, stress, pitch, and connected speech. Aim to sound like a shadow of the speaker, not just a word-by-word recitation. Use the Repeat feature to drill the same sentence multiple times until it feels natural.
Scale up the challenge: Once a passage feels comfortable, push your limits. Increase speed to <code>1.25x</code> or even <code>1.5x</code> to train high-speed language reflexes. Or set Wait Mode to <code>Off</code> for continuous shadowing — the most advanced and rewarding mode. Consistent daily practice of 15–30 minutes will produce noticeable results within weeks.

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Speak English fluently using the Shadowing technique. Listen to native YouTube videos, repeat sentence by sentence, and build real pronunciation and fluency — used by IELTS learners worldwide.

Shadowing Practice: Making Complaints - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

What is the Shadowing Technique?

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