Shadowing Practice: Market Leader Pre-Intermediate Audio - Unit 3: Company - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

85 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Unit 3 Companies.
2
Recording 3 .1.
3
What are the factors that make IKEA such a highly successful company?
4
I think for IKEA it starts with a very simple, straightforward business idea.
5
That is easy to understand, easy to work with, both for customers as well as co -workers actually.
6
Add to that we have a strong culture in the company that links this together.
7
I think that's one of the big reasons for us being successful worldwide.
8
We have designers who are not only good on designing good looking products.
9
They understand production, they are working closely with our trading offices around the world.
10
They are going into suppliers, developing with suppliers products in the production line.
11
Then from there on it's about the packaging, how we transport flat packages.
12
how we bring it into the store, easy to put on the shelf, and then of course for the customer, easy to bring home.
13
Recording 3 .2.
14
How do you stay ahead of the competition in your business?
15
That's again is linked to understanding the market, the customer needs, the trends about that, how people live.
16
Of course also understanding how the competitors are acting, what is going on in the market,
17
price developments, new ways of meeting the customer and be aware of then the trends and how we then tackle that.
18
But I think by the end of the day, I think IKEA, we are not only about products, we are about offering solutions to the market people's needs
19
and understand that actually we can be very smart and make it practical and not only again good looking furniture.
20
Recording 3 .3.
21
I think again, stay true to yourself, be aware of the market you enter into, but still build on your strengths,
22
don't complicate it in that sense, but still find this kind of combination of we are IKEA in this case, and this is the local market.
23
Where is the differences, what do we need to adjust and adopt, what do we need to understand, and then have an offer that fits that.
24
Recording 3 .4.
25
Good morning everyone.
26
Thanks for coming to my presentation.
27
My name is Marta Rodriguez.
28
I'm personnel director of Terra Fashions.
29
I'm going to talk to you today about our company.
30
First, I'll give you some basic information about Terra Fashions.
31
Then I'll talk about our overseas stores.
32
After that, I'll outline the strengths of the company.
33
Next, I'll talk about career opportunities with Tara.
34
And finally, I'll mention our future plans.
35
I'll be pleased to answer any questions at the end of my talk.
36
Let me start with some basic facts about Terra.
37
The company started in 1978.
38
We are a family -owned business, and our head office is in Córdoba, Spain.
39
We sell clothes for men and women, and our customers are mainly fashion -conscious people aged 20 to 35.
40
We have 15 stores in Spain.
41
All the stores are very profitable.
42
Right, those are the basic facts.
43
Let me add a few figures.
44
We have an annual turnover of about 260 million euros.
45
Our net profits last year were approximately 16 million euros.
46
We have a workforce of just over 2 ,000 employees.
47
So those are the numbers.
48
Now, about our overseas stores.
49
We have four large stores in France and another ten in other European countries.
50
We are planning to open five new stores next year.
51
What are our strengths?
52
We keep up with fashion trends.
53
If we spot a trend, we can bring out a new design in 15 days.
54
and we get to the stores very quickly We deliver to stores twice a week.
55
And we sell our designs at the right price.
56
Okay, now what about career opportunities?
57
it's quite simple if you are ambitious and fashion conscious we have opportunities in all areas of our business
58
We will welcome you with open arms.
59
Finally, a few words about our new project.
60
We are planning to open a new store in New York next year on Fifth Avenue.
61
This will give us a foothold in the US market.
62
We're very excited about this new development.
63
Well, thanks very much for listening to my talk.
64
Are there any questions?
65
Recording 3 .5.
66
as we can see from this chart our pre -tax profits
67
have fallen from 8 .9 million euros three years ago to
68
6 .4 million last year that's almost 30 percent it's a dramatic decrease of course we know
69
that one of the reasons for this fall is that there's been widespread price cutting in the industry
70
quality chocolates at considerably lower prices.
71
But surely this doesn't explain everything.
72
There must be other reasons.
73
Yes, Benito?
74
Well, one thing I have noticed, certainly, is that more and more people in my sales team are becoming demotivated.
75
I've looked into this, and it seems to me that the staff are disappointed by the fall in demand.
76
We all had great expectations about our new products, especially the biscuits and cakes we launched six months ago.
77
But they are just not selling well.
78
In addition, even demand for our classic bar is falling.
79
I think that's a very good point.
80
I know that motivation among production staff, too, is at an all -time low.
81
The thing is, our machinery is now quite old.
82
Some of the machines keep breaking down, and of course this causes delays in production.
83
Right.
84
Well, it seems to me that at least we now have a better picture of the situation.
85
Now, the question is, what are we going to do about it?

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan QR
Scan QR
Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play
📺 Same Channel
Market Leader Pre-Intermediate - Unit 1: CareersB1
1

Market Leader Pre-Intermediate - Unit 1: Careers

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English
✨ Recommend Video
TOEIC Listening Part 3: A Missing Banner, a Broken Air Conditioner and a Group VisitB1
35
39 sentences

TOEIC Listening Part 3: A Missing Banner, a Broken Air Conditioner and a Group Visit

American AccentBritish AccentTOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishUniversity Students
English Conversation A2 B1 – Meeting a Business Partner | Office DialogueB1
26
41 sentences

English Conversation A2 B1 – Meeting a Business Partner | Office Dialogue

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishHigh School Students
TEST 1. Part 2: Ronald Stevenson CompanyB1
5
59 sentences

TEST 1. Part 2: Ronald Stevenson Company

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishHigh School Students
TOEIC SPEAKING QUESTION 1-2 SAMPLE #1B1
8
8 sentences

TOEIC SPEAKING QUESTION 1-2 SAMPLE #1

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
IELTS Actual listening Map title Home Improvement Store PlanB2
3
58 sentences

IELTS Actual listening Map title Home Improvement Store Plan

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
Business Partner B1+. Unit 2. Video 2.3.1.B1
2
71 sentences

Business Partner B1+. Unit 2. Video 2.3.1.

TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishUniversity Students
Real-life English Conversation at Workplace | Improve English at Work | Speak Like a NativeB1
2
441 sentences

Real-life English Conversation at Workplace | Improve English at Work | Speak Like a Native

Business EnglishWorking Adults
Listening PET 5 - Test 3 - Part 3B1
1
53 sentences

Listening PET 5 - Test 3 - Part 3

TOEIC PrepCambridge Exam PrepBusiness English
Business English: Four Important Tips to Help You Introduce Your CompanyB1
1
57 sentences

Business English: Four Important Tips to Help You Introduce Your Company

Business EnglishWorking Adults
Millennium Office Supplies With Answers | IELTS LISTENING SECTION-1B1
2
94 sentences

Millennium Office Supplies With Answers | IELTS LISTENING SECTION-1

IELTS PrepTOEIC PrepBusiness English
10a-10b Unit 1B1
1
37 sentences

10a-10b Unit 1

Business EnglishWorking Adults

Who Is This Video For?

This video is perfect for pre-intermediate English learners aiming to improve business vocabulary, presentation skills, and conversational fluency. Whether you’re practicing for work meetings, job interviews, or simply want to learn English with YouTube, the real-world dialogues about companies like IKEA and Terra Fashions provide practical, actionable language. It’s ideal for those using shadowspeak or a shadowing app to mimic native speech patterns.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

Boost your business English with these standout phrases:

  • Straightforward business idea: A clear, easy-to-understand plan (e.g., "Our straightforward business idea helped us grow quickly").
  • Stay ahead of the competition: To outperform rivals (e.g., "We innovate to stay ahead of the competition").
  • Annual turnover: Total yearly sales (e.g., "The company’s annual turnover reached $1 million").
  • Career opportunities: Job prospects (e.g., "The new office offers great career opportunities").
  • Fit the market: To meet customer needs (e.g., "We adjusted our products to fit the market").

How to Get the Accent Right

Focus on these pronunciation tips to sound more natural when shadowing the speakers: - Stress in multi-syllabic words: Words like "profitable" (PROF-i-ta-ble) and "approximately" (a-PROX-i-mate-ly) have stress on the second syllable—practice emphasizing these to avoid miscommunication. - Linking sounds: The speaker often connects words, e.g., "easy to understand" becomes "easy-to-understand" (linking "to" with "understand"). Use a shadowing app to mimic this flow. - Intonation in presentations: Marta Rodriguez uses rising intonation when listing points ("First, I’ll… Then I’ll… After that…") to keep the audience engaged. Copy this pattern to make your own talks more dynamic. - Reduced forms: Phrases like "it’s about" become "it’s ’bout" and "we are" becomes "we’re"—listen closely and repeat to master casual speech. Practicing these with shadowspeak techniques will help you improve English pronunciation and sound more like a native in professional settings.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave fallen · there's been · have noticed
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around noware working · are going · are acting
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionI'll give · I'll talk · I'll outline
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see comingI'm going to talk · are we going to do

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →