Shadowing Practice: Mistakes You’ll Make While Falling in Love - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you had a time machine to talk to yourself one year ago, what would you tell them?
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Any lessons you'd want to share?
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One year ago, I met you and there are a few things I wish I did differently.
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This is what I tell my past self.
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These are the mistakes you'll make while falling in love.
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Lesson number one.
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You'll be close-minded.
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The world currently revolves around your routines, dreams, and values.
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You'll think you have it all figured out, but love is not about validation, it's about expansion.
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Growth, change, and the chance to challenge what you know.
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You've been stuck in your own mind for so long.
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It's been six years since you've been with anyone, and yes, you've learned how to be independent.
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You pride yourself on it.
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But you'll need to learn to ask for help.
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To lean on someone and receive support.
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You don't realize this yet, but this girl is one of the most fiercely supportive people you will ever meet.
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She'll spend time nursing you back to health, telling you that you've outgrown your dreams for the chance to chase a bigger one, putting her own desire for connection away at times to let you leave and grow in new places.
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She's a good one, and unfortunately this will take you a long time to realize.
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Lesson number two.
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You won't fully open your heart.
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I think you might be afraid of getting hurt.
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It's been confusing time to date and wear your heart on your sleeve.
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She's been hurt as well before, but she stays so kind.
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You won't fully understand why she loves you.
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I think you need to see yourself through her eyes.
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You've never met anyone who's been so excited to see you, to spend time with you.
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I think it may be true that she loves you more than you love yourself, values parts of yourself that you are still blind to.
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Open your heart a little earlier.
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I think you're afraid to commit and fear the fall.
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Share more things, be more honest, Ask for long conversations instead of fancy experiences.
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She's a world waiting for you to explore.
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She wants to see yours too, as long as you open your heart.
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But, I know you, and you know me.
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You're stubborn, so even with this advice, you'll have to make the mistakes yourself to understand.
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So, I'll just leave you with this.
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Lesson number three.
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Most of all, know that you're lucky.
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We were so incredibly lucky to have this chance to love her.
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This version of you and this version of her won't last forever.
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Both of you are still growing up and changing faster than you realize.
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Your love will take different forms, but before it passes, you take a chance to cherish what it feels like right now.
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And if you get a chance to pass along this message to her.
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I hope one day we look back on these highs and lows and chuckle, as they are merely just waves crashing up to the shore.
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And that we were silly enough to miss the whole picture.
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That there was this wonderful world around us and we had only taken our first few steps.
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That when a time machine is invented, we take the first chance we get to come back to right where we are.
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Confused, vulnerable, trying to understand another.
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Nothing at all stable, but feeling like the world was in our hands.
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I hope one day this all makes sense, and it's just a perfect first chapter for what's left to come.
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Happy birthday, Anita.
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I love you.
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How would you rate the past year with me?
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Out of what?
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73. 74.
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Out of 73?
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Divide enough.
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What's good?
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What is your rating?
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100. Up.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 58 sentences and 635 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:39. The speaker talks at a natural 174 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 89% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| stable noun | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| nurse noun | /nɝs/ | Anyone performing this role, regardless of training or profession. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| merely adverb | /ˈmɪəli/ | Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more. |
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| fancy noun | /ˈfæn.si/ | The imagination. |
| commit verb | /kəˈmɪt/ | To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto. |
| shore noun | /ʃɔɹ/ | Land adjoining a non-flowing body of water, such as an ocean, lake or pond. |
| explore verb | /ɪkˈsploɹ/ | To examine or investigate something systematically. |
| differently adverb | /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/ | In a different way. |
| vulnerable adjective | /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ | More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
| pass along verb | To deliver a message or item to its intended recipient. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as you'll, you've, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shore /ʃɔɹ/, validation /ˌvæl.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, cherish /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, validation /ˌvæl.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/
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 lesson, stable, confused.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | You've been stuck · you've been · You've never met |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | You've been stuck · been hurt · is invented |
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.