Shadowing Practice: My Best Friend and Me - Learn English Speaking with Video
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26 sentences
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1
Let me tell you about my best friend.
2
Her name is Zara, and she's amazing!
3
We met on my first day at secondary school.
4
I was nervous, and I didn't know anyone.
5
Then I saw a girl with my backpack!
6
The same yellow bag, the same stickers!
7
We laughed and laughed. That was it.
8
Now we do everything together.
9
We walk to school and do homework together.
10
She's funnier than me, but I'm better at maths.
11
But last year, we had a big fight.
12
There was a singing show at school.
13
We both wanted to sing the main song.
14
The teacher chose Zara, not me.
15
Ugh, I was so angry and jealous!
16
I said some really mean things.
17
We didn't talk for two whole weeks.
18
Then, on the night of the show...
19
Zara was backstage, and she was crying.
20
She was too scared to sing alone.
21
So I held her hand and said sorry.
22
Then we sang the song together!
23
Everyone clapped, and we laughed so much.
24
Best friends fight sometimes, and that's okay.
25
But real best friends always say sorry.
26
And yes, we still have the same backpack!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “My Best Friend and Me”. This video has 26 sentences and 189 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:33. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| backpack noun | /ˈbæk.pæk/ | A knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame, but always supported by straps, worn on a person’s back for the purpose of carrying things, especially when… |
| jealous adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ | Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity. |
| mathematics noun | /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/ | An abstract representational system studying numbers, shapes, structures, quantitative change and relationships between them. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| sticker noun | /ˈstɪkə/ | Something or someone that sticks (pierces, or adheres). |
| backstage adjective | /bækˈsteɪd͡ʒ/ | Relating to, or situated in the area behind a stage. |
| clap verb | /klæp/ | To strike the palms of the hands together, creating a sharp sound. |
| sing verb | /ˈsɪŋ/ | To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice. |
| laugh verb | /læf/ | To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and… |
| yellow adjective | /ˈjɛloʊ/ | Of a yellow hue. |
| angry adjective | /ˈæŋ.ɡɹi/ | Displaying or feeling anger. |
| cry verb | /kɹaɪ/ | To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness. |
| secondary adjective | /ˈsɛkənˌdɛɹi/ | Next in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I was nervous, and I didn't know anyone.
- She's funnier than me, but I'm better at maths.
- We didn't talk for two whole weeks.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/, secondary /ˈsɛkənˌdɛɹi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like backpack, jealous, mathematics.
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.