Shadowing Practice: Overcharged at the Supermarket: Checking the Receipt - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Hi there! How can I help you today?
2
Hi. I think I was overcharged for a few things.
3
Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have your receipt?
4
Here it is. It's a long one!
5
Okay. Which items are wrong?
6
The orange juice. The shelf says $3.49.
7
But I paid $4.39.
8
$4.39? That's a big difference.
9
Let's go and check the shelf together.
10
Hmm... you're right. It says $3.49.
11
See? 3, 4, 9.
12
I'm sorry. The price in the system is wrong.
13
And can you check the avocados too?
14
They're 2 for $5, right?
15
Yes, that's this week's deal.
16
Oh no. The deal didn't work. You paid $2.99 each.
17
So that's $5.98 instead of $5.
18
Okay, so we owe you 98 cents for the avocados.
19
And for the juice, there's a special rule.
20
A special rule? What do you mean?
21
If we charge the wrong price, the item is free!
22
Really? The whole $4.39?
23
Yes! So that's $4.39 plus 98 cents.
24
That's... $5.37, right?
25
Wow, you're faster than my calculator!
26
Here you go. $5.37 in cash.
27
Thank you! That was easy.
28
Enjoy your free orange juice!
29
Oh, I will. It tastes better free!
📺 Same Channel
Taking the Bus to the City CentreA1
1,016

Taking the Bus to the City Centre

British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
My First Month Living AbroadB1
867

My First Month Living Abroad

American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Fruit at the MarketA1
562

Fruit at the Market

American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
Finding Things at the SupermarketA2
440

Finding Things at the Supermarket

British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A Rainy Night at the Corner ShopA1
334

A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop

American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status UpdateB2
304

Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update

American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
Buying a Phone ChargerA2
167

Buying a Phone Charger

American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New ClassmateA1
67

What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate

American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Breakfast TimeA1
151

Breakfast Time

American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
Meeting My New NeighbourA1
120

Meeting My New Neighbour

British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
How Much Is This Bag?A1
107

How Much Is This Bag?

American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My PerspectiveC1
198

IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective

American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Talking to a Neighbour About the NoiseB2
90

Talking to a Neighbour About the Noise

British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
First Day at a New JobB1
107

First Day at a New Job

British AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
Buying a Train Ticket to BathA2
140

Buying a Train Ticket to Bath

British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Ordering Coffee at a London CaféA1
96

Ordering Coffee at a London Café

British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?A2
48

Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?

American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
At the Bakery: Buying BreadA1
73

At the Bakery: Buying Bread

American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free TimeB1
132

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time

American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
B2 Shadowing practice A nervous first dat a a new jobB2
251

B2 Shadowing practice A nervous first dat a a new job

Interview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
At a Restaurant: This Isn't What I OrderedB1
12
26 sentences

At a Restaurant: This Isn't What I Ordered

American AccentBritish AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
Repeat-After-Me + SHADOWING English Speaking PracticeB1
5
183 sentences

Repeat-After-Me + SHADOWING English Speaking Practice

American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
How much does it cost to live in America? 在美国生活，一天花多少钱？B1
2
40 sentences

How much does it cost to live in America? 在美国生活，一天花多少钱？

American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
🏨🍫 The Hotel Mini-Bar Charged Me for NOTHING! 😡💸 #englishconversation #esl #hotelB1
2
25 sentences

🏨🍫 The Hotel Mini-Bar Charged Me for NOTHING! 😡💸 #englishconversation #esl #hotel

Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Learn American English - Cashier - Checkout Counter - Conversation Practice - Key Vocabulary ReviewA2
16
178 sentences

Learn American English - Cashier - Checkout Counter - Conversation Practice - Key Vocabulary Review

American AccentTravel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Annoying CustomersB1
5
69 sentences

Annoying Customers

American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
Learn English FAST: Grocery Shopping in English – Day 15 | Shadowing English Speaking PracticeA2
7
486 sentences

Learn English FAST: Grocery Shopping in English – Day 15 | Shadowing English Speaking Practice

American AccentTravel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
my low-consumption habits & tipsB2
1
151 sentences

my low-consumption habits & tips

Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Everyday English: Spending MoneyB1
96 sentences

Everyday English: Spending Money

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Everyday English ConversationsB1
7
281 sentences

Everyday English Conversations

Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
[B1] Ordering Fast Food at a Drive-Thru | English Conversation PracticeB1
51
88 sentences

[B1] Ordering Fast Food at a Drive-Thru | English Conversation Practice

Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Overcharged at the Supermarket: Checking the Receipt”. This video has 29 sentences and 173 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:34. The speaker talks at a steady 111 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. 12 of its 29 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
juice noun/d͡ʒuːs/A liquid made from plant, especially fruit.
shelf noun/ʃɛlf/A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects.
receipt noun/ɹɪˈsiːt/The act of receiving, or the fact of having been received.
calculator noun/kæl.kjə.leɪ.tɚ/A mechanical or electronic device that performs mathematical calculations; (now usually) an electronic one specifically.
avocado noun/ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/The large, usually yellowish-green or black, savory fruit of the avocado tree.
overcharge verbTo charge (somebody) more money than the correct amount or to surpass a certain limit while charging a bill.
orange noun/ˈɒɹɪnd͡ʒ/An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus such as Citrus sinensis which yields oranges (the fruit).
item noun/ˈaɪ.təm/A distinct physical object.
rule noun/ɹuːl/A regulation, law, guideline.
cent noun/sɛnt/A subunit of currency equal to one-hundredth of the main unit of currency in many countries. Symbol: ¢.
plus/ˈplʌs/And; sum of the previous one and the following one.
cash noun/ˈkæʃ/Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions.
taste noun/teɪst/One of the sensations produced by the tongue in response to certain chemicals; the quality of giving this sensation.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

  • How can I help you today?
  • Do you have your receipt?
  • Let's go and check the shelf together.
  • What do you mean?
  • Wow, you're faster than my calculator!

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shelf /ʃɛlf/, cash /ˈkæʃ/
  • Long words — get the stress right: calculator /kæl.kjə.leɪ.tɚ/, avocado /ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like juice, shelf, receipt.

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 →