Shadowing Practice: Parallel Parking: My Driving Lesson Goes Wrong - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
29 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Okay, are you ready for today's lesson?
2
Well... not really. What are we doing today?
3
Today we're going to practice parallel parking.
4
Oh no. That's the one I've been dreading!
5
Don't worry, we'll take it slowly, step by step.
6
See that gap between the blue car and the van?
7
That tiny gap? There's no way I'll fit in there!
8
It's bigger than it looks. Pull up next to the van.
9
Okay, let's go... slowly backward...
10
Wait, why are we going forward?
11
You're still in drive. Hit the brake!
12
Ugh, sorry! I'm so nervous today.
13
Okay, reverse this time... I'm turning the wheel now...
14
Careful, you're getting too close to the curb!
15
Oh no, I hit it! I always do this!
16
Honestly... I'm never going to pass my test.
17
Hey, everybody hits the curb at first. Even me.
18
Let me show you a little trick.
19
Line up your back window with the van's back bumper.
20
Then turn the wheel all the way to the right.
21
As soon as I see the bumper in my window?
22
Exactly. And when the car's at an angle, straighten up.
23
Oh, that sounds much easier than what I was doing!
24
Okay, here goes! Window, bumper... turn now!
25
Good, good. Now straighten the wheel. Stop there.
26
Wait... did I actually do it?
27
Look out the window. You're perfectly parked!
28
Wow, I can't believe it! Can we do it again?
29
Ha, of course. Let's do it three more times.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
📺 Same Channel
A2231
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A1180
Can You Swim? What Can You Do?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2506
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A21,295
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21,172
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B1142
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2200
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1181
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2610
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1215
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1119
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2240
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2411
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
A147
Lunch Break: What Do You Want to Eat?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B140
Discipline Beats Motivation
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A273
Where Are My Keys? A Busy Morning
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2123
IELTS Listening Part 3: A Survey on Student Sleep
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
B133
Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C1301
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A137
What's in My Lunchbox?
British AccentKidsDaily Conversation
✨ Recommend Video
B12
35 sentences
How Shadowing Fixed My English Speaking
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
55 sentences
Sheldon Gets His Learner's Permit | The Big Bang Theory
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B12
180 sentences
Car Vocabulary
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A231 sentences
My First Driving Lesson: Watch Out for the Trash Can!
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B13
395 sentences
Walk With Me and Practice Natural English
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B223
233 sentences
Can You Fool A Self Driving Car?
American AccentBusiness EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B14
156 sentences
Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing English Speaking Practice
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B111
345 sentences
Think You Can Speak REAL English? Try This Advanced Challenge!
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
194 sentences
Caught in Traffic | English Listening & Speaking Practice
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
31 sentences
The Practical Lesson: "Would you like to sit?" 🚌 Polite English on the Bus
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
87 sentences
This 1970s tank simulator drives through a tiny world
British AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B111
323 sentences
English Speaking Practice: Giving Directions Naturally | Shadowing English Speaking Practice
American AccentTravel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Parallel Parking: My Driving Lesson Goes Wrong”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: window, bumper, wheel. This video has 29 sentences and 241 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:39. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 8 of its 29 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bumper noun | /ˈbʌmpəɹ/ | Someone or something that bumps. |
| curb noun | /kɝb/ | A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand). |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| angle noun | /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/ | A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle). |
| reverse noun | /ɹɪˈvɝs/ | The opposite of something. |
| parallel adjective | /ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/ | Equally distant from one another at all points. |
| backward adjective | /ˈbækwɚd/ | Situated toward or at the rear of something. |
| dread noun | /dɹɛd/ | Great fear in view of impending evil; fearful apprehension of danger; anticipatory terror. |
| straighten verb | /ˈstɹeɪtn̩/ | To cause to become straight. |
| wheel noun | /ˈwiːl/ | A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines. |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| tiny adjective | /ˈtaɪni/ | Very small. |
| perfectly adverb | /ˈpɝ.fɪk(t).li/ | With perfection. |
| careful adjective | /ˈkɛɹfəl/ | Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| going forward adverb | In the immediate future and beyond. | |
| line up verb | /laɪnˈʌp/ | To align; to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running. |
| look out verb | To be vigilant and aware often as an imperative to alert a person to danger. | |
| pull up verb | /ˌpʊl ˈʌp/ | To lift upwards or vertically. |
| straighten up verb | To become straight, or straighter. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Okay, are you ready for today's lesson?
- What are we doing today?
- Today we're going to practice parallel parking.
- Wait, why are we going forward?
- Can we do it again?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | bigger than · easier than |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are we doing · are we going · I'm turning |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | we're going to practice · I'm never going to pass |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | we'll take · I'll fit |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 bumper, curb, trick.
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.