Shadowing Practice: People Read Their Last Breakup Texts - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Yeah, we hung out and have fun, but did I want to be in a long-distance relationship with you afterwards?
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No. And that should be OK with you.
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I tried to call him, and he refused to talk to me on the phone.
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Do you have any breakup texts?
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Actually, I don't.
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I deleted it.
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I was having like 20-20 vision, trying to get rid of my demons.
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Breakup texts?
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I deleted them all.
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I deleted them.
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I prefer to do that stuff in person, or at least on a FaceTime, not through text.
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Oh, I had the text.
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Let's do it.
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That shit was fun, but maybe I should let you focus on school.
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She said, okay, haha.
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I said, I mean, if you really need time, I don't want you getting bored of me fast.
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That's what she said, like, I get bored fast.
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Like, oh, ew.
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She says, OMG, but okay, if you say so.
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I'm like, okay.
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And then we ended it there.
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I'm like, okay.
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And then I just feel better.
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It was the most invested I had ever been in a relationship.
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We had said I love you to each other already and then she texted me, breaking up with me.
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If I'm being totally honest, I've had a lot of time to think about everything and I really only have time to focus on school.
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I don't think her personalities click super great at this time in my life, even though you're absolutely wonderful.
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I feel like my only compatible personality right now for me is Joss.
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For context, Joss is her cat.
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I'm sorry for the potential stress and frustration I've caused you.
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I hope you can forgive me, Sam.
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I'm super upset at life right now, but I understand and respect your priorities and why you're doing this.
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Kind of wish we could talk about this in person at some point.
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I have some questions if that's okay.
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Hope you're doing okay.
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Send Joss a kissy kiss.
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Then we had exchanges for maybe a month where I kept being like, okay, so like, can we meet?
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And she would be like, yeah, sure, this week.
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And then she'd be like, actually, I'm busy, maybe next week.
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And I was really disappointed because I thought, you know, you at least owe me like an apology or something in person.
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And I thought, you know, what we had was a little more real than that. But yeah.
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Stuff kind of hit the fan and her car got towed and she needed $600.
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I lent her the $600 and then on June 16th, 2018, I said good morning at 8.05, no response.
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Hey, baby, at 1.43, no response.
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11.30 p.m., I said goodnight.
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Eventually on the 20th, the exchange is this.
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Hey, hey, hey you, smiley face, because I'm cool.
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Listen, I'll pay you back as soon as I can, but I can't be in a relationship with you.
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It weighs too hard on my conscious that I'm not a good partner.
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I'm sorry to do this through text, but I don't have the energy for more right now.
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You're free.
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Be happy with someone normal.
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Couple months later, I didn't get a text from her, but I got a message from her email to my phone.
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And it's her, and it's like, Hey Eric, I hope you're doing well.
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Also, just to let you know, I should be able to pay you back next month.
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Sorry about the forever wait.
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And I've never, I've still never seen the money.
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She deleted me off all social media, and that was like two years ago, three years ago.
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Okay, look, I saw your phone while waiting for you, waiting for you and I saw her as your screensaver.
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I don't know what's going on anymore, but I think I have a good idea at this point.
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And of course, what are you talking about?
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And I just tell him I wanna know why she's your screensaver.
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And there's a 30 minute blank, no response, but he leaves me on read.
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So I'm like, okay, I know he's thinking of a lie.
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I know he's thinking of something to tell me.
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And this is what he comes up with.
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It's an app I found that changes screensavers like a slideshow.
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I have so many pictures I couldn't choose one.
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Ramon, you know I wouldn't do like that.
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And I'm like, okay.
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I knew in that moment all the red flags were in fact red flags, and this relationship needed to be done.
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He kind of attacks me and he's like, okay, believe what you want.
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So I send him like three question marks like, whoa.
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Then he ends the conversation and he goes, like I said, believe what you want.
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It's an app and sorry she was the screen saver when you looked, but you know I love you and wouldn't do you like that.
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And it hurts to think that you think it's like that.
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I'll talk to you later." And he put a period at the end.
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So he was being very stern because that's not how he talks or types.
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So I knew that he blamed it on me for believing what was the truth.
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So that's kind of how it went.
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He's still with the girl.
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He reaches out to me sometimes.
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He stalks my Instagram profile.
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So I said, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, but it's something that should be said in person.
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Are you doing anything on Saturday?
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And then I said, or would you rather not see me?
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And he said, I really don't want to see you, I'm sorry.
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I said, I understand, it's a lot.
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And he said, just tell me shit or don't tell me at all.
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And I said, okay, let me type it up.
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He said, okay, don't tell me at all, goodbye, Anna.
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And then I said, it's something I need to say, but I'm gonna tell you, just give me a few minutes.
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And he said, dude, really, Anna, this is ridiculous.
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And I'm like trying to type it up, but I kind of learned like, it just has to be short and sweet.
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It can't be me saying like, I'm in pain or, you know, I'm going through this.
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So I said, long story short, since you don't want the full story, is I was having a miscarriage the week we broke up.
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I didn't know until last Friday.
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And he said, okay, Anna, I'm really sorry about that.
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I said, I probably should have kept that to myself.
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He said, no, it's okay.
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I'm going to go to sleep though.
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I said, that hurts because it's like,
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I didn't even know that I was pregnant beforehand.
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It was hard and so I wanted to reach out to him.
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I don't know.
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I don't know why I thought he would care.
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And I don't know why I wanted him to care too because obviously like we weren't, no matter what we weren't going to be together.
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I was just...
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Like going through something like that really changes your head.
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So it's hard to move on when there's that constant reminder of what could have been and what,
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you know, I went through.
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And so I'm feeling hopeful, but it's just...
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It's hard sometimes.
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Yeah.
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Make sure to like, comment, subscribe and we'll see you next time.
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Real-Life Breakup Texts: A Window into Casual English Communication
Learning English with YouTube videos like "People Read Their Last Breakup Texts" offers a unique chance to practice real-world language. The dialogue captures raw, unscripted exchanges—perfect for understanding how native speakers convey emotion, set boundaries, and navigate awkward conversations through text. Whether you’re working on English speaking practice or just want to grasp everyday collocations, this scenario reflects the messy, authentic way people communicate in relationships.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master
- "We hung out and had fun": A casual way to describe spending time together, common in informal chats.
- "It weighs too hard on my conscious": Expresses guilt or emotional burden—great for discussing inner conflict.
- "Stuff kind of hit the fan": A vivid idiom for when things go wrong suddenly.
- "I don’t have the energy for more": A polite (but firm) way to decline further interaction.
- "Can we meet up in person?": A key phrase for seeking face-to-face communication, critical for resolving issues.
These chunks aren’t just phrases—they’re tools for sounding natural. Memorize them to improve your English pronunciation and fluency in real conversations.
Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like a Native
Shadowing is a proven technique to boost speaking skills, and this video is ideal for practice. Here’s your task: Pick 3 short exchanges from the video (e.g., "That shit was fun, but maybe I should let you focus on school" or "I’ll pay you back as soon as I can, but I can’t be in a relationship"). Play each line, pause, and immediately repeat it, matching the tone, speed, and stress. Focus on mimicking the speaker’s rhythm—this trains your mouth to form sounds like a native. For extra practice, record yourself and compare it to the original. Use a shadowing site or app if you need tools, but even repeating aloud works. This "shadow speak" method will sharpen your pronunciation and help you think in English, not just translate.
By practicing with real scenarios like breakup texts, you’re not just learning words—you’re mastering the art of communication. Keep at it, and you’ll notice your English speaking skills improve faster than you think.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was really disappointed · be done · should be said |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've caused · I've still never seen |
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.