Shadowing Practice: Phnom Penh Surprised Me! 🇰🇭 | Cambodia’s Most Underrated Capital - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

183 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hey everyone, it's Kritika.

Hello from Cambodia.

I'm here for the next seven days with the Cambodia Tourism Board.

And over the next few days, we're going to be travelling across three completely different parts of the country.

We'll start in the capital city, Phnom Penh, which is where I've landed right now.

Then head to Siem Reap to explore Angkor Wat and all the ancient temples.

And finally finish on a tiny private island called Song Sa.

Honestly, I don't know much about Cambodia as well outside of Angkor Wat

so I'm excited to see what this country has to offer and explore it along with you guys.

I've literally just landed and this is my home for the next two nights.

Not a bad start.

I'm staying at Fairfield by Marriott in Phnom Penh.

I'm on the 40th floor and I have an incredible view from my room.

The hotel here gifted me this beautiful Cambodian scarf called Krama.

I think it's hand-woven.

And my first impressions of Cambodia so far, I'm honestly pleasantly surprised.

I don't know what I was expecting, but infrastructurally, it's just so different from what I imagined.

One thing I'm really excited about on this trip is the food.

I really enjoy traveling for the food and I don't think I've ever actually tried Cambodian food.

I know Asian food in general is extremely flavorful.

So we've now come to this restaurant called Malice

which looks absolutely beautiful and we're going to be trying out some Cambodian food.

Very excited for this meal.

So for a change, I'm not the only vegetarian here.

I've got like two other vegetarian people to keep me company

and they've served us three different vegetarian dishes which we're having with rice.

and the food is just so flavorful.

The tofu dish is so amazing and they've also given us this passion fruit drink which is so tasty.

I've ordered it a second time now.

This is the group.

Really enjoying this meal.

Oh my god, that was such a filling and satisfying meal.

The Cambodian flavors were so interesting.

I feel like they're very familiar because it's similar to some of the Southeast Asian flavors but also different.

I can't describe it but I really enjoyed the meal

and hopefully I will get to have more Cambodian food over the rest of the week.

Been having kind of a laid back day,

got myself some coffee and right now we have come to the riverside.

This here is the confluence of four different rivers and we are about to go on of boat ride.

I think that in the back is the boat we're going to be taking.

Got on the boat and the view is just so beautiful.

You can see the skyline in the back there.

The sun is already set but the sky looks incredible.

I'm not sure how long this boat ride is for.

I think it's like 45 minutes long but I'm really excited for the views. and we are back

that was a really lovely boat ride Phnom Penh's skyline is extremely impressive the buildings lit up looked amazing

and the boat ride itself was quite refreshing and rejuvenating

so it was a great way to spend our evening

but anyway heading for dinner now oh my god look at all this food.

For dinner we've come to this really nice looking restaurant called Baisor and they've ordered a lot of vegetarian food for us.

The food is looking amazing.

Let's try it out and see how it is.

Some mushroom soup, some fried rice, some morning glory, watermelon.

How's your food?

Very good, very nice.

Like finally, what a lighting ya, what a lighting.

Anyways.

I know right?

I think it's my day now.

I'm eating good food and eat it.

exchanged and Cambodia interestingly has like a dual currency system.

So the local currency is called Cambodian Riel but they also accept US dollars here.

So in a lot of places

that you go prices are mentioned both in the local currency and US dollars so you can pay in either or.

But anyway let's head out and explore Phnom Penh.

Our first stop today is the Royal Palace which is this beautiful yellow building behind me.

So Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and the Royal Palace houses the king of Cambodia.

A part of it is open to public

so we're going to go inside and check this place out but it looks so beautiful from outside.

I can only imagine how it looks from inside.

So this is the group I'm traveling with.

It's been quite a fun bunch.

so that behind me is the palace look how stunning it is the architecture is

so intricate and the garden outside is

so beautiful the whole complex is very peaceful

and it's quite massive i mean it is a palace

so i suppose i should have expected that

but it's really nice to walk around we also have a guide with us so hopefully we'll learn some new things today.

So that building in the back is the official residence of the king.

Apparently he isn't here right now and you can find out whether

or not he is by seeing if there's a flag on top of the building.

Right now there isn't a flag

so that's how you know he isn't here right now and the whole The ground is honestly so beautiful.

The tiles on top of these roofs is stunning.

There are a couple of temples here, you can't really film inside it, but you can see the coronation chair.

And the Royal Palace is still used for a lot of royal ceremonies, making it one of the most important landmarks in the country.

This building behind me is the Silver Pagoda inside the palace complex

and this gets the name Silver Pagoda because the floor inside is made up of over 5,000 silver tiles.

I don't think videography is allowed inside but let's go check this out.

Our next stop is the National History Museum which is this beautiful building behind me.

If you watch my vlogs, you probably know I love history and museums and it is an extremely hot day.

So I think it's a good idea to spend some time indoors

and learn something about the history of Cambodia because I don't really know too much.

I do vaguely remember learning a bit about the Khmer kingdom back in school

so let's go inside and see what this is like.

So a lot of sculptures from the Khmer empire actually look Indian like look at this gandusha

and it's so interesting to see how the Cambodian empire then was influenced by Hinduism

and this was like one of the biggest empires back then.

This museum is so beautiful from inside.

100

Look at that.

101

So 95% of Cambodia is Buddhist.

102

And back in the day, some of the kings were also inspired by Hinduism, which is why there's so much Hindu influence here, even in the names, in the sculptures, and in the culture as well.

103

Oh, this is the Krama, which is what the hotel gifted us.

104

The Cambodian scarf.

105

That was actually quite interesting, but I wish I had more time to properly explore this place.

106

But anyway, next up, we're heading somewhere exciting for lunch.

107

So for lunch today, we have come to the Raffles in Phnom Penh.

108

And the property here looks so stunning.

109

Welcome to our house.

110

We've come to one of the restaurants here, Le Phnom, which looks so nice.

111

I'm not really sure what food we're eating it's kind of a surprise.

112

I've gotten myself a glass of wine and after being out in the heat, this just feels like heaven.

113

So I'm very excited for the meal.

114

We also got a tour of the hotel and the hotel looks so beautiful.

115

But for now, really looking forward to this meal.

116

The first course is potato and leek soup looking very good.

117

Oh my god, this is genuinely so delicious.

118

that lunch was amazing and the hotel itself was

119

so nice it's over 100 years old

120

and lots of famous people including the kennedys i think charlie

121

chaplin have actually stayed over here the meal was really nice we had a three-course meal very full right now

122

but next up we are at this rooftop place called rosewood

123

that is the view from the top

124

and we're here for some afternoon tea i was Not really expecting Phnom Penh to be such a luxurious experience, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

125

So let's see what they have in store for us over here.

126

This place is so pretty.

127

I can't get over the views.

128

They've given us so many different things to eat.

129

There's like different chew pastries, sandwiches, finger food.

130

I've ordered myself some jasmine tea and the vibe here is so nice.

131

It's also started raining and this is just, I feel like we've just been eating for the past two hours, but I'm not complaining.

132

It's really nice and relaxing.

133

Next up, I'm at this place called Wat Phnom and this is where the city of Phnom Penh gets its name from.

134

So I'm going to take a stroll around and then I'll tell you the story of this place.

135

Oh my gosh, it's started to rain.

136

Oh my gosh, look how beautiful this is.

137

Finally stopped raining and this behind me is basically Wat Panom, which is the main temple over here.

138

It's built on top of the hill, which is Peng's Hill.

139

And the story of this place is

140

that a wealthy woman back in the day called Pen found four sacred Buddha statues in the river.

141

And she decided to build this temple on top of a hill, which is why this hill is called Pen's Hill.

142

So I think Wat means temple and Penom means hill.

143

So that's why this is called Wat Penom.

144

Eventually, a city grew around it.

145

And that is what we call Penom Pen today.

146

And Penom Pen literally translates to Pen's Hill.

147

So I thought that was a very interesting story.

148

Back in the room now and we have had quite an eventful day.

149

I cannot get over the view from my room.

150

It just looks so amazing.

151

I think seeing the city from up here and well in Rosewood as well, it just completely changes your perspective of the city.

152

Phnom Penh has this really interesting mix of old and new.

153

So it's got historic temples and palaces but also modern skyscrapers, luxury hotels and newer developments and I could just keep sitting here

154

but I should go get ready so I can head out and do some more exploring.

155

We have now come to Chaktomukh Walking Street.

156

This basically on weekends in the evenings turns into a pedestrian only street and there are lots of Food stalls,

157

music, it's extremely lively and vibrant.

158

There's lights everywhere and so many people.

159

So we're gonna take a walk down the street, probably get some food.

160

It's also by the riverside so it's nice and breezy.

161

And as you can see there are so many people.

162

And it is extremely vibrant and lively.

163

So let's take a stroll and see what this place has to offer.

164

We've been

165

walking for over an hour and this street is actually

166

so long and I can't believe they have something like this every weekend.

167

It's actually so nice and we're walking by the river.

168

It's so pretty.

169

I'm so glad I'm in Phnom Penh on the weekend because I got to check this street out.

170

It was quite a nice experience but anyway for dinner I've come to this restaurant called Old Pizza Restaurant.

171

It's a fine dining place and they seem to have a few vegetarian options.

172

I've ordered a tofu dish for myself so let's see what it's like.

173

That's a wrap on Phnom Penh.

174

The city really took me by surprise.

175

It's a very cool city and I'm

176

so glad I got to check it out

177

because I know a lot of people who visit Cambodia don't end up visiting it.

178

So if you're planning a trip here definitely add Phnom Penh to your list.

179

But anyway on the road now and we are heading to our next destination, Siem Reap.

180

It's a six-hour drive.

181

Normally I'm not a big road trip person

182

but I think it should be nice to check out the countryside and maybe make some stops along the way.

183

In fact, this is our first stop, stopping for some coffee and in six hours we will be in Siem Reap.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

556 sentences

My First 24 Hours in Bangkok! 🇹🇭 Travel with me, Viral 7/11 snacks & Shopping at Mega Malls!

Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults

25 sentences

Global cuisine shines in Hanoi | Vietnam Today

Travel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students

15 sentences

5 Not-so-touristy Things to do in Kuala Lumpur ft. Momo’s Kuala Lumpur | 📍Chow Kit

Travel EnglishWorking Adults

162 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Phnom Penh Surprised Me! 🇰🇭”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Phnom, beautiful, Penh, Cambodia. This video has 183 sentences and 2128 words to shadow. The speech runs for 14:40. The speaker talks at a steady 145 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
vegetarian noun	/vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/	A person who does not eat animal flesh, or, in some cases, use any animal products.
explore verb	/ɪkˈsploɹ/	To examine or investigate something systematically.
stun verb	/stʌn/	To incapacitate; especially by inducing disorientation or unconsciousness.
dish noun	/dɪʃ/	A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle.
flavorful adjective		Full of flavor.
pleasantly adverb	/ˈplɛzəntli/	In a pleasant manner; so as to achieve a pleasant result.
rosewood noun	/ˈɹoʊzˌwʊd/	The fragrant wood of Dalbergia nigra, a Brazilian tree in the legume family, which has a sweet smell.
skyline noun	/ˈskaɪˌlaɪn/	The line that seems to be the boundary of the sky and the ground; the horizon.
tofu noun	/ˈtoʊfu/	A protein-rich food made from curdled soy milk.
stroll verb	/stɹoʊl/	To wander on foot; to ramble idly or leisurely; to rove.
vibrant adjective	/ˈvaɪbɹənt/	Pulsing with energy or activity.
riverside noun	/ˈɹɪvɚˌsaɪd/	A bank or side of a river.
scarf noun	/skɑːf/	A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.
tile noun	/ˈtaɪ.əl/	A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile, etc.
lively adjective	/ˈlaɪv.li/	Full of life; energetic, vivacious.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
get over verb	To overcome.
head out verb	To leave, depart; to go on ahead.
check out verb	To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
stay over verb	To stay overnight in a place other than one's home; to sleep over.
try out verb	To test (something) to see how it works or whether it is suitable.

Sentences worth repeating

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

I think it's hand-woven.
I've ordered it a second time now.
Let's try it out and see how it is.
I think it's my day now.
I'm eating good food and eat it.

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	I've landed · I've ever actually tried · we've now come
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	Penh, which is · drink which is · Palace which is
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is already set · is called · are mentioned

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 68 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, coronation /ˌkɔɹəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, mushroom /ˈmʌʃˌɹuːm/
Long words — get the stress right: vegetarian /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/, coronation /ˌkɔɹəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/, rejuvenate /ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːvəneɪt/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/

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 vegetarian, explore, stun.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Phnom Penh Surprised Me! 🇰🇭 | Cambodia’s Most Underrated Capital - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

My First 24 Hours in Bangkok! 🇹🇭 Travel with me, Viral 7/11 snacks & Shopping at Mega Malls!

Global cuisine shines in Hanoi | Vietnam Today

5 Not-so-touristy Things to do in Kuala Lumpur ft. Momo’s Kuala Lumpur | 📍Chow Kit

Phu Quoc: Paradise or Overrated?

Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip

travel vlog | Andong - Korea’s hidden gem! | come on a trip with me!💕

10 Street Foods UNDER $1 in Saigon, Vietnam!!! Street Food Dollar Menu 2!!

24 Hours in Johor Malaysia 🇲🇾 | Street Food, Durian, & Local Adventures!

SURPRISING MY DAD WITH A TRIP TO VIETNAM (his first impressions)

first time in bangkok

Egypt $10 food vlog!

Chatting with the Stranger in the Window Seat