Shadowing Practice: PRESENT SIMPLE - the FIRST tense you must learn - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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the present simple tense also called simple present same thing today
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we will look at this tense together step by step
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my name's arnelle let's start verbs walk walked walked study studied studied.
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Eat, ate, eaten.
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Go, went, gone.
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In English we have verb one, verb two, and verb three.
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For the present simple you need verb one.
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Verbs two and three are not necessary.
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We don't need them today what do we call verb number one in your grammar books you might see the bare infinitive
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or the base form of the verb same thing now let's
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look at our subjects i walk you walk he she it walks,
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we walk, they walk, he, she, it walks, he, she,
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it studies, he, she, it eats, he, she, it goes.
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Remember you need to add s or es to your third person verb form.
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Before we can continue, we need to look at one more very important verb. Be.
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The forms are different aren't they?
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I am, you are, he, she, it is, we are, they are.
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Okay subjects, verbs, done.
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Let's keep moving.
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Past, present, future.
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Every day is the same.
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Every day is the same.
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Every day is the same.
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I wake up, wake up at seven every morning.
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Same in the past, same in the present, same in the future.
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I work in an office.
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Same in the past, same in the present, same in the future.
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Mary cooks dinner for her family.
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Same in the past, same in the present, same in the future.
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Let's get more specific.
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Seth takes the train to work.
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Gemma is Spanish.
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It rains all the time in my country.
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I have brown hair.
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We use the present simple for repeated habits or actions and situations that never change.
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Your nationality, your hair color, your eye color, where you live, where you work.
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These things don't change or they don't change very often.
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We usually use the verbs be and have.
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Let's do two more examples.
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I pack my kids lunches every morning.
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I hate this movie.
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Repeated actions and opinion.
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Opinions don't change regularly.
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For things that don't change regularly, in English we usually call these states.
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So, presence simple.
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Repeated actions and habits and states.
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Hmm.
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Things don't change.
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Always the same.
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repetition.
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We usually see these phrases with the present simple.
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Every day, every week, every month, every year.
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I drop off my kids at school every day.
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I pick them up from school every day.
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Drop off, pick up, drop off.
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You take someone or or something to a location.
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I drop off my kids at school.
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I drop off my grandma at the hospital every Tuesday.
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Pick up!
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You collect someone or something from a location.
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I pick up my kids from school.
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I pick up my grandma from the hospital every Tuesday.
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I take my dog to the groomers every month.
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Groomers, a place where your dog or cat can become beautiful.
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Well, your pets get washed and brushed.
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Our team goes out together once a year.
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I want you to think about your own examples.
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What's something you do every day, every week, every month, every year?
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Do you want the notes for today's lesson?
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Let's get back to the lesson.
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Okay, here are two sentences from earlier in this lesson.
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They are positive sentences.
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I work in an office.
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Mary cooks dinner for her family.
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This is clear.
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Subject verb.
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Subject verb.
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How do we form the negative.
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I do not work in an office.
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Mary does not cook dinner for her family.
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Subject do, does, not plus main verb.
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Cook.
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We need cooks, right?
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Because our subject is she.
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Mary, she cooks.
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In the negative, you already change does.
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You do not change the main verb.
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Question form.
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Do you work in an office?
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Does Mary cook for her family?
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Do does plus subject plus main verb.
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Two more examples.
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Positive sentences.
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I drop off my kids at school.
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Seth takes a train to work.
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Negative.
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I do not drop off my kids at school.
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Seth does not take the train to work.
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Question. Do you?
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Do you drop off your kids at school?
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Does Seth take the train to work?
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Let's move on to B.
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B examples.
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Remember your B forms.
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Positive.
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Gemma is Spanish.
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Mitch and I are friends.
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Negative.
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Gemma does not is Spanish.
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When B is the only verb, it's simple.
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Gemma is not Spanish.
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Mitch and I are not friends.
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Question.
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Is Gemma Spanish?
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Are you and Mitch friends?
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I have four sentences here.
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Let's do the first one together.
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Matt has a younger brother.
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Matt does not have a younger brother.
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Does Matt have a younger brother?
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For the other three sentences, I want you to think of the negative and question forms.
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Pause the lesson to do this.
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And here are the answers.
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Let's read them together.
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It is three o'clock.
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It is not three o'clock.
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Is it three o'clock?
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Hayley buys her clothes online.
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Hayley does not buy her clothes online.
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Does Hayley buy her clothes online?
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I need two phones for work.
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I do not need two phones for work.
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Do you need two phones for work?
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And this is the last example.
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We can say, do I?
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Do I need two phones for work?
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But usually you don't need to ask questions about yourself.
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Let's make our English sound natural.
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We need contractions.
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What are contractions?
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When we contract, we take two words and push them together.
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Like, do not becomes don't be.
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I am.
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I'm.
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I'm.
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I'm.
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I'm.
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American.
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You are.
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You're.
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You're.
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You're a student.
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He is.
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He's.
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He's.
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He's nice.
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She is.
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She's.
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she's she's my best friend.
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It is it's it's it's cold today.
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We are we're we're we're hungry.
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They are.
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They're.
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They're.
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They're our neighbors.
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And we have do not.
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Don't.
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Don't.
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Don't be sad.
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does not, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't.
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My dog doesn't like the vacuum cleaner.
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Remember earlier I said things don't change always the same repetition
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if the present simple were a person he'd be mr. bored
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I always eat cereal for breakfast I leave the house at 8 I work for nine hours I watch TV before bed
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Everything is the same.
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The present simple is Mr. Bored.
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This is important because common mistake.
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We do not use a present simple for one single action.
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Today I crashed my car.
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After this lesson I buy new shoes.
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Excuse me, excuse me, someone call me.
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If you do something one time, one action, you need a different tense.
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For example, today I crashed my car.
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I'm going to buy new shoes.
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Someone is calling me.
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So if you want the present simple, you must think about Mr. Bore.
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Always the same.
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It never changes.
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Mini review.
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We use the present simple for repeated actions or habits.
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I change the bedsheets once a week or once a month.
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We use a present simple for situations that don't change often.
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States.
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I live in England.
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Negative.
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Subject do does not main verb.
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I do not wear glasses.
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Do does subject main verb.
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Do you wear glasses? Be, negative.
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Sydney is not from New York.
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Question, is Sydney from New York?
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And we do not use the present simple for a single action.
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I go now.
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One final thing.
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One more thing and we are done.
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Are you ready?
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The store opens at 10 tomorrow.
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Our flight to Berlin leaves at 10.40.
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The movie starts in 30 minutes.
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We can use the present simple for a scheduled future event.
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What?
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Present simple for the future?
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Yes, if something is on a schedule, we can use the present simple.
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It's very natural.
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My English course begins on the 17th.
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I meet Claire for a coffee tomorrow.
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Future scheduled event.
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It's scheduled.
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Claire and I plan this together.
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The present simple is for a schedule you do not create.
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Think about public transportation.
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You cannot change that schedule.
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Schools and colleges, you can't change their schedule.
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Events.
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Then you can use the present simple.
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Thank you so much for watching today's lesson.
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I hope this lesson helped you with the present simple.
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To practice, you can give me some examples in the comments.
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Be Mr. Bored.
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Tell me some boring things you do every day.
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Well, I can't wait to make another video for you and I'll see you next time.
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Bye!
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you

Context & Background

In this lesson, the speaker, Arnelle, introduces the present simple tense, a foundational element in English grammar. The present simple is essential for English learners, as it is often the first tense encountered in the journey of mastering English. This tense is crucial for discussing habits, facts, and states that remain unchanged over time. Understanding how to use the present simple will improve your English speaking practice, enhancing fluency and comprehension in everyday conversations.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • I wake up at seven every morning.
  • Mary cooks dinner for her family.
  • It rains all the time in my country.
  • Seth takes the train to work.
  • I have brown hair.

These phrases embody the essence of the present simple tense. They represent actions and states that occur regularly or are generally consistent. Incorporating such phrases into your daily English speaking practice can significantly boost your confidence and conversational skills.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Utilizing the shadowing technique is an effective method to grasp the present simple tense. Here’s how you can tackle the content from this video:

  1. Listen Actively: Begin by watching the video closely, paying attention to how Arnelle uses the present simple tense. Note the structure of each sentence and the pronunciation of key verbs.
  2. Repetition: Play short segments of the video and repeat them aloud, mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm. This is a vital part of shadowing, helping solidify your speaking skills.
  3. Focus on Verb Forms: Pay special attention to how the speaker conjugates verbs in the third person (e.g., “he walks,” “she studies”). Practicing these forms will improve your accuracy in conversation.
  4. Incorporate Your Life: Create your own sentences using the present simple by applying the vocabulary and structures learned from the video to your own daily routine. For example, instead of “Seth takes the train to work," you might say, “I drive to school every day.”
  5. Regular Practice: Use resources like a shadowing site or practice with friends to regularly incorporate these phrases and the present simple tense into your conversations. Regular engagement boosts confidence and reinforcement.

By following this step-by-step guide, you can effectively enhance your IELTS speaking practice and overall fluency. Mastering the present simple tense will provide a solid foundation for your English language skills.

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.