Shadowing Practice: Ratatouille (2007) opening scene (part 1) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
The best food in the world is made in France.
2
The best food in France is made in Paris.
3
And the best food in Paris, some say, is made by Chef Auguste Gusteau.
4
Gusteau's restaurant is the toast of Paris, booked five months in advance.
5
And his dazzling ascent to the top of fine French cuisine has made his competitors envious.
6
He is the youngest chef ever to achieve a five-star rating.
7
Chef Gusteau's cookbook, Anyone Can Cook, climbs to the top of the bestseller list.
8
But not everyone celebrates its success.
9
Amusing title, Anyone Can Cook.
10
What's even more amusing is that Gusteau actually seems to believe it.
11
I, on the other hand, take cooking seriously.
12
And no, I don't think anyone can do it.
13
This is me.
14
I think it's apparent I need to rethink my life a little bit.
15
What's my problem?
16
First of all, I'm a rat.
17
Which means life is hard.
18
And second, I have a highly developed sense of taste and smell.
19
Flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean, oh, small twist of lemon.
20
Oh, you can smell all that?
21
You have a gift.
22
This is Emil, my brother.
23
He's easily impressed.
24
Oh, you can smell ingredients. So what?
25
This is my dad.
26
He's never impressed.
27
He also happens to be the leader of our clan.
28
So what's wrong with having highly developed senses?
29
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, don't eat that!
30
What's going on here?
31
Turns out that funny smell was rat poison.
32
Suddenly, Dad didn't think my talent was useless.
33
I was feeling pretty good about my gift.
34
Until Dad gave me a job.
35
Clean.
36
Clean.
37
That's right.
38
Cleaner at the poison checker.
39
Cleaner, we know.
40
Close to godliness, which means clean.
41
You know, cleanliness is close to...
42
Never mind.
43
Move on.
44
Well, it made my dad proud.
45
Now, don't you feel better, Remy?
46
You've helped a noble cause.
47
Noble?
48
We're thieves, Dad.
49
And what we're stealing is, let's face it, garbage.
50
It isn't stealing if no one wants it.
51
If no one wants it, why are we stealing it?
52
Let's just say we have different points of view.
53
This much I knew.
54
If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff.
55
But to my dad...
56
Food is fuel.
57
Get picky about what you put in a tank.
58
Your engine is gonna die.
59
Now shut up and eat your garbage.
60
If we're going to be thieves, why not steal the good stuff in the kitchen?
61
Where nothing is poison?
62
First of all, we are not thieves.
63
Secondly, stay out of the kitchen and away from the humans.
64
It's dangerous.
65
I know I'm supposed to hate humans, but there's something about them.
66
They don't just survive.
67
They discover.
68
They create.
✨ Recommend Video
Ratatouille - Chú Chuột Đầu Bếp (Song Ngữ Anh - Việt)B1
2
61 sentences

Ratatouille - Chú Chuột Đầu Bếp (Song Ngữ Anh - Việt)

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Emily in Paris | Dinner with Mindy (7)B1
1
72 sentences

Emily in Paris | Dinner with Mindy (7)

Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
ZOOTOPIA 2 SCENE CLIP | IN PURSUIT SCENE CLIPB1
2
75 sentences

ZOOTOPIA 2 SCENE CLIP | IN PURSUIT SCENE CLIP

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
RATATOUILLE Clip - "Dream Team" (2007)B1
8
62 sentences

RATATOUILLE Clip - "Dream Team" (2007)

KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Shadowing English with Ratatouille Part 2 | Speak like a Native with a Cartoon Ep.30A2
1
146 sentences

Shadowing English with Ratatouille Part 2 | Speak like a Native with a Cartoon Ep.30

KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Shrek meets Rumpelstiltskins, signs contractB1
2
129 sentences

Shrek meets Rumpelstiltskins, signs contract

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
La La Land (8 of 11) - Surprise Dinner DiscussionB1
1
57 sentences

La La Land (8 of 11) - Surprise Dinner Discussion

Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Wonka 2023 - Pure Imagination - Timothée ChalametB1
1
45 sentences

Wonka 2023 - Pure Imagination - Timothée Chalamet

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
And I want it, RareB1
1
48 sentences

And I want it, Rare

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
They Made Him Eat Scraps, Now He Owns the Restaurant | Slow English Listening PracticeB1
3
230 sentences

They Made Him Eat Scraps, Now He Owns the Restaurant | Slow English Listening Practice

Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Diane Foxington The Bad Guys MomentsB1
1
144 sentences

Diane Foxington The Bad Guys Moments

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Inside out Full Movie (Dinner scence 🍲🍝🍜)B1
1
110 sentences

Inside out Full Movie (Dinner scence 🍲🍝🍜)

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

About This Lesson

Practice English speaking and pronunciation with the opening scene of Ratatouille—a lively, engaging video that blends storytelling with everyday language. You’ll learn to follow conversational flow, mimic natural tone, and master common phrases, making it perfect for english speaking practice. The dialogue features a mix of formal and casual speech, from Chef Gusteau’s celebrated reputation to Remy the rat’s personal reflections, giving you a rich context to improve your skills.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Toast of Paris: A popular, admired person or place (e.g., "The new café is the toast of the neighborhood").
  • Dazzling ascent: A rapid, impressive rise to success (e.g., "Her dazzling ascent in the company surprised everyone").
  • Highly developed: Exceptionally advanced (e.g., "Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell").
  • Noble cause: A worthy, morally good purpose (e.g., "Volunteering is a noble cause").
  • Turns out: It is discovered or revealed (e.g., "Turns out, the movie starts at 8 PM, not 7").

Practice Tips: Master the Shadowing Technique

The shadowing technique—repeating lines immediately after the speaker—is ideal for this video. The dialogue moves at a natural, conversational pace, with pauses that let you mimic intonation and rhythm. Here’s how to practice: First, watch the scene once to grasp the story. Next, play short clips (5-10 seconds) and repeat each line aloud, matching the speaker’s tone—whether it’s Gusteau’s confident boast or Remy’s frustrated sigh. Focus on words like "dazzling" and "ascent" to improve pronunciation of tricky sounds. Use this video as a shadowing site to build fluency: the mix of narration and dialogue helps you adapt to different speaking styles. With consistent practice, you’ll notice smoother delivery and better understanding of natural English flow—key for improving english pronunciation. Remember: Anyone can cook… and anyone can learn English with videos like this!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itis made
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhas made · You've helped
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a groupThe best · the youngest
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowwe're stealing · isn't stealing

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 →