Shadowing Practice: Real English Conversation: Advanced English Lesson - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is the English lesson you have been looking for.
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Do you want to express yourself naturally and comfortably in English?
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Do you want to stop using subtitles when you watch movies and TV shows in English?
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If the answer is yes, you're in the right place.
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Today, you are going to use the best method for understanding and using real life English.
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Not that old textbook stuff that no one actually uses in real life, but real English that real speakers use in the real world.
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Well, how are you going to be able to do that?
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You are going to test out my proven conversation breakdown method that thousands of my students have used to improve their fluency,
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express themselves better, and actually start to speak with real life English.
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If you're new here, hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa .com.
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And here on my YouTube channel, I teach you real in the real world.
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Today, you are going to meet two very special people.
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One is my friend, Katie, and the other is her newly adopted baby named Miles.
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You are going to immerse yourself in a clip of our real conversation about her special adoption of this little baby.
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You are going to hear important vocabulary, important pronunciation, and then after this clip, something special is going to happen.
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After you immerse yourself in this conversation clip with Katie,
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you are going to get to dive deep into the vocabulary that was used in the real life conversation.
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We are going to break down the conversation so that you can use that vocabulary as well.
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You're going to see my husband Dan
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and I talk about three key phrases from the conversation and I want you to be able We will tell you examples,
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we will tell stories, we will give you sample sentences so that you can remember what you've learned, because that's the goal, right?
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You want to be able to remember the real life English.
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so that you can use it yourself.
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And if you enjoy this quick sample of the conversation breakdown method, I want to invite you to join me in my program,
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The Fearless Fluency Club, where we use the conversation breakdown method every single month.
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You meet new English speakers, new interesting daily life topics,
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useful common vocabulary, and I teach a live lesson every single week where you also get and have conversations in English.
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If you join right now this week, you can join us for the special price of $5 for the first month.
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We are going to be studying this lesson with Katie in depth.
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So you will be able to dive deep into vocabulary,
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phrasal verbs, pronunciation, and speaking practice so that you can finally express yourself better. If
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to do is click on the link in the description so
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that you can claim this $5 for the first month special discount.
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I would love to continue to be your personal teacher.
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And like always here on YouTube, I create a free PDF worksheet.
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This will include the entire transcript from today's conversation.
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all of the key vocabulary sample sentences so that you never forget it, plus two special bonuses.
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The first one is a little quiz to test to see if you can really remember this vocabulary.
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And the second one is the one I'm most excited about.
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It is a speaking practice.
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I'm going to walk you through some speaking prompts, some speaking opportunities, and I want you to practice speaking speaking with me.
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So how can you get these two bonuses plus the entire free PDF worksheet?
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All you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and voila, just like that, it will land in your email inbox.
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And you will have access to the free PDF worksheet, the bonus quiz, and the bonus speaking practice with me.
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All you have to do is click the link and it's yours.
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It's my gift to you.
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All right, let's go ahead and meet Katie and her sweet little baby Miles.
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Let's listen.
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Hi, everyone.
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Hi.
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Hi, Katie.
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Hi.
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Well, thank you for being willing to do this conversation together with just a little squirmy cutie.
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Would you like to just introduce your family?
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Yes.
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To me, to everyone.
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Sure.
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So, all right.
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Well, I'm Katie and I have a husband named Adam.
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And in October we adopted our little baby Miles.
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He's right here.
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So how old is he now?
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Five months.
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Oh boy, very, very cute.
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Well, I thought today we could talk about adoption, it's a very cultural thing too.
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So to hear like your
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Ideas about it the process the reactions of other people I think
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that my students who live all around the world would find
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that really interesting because it's different in every country oh The perceptions and how it works and all of that's awesome Well,
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we decided to do a domestic adoption
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because for us travel within the United States was just an easier thing to do Okay,
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so that was the main reason behind that and I They we signed up with a consulting agency and they were great.
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The consulting agency essentially helped us find matches with birth mothers because they're connected to Adoption placement agencies all over the country.
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And so we would get an email that would say this is the history of the birth mother.
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These are her medical stats.
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These are her preferences about how her child is raised and future contact and all that stuff.
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And so then we would look at that profile, decide whether we were interested in her, Okay.
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And then she would get shown the profiles of all the families that were interested in her and in her future child.
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So these were all unborn children at this point.
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It was just pregnant mothers who were looking for a family for their newborn baby.
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Yes.
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Because we had decided for us, we wanted a brand new baby.
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We wanted to be there when they were born and have them the moment they were born.
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Yeah.
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And so, yeah.
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And so we started our process in March of 2025.
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- Five.
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And then you got the baby in October?
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Yes.
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So this is what happened.
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Holy cow, that's so fast!
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It was lightning fast.
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So it takes three months to get approved.
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So you have to go through a home study process where a social worker comes and visits your home.
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Okay.
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Make sure everything is clean and safe.
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Did you guys have to like do anything or like make any changes?
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So we thought we were going to and so I had us clean up like top down like so much cleaning.
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Huh? smoke detectors great and that was about it in terms of the cleanliness assessment
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so you had smoke detectors and
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that was it we had smoke detectors fire extinguishers she was just worried about the
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but i will say then later in the home study report there is a section on cleanliness
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and she put excellent oh good okay
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so we didn't clean for no reason okay
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so she was looking at other stuff well as we need
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to put him down probably for sleep soon i'm wondering in conclusion
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have any thoughts or advice To someone who might be considering...
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Oh, yeah.
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Let's try to go past it.
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They're always on.
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He is very sleepy.
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Oh, yeah.
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Do you have any advice or thoughts for someone who might be considering adoption?
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What would you say?
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I think we're thinking about it.
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I will say that for us it's been an incredible experience.
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I would also say to make sure to vet your agency very carefully
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because within every state there are multiple different agencies that operate differently and so you need to think about your budget,
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your the level of communication you would like to have with an agency and also whether their values match your values.
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But there's all kinds of choices like that.
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And also, I read countless online reviews.
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We looked at dozens and dozens of companies
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and we had multiple interviews with the heads of those companies before choosing the one we went with.
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Wow.
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So a lot of footwork.
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But it's worth it.
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Oh, so worth it.
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And the thing is, I also know people who didn't do any of that and have had a great time.
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Yeah.
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And it's good to know that like If you're the kind of person that can handle that, put in the footwork, do a couple of interviews.
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Make sure that the group you're going with is one
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that you feel comfortable with in your gut and from reviews and all of that.
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Yeah, I think that's a really...
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Yeah.
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Good starting point.
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Yeah.
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And I'll say it has been the best experience of my life.
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So I have no regrets at all.
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And he's just the very best.
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Oh, and I do it again in a heartbeat.
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Well, we love you, baby miles.
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Oh, you're gonna grow up and be so great.
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Yeah, well, thank you so much for talking about all of this.
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And it's a very personal, vulnerable thing.
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But thank you.
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And We are very happy for you guys.
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Thank you so much.
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Yeah, we'll say thank you everyone too.
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Thanks everybody.
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Bye.
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Great work immersing yourself in that quick clip of my conversation with Katie and little baby Miles.
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It might be easy for you to understand just me when I speak in these lessons, but when we add one other person,
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it levels up the difficulty.
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understanding fast movies and TV shows without subtitles.
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You can already understand me, so adding one more person plus me is a great challenge.
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And I hope that you can understand better, especially with this conversation breakdown method,
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because next you are about to learn three key phrases that Katie and I used in our conversation.
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My husband, Dan, and I are going to break down those phrases for you.
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We'll tell you some stories, some sample sentences to help you remember this vocabulary.
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Let's get going.
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Let's watch.
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The next expression is to vet.
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This is a verb, to vet.
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We are not talking about a veterinarian, an animal doctor.
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We are not talking about a vet, a veteran, someone who fights in a war.
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This is a verb, to vet.
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Let me give you the example from the conversation with Katie.
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really well.
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And this is a perfect example because it's talking about looking carefully to make sure it's acceptable.
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Make sure you read the reviews, maybe even talk with other families who use that agency.
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You need to do a deep dive.
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Some might say, do your homework.
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Do your homework.
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You need to vet that agency and make sure that it is exactly what you want because
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there's a lot of importance about which adoption agency you use.
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Has there ever been a time when you needed to vet Someone or something?
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Yeah.
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Somebody.
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Oh.
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Some people, yes.
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When I worked at a coffee shop, I was the manager there.
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When you get a bunch of resumes in, you need a new employee, you have to interview them,
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and you could say, "I need to vet the candidates," which would mean that you need to carefully examine their resume, but you also need to.. have an interview and get a vibe for them.
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So at this particular coffee shop, every single person I worked with was a woman.
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And so there was a particular vibe that that coffee shop had.
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And so a lot of times I found myself like looking at the guys who would apply
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and I would just be thinking, how uncomfortable are they going to make all my coworkers feel?
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But in any case, I had to vet the candidates
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and make sure that they were okay and going to not only be a good worker, but also be a good fit for the particular environment.
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Yeah, making sure that the men you hired weren't going to be creepy
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because you're working in a small space with a lot of women.
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I think that a good manager will think about all of those things when you're vetting a new candidate.
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So you could vet an employee, you could vet an agency, but a candidate, you can vet a lot of different things to make sure that you are choosing the right option.
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You might even do that when you are searching for an English teacher or an English program.
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If you are trying to find a good English course, for example, like the Fearless Fluency Club, you might want to vet the course,
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which is looking at reviews, making sure that you look into the details,
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look at some course before joining it.
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Let's go on and take a look at the original clip so that you can see how TeVet was used.
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Let's watch.
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I would also say to make sure to vet your agency very carefully.
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I would also say to make sure to vet your agency very carefully.
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The next expression is countless and this means
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that well it basically just means you can't count how many times something has happened.
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But we often use this in an exaggerating way to say very many times.
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So because we're parents and we have children.
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Wait, obviously you have children when you're parents.
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We do.
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One of our kids asks us for the same book.
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over and over again.
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This book's called Little Miss Lucky.
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Oh, yeah.
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It's her favorite book.
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And she has asked us countless times to read Little Miss Lucky.
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We can't even remember how many times she's asked.
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It's almost every night for probably six months now or so.
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So it's been countless amounts of times that she's asked for this book.
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It's gotten to the point where I kind of have to make little adjustments here and there.
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To make it interesting for you?
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Yeah.
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If her brothers are around, they're like, "Make it the crazy version !" Where we talk about, you know, extracurricular activities like explosions and whatnot.
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Try to make the story a little more interesting.
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Spice it up a little bit.
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Because you've read it countless times.
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Yes, if you're a parent, you have certainly read your kids' favorite books, countless times.
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This is an exaggeration word.
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So if we tried, we actually could count, if we really put in some effort, but we're not going to count how many times we read this book.
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You could even use this to talk about your English learning journey.
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So you might say, "I have tried to learn English countless times.
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I have tried so many different things, and finally I found Vanessa's lessons and this is working.
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I'm counting no more.
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Yeah, so maybe in the past you've had a lot of tries, a lot of failures, a lot of difficulties, and you're still here.
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So that means that you are someone who has lots of motivation, lots of determination, and you're trying to be creative.
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Think about other ways that you can learn and I hope that this video is one of them.
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So you might say, "I've tried to learn English." countless times before.
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But here I am and it is working, finally.
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All right, let's watch the original clip so that you can see how countless was used.
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Let's watch.
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And also, I read countless online reviews and also I read countless online reviews.
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The next expression and our final one for today is in a heartbeat.
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Yes, that is a couple heartbeats.
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One heartbeat would be .
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So this is very fast, and that's exactly what this means.
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So in the conversation with Katie, she was looking at little baby Miles.
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We had just reminisced about all the difficulties and the concerns and the struggles,
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but she said, "I would do it again in a heartbeat." And this is often the fixed phrase that we use.
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If you've just done something really difficult, lots of struggle, That is worth it.
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You would use that whole phrase, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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That means without thinking, it would just be exactly what I would choose.
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So have there ever been anything that you would do again in a heartbeat?
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Yes, of course.
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Well, so this does mean without hesitation, right?
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So if you can look back on a situation and you would say, "I would do it again." I think this is almost always when we use this, looking back into the past.
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So this is going to sound cheesy. But...
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I would marry you again.
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In a heartbeat.
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Oh.
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It's not even Valentine's Day and I'm just saying this.
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Well, congratulations on saying that not on Valentine's Day.
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It's true.
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I'd still marry you again in a heartbeat.
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Oh.
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Okay, so this means you are happy with your decision.
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Yes.
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And you would do it without hesitation. And quickly.
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Yeah.
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It has nothing to do with the food or the money or...
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My luscious hair.
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Sparrowing personality, of course.
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But yeah, you would do it again in a heartbeat.
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Well, I'm glad.
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Well, I hope for you, I hope that there are some positive things in your life that you would do again.
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in a heartbeat.
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Okay.
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Let's watch and see how Katie used this in the original conversation.
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He's just the very best.
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And I do it again in a heartbeat.
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He's just the very best.
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And I do it again in a heartbeat.
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Great work learning those three key vocabulary phrases from our real life English conversation.
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If you enjoyed this conversation breakdown method,
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I want to invite you to join me and thousands of other motivated English learners in the fearless Club.
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Inside the Fearless Fluency Club,
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every single month you will continue to express yourself clearer by immersing yourself in real life conversations,
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growing your vocabulary, your phrasal verbs, speaking clearer with pronunciation lessons,
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and you will also get the chance to join me every single week, ask me questions directly in a live lesson.
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Plus you'll get the chance to able to grow your speaking skills, having more and more speaking practice,
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and connecting with other people.
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That's the goal of language, right?
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You need to be able to express yourself.
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And inside the course, many of my students are very happy with their experience.
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Let me share with you.
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Matija says, "The Fearless Fluency Club is just the best thing I have ever seen.
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You teach real English, which makes you the best English teacher." Aw, thank you for your kind words.
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My student Ibrahim said, "I was discussing with my colleagues at work and she said, 'Ibrahim, what a sudden change in the way you speak English.
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You have improved a lot.
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You sound like an American.'" Ibrahim, I'm so happy for you that you have improved a lot
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and I want all of you to be able to improve as well.
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So how can you join us in the Fearless Fluency Club?
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All you need to do is click on the link in the description, but make sure you do that now because
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running a special offer where you can get the first month in the course for only $5.
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This means that you can test it out, see if it works for you.
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no hesitation, no risk, you can join us and I would love to be your teacher.
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So click the link in the description and join us in the Fearless Fluency Club.
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Well, thank you so much for learning English with me
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and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.
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Bye.
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But wait, do you want more?
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I recommend watching this video next where you will get another
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chance to immerse yourself in a real life conversation with my two neighbors, Lindsay and Danny.
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Here you will be able to express yourself better and remember the vocabulary that you learned in this real life conversation.
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I'll see you there.
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Why This Video Is Perfect for Your English Speaking Practice
Want to speak English like a real person, not a textbook? This video is your ticket. It dives into a natural conversation between friends—no scripted lines, just real emotions and everyday language. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to chat comfortably, this dialogue teaches you how to use English in contexts that matter. You’ll learn to express ideas naturally, understand casual speech, and even pick up tips for shadow speech—a technique where you repeat phrases aloud to mimic rhythm and tone. It’s like having a front-row seat to a real English conversation, and you’re invited to join in!
Key Expressions to Master from the Dialogue
The conversation is packed with useful phrases you can start using today. Let’s break down three must-know structures:
- "Do you want to…?" – This isn’t just a question—it’s a way to connect. The speaker uses it to engage the audience, making the lesson feel personal. Try it: "Do you want to practice shadowing with me?"
- "Dive deep into" – A phrasal verb that means to explore thoroughly. In the video, it’s used for vocabulary, but you can say, "Let’s dive deep into this topic" to show interest.
- "Voila" – A fun, casual word to show something is done easily. Perfect for everyday chats: "I added your email, and voila—you got the worksheet!"
Common Pronunciation Traps to Avoid
Even advanced learners stumble over certain sounds. In the video, listen closely to:
- "Immerse" – Don’t say "im-MERSE"; it’s "i-MERSE" (stress on the second syllable). Practice shadowing this word to get the rhythm right.
- "Phrasal verbs" – Words like "break down" and "dive deep" are often spoken quickly. Focus on linking the words: "breakdown" (not "break down") and "divedeep" (smooth transition).
- "Bonus" – The "o" sounds like "oh," not "aw." Repeat after the speaker: "bonus" (rhymes with "phone us").
Using a shadowing site or app can help you practice these tricky sounds—just play a short clip, pause, and repeat. Over time, your pronunciation will sound more natural, and you’ll feel confident in conversations, whether it’s for IELTS speaking practice or chatting with friends.
Ready to start? Grab the free worksheet (with the full transcript and a speaking quiz) and try shadowing the dialogue. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you pick up real, usable English. Let’s get speaking!
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 | you've learned · it's been · have had |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | students who live · someone who might · people who didn |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is raised · were born |
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.