Shadowing Practice: Real English Conversation Practice: Shadow This with Only 210 Words - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B1
If you study English mostly by watching and reading, here's what happens.
358 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
If you study English mostly by watching and reading, here's what happens.
2
You understand a lot, but when it's time to actually speak,
3
the words are in your head and they don't come out fast enough.
4
Believe me, I've been there.
5
The fastest way I know to fix this is called shadowing.
6
And I see how much you guys enjoy these videos on the channel.
7
So we are turning shadowing into a full series.
8
Each video gives you a real conversation built from a very small list of words.
9
You practice speaking it out loud and you see for yourself that fluency is not about how many words you know.
10
This time there are only 210 words in the dialogue.
11
The level is around B1.
12
Before we start, tell me in the comments where you're watching from.
13
Brazil, Vietnam, India, Spain, Bangladesh.
14
I love seeing the map fill up.
15
If you're new here, welcome to Lingua Marina.
16
I moved from Russia to the US 11 years ago and I'm still working on my English every single day.
17
Subscribe so you don't miss the next video in these series.
18
Here is how this all gonna work.
19
You'll see the word list on the screen.
20
Then we'll go through the tricky words together.
21
Then you listen to the conversation once,
22
then we'll play it again and use shadow.
23
Let's dive in.
24
few seconds and just read through the word list.
25
Almost all of these words are ones you learned in your first or second year of English.
26
And yet, with this list,
27
two people are about to have a full conversation,
28
disagree with each other, make a decision,
29
and tease each other along the way.
30
Fluency isn't about how many words you know.
31
It's about how well you use the ones you already have.
32
Before we get to the actual conversation,
33
I want to walk you through some of the words that might trip you up.
34
Either because the pronunciation is a little bit surprising or because the meaning is not exactly what you'd guess.
35
Let's start with the ones that can be hard to pronounce.
36
Hour.
37
So the H is silent.
38
You say hour.
39
An hour, half an hour,
40
an hour and a half.
41
Honestly.
42
Same rule.
43
Silent H.
44
Honestly.
45
Maya, our character, uses this word twice in the dialogue.
46
Budget.
47
The G is soft.
48
Budget.
49
Two syllables.
50
Commute.
51
Two syllables stress on the second.
52
Commute.
53
The commute is the trip you take from home to work and back.
54
Tenant.
55
Two syllables.
56
Tenant.
57
A tenant is the person who rents an apartment.
58
The owner is the landlord.
59
The renter is the tenant.
60
Now let's look at some words that you've probably known for years,
61
but they have a second meaning that catches a lot of learners off guard.
62
These are the ones where you understand the sentence on paper,
63
but in real conversation you'll miss what the person actually meant.
64
Pretty, before an adjective, does not mean beautiful.
65
Pretty far means quite far.
66
Pretty good means fairly good.
67
Native speakers use this constantly.
68
Pretty tired, pretty quiet, pretty serious, fair.
69
Fair alone means equal or just.
70
But that's fair in conversation means,
71
okay, you have a point.
72
Maya says it after Jess teases her about the neighbor.
73
Talk into.
74
This is a phrasal verb.
75
To talk someone into something means to convince them.
76
Jess says, are you trying to talk me into it or talk yourself into it.
77
That means convince me or convince yourself.
78
Come down.
79
Another phrasal verb.
80
When the price comes down, the price gets lower.
81
Just says, you ask if he can come down 50.
82
That means lower the rent by $50.
83
A green flag.
84
You know, a red flag, right?
85
A warning sign.
86
A green flag is the opposite.
87
A good sign.
88
Something that tells you a situation is healthy and safe.
89
This phrase is everywhere in social media right now.
90
Use it.
91
A deal.
92
When someone says deal at the end of a conversation,
93
they are agreeing to something.
94
Like a small handshake without the hands.
95
Make it work.
96
This means to find a way to handle a difficult situation.
97
I'll make it work means I'll figure it out.
98
By the way, before we get into the conversation,
99
I want to tell you about something I think a lot of you will actually use.
100
We just put together a new offer on our LinguaTrip handbooks.
101
It's called Turbo English and it's buy two, get one free.
102
The reason I love it is
103
that we built two different sets depending on where you are stuck in your English right now.
104
The first set is for speaking and vocabulary.
105
for you if you understand a lot,
106
but the moment you have to actually speak, you freeze.
107
The words don't come out.
108
You always reach for the same simple phrases,
109
even though you know a lot more.
110
This set gives you the natural expressions native speakers use in everyday conversations,
111
plus a workbook from me that shows you how to bring English into your daily life,
112
so it stops feeling like a school subject and starts feeling like something you actually use.
113
The second set is for grammar.
114
It's a great fit for you if you keep getting confused by the same grammar rules over and over,
115
especially the tenses.
116
This set takes the trickiest grammar topics and breaks them down with examples that actually stick.
117
It also includes a handbook for the small everyday mistakes that even advanced learners still make.
118
Each set is around $12, and because it's buy two get one free,
119
you're really getting three handbooks for the price of two.
120
The link is in the description.
121
Now let's move on to the dialogue.
122
We are going through this conversation in two passes.
123
The first time, just listen.
124
Do not try to repeat anything yet.
125
Get familiar with the rhythm.
126
Get familiar with how Maya and Jess talk to each other.
127
Here's the situation.
128
Maya found an apartment she really likes.
129
The problem is that it is 40 minutes away from her job
130
and it costs a little more than she planned to spend.
131
She's calling her best friend Jess to talk it through.
132
Jess is not sure it's a good idea.
133
Just listen.
134
Jess, hey, do you have a minute?
135
Yeah, what's up?
136
I think I found my apartment.
137
Wait, really?
138
The one you saw yesterday?
139
Yes, I'm going to take it.
140
Oh my God.
141
Okay, tell me everything.
142
It has big windows.
143
There's a small balcony, and the kitchen is actually really nice.
144
What floor?
145
Fourth.
146
There's no elevator, but the stairs are fine.
147
You say that now.
148
Wait until you carry groceries up there.
149
Okay, fair point.
150
So what's the problem?
151
You sound like there's a problem.
152
It's 40 minutes from work.
153
40 minutes?
154
Maya, that is a lot.
155
I know, I know.
156
That's almost an hour and a half every day.
157
Every single day.
158
I did the math, I know.
159
And how much is it?
160
A hundred dollars over my budget.
161
Maya!
162
I know.
163
You're calling me to tell you it's a good idea, aren't you?
164
Maybe.
165
I'm not going to tell you it's a good idea.
166
I know, but honestly, Jess,
167
I walked in and I just felt it.
168
Okay.
169
Tell me about the neighborhood.
170
There's a coffee shop on the corner,
171
a park right behind the building.
172
The street is quiet at night.
173
Quiet is good.
174
What about the neighbors?
175
I met one of them in the hallway,
176
an older woman with a tiny dog.
177
She told me everyone is nice.
178
Of course she said that.
179
She lives there.
180
That's fair.
181
Did you see anyone your age?
182
A few.
183
Two girls were sitting outside the cafe.
184
They smiled at me.
185
That's a green flag.
186
And the landlord, did you meet him?
187
Yes, his name is Mark.
188
He's been the owner for almost 20 years.
189
What was he like?
190
Honestly, really nice.
191
He gave me his number and said I can call him anytime.
192
Okay, I like him already.
193
Most landlords just send an email.
194
Right?
195
And what about the rules?
196
No loud parties after 10.
197
Pets are okay.
198
He fixes things in one or two days. That actually sounds good.
199
So, back to the money.
200
Yeah, the money.
201
$100 is a lot, but it's not impossible.
202
Can you ask him to lower it?
203
That's what I was thinking.
204
But I don't know how to ask.
205
Easy.
206
You send him a short email,
207
say you love the place,
208
mention it's a little above your budget,
209
and ask if he can come down 50.
210
Just 50?
211
Not the full 100?
212
50 is realistic.
213
100 sounds like you're trying to win a deal.
214
50 sounds like you're being honest.
215
That makes sense.
216
And tell him you can move in next week.
217
Landlords love a fast tenant.
218
Okay, I can do that.
219
I'll write it tonight.
220
Good.
221
And the commute?
222
Have you actually looked at it?
223
There's a train.
224
It takes 30 minutes if I leave by 8.
225
If I leave 15 minutes later,
226
it's closer to 50 because of traffic.
227
So you have to be a morning person now.
228
I am going to become a morning person.
229
You hate mornings.
230
I'm going to learn.
231
Maya.
232
I'll listen to podcasts.
233
I'll be the most informed person at my office.
234
Or the most tired.
235
Probably both.
236
Send me pictures when you move in.
237
I will.
238
Talk soon.
239
Now the real practice.
240
We're going to play it again and this time you're going to shadow it.
241
You're going to speak with Maya and Jess, not after them.
242
Do not stop if you misalign.
243
Just keep going.
244
The point is to keep your mouth moving at real conversation speed.
245
Ready?
246
Let's go.
247
Jess, hey, do you have a minute?
248
Yeah, what's up?
249
I think I found my apartment.
250
Wait, really?
251
The one you saw yesterday?
252
Yes, I'm going to take it.
253
Oh my God.
254
Okay, tell me everything.
255
It has big windows there's a small balcony
256
and the kitchen is actually really nice what floor fourth there's no elevator
257
but the stairs are fine you say
258
that now wait until you carry groceries up there okay fair point
259
so what's the problem you sound like there's a problem it's 40 minutes from work 40 minutes maya
260
that is a lot i know i I know.
261
That's almost an hour and a half every day.
262
Every single day.
263
I did the math, I know.
264
And how much is it?
265
A hundred dollars over my budget.
266
Maya!
267
I know.
268
You're calling me to tell you it's a good idea, aren't you?
269
Maybe.
270
I'm not going to tell you it's a good idea.
271
I know, but honestly, Jess,
272
I walked in and I just felt it.
273
Okay.
274
Tell me about the neighborhood.
275
There's a coffee shop on the corner.
276
A park right behind the building.
277
The street is quiet at night.
278
Quiet is good.
279
What about the neighbors?
280
I met one of them in the hallway,
281
an older woman with a tiny dog.
282
She told me everyone is nice.
283
Of course she said that.
284
She lives there.
285
That's fair.
286
Did you see anyone your age?
287
A few.
288
Two girls were sitting outside the cafe.
289
They smiled at me.
290
That's a green flag.
291
And the landlord, did you meet him?
292
Yes.
293
His name is Mark.
294
He's been the owner for almost 20 years.
295
What was he like?
296
Honestly, really nice.
297
He gave me his number and said I can call him anytime.
298
Okay, I like him already.
299
Most landlords just send an email.
300
Right?
301
And what about the rules?
302
No loud parties after 10.
303
Pets are okay.
304
He fixes things in one or two days. That actually sounds good.
305
So, back to the money.
306
Yeah, the money.
307
A hundred dollars is a lot but it's not impossible.
308
Can you ask him to lower it?
309
That's what I was thinking.
310
But I don't know how to ask.
311
Easy.
312
You send him a short email,
313
say you love the place,
314
mention it's a little above your budget,
315
and ask if he can come down 50.
316
Just 50?
317
Not the full 100?
318
50 is realistic.
319
100 sounds like you're trying to win a deal.
320
50 sounds like you're being honest.
321
That makes sense.
322
And tell him you can move in next week.
323
Landlords love a fast tenant.
324
Okay, I can do that.
325
I'll ride it tonight.
326
Good.
327
And the commute?
328
Have you actually looked at it?
329
There's a train.
330
It takes 30 minutes if I leave by 8.
331
If I leave 15 minutes later,
332
it's closer to 50 because of traffic.
333
So you have to be a morning person now.
334
I am going to become a morning person.
335
You hate mornings.
336
I'm going to learn.
337
Maya.
338
I'll listen to podcasts.
339
I'll be the most informed person at my office.
340
Or the most tired.
341
Probably both.
342
Send me pictures when you move in.
343
I will.
344
Talk soon.
345
How did it feel?
346
Was Maya's face easy or hard?
347
Was Jess harder to follow?
348
Tell me in the comments and tell me,
349
would you take the apartment or would you side with Jess?
350
Honestly, I would not spending so much time driving back and forth.
351
You can spend that time doing something better.
352
If you want more shadowing videos like this,
353
let me know in the comments.
354
I read them all.
355
I see what you ask for.
356
The next story is already in my notes.
357
See you in the next video and don't forget to subscribe.
358
Bye bye.
Download App
AI scoring for every sentence you speak
TRENDING
Popular
Context & Background
In the realm of language learning, especially when learning English, many often find themselves trapped in a cycle of understanding but struggling to speak fluently. This phenomenon is particularly common among learners who focus primarily on passive methods like watching videos or reading books. The speaker in the featured video, a dedicated English learner turned teacher, shares insights based on personal experiences transitioning from a non-English speaking background to achieving conversational fluency. Utilizing the shadowing technique, the video offers an engaging dialogue composed of only 210 words, suitable for learners at a B1 level. This method illustrates how effective communication relies more on the practical application of familiar words, rather than an extensive vocabulary.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Honestly - A word often used to express sincerity or truthfulness.
- Budget - Refers to a financial plan; knowing how to use this term can aid in conversations about planning and expenses.
- Commute - This word describes the daily travel between home and work; a common topic in urban settings.
- Agree/Disagree - Essential for expressing opinions and engaging in discussions; practice saying these phrases naturally.
- A half an hour - Useful for discussing time; practice this phrase along with the silent 'H' in 'hour' for correct pronunciation.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Ready to take your English speaking skills to the next level using the shadowing technique? Here's a simple guide to help you tackle the challenging aspects of the video effectively:
- Familiarize with the Vocabulary: Review the provided word list carefully. Focus on the tricky words that might be difficult to pronounce, such as "hour" and "budget." Practice these words out loud to improve your English pronunciation.
- Listen to the Conversation: First, listen to the dialogue without attempting to speak. Pay attention to the intonation and rhythm of the speech.
- Use a Shadowing App or Technique: Play the audio again and repeat what you hear, mimicking the speaker closely. This is your moment to practice shadow speech. Start slowly, and gradually increase your speed as you gain confidence.
- Engage and Interact: After shadowing, try to use the phrases in your daily conversations. The more you practice, the more naturally they will come to you.
- Record Yourself: For further improvement, consider recording your shadowing attempts. Listening to your recordings will highlight areas for improvement and boost your speaking confidence.
By routinely applying these techniques, you will not only enhance your speaking skills but also build a solid foundation for real conversations in English.
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.
☕ Buy us a coffee
ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏