Shadowing Practice: Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: At a Restaurant - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B1
Shadowing Controls
0% completed (0/232 sentences)
Hey there!
⏸ Paused
Speed:
Repeat Count:
Wait Mode:
Sub Sync:0ms
All Sentences
232 sentences
1
Hey there!
2
English teacher Claire here with another Shadowing Practice.
3
If you like these practices, I have an entire playlist of these.
4
Let me know in the comments how it goes for you and what you'd like to see in an upcoming practice.
5
For today's practice, I'm going to read a pretty natural conversation between two people about deciding what to eat and going to a restaurant and ordering.
6
So not only will this help you with your pronunciation of English, but it's also going to give you some really practical, useful phrases that you can use while speaking.
7
So first, you're going to repeat after me.
8
Hey, I'm getting kind of hungry.
9
Your turn.
10
Let's repeat again.
11
Hey, I'm getting kind of hungry.
12
Do you want to grab something to eat?
13
Your turn.
14
Do you want to grab something to eat?
15
What are you in the mood for?
16
What are you in the mood for?
17
I'm not too picky, but I could really go for something filling.
18
I'm not too picky, but I could really go for something filling.
19
Maybe pasta or some kind of comfort food.
20
Maybe pasta or some kind of comfort food.
21
That sounds good, but I'm also trying to eat a little healthier lately.
22
That sounds good, but I'm also trying to eat a little healthier lately.
23
Yeah, same here.
24
Maybe we can find a place that has both something healthy and satisfying.
25
Yeah, same here.
26
Maybe we can find a place that has both something healthy and satisfying.
27
Okay now I'm going to point out some pronunciation tips for you in this section and some useful phrases that you may or may not already know and then we're going to shadow it all together.
28
So in our first phrase, we can really link getting kinda hungry, getting kinda hungry.
29
The double T in getting becomes a flap T, so it ends up sounding like a d sound.
30
Getting and kind of in rapid speech becomes kinda, kinda.
31
Getting kinda hungry.
32
Same with want to becomes wanna, wanna.
33
Do you want to grab something to eat?
34
What are you in the mood for?
35
Is a great expression when asking what someone would like to eat.
36
What do they feel hungry for?
37
We could ask, what are you in the mood for?
38
And I'm not too picky means you don't really mind.
39
You would eat many different things.
40
You're not very particular about food.
41
I'm not too picky.
42
But I could really go for is a really useful expression to know.
43
It has a similar meaning to, you know, I would eat something filling.
44
I would prefer or, you know, I would really like that.
45
You know, I could really go for some pizza right now.
46
So you can use this expression to talk about anything really that you want to do.
47
We can also link the words trying to, to be tryna.
48
I'm also trying to eat a little healthier lately.
49
Okay, let's shadow this section.
50
So you're going to say it at the same time as me matching my rhythm and intonation and pronunciation, all of that.
51
Here we go.
52
Hey, I'm getting kind of hungry.
53
Do you want to grab something to eat?
54
What are you in the mood for?
55
I'm not too picky, but I could really go for something filling.
56
Maybe pasta or some kind of comfort food.
57
That sounds good, but I'm also trying to eat a little healthier lately.
58
Yeah, same here.
59
Maybe we can find a place that has both, something healthy and satisfying.
60
All right, now we're at the restaurant.
61
repeat after me hi do you have a table for two hi do you have a table for two if it's possible could we sit by the window if it's possible could we sit by the window?
62
Thanks.
63
Could we take a minute to look at the menu?
64
Thanks.
65
Could we take a minute to look at the menu?
66
Wow, everything looks so good.
67
Wow, everything looks so good.
68
I'm having a hard time deciding.
69
I'm having a hard time deciding.
70
What are you thinking of getting?
71
What are you thinking of getting?
72
I might go for the grilled chicken salad.
73
I might go for the grilled chicken salad.
74
I think I'll get the pasta.
75
highly recommended.
76
I think I'll get the pasta.
77
It's highly recommended.
78
So you'll notice when I have the word for in rapid speech in the American English accent, we tend to pronounce this fur.
79
So do you have a table for two?
80
It's unstressed in the sentence.
81
So it becomes this kind of er vowel sound.
82
We hear that again in the phrase, I might go for the grilled chicken salad.
83
And to say I might go for something means that I might choose that.
84
So that's another good phrase when talking about what you want to order at a restaurant.
85
I might go for that.
86
I might go for the grilled chicken salad.
87
Pronunciation tip in the phrase, everything looks so good.
88
We can connect the sss sounds into one sound.
89
So don't separate them.
90
Looks so, but looks so.
91
Looks so good.
92
Another good expression here is I'm having a hard time deciding, or I'm having a hard time doing something.
93
And in this case, it means I'm finding it difficult to decide what to order.
94
I'm having a hard time deciding.
95
Okay, so now you've had a couple opportunities already to repeat these phrases after me.
96
Practice saying them with me at the same time.
97
Ready?
98
Hi, do you have a table for two?
99
If it's possible, could we sit by the window?
100
Thanks.
101
Can we take a minute to look at the menu?
102
Wow, everything looks so good.
103
I'm having a hard time deciding.
104
What are you thinking of getting?
105
I might go for the grilled chicken salad.
106
I think I'll get the pasta.
107
It's highly recommended.
108
Alright, repeat after me again.
109
Hi, we're ready to order.
110
Hi, we're ready to order.
111
I'll have the grilled chicken salad, please.
112
And could I get the dressing on the side?
113
I'll have the grilled chicken salad, please.
114
And could I get the dressing on the side?
115
I'll take the pasta.
116
Could we also get some water for the table?
117
I'll take the pasta.
118
Could we also get some water for the table?
119
Okay, so a couple ways you could order at a restaurant.
120
Great phrases to know, I'll have or I'll take.
121
Both polite expressions for ordering food.
122
And also notice the expression, could I get something on the side?
123
So you don't want your dressing on top of the salad, but you want it next to the salad on your plate so that you can do it yourself.
124
You could use this for different sauces or condiments, but again, a really good question for ordering food at a restaurant.
125
Could I get that on the side, please?
126
Notice the pronunciation of the word water in American English.
127
That T is in the middle of the word, so it's a flap T sounding like a D.
128
Water, water.
129
Okay, let's shadow this section.
130
Say it with me.
131
Hi, we're ready to order.
132
I'll have the grilled chicken salad, please.
133
And could I get the dressing on the side?
134
I'll take the pasta.
135
Could we also get some water for the table?
136
Repeat.
137
Wow, this looks amazing.
138
Wow, this looks amazing.
139
Yeah, the portion size is just right.
140
Yeah, the portion size is just right.
141
Hmm, this is really good.
142
Do you want to try a bite?
143
Hmm, this is really good.
144
Do you want to try a bite?
145
Oh wow, that's delicious.
146
Oh wow, that's delicious.
147
Okay, so often when we have a T at the end of the word in American English, we will drop that T sound.
148
And this isn't lazy pronunciation or anything.
149
It's just natural speech.
150
So that's how native speakers end up speaking with this very connected speech, where we tend to drop certain sounds or combine certain sounds.
151
And this happens really in any language, and it's a natural way of speaking.
152
So instead of just right, we end up having just right.
153
You can hear it sounds like I'm saying just as if the word ends in an S.
154
Just right.
155
And then right.
156
It's not right, but right.
157
You can hear that the sound stops.
158
You can almost think of it as a D sound.
159
So notice where your tongue is when you say d, d, and where the T is, t, t, where your tongue is for that and your mouth position for that.
160
We want more the mouth position for d.
161
So, right, right, and not right.
162
So you don't need to pronounce it with a D sound like ride or anything like that.
163
Take the mouth position.
164
Right, right.
165
The sound stops and this is a much more natural way of speaking.
166
Do you want to try a bite is a really casual, common expression to say, do you want to try some of my food?
167
And this is where shadowing is so helpful because you take a phrase like, do you want to try a bite?
168
And it's one thing to learn individual words.
169
Do you want to try a bite?
170
And it becomes, do you want to try a bite?
171
So you can match my exact intonation.
172
You can hear that my voice goes, do you want to try a bite?
173
That's what I mean about intonation.
174
And then do you becomes do, want to becomes wanna, try a bite, try a bite, try a bite.
175
So then it all comes together with this connected speech and you can practice all of that connection, link it up with my intonation.
176
Do you want to try a bite?
177
And then you're sounding really natural in English.
178
Okay, let's shadow this section.
179
Wow, this looks amazing.
180
Yeah, and the portion size is just right.
181
Hmm, this is really good.
182
Do you want to try a bite?
183
Oh, wow, that's delicious.
184
Okay, last section.
185
Repeat after me.
186
I'm so full.
187
That was exactly what I needed.
188
I'm so full.
189
That was exactly what I needed.
190
Same.
191
Do you want to get dessert?
192
Same.
193
Do you want to get dessert?
194
Maybe we can share something.
195
Maybe we can share something.
196
Good idea!
197
There's always room for dessert.
198
Good idea!
199
There's always room for dessert.
200
Alright, so notice the pronunciation of the word dessert.
201
The S sound in the word is voiced, so it's zzz, not sss.
202
And it's not desert, because that would be the first syllable is stressed.
203
When it's the double S talking about something sweet after a meal, the stress is on the second syllable, dessert.
204
What followed by a vowel sound creates the flap T ending.
205
So what I, what I, not what I, but what I, what I needed.
206
And this final expression is a great one in English.
207
There's always room for dessert.
208
That means even if we're really full, which means I've had enough food, I can't eat anymore.
209
But then we can say, but there's always room for dessert.
210
So although I'm very full, I could still eat something sweet.
211
Because I don't know if you guys have ever experienced that.
212
You eat a full dinner and you think, I'm so full, I couldn't possibly eat any more food.
213
But then you see a slice of cake or a bit of chocolate and you think, you know what?
214
I still have some room.
215
I still have some room in my stomach.
216
There's always room for dessert.
217
Okay guys, let's shadow this final section.
218
Say it with me?
219
I'm so full.
220
That was exactly what I needed.
221
Same.
222
Do you want to get dessert?
223
Maybe we can share something.
224
Good idea.
225
There's always room for dessert.
226
Okay guys, so hopefully that shadowing practice was helpful for you.
227
Don't forget to like the video, subscribe to my channel if you haven't already.
228
It's a great way to support what I do.
229
If you do want to show a little extra support, there's that join button below and you can become a member on my channel and you'll get some perks including early access to my videos as well as priority reply to your comments but you also will just get to support and fund the channel so that I can continue creating this type of content for you guys.
230
Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
231
Bye!
232
Thank you.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging in English speaking practice through real-life scenarios is an effective way to enhance your conversational skills. The video titled "Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: At a Restaurant" offers a natural conversation between two people discussing their dining options. This context allows learners to familiarize themselves with practical phrases commonly used when ordering food or deciding where to eat. By participating in this interactive practice, you not only improve your pronunciation but also learn valuable vocabulary that can be applied in everyday situations. Active participation helps reinforce memory retention, making you more confident in your speaking abilities.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the transcript, several essential phrases illustrate common conversational structures that are invaluable for learners:

  • “What are you in the mood for?” - This phrase is a versatile way of asking someone about their preferences, especially related to food.
  • “I’m not too picky.” - This expression conveys that you are flexible regarding choices, making it useful for group settings.
  • “I could really go for something filling.” - This phrase expresses a desire and is particularly effective for discussing meal preferences.
  • “I’m also trying to eat a little healthier lately.” - Incorporating personal goals into conversation can lead to more engaging discussions.
  • “Do you want to grab something to eat?” - This casual invitation is a friendly way to suggest going out together.

Utilizing these sentence structures will greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively, making your shadow speech practice more relatable and enjoyable.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with the video, pay close attention to some common pronunciation traps that can occur:

  • The phrase “getting kinda hungry” contains linked sounds where "getting" can sound like "gettin'" and "kinda" is a casual form of "kind of."
  • In rapid speech, “want to” is often pronounced as wanna, which may be confusing for non-native speakers.
  • The phrase “trying to” can be heard as tryna, making it sound more natural in conversation.

These nuances are key to achieving a more native-like accent in your learn English with YouTube journey. By focusing on these elements, you can refine your speaking skills and better understand everyday speech.

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

Donate via PayPal