Shadowing Practice: replacing my screen time with hobbies & learning ⭐️ reading, courses, yoga, painting - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
it is sunday morning
2
and today we're having another no scroll day we're going to be replacing my screen time with hobbies
3
and i'm really excited about this
4
because i did this video a couple of weeks ago honestly
5
it made me realize i do not spend enough time on my hobbies
6
and now that i'm pregnant i'm five months pregnant i'm realizing
7
that life is about to change a lot for the first
8
couple of years I'm sure I'm not going to be able
9
to have like a whole Sunday full of doing my hobbies
10
so we're really making the most of it and that's what we're doing today.
11
Let's look at my average screen time last week.
12
It was five hours and 35 minutes.
13
Not good.
14
Honestly I feel like ever since I've been pregnant I've been scrolling more on TikTok
15
because I'm like saving all the baby stuff
16
and like all the things I need to do all the things I need to buy.
17
Honestly it's a little bit overwhelming so I'm excited
18
that today we're not going into any of that
19
and I'm just fully putting time into doing the things
20
that are good for me that make me feel good
21
so we have a little general list of things i want to do today
22
but i don't want to have like a very very specific plan
23
so we're going to kind of go with the flow
24
because i could make this super detailed plan
25
but i think it kind of defeats the purpose i think
26
when you set a time of like okay i'm going to do this hobby for this long
27
and i'm going to do this for this long you're kind of not on the flow
28
but what i do know is since it's morning i'm going
29
to start with my morning pages we're going to journal a little on my iPad
30
and then we'll just see where the day takes us.
31
We're gonna set up a cozy atmosphere.
32
I'm gonna make myself some tea, maybe put on some incense.
33
One of you guys let me know
34
that putting on incense too much is actually very bad so thank you for letting me know.
35
So now I just do it kind of like on special occasions.
36
So like Sunday morning we're gonna put a little bit of jazz or something, I don't know.
37
Get some tea, have some incense and also super random but I want to show you guys my little bump.
38
This is how we're looking right now.
39
I didn't show you guys my bump in my pregnancy q a
40
which was my last video which i realized was kind of crazy
41
because i'm just talking about my pregnancy for the whole video
42
and i didn't even show where we're at but today
43
or tomorrow we're 24 weeks honestly this already feels
44
so big for me so the fact
45
that we're only at 24 weeks like we're just over halfway we have a lot of growth coming
46
which is very exciting
47
we were aiming to get three pages for the morning pages
48
but i got two and then my hand gave out
49
so for now it's okay but now i'm gonna go to a cafe
50
while it's still early
51
and have a little study session i want to romanticize the
52
study session obviously i could do it at home i would love to do it in like a public library
53
or something like i really love the public libraries in barcelona in London like I really miss them
54
but here as far as I'm aware there's no public library on this island
55
so we're gonna go to a cafe we're gonna romanticize this little study session
56
and I'm gonna be working through my yoga teacher training course I've been talking about this in my recent videos
57
but I hadn't mentioned that it was a prenatal yoga teacher training course
58
so I'm already certified to teach yoga in general
59
but I want to specifically take advantage of the time
60
while I have my little baby bump to also film some classes for other pregnant women because
61
obviously I can film those classes
62
when I'm not pregnant as long as I have the knowledge
63
and I have the certification and all of that
64
but I want to specifically film it while I have my bump
65
because then I can really feel what the viewer is going to feel also at the same time
66
so I'm on a little bit of a time crunch
67
because the course is very long there's a lot of information there's a lot of things to know
68
and this is not the type of information you want to
69
rush through like I really need it to really settle in my brain
70
so hopefully I make some good progress in this course today
71
i'm back home
72
and my brain is fried in the best way possible what
73
i ended up doing is i actually went a couple of lectures back
74
and i wanted to retake some of the notes
75
because i've been watching a lot of the lectures
76
but not actually writing any of the information down so
77
that is what we've been doing and it was
78
so nice to just write everything out again like i miss
79
that i think that's something that I did all the time
80
when I was in school when I was studying or
81
when I was in uni I always was writing notes with my own hand
82
but then when school finished I just kind of stopped writing by hand I just started typing everything up
83
and I missed this so so so so freaking much
84
and sometimes I just forget that I have an ipod
85
and I could just write stuff like I don't have to type things in I think the reason for
86
that is because I have not actually used my ipod for years to write
87
because it was always quite uncomfortable like I would try to get like different pencil cases
88
and I would try all these different things
89
but the thing is the screen itself was kind of just like either it was too slippery
90
or it was the other way around like it didn't kind of let my hand slide
91
and there was always a problem and it was never comfortable
92
so I never really took notes on my iPad
93
but recently I've been using Paperlike and it made such a huge difference
94
because it actually feels like paper so it's this screen protector
95
that honestly like you cannot even tell that it's on right now
96
because it's so thin but it makes such a big difference in the experience
97
and I have tried a lot of different screen protectors.
98
Trust me, this is the only one that actually makes it feel like you're just writing in a notebook.
99
And on top of that, it actually works as a screen protector as well.
100
So it just is protecting my iPad from like any scratches or anything.
101
I just feel like it's made a really, really, really big difference.
102
Paperlike is actually the sponsor of today's video and I would really highly recommend.
103
It's also really cool how their application system works.
104
Maybe I still have the video from when I reapplied like my new screen protector a couple of weeks ago, but they have this like butterfly application system which is
105
so freaking cool it walks you along how to do it
106
and it really makes sure
107
that there's like no dust no bubbles nothing it's really really well made
108
but anyway my point is if you want to do anything on your ipad
109
if you want to write if you want to draw
110
if you want to take notes literally anything on your ipad
111
that would require an apple pencil
112
and you want it to actually feel like paper paper like is for sure the way to go
113
but anyway right now it's a lot gloomier and my energy is kind of low now.
114
Like I think because I was studying
115
and I was using my brain a lot
116
and then I drove back home and it was really hot
117
and now I'm like in my bedroom in the AC and I'm like, I don't wanna go anywhere.
118
But my plan was to go to the gym to get my steps in and I also started a new book.
119
Let me show you.
120
I cannot find my book.
121
Okay, nevermind.
122
I cannot find my Kindle, but this is the book.
123
I think it's called Fourth Wing.
124
I started reading it a long time ago, but then I stopped.
125
I don't remember when, like at chapter five.
126
So a couple of days ago, I started rereading it.
127
And the plan is to now go to the gym, get my steps in and keep reading that book.
128
But I need to go find it.
129
It must not be far because I was literally reading yesterday, but I just cannot find it right now.
130
But it's somewhere here.
131
Okay, Kindle is acquired.
132
It was charging and I just completely forgot that it was charging.
133
My gym clothes are on.
134
I have my book.
135
Let's go walk and read. so i'm
136
back from the gym i got to like chapter 13 and fourth wing i'm honestly really really really enjoying it.
137
I wanted to read something that was not romance.
138
I do think there are a lot of elements of romance here
139
but it's more of like a fantasy book and so far this is not disappointing at all.
140
I really like it and I also like the fact
141
that it's a series because I like the idea of starting a series like a book series
142
but the really famous ones like for example Akatar.
143
I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right but I always hear
144
so much about that book series but it overwhelms me
145
because first of all there are so many books in
146
that book series
147
and second of all like the books just look really really
148
thick i mean maybe this book is also thick i don't actually know i haven't seen it in real life
149
but the fact that this only has three books makes it feel a lot more digestible
150
and yeah so far i'm a really big fan it's nice to read something else
151
that is not just like a romance
152
but anyway now it's evening time i'm home i'm cozy i have showered and we are gonna do all the really
153
fun hobbies the choice
154
that we have is number one we have a little paint
155
by numbers i'm already halfway through with this one it's actually a little weird
156
because this paint by numbers already has color on it
157
but the color is not the same as the paint
158
but the only color i've done so far is this like orange color
159
which is like all over the picture but i can't show you
160
but under this orange color it was like the most muted muted muted like almost grayish orange
161
and then when i started painting it was like this vibrant orange
162
so I think this image even though it's a paint by numbers it looks like it's already colored
163
but I think the final image is going to look a lot more vibrant than this
164
which is exciting there's a little bit of an element of surprise
165
and then we have our iconic sudoku I feel like you can never go wrong with the sudoku
166
and also Rubik's cube so what I'm going to be doing
167
while I'm doing all these things is I'm going to be curating a little playlist
168
which is another little hobby kind of thing because I don't really spend time I'm now making playlists.
169
Before, I spent a lot of time creating a certain atmosphere.
170
I like I have some basic playlists
171
that is like specific languages like all my Spanish songs all my Russian songs
172
but I also have some playlists that are like a very specific vibe
173
and I love those playlists like I spend time to make them
174
but then I actually listen to them a lot and right now
175
because I'm going through like a very certain era of my life like becoming a mom for the first time
176
and being pregnant and all of this I feel like it would be nice to kind of capture this moment
177
through music and then maybe in the future
178
if I ever want to kind of like remember what it
179
was like being in this moment where like there's a lot of exciting things coming
180
and I'm scared and I'm excited
181
and I'm I don't know what life is gonna look like
182
and all these things I'm gonna listen to this playlist
183
and I think I could like tap into
184
that feeling again you know like
185
that feeling of something new is coming something big is coming I'm just gonna be like painting
186
and listening to the song
187
and being like does this song align right now to this little period of my life
188
and then if it does I'll add it to the playlist
189
and then we'll see maybe later like after an hour I'm just gonna like watch a movie with my boyfriend
190
while I do these things
191
but we're not gonna set a timer we're just gonna do a big old time lapse
192
and just do what the heart desires literally I don't know
193
if the camera is gonna pick it up well
194
but I want to show you the difference between the actual paint color
195
and then the color that is beneath the color it looks a little messy
196
but if you look on top you see this like vibrant kind of yellowy orange color this is the color
197
that goes on top of that so it's very much a different color
198
i think i'm gonna need your guys's help with this playlist
199
because i've been listening to songs for the past hour
200
so far we only have five songs and three of those songs are songs
201
that i already knew ahead of time i'll be putting in there
202
so like breathe in by ariana grande for some reason
203
that just feels very fitting i really love
204
that song then also promises by jenay aiko and some abba songs
205
but don't hate me not the original ones from the mamma mia soundtrack
206
because i grew up watching the mamma mia movies
207
that is how i know abba maybe i should listen to the og abba
208
but i listen to the mamma mia soundtrack sue me but
209
if somebody has songs that fit into this vibe
210
that kind of resonate with that moment
211
that i'm talking about please let me know it's nice
212
that it's there now it has its base songs
213
and as i go about life i will just slowly add a song add a song add a song
214
and i think it will be nice to look back at
215
that playlist anyway i did a little bit of everything honestly
216
that was really really fun now i'm probably just gonna do some yoga
217
and go to sleep and it's gonna be it for my day you
📺 Same Channel
✨ Recommend Video
B13
151 sentences
a week in my life | productive, healthy living, relaxing
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
138 sentences
I Tried Swapping My Screen Time For Reading
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B16
954 sentences
30 Things You Can Do Without Scrolling | Use Your Time Better | Improve Your English Fluency ✅️
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
233 sentences
SMALL WAYS TO ELEVATE YOUR VIBE | BE REMEMBERED | TREAT YOURSELF WITH MORE CARE
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B23
274 sentences
LIFE-CHANGING HOBBIES TO GET INTO IN 2025 ✨creative, fun, & productive
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B14
167 sentences
introvert diary 🎧 productive days in my life, tech internship, cooking & pharm rotation results
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B1223 sentences
living alone in NYC: perfect summer day, rooftop vibes, reorganizing my apartment, & city night out!
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11,255
52 sentences
A Day in My Life – Let’s Practice Listening Together | Improve your English | English story
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
348 sentences
everything changes in the first days of fall 🍂 self-employed artist diaries
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B19
99 sentences
A Day in the Life of a Minimalist
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B22
209 sentences
what I did during a month with no phone
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B14
78 sentences
the morning routine saving me from burnout | unghettoing my life
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 217 sentences and 2556 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:37. The speaker talks fast, about 203 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| playlist noun | /ˈpleɪˌlɪst/ | A list of recorded songs scheduled to be played on a radio station. |
| hobby noun | /ˈhɑ.bi/ | An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time. |
| yoga noun | /ˈjoʊ.ɡə/ | Any of several Hindu or Buddhist disciplines aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity; especially a system… |
| bump noun | /bʌmp/ | A light blow or jolting collision. |
| protector noun | /pɹəˈtɛktɚ/ | Someone who protects or guards, by assignment or on their own initiative. |
| romance noun | /roʊˈmæn(t)s/ | An intimate relationship between two people; a love affair. |
| vibrant adjective | /ˈvaɪbɹənt/ | Pulsing with energy or activity. |
| mute adjective | /mjut/ | Not having the power of speech; dumb. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| element noun | /ˈɛləmənt/ | One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based. |
| thick adjective | /θɪk/ | Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension. |
| pregnancy noun | /ˈpɹɛɡnənsi/ | The condition of being pregnant; an instance of this. |
| lecture noun | /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/ | A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group. |
| halfway adverb | /ˌhæfˈweɪ/ | Half of the way between two points. |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| drive back verb | To force someone or something to retreat or move away; repel. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| give out verb | To utter, publish; to announce, proclaim, report. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| work through verb | To get past a difficult or stressful situation by thinking or talking about it. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 112 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thick /θɪk/, thin /ˈθɪn/, breathe /bɹiːð/, beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, cloth /klɒθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, grayish /ˈɡɹeɪ.ɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, certification /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, romanticize /roʊˈmæntɪsaɪz/, digestible /daɪˈdʒɛstəbəɫ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like playlist, hobby, yoga.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been scrolling · I've been talking · i've been watching |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · have tried · haven't seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is fried · is acquired |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | were aiming · was studying · was writing |
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.