Shadowing Practice: Shadowing English Speaking Practice: Real-Life English Conversations - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Welcome to our shadowing practice class today, where you'll shadow real life conversations and you'll learn the expressions,

the grammar, the pronunciation naturally as we shadow.

So let's imagine running into someone.

First of all, what does this phrasal verb mean?

If you run into someone, it means you see someone unexpectedly, unexpectedly, it wasn't planned.

So in that situation, you might say, Hey, I thought that was you.

This is a very natural expression that native speakers use.

So we see someone when we think it might be Sarah.

And then as we get closer, we realize it is Sarah.

Because remember, you weren't expecting to see Sarah.

You ran into Sarah.

So you can say, hey, hey, Sarah, I thought that was you.

I thought that was you.

And then you can continue on with your conversation with Sarah.

So hey, hi.

Hi, Sarah.

Hey, Sarah.

I thought that was you.

Notice the use of the past simple here.

I thought that was you.

How about this?

It's been ages.

How have you been?

Hey, I thought that was you.

It's been ages.

How have you been?

It's been ages.

You should absolutely add this phrase to your vocabulary.

It's been.

What's the it's?

It's.

What does that stand for?

It's a contraction of it's it's been our verb be in the third form been been ages ages represents a long time.

It's been a very long time.

Exactly.

It has it has because it's can also be, it is, but grammatically that would not be correct.

It's been, it's been, how have you been?

How have you been?

So notice use a been in both of them.

It's been ages.

How have you been?

We use how have you been compared to how are you?

If you want to connect the past because you have not seen Sarah in a long time.

So you want to know starting one month ago or six months ago and continuing until now, how have you been?

How have you been?

It's been ages.

How have you been?

And then you might say to Sarah, i've been meaning to reach out oh this is a good

one to have in your vocabulary you use this with someone that you know you should have contacted

because it's been six months and you have not seen your friend sarah or whoever and you feel bad about it.

So you acknowledge that by saying, I've been meaning to reach out.

I've been meaning to reach out.

So if you mean to do something, so notice I've been meaning that's the present perfect continuous,

but the structure is mean the verb mean conjugated in this case present perfect continuous

and then the infinitive to do something this is

when you intend to do it but you keep postponing it

so we say this

when you haven't done the action yet I've been meaning to

clean out the garage I've been meaning to organize my closet I've been meaning to update my website.

I've been meaning to learn how to use AI.

I've been meaning, but you have not done it yet.

So what about you?

What's something that you've been meaning to do?

You can share that in the comments.

And here, I've been happy.

Can't complain about that.

I'm happy to hear it.

Hello, hello.

I've been meaning to check on you, to check on you, to check on you.

Exactly.

How have you been?

I've been meaning to call you.

Exactly.

So here, reach out means contact you.

It's general.

It could be a phone call.

It could be a text message.

It could be a Facebook or a face box, a Facebook.

message.

It could be anything, but call is obviously on the phone.

I've been meaning to wake up early, but you haven't because you use I've been meaning.

Oh, call your grandma right now.

Don't postpone it right now.

Call your grandma.

That's important.

I've been meaning, remember infinitive to weed, to weed my garden.

I've been meaning to tidy up my desk.

You don't need the on there.

You just tidy up something.

So tidy up the desk or my desk would be perfect.

I've been meaning to get in touch with you.

Exactly.

Greetings all the way to toronto not

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that far from me i can be there in four hours

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if i leave right now i've been meaning to meet you

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awesome job everyone you've got it okay let's keep going we should catch up properly sometime hmm

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so notice we should catch up you can leave it there so to catch up to share news after time apart.

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So I have not seen Sarah in a long time.

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So we should catch up.

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You tell me about your life.

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I'll tell you about my life from the last time we saw each other until now.

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We should, should is used for a strong recommendation.

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We should catch up sometime so not a specific time reference.

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It may not happen.

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And notice properly.

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Why did I include properly?

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Because remember, you ran into Sarah.

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So you're on your way to get groceries.

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Sarah's on her way to work and you just see each other.

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So you talk for a few minutes, but you both have other things to do.

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So talking for a few minutes is not a proper catch up.

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Proper in the sense of you did not have the time to fully,

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completely share details about your life.

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So that's why properly is included.

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Properly is an adverb because the phrasal verb is catch up.

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We should catch up properly sometime.

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We should catch up properly sometime.

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We should, just should, and then your base verb.

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We should, because should is a modal verb.

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So modal base verb.

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We should catch up after the summer break.

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Exactly, exactly.

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Properly simply means fully, completely.

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So in this context, fully, completely means sharing all the details of our lives.

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But if I say I need to properly clean the kitchen, it doesn't have anything to do with details it means I need to fully,

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completely clean the kitchen, every area of it.

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So fully, completely.

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Let's keep going.

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I won't keep you.

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Let's grab coffee soon.

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I won't keep you.

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Okay.

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I won't keep you.

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This is a polite way to end a conversation.

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You can use it on the phone as well.

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I won't keep you.

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I'm sure you have other things to do.

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I won't keep you.

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And then you should say something that suggests you're going to end the conversation.

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In this case, let's grab coffee soon.

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And then you agree.

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And then you go your separate ways.

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Because remember, you just ran into each other.

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So you talk for a few minutes, but then you realize, well, Sarah probably has somewhere to go.

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I have somewhere to go.

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So I won't keep you.

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I won't keep you.

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Let's grab coffee soon.

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Let's grab coffee soon.

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So let's is a suggestion.

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Let's grab is the informal way of saying, get coffee soon, have coffee together soon.

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And of course, in the near future.

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Yeah, you could say sometime soon.

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Let's catch.

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We should catch up sometime soon.

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Exactly.

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Let's catch up.

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You need the preposition up.

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Let's catch up tomorrow evening.

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Exactly.

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Okay.

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Awesome.

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Everyone.

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I won't keep you.

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Let's grab coffee soon.

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Let's grab a bite soon.

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are you enjoying this lesson are you enjoying learning natural expressions

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that natives use in our daily speech

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if you are put yes yes yes yes yes yes in the comments

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so i know you're enjoying this lesson

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and also like this lesson it's an easy way to support the channel

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and subscribe so you're notified every time i post a new lesson every time i go live as well

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and you can get this free speaking guide where I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently.

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You can get this for free from my website, or you can look for the link in the description below.

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And also if you want to keep learning natural English, if you want to keep learning phrases that will help you sound like a native speaker.

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And so you can understand natives as well.

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That's exactly what we do in the finally fluent Academy.

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It's my program where you get personalized support directly from me.

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You can find the information in the description or, of course, go to my website.

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All right.

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I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the lesson.

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You're very welcome.

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Awesome.

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Thank you so much for your support.

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All right.

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Let's keep going to making and changing plans.

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Making plans, that's when you agree to the plan.

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Thank you so much for your support as well.

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So you can make the plan.

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Hey, let's grab coffee after work today that we just made a plan.

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So we agreed.

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You said yes.

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We agreed on the date, the time, the location.

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Now, changing is if we originally said four, but then you say, oh, actually, that doesn't work for me.

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Can we do five instead?

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OK, so making and changing plans.

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Oh, everyone's enjoying the lesson.

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I am so glad.

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Are you free any time this week?

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So this is, of course, making plans.

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Are you free?

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Are you free? are you free anytime this week

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so anytime is vague if i wanted to be specific

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and i said wednesday then you would need the preposition on

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are you free on wednesday this week are you free after

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work on wednesday this week are you free for lunch on wednesday this week

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So you can be more specific in many ways.

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Are you free anytime this Monday?

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Exactly.

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Very nice.

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Okay.

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Are you free anytime this week?

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Free, of course, means available.

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Now, let's say we did agree to meet on a specific time, but then you have to change plans

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and you might say something's come up something's come up can we push it to Friday

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can we push it to Friday this is more of a

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business expression to push something we use this more with meetings

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or business appointments is not as commonly used with friends in a social situation.

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So something's come up.

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This is a very common phrase.

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This phrase is very common in a social situation.

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You should add it to your vocabulary.

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Add both of them.

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So if something's come up, something represents an unexpected situation.

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But we use something when we just want to be vague.

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You don't want to go into the details.

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And come up means happen unexpectedly late.

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Something's come up.

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Oh, sorry.

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I can't, I can't grab coffee after work.

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Something's come up.

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It could be anything.

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It could be because of work.

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It be, could be because of family could be because of weather could be because of my car having a problem.

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It could be literally anything.

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Oh, yes.

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Thank you for pointing that out because it didn't even occur to me.

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Something has come up.

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Something has come up.

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That's the something.

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Now, native speakers almost always say something's, something's come up.

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It doesn't sound very natural to me to even say something has come up.

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Something has come up.

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It sounds weird.

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Something's come up.

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Something's come up.

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Something's come up.

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Can we push it to Friday?

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So if you push something, it means that you delay it.

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So if the meeting is supposed to be today at 2 p .m.

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Imagine you're literally pushing the time from 2 to 3 or from Tuesday to Wednesday.

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So that's the visual image you can have of push it.

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So you're delaying it.

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You're postponing it.

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Can we push it to Friday?

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So here it could be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

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It could be any time.

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It could be you're just pushing it one day or three days.

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Let's keep going.

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I'm going to have to take a rain check.

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Now, this is used in social situations.

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I'm going to have to take a rain check

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so to take a rain check this is an idiom

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and this is when you politely decline but it's very important

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that you understand that take a rain check means not now

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but in the future so if let's say you

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and your friend agree to have coffee at lunch

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but then you get really busy you might text your friend

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and literally say rain check question mark and then your friend knows

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that you're saying not today but another time

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so then your friend would text back

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and say how about thursday how about tomorrow

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so your friend might suggest the alternative time or you can suggest the alternative time as well.

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You don't have a rain check.

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You take a rain check.

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So the verb must be take.

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When you use idioms, you have to use the exact words.

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So take a rain check.

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I'm going to have to take a rain check.

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So unfortunately I can't come today, but how about we do it another time?

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Yeah.

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You can think of it as how about we reschedule?

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How about we reschedule?

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So I have to reschedule.

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I have to reschedule.

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That would be a good alternative.

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Exactly.

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Very nicely done.

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Ah, if something comes up, you can take a rain check.

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Very nicely done.

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Because if something comes up, so you can use that expression, you might say, oh, unfortunately, something's come up at work.

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I have to take a rain check.

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I have to take a rain check.

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Let's keep going.

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Now you can say to your friend, let's play it by ear.

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So you want to catch up.

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You want to spend time together.

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You want to go out for dinner, but you're not sure when you're not sure what you're not sure where.

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So you can just say, let's play it by ear.

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Let's play it by ear.

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So you will decide as it happens.

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You won't plan it.

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This is very common.

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If you don't know what you want to do on Saturday and someone asks you, oh, what are you doing today?

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Just playing it by ear just playing it by ear it

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means Saturday I'm playing Saturday by ear I'm playing my day by ear

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which means I'm not going to make plans I'm just going to see what happens

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if I feel like going out if someone calls me to hang out

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if I finally have the motivation to clean out the garage.

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I'll just do it.

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Play it by ear.

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Extremely common idiom.

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Let's play it by ear.

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So if you and your friend agree to get together on Saturday and your friend says, what should we do?

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Should we go downtown?

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Should we go to the mall?

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Should we go to a movie?

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Maybe you just say to your friend, let's just play it by ear.

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Let's just play it by ear.

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we'll just decide as it happens.

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So that's a great idiom to have.

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Yeah, let's wait and see what happens.

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Very nicely done.

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Let's just play it by ear.

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Exactly.

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You can add just is very common.

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Natives add just let's just play it by ear, but it's not a required word in the idiom.

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So the The idiom is play it, meaning the day, the event, the situation by ear.

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Now, play is your verb.

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So if you talk about it in the past simple, then you would conjugate the verb play.

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Yeah, don't bother to plan for tomorrow.

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We'll play it by ear.

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We'll play it by ear.

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Exactly.

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and then if you do agree on a time let's say 3 p .m you could say

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that works for me i'll pencil it in i'll pencil it in now with pencil you can erase it

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so this is important because if you pencil it in it also suggests

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that there's an opportunity to change it So you might use this expression

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when you're deciding on plans that are not 100 % confirmed.

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I'll pencil it in, but if you need to take a rain check, just let me know.

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Or I'll pencil it in for 3 p .m., but if you need to push it to 4, just let me know

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so more I'll temporarily or just I will schedule it for now

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but I understand that it may change I'll pencil it in it being the meeting at 3 p .m.

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or whatever the situation is

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that works for me I'll pencil it in now

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that works for me this is a very common expression

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that you'll use when you confirm

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that you are available at a specific time on a specific date

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or even if a friend says how about we go to the movies after work

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and you want to agree you can say that works for me

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so you're saying yes I want to go to the movies that works for me that works for me.

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Or how about we take the subway to the movies?

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Because parking is always terrible.

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That works for me.

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So you agree to take the subway.

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That works for me.

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Let's keep going.

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And we'll talk about when something goes wrong, which I'm sure will happen today,

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tomorrow, and the next day because that's life.

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So you need to be prepared to talk about that.

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You might say, I think there's been a mix up with my order.

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I think there's been a mix up with my order.

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So here there's, there has been.

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Now I'll mix up.

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This is a noun.

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I'll mix up this is a mistake where things get confused

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so let's say you ordered an americano

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but you were given a chai tea latte well then maybe someone else ordered the chai tea latte

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and they gave you the other person's drink so that's a mix -up the drinks got confused

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so you take a sip

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and you're like oh I think there's been a mix -up

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with my order I did not order this this is the

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wrong drink I think there's been a mix -up you could

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even leave it there a mix -up in the context of you you're literally handing the drink back

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or whatever it is doesn't have to be a drink.

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This could be with Amazon deliveries or anything that you get.

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It could be a business delivery of office supplies and you wanted blue pens and then they gave you green pens.

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Who wants a green pen?

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And then you say, I think there's been a mix up.

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We did not order green.

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We ordered blue.

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yeah mixed up my order mixed means combine like this mix the ingredients

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so you don't want just mix you want mix up and yes,

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there's, there has been, there has been.

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I think there's been a mix up with my order.

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not a mess up manuel no mix up

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yeah you mixed up my clothes with yours so if you have siblings or a roommate maybe when you were doing laundry,

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you realize that you put some of your socks in your roommate's drawer,

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or you put some of your socks in your husband or wife's drawer.

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How about this?

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I was charged twice for the same thing.

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So you look on your receipt,

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after you order and you notice that there are two Americanos on your receipt,

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but you only ordered one and you only got one.

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I was charged twice for the same thing.

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So this could be a mistake.

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I was charged twice for the same thing.

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So to be charged, This is an important expression with any sort of commerce,

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whether it's in person, you're buying a coffee, you're buying a shirt or online,

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you're buying something from Amazon or any website.

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I was charged twice for the same thing.

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Oh, that's awful.

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Yes.

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okay or you might say is there any way you could look into it

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so maybe you're just talking to a customer service representative you want to know why your order has been delayed

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or what's going on with your order or

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when your order is going to be ready or the mistake is going to be corrected and you ask,

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is there any way you could look into it?

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So look into it means to investigate it.

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So find out more details because often when you call customers support, they don't give a lot of details or they just say,

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sorry, I don't have any information.

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So you want to push them to find out more?

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Is there any way?

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That's a very polite way of asking.

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And they may be more willing to help you if you're polite rather than demanding that they do something.

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Is there any way?

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Is there any way you could look into it?

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And it being your order or your issue, your request, your complaint.

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Okay.

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What else do we have here?

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I'd rather not go back and forth on this.

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Oh, this is a good one.

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I'd rather.

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So what's the I'd, I'd notice that pronunciation.

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I'd, I'd, I'd, I'd rather, I'd rather.

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good advice always check the receipt and make sure it's correct very nice

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yeah and with investigate oh and yes would I would rather

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and with uh look into often it's police you're very right

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you're you're correct there police investigators you hear this a lot with crime shows,

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but you hear this in many contexts.

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I would rather, I'd rather not notice that negative.

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I'd rather not go back and forth.

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Hmm.

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If you go back and forth, it means either you keep exchanging messages.

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Now messages sounds like it could be text or email, but it could also be verbal.

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So in this case, instead of messages, I would just say, keep exchanging information.

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with no result so has this ever happened to you you contact customer support

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and it just seems like you're going back and forth but nothing's happening the issue is not being resolved

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i'd rather not go back and forth i already made up my mind ah exactly

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so if you go back and forth maybe on what movie to watch

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and you just keep going back and forth but there's no agreement

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so you're saying i already made up my mind whatever the issue is

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so this is a very one a very useful expression to go back

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and forth i've used this exact phrase many times sometimes i use it with to avoid going back

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and forth here's all the information you need about this issue

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so that way rather than I give them one thing

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and then they come back they ask me a question

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and then I answer their question then they ask me one

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other question I try to give all the information to avoid going back

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and forth okay so this is a great one yeah

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and you can use I'd prefer not to go back

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and forth you can use that as well I'd rather not go back and forth.

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I prefer not to go back and forth.

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Very nice.

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Let's say you're at a party or you're at an event.

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Oh, so how do you know everyone here?

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How do you know everyone here?

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You can use this for small talk.

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If you're at a party and you want to start a conversation with someone that you don't know, you can simply ask them, how do you know?

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And then you can be general and say everyone here, or how do you know?

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Let's say Sarah is hosting the party.

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How do you know Sarah or John is hosting the party.

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How do you know John?

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So how do you know just everyone if you want to be vague or general?

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Or how do you know Sarah?

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How do you know John?

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So that's a great one to start a conversation with anyone you don't know at a party.

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What do you do if you don't mind me asking?

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Okay, notice very common question.

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What do you do?

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Sometimes I hear students use very direct translations like what is your job?

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What is your work?

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Native speakers don't do that.

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We ask what do you do?

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What do you do?

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What do you do?

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Notice that pronunciation.

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What do you do?

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What do you do?

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What do you do?

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But you add on if you don't mind me asking.

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Native speakers will add this to a question.

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If we think that the question might be quite personal

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and we just want to give the person the opportunity not to discuss something that they feel might be too personal.

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This to me is not very personal asking someone, what do you do?

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That's a very general question.

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But maybe if you ask someone, do you have a girlfriend?

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Are you married?

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Something that might be a little more personal if you just met the person.

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And then you can add on if you don't mind me asking.

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You're basically acknowledging that you're asking personal details that may not be appropriate to ask.

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In this case, I don't feel like what do you do is inappropriate in any context.

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It's a very safe question.

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Yeah.

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How do you know my sister?

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If it's your sister's party, so how do you know my sister that would be a great one

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and then that person answers oh we went to school together

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and then oh so what do you do if you don't mind me asking

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So you're letting the person know that you're going to go from very vague conversation,

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the weather, sports, holidays, to something more personal.

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And you're just getting permission to take the conversation into more personal details, if you don't mind me asking.

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and then maybe this person tells you about something

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that they enjoy doing like they enjoy mountain biking

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or they enjoy swimming or they enjoy knitting knitting and then you say oh oh,

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that's right up my alley.

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That's right up my alley.

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You're saying, I also enjoy mountain biking,

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swimming, knitting, staying home on Saturday and reading a good book, whatever it might be.

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Oh, that's right up my alley.

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That's the exact type of thing that I enjoy.

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So this is an idiom.

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So to be that is up my alley.

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And then you can use right up to emphasize it more.

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That's right up my alley.

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That's up my alley.

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So was something that's right up your alley.

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What could someone say at a party

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and then you would reply oh that's right up my alley what would it be you can share

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that in the comments as well

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yeah this could definitely be a question where you add if you don't mind me asking Are you married?

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If you don't mind me asking.

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And this is when you are taking the conversation more personal.

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Learning English is right up my alley.

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Well, that's good.

531

You're in the right place.

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Sewing.

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Oh, that's right up my alley.

534

Alley.

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I was probably just a typo, but alley, not valley.

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Very nice.

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Right up my alley.

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We have a lot of things in common.

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We have, we have.

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Yes.

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Make sure you turn on those notifications and it's alley, alley, alley, alley, alley.

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If you don't want to answer.

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So if someone asks you, are you married?

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And if you don't mind me asking and you don't want to answer that question, question, I would say it depends on the context.

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If you, because if you're at a bar and some stranger walks up to you,

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I'd probably just be like none of your business and walk away because I'm not trying to be polite to this person.

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I might think this person is rude and I just want to get away from this person.

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But if you're at a party and you don't want to offend the person, you might say something like, I'd rather not talk about that.

549

I'd rather not talk about that.

550

Or you could say, how about we talk about this and then you can suggest a topic

551

so are you married if you don't mind me asking I'd rather not talk about

552

that why don't we just talk about vacations

553

so have you been on any vacations recently

554

so that's what I would do as a strategy if I wanted to be polite I would just very directly say,

555

I'd rather not talk about that, or I'd prefer not to talk about that, but then I would change the conversation.

556

Otherwise, it's going to be a very awkward silence,

557

and then I would change the conversation to something I do want to talk about.

558

Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that.

559

watching netflix is right up my alley cooking is right up

560

my alley playing cricket is right up my alley awesome i love it How about this?

561

I'm grabbing another drink.

562

Can I get you anything?

563

So if you're talking to someone and then your drink's empty

564

or you want some more food maybe and you want to leave, you might offer to get something for the person to be polite.

565

I'm grabbing another drink.

566

Can I get you anything?

567

So grabbing is an informal way of saying getting, but native speakers use it extensively.

568

I'm getting another drink.

569

Can I get you anything?

570

No, you could say, can I grab you anything or I'm getting some more appetizers.

571

Can I get you anything?

572

So food drink, those are probably the pretty standard ones that you might offer to get some someone.

573

Or if you're in, let's say if you're at a conference and there are some brochures at the back,

574

you might say, I'm grabbing a brochure.

575

Can I get you one?

576

So it could be something non -food or drink related depending on the context.

577

Or I like this one.

578

It was so nice to put a face to the name, to put a face to the name.

579

This is a great expression.

580

Native speakers use this a lot in many different contexts, because let's say that you've been talking to someone for quite a while.

581

It could be in a workplace situation.

582

It could be socially.

583

And you've been exchanging messages.

584

Now, maybe this is on social media, on Facebook, email, WhatsApp.

585

It could be at work, Slack, MS Teams.

586

And then you just see their little profile icon.

587

If that, maybe they don't even have a profile picture.

588

And then you finally get to see this person at a conference, at a meeting, an in -person meeting,

589

at a party, and then you say, oh, it's so nice to put a face to the name.

590

You're getting to finally put a face to the name because you know the person's name,

591

but you've never seen them before.

592

And even if you have the profile picture, technically you do know what they look like you've seen their face,

593

but we still use this when you see someone in person, in person.

594

Now you can use it for a virtual meeting as well.

595

So if I have a virtual meeting in real time, I would say to that person, Oh, it's so nice to put a face to the name because although we're on computers.

596

I am seeing that person in real time.

597

And you can add finally to finally put a face to the name.

598

It was so nice to put a face to the name.

599

So that's a really great one.

600

Welcome.

601

Welcome.

602

I'm so glad you're following me from Brazil.

603

That's awesome.

604

yeah I've heard a lot about you it's so nice to put a face to the name exactly very nice

605

and let's say you're reacting to news so

606

if you're reacting you're sharing your reaction whether it's positive negative

607

or even neutral your reaction could be like I don't care indifference

608

so this is not indifference this is no way that's amazing

609

congratulations now no way can also be for something negative you might be like no way that's terrible I'm

610

so sorry to hear that

611

but in this case based on the context it's not no way that's amazing congratulations

612

So if your friend tells you that they passed their IELTS, they got a high score,

613

they were nominated for an award,

614

they got a promotion, their boss gave them a day off with pay unexpectedly, no way, that's amazing.

615

Maybe I wouldn't add congratulations in that context, but the other context, I would say congratulations.

616

how about this?

617

Get out, get out.

618

When did that happen?

619

Get out.

620

So get out.

621

I'm not actually telling you to leave my office, but I could absolutely say, get out, get out.

622

If my husband walks in right now to ask me a question, I'd be like, get out.

623

I'm in the middle of a lesson.

624

So I could actually say, get out and mean, I want you to leave this room.

625

But in this case, it's an expression.

626

It doesn't mean I want you to leave.

627

It means no way.

628

So it's basically the same as no way.

629

Get out.

630

You're showing surprise or disbelief. But again,

631

this can be in negative get out when did that happen

632

when did you get fired so

633

if your your friend just announces like oh you know i

634

have to start looking for a new job get out

635

when did that happen

636

when did this change of situation where now you're looking for a new job so it sounds like you probably got fired.

637

That could be the, that get out, get out.

638

So it can be more for unpleasant, negative news, but we also use this for positive news.

639

So the tone will be obvious if it's negative or positive.

640

get out of my way if you're driving really fast

641

yeah you can absolutely say get out of my way are

642

you kidding me that's a good one as well get out

643

of town that's a good one as well you can also say get out of here get out of town Yes, that works as well.

644

Yes, the literal meaning is leave.

645

This is an expression.

646

Expressions don't have literal meanings.

647

Okay.

648

Now this one obviously is negative because I'm so sorry.

649

We don't say that when your friend tells you they passed their IELTS or got a promotion.

650

So based on this, you know, the, oh no, oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that.

651

I'm so sorry to hear that.

652

I'm so sorry to hear that.

653

So this is pretty general.

654

You can use it with any sort of negative news.

655

That's rough.

656

We only use that's rough for something negative.

657

That's rough, which means that's difficult.

658

That's challenging.

659

That's unfortunate.

660

That's rough.

661

That's rough.

662

Let me know if I can help.

663

So your friend tells you her husband just lost his job

664

or your friend tells you that her dad was diagnosed with with something.

665

That's rough.

666

That's rough.

667

Let me know if I can help.

668

Let me know if there's anything I can do.

669

wow I did not see that coming this can be positive

670

it can be negative it depends on context so maybe you announced to your friend that or your friend

671

finds out they just got a promotion.

672

And then your friend says, I did not see that coming.

673

I've only worked at the company for two months.

674

I mean, they're already giving me a promotion.

675

It's been 60 days.

676

I did not see that coming.

677

So you can use this with something positive that happens to you if it's unexpected?

678

They nominated me for an award.

679

Wow.

680

I did not see that coming.

681

So you can use this for yourself.

682

Now you can also use it with negative news.

683

I've been working for this company for 20 years and they just fired me.

684

I did not see that coming.

685

so positive or negative the context will make it obvious so you didn't expect it you didn't predict it Yeah, that's harsh.

686

That's harsh.

687

So that's a very negative situation.

688

Now, we've learned all the phrases.

689

Within each phrase, I stopped, I explained things

690

so let's do a shadowing speed round where I'm going to say each phrase

691

and then I will leave enough time for you to open your mouth

692

and shadow and that's it

693

and then I'll go to the next one no explaining no

694

answering questions just shadowing are you ready for the speed round

695

okay so i'll say it and then you open your mouth

696

and say it

697

if you cannot do this now make sure you come back to this section of the video

698

and practice this many times just come back to this section

699

of the video okay let's do it hey i thought that was you it's been ages how have you been

700

I've been meaning to reach out we should catch up properly sometime

701

I won't keep you, let's grab coffee soon.

702

Are you free anytime this week?

703

Some things come up.

704

Can we push it to Friday?

705

I'm going to have to take a rain check.

706

Let's play it by ear. That works for me.

707

I'll pencil it in.

708

I think there's been a mix up with my order.

709

I was charged twice for the same thing.

710

Is there any way you could look into it?

711

I'd rather not go back and forth on this.

712

So, how do you know everyone here?

713

what do you do if you don't mind me asking oh that's right up my alley

714

i'm grabbing another drink can i get you anything It was so nice to put a face to the name.

715

No way.

716

That's amazing.

717

Congratulations questions.

718

Get out.

719

When did that happen?

720

Oh, no. I'm so sorry to hear that.

721

That's rough.

722

Let me know if I can help.

723

Wow.

724

I did not see that coming. And that's it.

725

How did you do with the shadowing speed round?

726

Remember, if you didn't do it now, that's a challenge for you.

727

And I'll be honest, I gave you more time than it would take me.

728

So if you couldn't complete that sentence in the time, you need to practice that more.

729

And you can get this free speaking guide.

730

Remember where I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently.

731

You can get this from my website, or you can just go to the link that's right in the description here.

732

And also remember, if you want to keep learning real English, if you want to keep studying native English from native speakers,

733

shadow native speakers, feel confident with your English, you can do that in the Finally Fluent Academy

734

and you will be working directly with me and I'll be there to support you and help you.

735

And if you like this lesson, remember, like it is a simple way you can support the channel, subscribe.

736

So you're notified every time I go live, every time I post a new lesson and put yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, in the comments.

737

So I know you enjoyed it as well.

738

And yes, I will see you next week.

739

And you're very welcome.

740

I'm so glad you enjoyed.

741

I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

742

Awesome.

743

Seems like everyone enjoyed it.

744

Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed that lesson.

745

It's always fun to do news articles, not on just negative news.

746

And there's lots of news that isn't just negative, like this article about dogs.

747

All right, everyone.

748

You're very welcome so glad you enjoyed it woohoo I'm glad on

749

that note I'll wrap up bye everyone see you next class

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Shadowing English Speaking Practice: Real-Life English Conversations”. This video has 749 sentences and 6673 words to shadow. The speech runs for 56:55. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
alley noun	/ˈæl.i/	A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings.
verb noun	/vɝb/	A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
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.
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
idiom noun	/ˈɪdiəm/	A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
sometime adverb	/ˈsʌmˌtaɪm/	At an indefinite but stated time in the past or future.
polite adjective	/pəˈlaɪt/	Well-mannered, civilized.
anytime adverb		At any time.
reschedule verb	/ɹiˈskɛd͡ʒʊl/	To schedule again or at a different time.
unexpectedly adverb	/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/	In an unexpected manner.
vague adjective	/veɪɡ/	Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms.
postpone verb	/pəʊstˈpəʊn/	To delay or put off an event, appointment, etc.
pronunciation noun	/pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/	The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken.
tidy adjective	/ˈtaɪ.di/	Arranged neatly and in order.
knit verb	/nɪt/	To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by hand with needles or by machine.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come up verb	To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
get out verb	To leave or escape.
catch up verb	To pick up suddenly.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
mix up verb	To mix or blend thoroughly and completely.
reach out verb	To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something.
get out of verb	To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

It's been, it's been, how have you been?
What's something that you've been meaning to do?
Why did I include properly?
Can we do five instead?
Are you free any time this week?

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	you've been talking · you've been exchanging · I've been working
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you don't mind me asking I'd rather
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	It's been · have you been · have you been compared
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	wasn't planned · been compared · is included

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 227 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, brochure /bɹoʊˈʃʊɚ/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/
Long words — get the stress right: unexpectedly /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪdli/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/, infinitive /ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like alley, verb, pencil.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Shadowing English Speaking Practice: Real-Life English Conversations - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?