Shadowing Practice: Signs upgrading will make your life worse - Learn English Speaking with Video
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98 sentences
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1
Next time you're going to buy something nicer, ask yourself, what would buying this take away from me?
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I've had this car for a long time.
3
My other car broke and I had to buy something quick and this is what I was able to secure.
4
Now I used to love driving around fast, listening to loud music with a subwoofer in the back.
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This thing can't do that.
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This thing is slow, okay?
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And it doesn't have any bass in the speakers whatsoever.
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Now when I go to the gym, I often see these cool cars in the parking lot.
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There's a Corvette over there, Mercedes, and I'm thinking, man, maybe it's about time that I get a cool car.
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That'd be sweet.
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I feel like I would appreciate that.
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But then I think, if I do that, what am I going to miss?
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How much harder is it going to be to ever go back to a crappy car like this?
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Not to call it crap, it's a nice car.
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Right now, I can do whatever I want with this thing.
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I can scratch it just to make a point in this video.
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We can pile into this car all sandy and wet from the beach.
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I don't care.
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And if somebody hits it at some point, I can have grace and be like, hey, it's okay.
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It's not that big of a deal.
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That's the freedom of having something that's a little less cool, a little less than perfect.
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It's the same reason I still have the iPhone SE.
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Budget, you know, kind of worse version of the iPhone.
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I don't want to be on my phone that much.
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I don't want to be addicted to this awesome device.
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So having the less cool one makes it easier to care less.
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So ask yourself, would buying this take away the freedom of having the less perfect version?
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Another thing buying a better version is something could take away from you.
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I'm gonna tell a story in images.
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So check this out.
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This is what footage looks like straight out of my camera.
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Hey, can you be quiet?
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This is called V-Log, and it's like the raw version of the footage.
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It captures the most detail possible.
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Now check this out.
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This is what it looks like when you put something called a LUT on it
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to kind of bring some of the colors back in, in the editing software.
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This is a free version from Panasonic, who makes my specific camera.
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Don't leave.
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This is going somewhere, I promise.
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I actually quite like how this looks, but you can pay to buy all kinds of LUTs that are maybe better, right?
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There's this one that everybody was saying that you should get.
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So I bought the new one, and check this out.
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Do you like it better?
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Not sure?
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Me neither.
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I have no idea.
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I actually kind of feel like I like the free one better.
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But now, every time I put footage into my editing software, I don't know which one to choose.
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Because I'm like, I kind of like the free one, but maybe that's just because I saw it first.
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And I could use the better one, quote-unquote, but I might just be using that not because I like how it looks, but because I paid for it.
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So now I kind of just wish that I didn't buy the new one at all.
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There's a simplicity in only having one choice.
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Sometimes enough is good.
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And you can ask yourself, will buying this take away the simplicity of having less options?
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I just always use the free one now, by the way.
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Third thing, let me ask you a question.
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The Nintendo Switch, the Switch 2, is cool, hot new console.
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Who would be best off?
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Somebody who really wants the Switch 2.
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They really want it, but they don't have it.
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Two, somebody who really wants the Switch 2 and they got it.
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They have it.
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Awesome.
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Or three, somebody who doesn't want the Switch 2 and doesn't have it.
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Now the answer is the person who doesn't want it anyway.
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It can't be taken away from them, right?
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Humans tend to get used to the things that they have really fast.
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You're going to go back to baseline pretty quick.
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And then you can break it.
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You could lose it.
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You're gonna want more games and desire more.
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And if you don't use it, you might feel guilty because you paid a bunch of money for it, right?
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You're like, ah, man, I should really be using it.
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So you'd be better off if you just were fine without it and didn't even want it.
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This is something philosophers have been talking about for millennia.
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The Buddhists really harp on this one, desire.
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It doesn't really get better than being content with what you have.
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So if you're already content and then you buy something anyway, all that could possibly happen is you're risking your contentment that you already have.
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So another Another way to think about this is ask yourself, could I be content without this?
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If yes, great, cool, do whatever you want.
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If no, I would pause.
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Why can't I be content without this?
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And ask yourself, is this out of desire or is this out of purpose?
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Is there a purpose to this?
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Is this me wanting a Corvette or am I having kids and it's time to buy a minivan?
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Right?
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See how those are different?
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So I think it might be worth asking the question, what could buying this take away from me?
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I can definitely stand to do that more myself.
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But this is not anti-buying things.
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Buy stuff and enjoy it, right?
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This is just a thought.
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Because buying things doesn't just cost money.
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You could be sacrificing things you're not even thinking about.
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And it might be important.
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Well, hopefully that didn't get way overexposed.
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speaking of the camera stuff I still figuring that out hopefully that didn't look horrible
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Signs upgrading will make your life worse”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: buying, cool, Switch, version, somebody. This video has 98 sentences and 1018 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:18. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 22 of its 98 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| footage noun | /ˈfʊtɪd͡ʒ/ | An amount of film or tape that has been used to record something, or the content of the recording. |
| simplicity noun | /sɪmˈplɪsɪti/ | The state or quality of being simple |
| edit verb | /ˈɛdɪt/ | To change a text, or a document. |
| contentment noun | /kənˈtɛntmənt/ | The state or degree of being contented or satisfied. |
| minivan noun | A small van, especially (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines) one primarily used for family transport. | |
| overexpose verb | To expose excessively. | |
| subwoofer noun | /ˈsʌbˌwʊf.ə/ | A loudspeaker designed to produce low-frequency sound, especially subbass. |
| unquote | Used in speech to indicate the end of a quotation. | |
| addict noun | /ˈæd.ɪkt/ | A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug. |
| millennium noun | /mɪˈlɛnɪəm/ | A period of time consisting of one thousand years. |
| baseline noun | /ˈbeɪslaɪn/ | A line that is a base for measurement or for construction. |
| philosopher noun | /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/ | A lover of wisdom. |
| whatsoever adverb | /ˌ(h)wʌtsoʊˈɛvɚ/ | In any way; at all; whatever. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| console noun | /ˈkɑn.soʊl/ | A stand-alone cabinet designed to stand on the floor; especially, one integrated with home entertainment equipment, such as a TV or stereo system. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| take away from verb | To subtract a quality from; make something seem not so good or interesting. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I've had this car for a long time.
- I'm gonna tell a story in images.
- Hey, can you be quiet?
- Do you like it better?
- Why can't I be content without this?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Somebody who really · somebody who doesn · person who doesn |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be addicted · is called · can't be taken |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 35 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: simplicity /sɪmˈplɪsɪti/, philosopher /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/, whatsoever /ˌ(h)wʌtsoʊˈɛvɚ/
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 footage, simplicity, edit.
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.