Shadowing Practice: Simple Stories in Spanish: El oso curioso - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 142 sentences and 1035 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:16. The speaker talks slowly, about 84 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 35% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- curious /ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/ (adjective) — Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying.
- perry /ˈpɛɹ.i/ (noun) — A fermented alcoholic beverage made from pears, similar to hard apple cider.
- elephant /ˈɛlɪfənt/ (noun) — A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia.
- pizza /ˈpi.tsə/ (noun) — A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables.
- scare /skɛɚ/ (verb) — To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
- persona /pɝˈsoʊnə/ (noun) — A social role.
- disaster /dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ (noun) — An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent…
- discover /dɪˈskʌvə/ (verb) — To find or learn something for the first time.
- purely /ˈpjʊɹli/ (adverb) — Wholly; really, completely.
- spam /spæm/ (noun) — Any undesired electronic content automatically generated for commercial purposes.
- subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/ (verb) — To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
- notify /ˈnoʊtɪfaɪ/ (verb) — To give (someone) notice (of some event).
- transcript /ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/ (noun) — Something which has been transcribed; a writing or composition consisting of the same words as the original; a written copy.
- resemblance /ɹəˈzɛmbləns/ (noun) — The quality or state of resembling.
- mesa /ˈmeɪ.sə/ (noun) — A flat area of land or plateau higher than other land, with one or more clifflike edges.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- break into (verb) — To enter illegally or by force, especially in order to commit a crime.
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: coincidental /ˈkəʊ.ɪn.sɪˌdɛn.tl̩/, curiosa /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈoʊ.sə/
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 curious, perry, elephant.
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.






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