Shadowing Practice: #Slow #English #Listening for #Beginners (A1-A2) - From My Window - Ep. 24 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hello and welcome to this slow English listening for beginners.
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Today's topic is from my window.
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After the story, I will ask you some questions to check on your understanding.
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Don't worry if you don't understand everything.
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Just focus on the key information. Are you ready?
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Let's begin.
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I live in a small town near Palermo in Sicily.
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My house is old, but I love it.
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It belonged to my grandmother and I have lived there for 15 years now.
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From my window, I can see many things.
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First, I can see a small garden.
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In my garden, there are three lemon trees.
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The lemons are big and yellow.
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I use them to make limoncello, a special Italian drink.
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I also grow tomatoes, basil and rosemary.
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In spring, I plant beautiful red flowers.
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Their name in Italian is gerani, geraniums in English.
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Next to my garden, there's a little square.
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In Italy, they call it piazza.
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In the morning, many people come to the square.
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Old men sit on benches and talk about politics, football, and the weather.
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They drink espresso from small cups.
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Children play with balls and ride bicycles.
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Sometimes there is a man who sells fruit and vegetables from his truck.
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His name is Giuseppe and he comes every Tuesday and Friday.
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He has the best oranges in town.
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I can also see a church.
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It is old, maybe 300 years old.
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The church has a big clock tower.
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Every hour the bell rings.
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I can hear it clearly from my window.
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On Sunday mornings, many people go to church.
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They wear nice clothes and carry prayer books.
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After church, they often stop at a small cafe for coffee or ice cream.
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Behind the church, I can see the mountains.
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They are beautiful, especially at sunset when they look red and orange.
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In the winter, sometimes there is snow on the top of the mountains.
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In summer, they look dry and brown.
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Many people from town go hiking on these mountains on weekends.
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In the distance, I can see some houses.
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They are all different colors.
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White, yellow, pink, and blue.
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Many houses have flowers on their balconies.
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Some have small vegetable gardens on their roof.
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This is typical in Sicily.
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Most houses have satellite dishes for television.
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At night, I can see the lights in the windows.
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When it's summer, I can see the sea.
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It's far, but on clear days, I can see the blue water shining in the sun.
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Sometimes I can even see small boats.
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In July and August, many tourists come to our beaches.
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They swim, sunbathe, and eat ice cream.
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The water is warm and clean.
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I love sitting by my window in the morning with a cup of coffee.
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I watch people go to work or school.
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I see my neighbors walking their dogs.
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Sometimes my neighbor Maria waves from her window across the street.
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She is an old lady,
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maybe 80 years old, and she makes the best cannoli in town.
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Maria has a cat named Luna.
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Luna is black and white.
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She likes to sit on Maria's windowsill and watch the birds.
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Sometimes Sometimes I see other animals too.
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Dogs, birds, and occasionally a fox that comes from the mountains at night.
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The weather in my town is usually warm.
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In summer it's hot, sometimes 40 degrees Celsius.
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I keep my windows open at night to catch the cool breeze from the sea.
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In winter it rains a lot, but it rarely snows.
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When it does snow, all the children play in the square and build snowmen.
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Across the square there's a small shop that sells bread.
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The baker, Antonio, starts work very early at four o'clock in the morning.
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I can smell the fresh bread when I open my window.
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Next to the baker, there is a pharmacy and a small supermarket.
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On Saturdays, there is a market in the square.
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People sell clothes, shoes, bags,
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and local products like cheese, olive oil, and honey.
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It's very busy and noisy.
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I like to buy fresh cheese and olives from the market.
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Sometimes I buy flowers for my house too.
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Near my house, there is a primary school.
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I can hear the children playing in the schoolyard during their break time.
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They laugh and shout and play games.
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The school bell rings at 8.30 in the morning and again at 1.30 in the afternoon when school finishes.
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In the evening, young people meet in the square.
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They talk, they laugh, and they eat ice cream.
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In summer, there are often small concerts or festivals in the square.
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People play traditional Sicilian music and dance.
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From my window, I can also see the bus stop.
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The bus comes four times a day.
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In the morning, at noon, in the afternoon, and in the evening.
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It goes to Palermo, the big city.
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Many people take this bus to go to work or to go shopping.
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At night, the town is quiet.
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I can see the stars and sometimes the moon from my window.
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The street lights make the square look magical.
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Sometimes I hear music from a small restaurant near the church.
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People eat dinner there, drink wine, and enjoy the evening.
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In autumn, I see the leaves changing colors and falling from the trees.
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The mountains look beautiful with red, orange and yellow colors.
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People in my town collect mushrooms and chestnuts from the forest on the mountains.
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In my town, everybody knows everybody.
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When people pass by my window, they often say buongiorno, good morning,
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or buonasera, good evening to me.
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I like this friendly atmosphere.
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It makes me feel at home.
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my window is a connection to the world I see seasons change people come
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and go festivals and celebration I can see life happening in my small town and even though it's a small place
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there is always something interesting to see from my window.
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Now, let's check on your understanding.
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Answer these questions. Where do I live?
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I live in a small town near Palermo in Sicily.
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What do I grow in my garden?
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I have lemon trees, tomatoes, basil, rosemary and geraniums.
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How often does Giuseppe come to sell fruit and vegetables?
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He comes twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday.
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What can I see in the distance on clear days?
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I can see the sea and sometimes small boats.
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What happens in the square on Saturdays?
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There is a market where people sell clothes, shoes, bags and local products.
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Okay, if you have answered correctly to all the questions, you have done a good job.
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Keep working and see you next time.
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Bye-bye.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video, titled "#Slow #English #Listening for #Beginners (A1-A2) - From My Window - Ep. 24," provides an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the everyday English spoken in a small Sicilian town. Engaging with such content helps you practice speaking by enabling you to replicate the natural rhythms and patterns of spoken English, a technique often referred to as shadow speech or shadowspeaks. By listening to the narrator's clear pace and pronunciation, you can effectively utilize the shadowing technique to not only improve your vocabulary but also gain confidence in your speaking abilities. This video is perfect for beginners (A1-A2 level), as it focuses on familiar contexts and common life scenarios relevant to everyday conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Understanding grammar in context enhances your speaking skills significantly. In this video, there are several key structures and expressions that beginners can focus on:

  • I can see... – This structure emphasizes capability and observation, helping learners to express what they perceive from their surroundings.
  • There is/There are... – A useful structure to describe things in existence, as seen in phrases like "There is a church" or "There are three lemon trees." This helps with sentence formation relating to countable and uncountable nouns.
  • In the morning/On Sundays... – These expressions of time allow students to discuss routines and habitual actions, enriching their ability to communicate about daily schedules.
  • Many people come to... – This phrase is a great starting point for discussing community activities or events, facilitating conversation about culture and social life.

Common Pronunciation Traps

To enhance your English speaking skill set, it's crucial to pay attention to pronunciation. Several words and phrases in this video could present challenges:

  • Geraniums – The pronunciation of this flower's name can trip up learners. Focus on breaking it into syllables: ge-ra-nium.
  • Limoncello – This Italian beverage name combines smooth consonants and vowels, making it essential to practice slowly to grasp its flow: li-mon-chello.
  • Espresso – Many learners mistakenly pronounce this as "expresso." Ensure clarity by enunciating the initial 's' sound, emphasizing the correct Italian pronunciation.
  • Piazza – This term highlights the double 'z' sound, which can be tricky. It’s pronounced as 'pyaht-tsa', requiring practice to master the Italian influence.

Utilizing the shadowing technique with these key phrases and practice spots will undoubtedly improve English pronunciation. By repeating the phrases after the narrator, you can refine your accent and fluency, moving closer to proficiency.

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.