Shadowing Practice: Small Talk at the Office Coffee Machine - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Morning, Helen! Did you have a nice weekend?
2
Yes, thanks! I went to the beach with my sister.
3
The beach? In October? Wasn't it cold?
4
Very cold! But we had hot chips, so it was fine.
5
What about you, Ben? What did you do?
6
Not much. It rained all weekend, so I stayed at home.
7
Oh, that's a shame. Well, it's sunny today.
8
Yes, and it's warmer than yesterday, too!
9
Ugh, the coffee machine isn't working again!
10
Really? It broke last Monday, too!
11
What should I do? Press the red button?
12
Hmm, I'm not sure... Try turning it off and on.
13
Wow, it works! Hot coffee at last!
14
Um, excuse me. Can I make a coffee here, too?
15
Of course! Are you new here?
16
Yes, today's my first day. I'm Anna, from marketing.
17
Welcome, Anna! I'm Ben, and this is Helen.
18
So, how is your first day going?
19
Oh, a bit scary. It's much bigger than my old office.
20
Don't worry. Everyone here is really friendly.
21
Except the coffee machine. It hates everyone!
22
Ha! Thanks, that's good to know.
23
Hey, why don't we all have lunch together?
24
Great idea! There's a new pizza place near the station.
25
Is it expensive? I didn't bring much money.
26
Don't worry, it's cheaper than the café downstairs.
27
Okay, so lunch at half past twelve. Don't be late!
28
I won't! Thank you both so much.
29
And I'll bring my coffee, just in case!
📺 Same Channel
A11,010
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1854
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1560
Fruit at the Market
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2438
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1333
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2300
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
A2166
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1119
Meeting My New Neighbour
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1151
Breakfast Time
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A167
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1107
How Much Is This Bag?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C1193
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1107
First Day at a New Job
British AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
A2140
Buying a Train Ticket to Bath
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B286
Talking to a Neighbour About the Noise
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A196
Ordering Coffee at a London Café
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A246
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
A171
At the Bakery: Buying Bread
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1129
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
B2250
B2 Shadowing practice A nervous first dat a a new job
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
A17
29 sentences
My New Job: Hello, I'm the New Assistant
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A213
58 sentences
Talking about Work in English 💼 Beginner English listening practice Level A2
British AccentBusiness EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A26
64 sentences
Business Partner A2 5 4 1
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B14
341 sentences
Workplace Small Talk and Coffee Breaks | How to Network Naturally in English | A1-B1 ESL
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A210
34 sentences
English Conversation Practice - Elevator Small Talk
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B17
135 sentences
Shadowing 30+ Daily English Phrases with Native Speaker — British Accent Modern RP Practice
British AccentBusiness EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
A26
34 sentences
AEF 2.3 - In the New York Office
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
398 sentences
第一次參加公司 Happy Hour，大家都在聊天，只有我不知道該站哪裡｜Real Life Office English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A21
234 sentences
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 1 | Elementary | Easy English Podcast For Beginners
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
350 sentences
Which Coffee Personality Are You? | Fun English Listening Practice
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A26
237 sentences
English At Work | Improve Your English | English Listening Skills - Speaking Skills
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Small Talk at the Office Coffee Machine”. This video has 29 sentences and 238 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:02. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 14 of its 29 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | 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. |
| scary adjective | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | Causing fear or anxiety |
| twelve noun | /twɛlv/ | A group of twelve items. |
| chip noun | /t͡ʃɪp/ | A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material. |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| downstairs adverb | /daʊnˈstɛɹz/ | Down the stairs. |
| lunch noun | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ | A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. |
| friendly adjective | /ˈfɹɛnd.li/ | Generally warm, approachable and easy to relate with in character. |
| button noun | /ˈbʌtən/ | A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener. |
| excuse verb | /ɪksˈkjuz/ | To forgive; to pardon; to overlook. |
| shame noun | /ˈʃeɪ̯m/ | An uncomfortable or painful feeling due to recognition or consciousness of one's own impropriety or dishonor, or something being exposed that should have been… |
| coffee noun | /ˈkɑfi/ | A beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water. |
| weekend noun | /ˈwiˌkɛnd/ | The break in the working week, usually two days including the traditional holy or sabbath day. Thus in Western countries, Saturday and Sunday. |
| beach noun | /ˈbiːt͡ʃ/ | The shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly. |
| machine noun | /məˈʃiːn/ | A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Did you have a nice weekend?
- What did you do?
- What should I do?
- Can I make a coffee here, too?
- Hey, why don't we all have lunch together?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shame /ˈʃeɪ̯m/, machine /məˈʃiːn/, station /ˈsteɪʃən/
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 pizza, scary, twelve.
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.