Shadowing Practice: Speak English Like Natives in 8 Days – Day 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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171 sentences

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and welcome to english natively today's short story takes you to

a lively birthday party in london packed with real life british

english you can use every day first listen to

the story no pausing no translating then practice party

and social phrases with shadowing repeat each sentence right after me to improve pronunciation finally learn the meanings

and usage of tricky words so you can use them in real life let's get started Sophie's Surprise Party

Sophie had just finished a long week at work.

It was Friday evening and she was looking forward to a quiet night in.

She'd already made herself a cup of tea and was curled up on the sofa when her phone buzzed.

It was a text from her friend Laura.

Pop round to mine

if you are free Just a few of us hanging out

Sophie thought about it for a moment Then decided it might be nice to be around people

20 minutes later She knocked on Laura's door Laura opened it with a huge smile And Sophie said

Thanks for having me.

Laura stepped aside and gestured towards the living room.

Make yourself at home, she said warmly.

As Sophie walked in, she looked around in surprise.

The living room was decorated with fairy lights, colourful balloons, and a big happy birthday banner.

I love what you've done with the place, she exclaimed.

Laura laughed.

It's actually for Ben.

He's just turned 30.

Sophie spotted Ben chatting with friends near the window and waved.

Laura pointed to the dining table, which was piled high with crisps, dips, mini sandwiches and cupcakes.

Help yourself to some snacks, she said.

Sophie took a plate and tried one of the mini quiches.

The food is to die for, she told Laura, genuinely impressed.

A few minutes later, Sophie noticed Laura's drink was nearly empty.

She picked up the bottle and asked, Do you want me to top up your drink?

Laura smiled and held out her glass.

then the music shifted to a lively pop song and Ben called out let's hit the dance floor

a few people laughed but soon everyone was moving to the rhythm in the middle of the room

After a couple of songs, Sophie decided to take a short break.

She spotted a group sitting on the sofa and asked, is this seat taken?

They shook their heads and she sat down chatting away about work and weekend plans.

Not long after, she felt a little peckish again.

She stood up and said to the group, I'm just going to grab a bite,

heading back to the table for another quiche and a slice of cake.

Hours passed without Sophie realising it.

When she finally picked up her coat, she turned to Laura and Ben.

I had such a blast tonight, she said.

Thanks for inviting me.

It was exactly what I needed after this week.

Laura hugged her.

Anytime Soph.

See you soon.

Shadowing phrases with quick explanations.

Pop round to mine.

An informal way to say, visit my home for a short time.

Mine here means my home.

Very common in British English.

In American English, you'd say, stop by or come over.

Often used as an invitation.

Now repeat after me.

Pop round to mine Pop round to mine

Thanks for having me A polite way to thank the host

when you arrive or leave works for both formal and casual gatherings Now repeat after me Thanks for having me

Thanks for having me.

I love what you've done with the place.

A friendly compliment about the decor or setup.

Now repeat after me.

I love what you've done with the place.

Help yourself to some snacks.

Common host phrase meaning take what you want, use to after help yourself, never with.

Now repeat after me Help yourself to some snacks Help yourself to some snacks

Do you want me to top up your drink?

In British English, top up means refill a glass In American English,

you'd hear REFILL YOUR DRINK.

Now repeat after me.

Do you want me to top up your drink?

let's hit the dance floor an energetic invitation to start dancing

let's plus verb is a friendly way to suggest doing something together

now repeat after me let's hit the dance floor Let's hit the dance floor.

Make yourself at home.

Host phrase meaning relax and act like you're in your own home.

Often followed by extra info like where the drinks are.

Now repeat after me.

Make yourself at home Make yourself at home

The food is to die for A strong compliment for food That tastes amazing Informal but very positive

Now repeat after me The food is to die for.

The food is to die for. Is this seat taken?

Polite way to ask if you can sit.

Softer alternatives.

Is anyone sitting here?

Or mind if I sit here?

Now repeat after me.

Is this seat taken? Is this seat taken?

I'm just gonna grab a bite.

Informal way to say you'll get a small amount of food.

Gonna is spoken form of going to.

Now repeat after me, I'm just gonna grab a bite, I'm just gonna grab a bite,

I had such a blast tonight,

very informal way to say you had a lot of fun,

great to use when saying goodbye at the end of an event.

Now repeat after me.

100

I had such a blast tonight.

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I had such a blast tonight.

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Vocabulary from the story.

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For more, check out our telegram.

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Link in the description.

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Curled up.

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Passed of curl up means to sit or lie with your body close together,

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usually to feel warm or comfortable, often used with places like on the sofa or by the fire.

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We use it for both people and animals.

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Examples She curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea.

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The cat curled up by the fireplace

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Hanging out Present continuous of hang out means spending time with someone in a relaxed,

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informal way not for work We often say hang out with someone

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or hang out at in a place Examples We're hanging out at Ben's place tonight.

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I love hanging out with my cousins on weekends.

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Spotted past of spot means to see or notice something or someone, often quickly or in a busy place.

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It can also mean noticing a small detail, like a mistake.

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Examples.

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I spotted Laura across the street.

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He spotted a mistake in the report.

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Quiches.

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Plural of quiche.

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A baked pie with a pastry crust filled with eggs,

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milk or cream, cheese and sometimes vegetables or meat.

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Examples They served mini quiches at the party.

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I bought a spinach quiche for lunch.

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Peckish Softer than hungry and used casually, usually comes after be or feel.

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Examples I'm feeling peckish.

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Let's get some snacks.

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He got peckish in the afternoon and made a sandwich.

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Now, let's listen to the story one more time and see how much more you understand.

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Sophie's Surprise Party Sophie had just finished a long week at work.

132

It was Friday evening and she was looking forward to a quiet night inn.

133

She'd already made herself a cup of tea and was curled up on the sofa when her phone buzzed.

134

It was a text from her friend Laura.

135

Pop round to mine if you're free.

136

Just a few of us hanging out.

137

Sophie thought about it for a moment, then decided it might be nice to be around people.

138

Thank you.

139

Twenty minutes later, she knocked on Laura's door.

140

Laura opened it with a huge smile and Sophie said, Thanks for having me.

141

Laura stepped aside and gestured towards the living room.

142

Make yourself at home, she said warmly.

143

As Sophie walked in, she looked around in surprise.

144

The living room was decorated with fairy lights, colourful balloons and a big happy birthday banner.

145

I love what you've done with the place, she exclaimed.

146

Laura laughed.

147

It's actually for Ben He's just turned 30 Sophie spotted Ben chatting with friends near the window and waved

148

Laura pointed to the dining table which was piled high with crisps,

149

dips, mini sandwiches and cupcakes Help yourself to some snacks,

150

she said Sophie took a plate and tried one of the mini quiches.

151

The food is to die for, she told Laura, genuinely impressed.

152

A few minutes later, Sophie noticed Laura's drink was nearly empty.

153

She picked up the bottle and asked, Do you want me to top up your drink?

154

Laura smiled and held out her glass.

155

Then the music shifted to a lively pop song and Ben called out, Let's hit the dance floor.

156

A few people laughed but soon everyone was moving to the rhythm in the middle of the room.

157

After a couple of songs, Sophie decided to take a short break.

158

She spotted a group sitting on the sofa and asked, Is this seat taken?

159

Then they shook their heads and she sat down, chatting away about work and weekend plans.

160

Not long after, she felt a little peckish again.

161

She stood up and said to the group,

162

I'm just gonna grab a bite heading back to the table for another quiche and a slice of cake

163

hours passed without Sophie realizing it when she finally picked up her coat she turned to Laura and Ben.

164

I had such a blast tonight, she said.

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Thanks for inviting me.

166

It was exactly what I needed after this week.

167

Laura hugged her.

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Anytime Soph, see you soon.

169

If you enjoyed this video make sure to hit the like button and subscribe for more British English lessons.

170

And remember, practice makes perfect, so keep listening, keep learning, and you'll sound more like a native Brit in no time.

171

See you in the next one.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Speak English Like Natives in 8 Days – Day 3”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Laura, Sophie, repeat, drink, quiche. This video has 171 sentences and 1657 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:21. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
snack noun	/snæk/	A light meal.
sofa noun	/ˈsoʊ̯fə/	An upholstered seat with a raised back and one or two raised ends, long enough to comfortably accommodate two or more people.
curl noun	/kɜɹl/	A curving piece or lock of hair; a ringlet.
mini adjective	/ˈmɪn.i/	Miniature, tiny, small.
blast noun	/blæst/	A violent gust of wind (in windy weather) or apparent wind (around a moving vehicle).
bite verb	/baɪt/	To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
informal adjective	/ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/	Not formal or ceremonious.
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
sandwich noun	/ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/	A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food.
lively adjective	/ˈlaɪv.li/	Full of life; energetic, vivacious.
shadow noun	/ˈʃædəʊ̯/	A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.
coat noun	/ˈkoʊ̯t/	An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
knock verb	/nɑk/	To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
shake verb	/ˈʃeɪk/	To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
invite verb	/ɪnˈvaɪt/	To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.
call out verb	To specify, especially in detail.
hold out verb	To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward.
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
sit down verb	To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
stand up verb	To rise from a lying or sitting position.
step aside verb	To move out of the way of somebody or something.
check out verb	To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).

Sentences worth repeating

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

I love what you've done with the place.
Do you want me to top up your drink?
I'm just gonna grab a bite.
Pop round to mine if you're free.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was curled · was decorated · was piled
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've done
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	table, which was · table which was
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was looking · was moving

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, gathering /ˈɡæð.ɚ.ɪŋ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/
Long words — get the stress right: invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/

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 snack, sofa, curl.

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 →

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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?