Shadowing Practice: Speak English with Confidence | Easy Conversations for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello!
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Welcome to Learn English Through Story.
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In today's video, we'll go through five short English dialogues to help you practice your listening.
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Then, we'll work on speaking.
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You'll take one of the roles and say the lines out loud.
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Have fun and enjoy learning.
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Dialogue 1 Hi, I'm Tom.
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How are you?
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Hi, Tom.
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I'm good.
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My name's Sonia.
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Do you live here in the city?
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Yes, I live in the downtown.
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How about you?
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I live in the north part of the city.
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By the way, your English is really good, Sonia.
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Thanks.
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Where did you learn such good English?
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I'm taking an English course here in the city.
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I started three months ago.
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Do you have English class every day?
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No, not every day.
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The course is three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Where are you going now, Sonja?
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I'm going to the gym.
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I want to work out for one or two hours.
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Wow, two hours is a lot.
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I really enjoy fitness.
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Two hours is no problem for me.
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I even like long workouts.
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How long have you been living here, Sonia?
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I've been living here for a year.
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I moved here last March.
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What are you doing at the moment?
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Right now, I'm mainly learning English.
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It takes a lot of time.
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After that, I want to study at university.
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That's great.
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I also studied here.
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What do you want to study?
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I want to study medicine.
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After that, I want to work as a doctor.
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I have to get off now.
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It was nice meeting you.
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Same here.
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See you around.
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Dialogue 2.
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What did you do today, Paul?
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I was really busy today, so I'm a bit tired.
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Tell me about it.
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What kept you busy?
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I worked in the office all day.
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I was on the phone with a lot of clients.
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It was exhausting.
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Were there any problems?
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No, no problems.
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I just had a lot of new orders.
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What else did you do today?
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I went grocery shopping.
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What did you buy?
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I bought a lot of vegetables and fruit.
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I love vegetables. Do you like cooking?
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Yes, I cook almost every day.
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I usually eat healthy, fresh food.
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What do you cook, for example?
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I like to cook Italian dishes.
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Sometimes I also cook German food.
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I also love Italian food.
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My favorite is pasta.
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Me too.
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I especially like homemade pasta.
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Do you make the pasta yourself?
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Yes.
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Sometimes I make the pasta at home.
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Isn't it hard?
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Yeah, a bit.
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It definitely takes a lot of time.
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Then invite me over for some homemade pasta sometime.
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Dialogue 3.
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Dr. Martin's office.
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Hello.
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Hi.
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My name is Sarah Miller.
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I'd like to make an appointment with doctor.
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Are you a patient here?
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No, not yet.
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All right.
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No problem.
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Are you privately or publicly insured?
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I'm publicly insured.
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Do you need my insurance number?
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No, that's fine.
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Are you sick?
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I mean, are you contagious?
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I've had a cold, a headache and a cough since yesterday, but no fever.
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I think I just have a regular cold.
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When can you come in?
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I'm free today and tomorrow.
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I'm not going to work.
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You can come today at 2.30 p.m.
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Thanks a lot.
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Dialogue 4.
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Hi Susan, how are you?
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Hey Fabienne, I'm great.
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How about you?
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I'm doing pretty well.
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Do you have time this afternoon?
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Unfortunately not.
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I'm meeting my mom and grandma this afternoon.
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What time are you meeting them?
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I'm meeting them at 3.30.
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How about we meet at 2 p.m.?
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That doesn't work for me.
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I have a dentist appointment at 2 p.m.
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Too bad.
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How about later, around 5 p.m.?
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Do you have time then?
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Yes, sure.
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You can pick me up at my grandma's.
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Sounds good.
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Just send me the address.
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Dialogue 5 I'm so hungry, but I don't feel like cooking.
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I can't cook right now either.
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I still have some work to finish.
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Well, I'll just eat some bread.
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The bread is gone.
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We need to buy more.
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Then I'll just order some food.
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Do you want anything?
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No thanks.
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I'm not hungry yet.
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I think I'll order some Indian food.
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Maybe chicken tikka masala?
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I'm in the mood for that.
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Hi, I'd like to place an order.
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Namaste.
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What would you like to order?
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One chicken tikka masala, please.
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Medium spicy, please.
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Okay, anything else?
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Dessert or a drink?
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Do you have that Indian bread that looks like a balloon?
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You mean our Batura bread?
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Yes, that's the one Sure, where should we deliver it to?
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25 Lincoln Street, please My name is Anna Green Great,
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the food will be there in about 30 minutes Perfect, I'll pay when it arrives Yes,
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exactly Enjoy your meal Thanks Wow, they delivered right on time and the food is really good.
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Now I'm getting hungry too.
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Hi, I'm Tom.
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How are you?
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Do you live here in the city?
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I live in the north part of the city.
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By the way, your English is really good, Sonia.
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Thanks.
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Where did you learn such good English?
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Do you have English class every day?
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Where are you going now, Sonia?
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Wow, two hours is a lot!
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How long have you been living here, Sonia?
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What are you doing at the moment?
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I have to get off now.
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It was
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nice meeting you.
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What did you do today, Paul?
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Tell me about it.
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What kept you busy? Were there any problems?
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What else did you do today?
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What did you buy?
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Do you like cooking?
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What do you cook, for example?
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I also love Italian food.
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My favorite is pasta.
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Do you make the pasta yourself?
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Isn't it hard?
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then invite me over for some homemade pasta sometime.
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Dialogue 3.
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Dr. Martin's office, hello.
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Are you a patient here?
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Alright, no problem.
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Are you privately or publicly insured?
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No, that's fine.
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Are you sick?
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I mean, are you contagious?
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When can you come in?
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You can come today at 2.30pm.
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Dialogue 4.
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Hi Susan, how are you?
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I'm doing pretty well.
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Do you have time this afternoon?
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What time are you meeting them?
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That doesn't work for me.
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I have a dentist appointment at 2 p.m.
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Do you have time then?
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Sounds good.
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Just send me the address.
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Dialogue 5.
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I can't cook right now either.
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I still have some work to finish.
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The bread is gone.
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We need to buy more.
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No thanks, I'm not hungry yet.
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Namaste.
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Namaste.
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What would you like to order?
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Okay.
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Anything else?
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Dessert or a drink?
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You mean our Batura bread?
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Yes, that's the one.
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Sure, where should we deliver it to?
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Great, the food will be there in about 30 minutes.
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Yes, exactly.
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Enjoy your meal?
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Now I'm getting hungry too.
About This Lesson
Welcome to today's English learning session focused on practical conversations for beginners. In this lesson, you will engage with five short dialogues designed to enhance your listening and speaking skills. You will practice real-life interactions that will help you navigate social situations in English. By taking on different roles in the dialogues, you will not only improve your vocabulary but also boost your confidence in speaking. As you immerse yourself in these conversations, remember to focus on improving your English pronunciation and mastering the rhythm of natural speech.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- How are you? - A common greeting.
- I live in... - Useful for sharing where you reside.
- My name's... - A straightforward way to introduce yourself.
- Where did you learn... - A great question to learn about someone's background.
- I'm going to... - Helpful for discussing plans or intentions.
- Nice to meet you! - A polite phrase for introducing yourself.
- What do you want to study? - An engaging question to learn about aspirations.
- See you around! - A friendly way to say goodbye.
Practice Tips
To fully benefit from this lesson, we recommend using the shadowing technique. As you listen to each dialogue, try to shadow speak by mimicking the speakers immediately after you hear them. This not only improves your English pronunciation but also enhances your listening comprehension and speech fluency. Here are some specific tips for this exercise:
- Listen carefully: Pay attention to the rhythm and intonation of the dialogues. Aim to match the speaker’s tone and pace.
- Break it down: If a dialogue feels too fast, replay it and repeat just a few lines at a time before attempting the full dialogue.
- Record yourself: Use your phone or another recording device to capture your speech. Listening to your own voice can help identify areas for improvement.
- Practice in pairs: If possible, find a partner to practice with. Alternating roles will enhance your conversational skills and make it easier to adapt to different contexts.
- Use shadowspeaks: By imitating the speaker, you’re implementing the shadowing technique, which is particularly effective for internalizing new vocabulary and expressions.
With consistent practice, you will develop a more natural and confident speaking style. Enjoy the learning process and make each dialogue a stepping stone toward mastering English!
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.