Shadowing Practice: SPEAK With Me in English [Conversation Lesson] - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What is the number one topic that they say you should not talk about in polite conversations?

Well, it's politics.

And what are we going to talk about today?

Politics.

I am going to teach you how to talk about politics in a polite way while still sharing your opinion.

Today's political lesson is inspired by these political pamphlets

that I have been receiving in the mail because it is election season here where I live.

And during today's lesson, you're going to be seeing some real life phrases that are actually used to talk about politics.

Plus at the end of today's lesson, you'll get a chance to practice talking about politics with me.

So pay attention so that you can speak at the end of today's lesson.

If you're new here, hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa .com.

And I have been teaching real life English

now for over 10 years to more than 7 million of you here on YouTube.

Thank you so much for learning English with me.

And to help you with today's lesson so that you can remember everything that you've learned,

I have created a free PDF worksheet that includes all of the phrases

and questions and sentences that you can use to talk politely about politics, but still share your opinion.

And to help you use these expressions, I have included a bonus.

This is a bonus speaking practice within the worksheet.

This will help you be able to speak and use what you've learned, not just hear it in your head and understand it,

but actually use it so that when you go out into the real world,

you will have all the expressions you need and you'll be able to express yourself.

So how can you get this PDF worksheet plus the bonus speaking practice? practice,

all you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address,

and voila, the PDF worksheet and bonus speaking practice will land in your email inbox for free.

This is my gift to you.

All right.

Are you ready to get started?

Let's do it.

The first expression that you can use to talk about politics is, I'm feeling really worried about,

I'm feeling really worried about this election.

I feel so important.

And what if the wrong person gets elected?

Terrible things are going to happen.

Well, this is a good way to express your opinion without being too specific, but you're opening the door to conversation.

Phrase number two is, I can't believe that.

Did you see that press conference last night?

I can't believe that he said that.

I can't believe how much attention this story is getting.

It's all over the news.

It just seems like a small thing when there's such bigger things going on in the world.

I can't believe that that's happening.

Phrase number three, did you hear that?

Did you hear that the city is finally redoing the elementary school?

It's about time.

Did you hear that they're planning to raise taxes next year?

I'm feeling really worried about that.

Here again, you are opening the conversation.

Did you hear this thing?

And maybe the other person will tell you their opinion as well.

After our next phrase, we'll take a look at these real pamphlets that I received in the mail.

Take a look at some vocabulary and you can see how clever the words are when politicians are advertising.

Phrase number four is, it turns out that...

Did you hear about that political scandal in the news?

It turns out that it's all true.

So here we're talking about the reality.

There was a scandal.

We didn't know if it was true or not, but it turns out that it was all true.

Or you might say, did you hear about that scandal in the news?

It turns out it was all made up by the media, which is also possible, right?

All right.

Now let's take a look at a couple phrases that are used in these pamphlets.

Now, I really don't know much about these politicians, so I'm not endorsing them.

We are learning from them, right?

So in this pamphlet, he uses a specific word here.

He says, we need an independent independent voice like Jamie's to take on the corrupt Washington DC insiders.

Do you hear this phrase to take on?

This phrasal verb is often used in a battle.

I'm going to take on my opponent.

Well here, this politician, he's actually a farmer, a former farmer.

He is going to battle and fight the people who are the real politicians, the insiders.

So he is positioning himself as someone who's going to fight against the system.

Let's keep listening.

Okay.

He will protect our mountain values.

So we have take on, protect.

and strengthen family farms like mine.

So we have take on, protect, strengthen.

These are all very fatherly terms.

I'm going to protect you.

I will help to strengthen you.

I'm going to take on your enemies.

And we have this nice picture here of him in a field.

It feels very relatable, right?

Well, I want to show you something very different.

These are two advertisements against this guy.

Now, I don't really know much about this guy, but his opponents sent these to me.

And in these, do you see how it's dark?

It's kind of moody.

He doesn't look like a good guy.

In this one, he's in a flower field.

He looks positive.

He's wearing a t -shirt.

He looks like a normal person, right?

And then here, dark, scary, evil.

Well, he's just a person, right?

But listen to this language.

He sold you out and made life more expensive.

This phrase to sell out someone means that you stop caring about helping them and you're only helping the other guys.

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So, his enemies, his political opponents are saying, he's not really caring about you.

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He's only caring about the system.

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He is going to tell you, I will help you, but really he's going to sell you out.

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That's a pretty good phrasal verb for political advertising.

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I want to tell you another one.

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There's a lot of good adjectives that come out of political advertising

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because they want to either really get you to vote for them

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or really get you to not vote for the other guy.

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So listen to this.

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Massive tax hikes.

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Taxes went way up.

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Massive tax hikes.

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The most expensive healthcare.

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Jacking up costs.

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So here it's not just that costs rose, but whoa, this phrase to To jack up means to go way higher,

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just through the roof, jacking up costs.

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We can't afford him.

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I mean, it's a pretty negative review here, but those are also his political opponents.

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So if you receive advertisements like this in the mail, I want you to be aware of the type of words

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that they are using to convince you that you should or shouldn't vote for that person.

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All right.

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All right.

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I am going to continue helping you with some phrases.

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Are you ready to go?

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Let's keep going.

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The next phrase to talk about politics in a polite, but opinionated way is, have you heard the latest about,

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have you heard the latest about the elections?

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I think he might win.

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Here we're talking about the latest news, but you don't even need to say the word news.

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Have you heard the latest about the election?

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It's crazy out there, man.

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Phrase number six is one that you can use to help introduce politics to a conversation in a kind of polite way.

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I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you heard what they're doing at the stadium?

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They're going to tear it down and build a totally new stadium on our tax dollars.

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What?

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But you are introducing your opinion by asking, is it okay that I talk about this?

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I hope you don't mind me asking, or I hope you don't mind me saying, and then you introduce your controversial topic.

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Number seven is I'm not trying to get too political, but have you seen how much gas prices have gone up?

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Well, gas prices don't seem like a political thing, but they always end up being a political thing.

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But if you want to talk about gas prices going up and you know it is a hot political topic, you can introduce it like this.

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I don't mean to get too political, but...

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And then you're probably going to get political, right?

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There's often not good political news, but if there happens to be, you could use this phrase.

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You'll be happy to know that they actually passed the bill to help the local school system.

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You'll be happy to know that, or you'll be happy to hear that.

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For me, I am someone who doesn't really pay attention to the news very much.

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And oftentimes when I go to my neighbor's house, she will tell me what's happening in the news.

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And I appreciate that.

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So if something by chance, once in a lifetime, good happens in the news, she could use this phrase, oh, Vanessa, you'll be happy to know

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that they're actually giving more money to the schools to help them have a better education.

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Finally.

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I like number nine a lot.

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It's this.

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I could be wrong, but I think that this new policy change is actually going to help us a lot.

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If you're someone like me who feels very skeptical about politics, they say, this is going to be great.

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This will help you so much.

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And in reality, It really never does, but.

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Maybe you actually have a little bit of hope for once and you say,

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I could be wrong, but I think this is actually going to help us a lot.

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What a surprise.

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But you can also use this phrase for negative things as well.

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You might say, I could be wrong, but I think that taxes are going up again.

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I hope I'm wrong.

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I could be wrong, but here you're introducing your opinion with this nice little introduction phrase.

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Number 10 is a common one for talking about politics and it's only one word.

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Apparently, we can use this for speculating.

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Listen to this.

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Apparently, the politician was getting money from that company.

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So that's why he voted for that policy.

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Juicy details.

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So here we're using this when we're not quite sure, but we think something's the case, apparently this was happening.

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And would you believe it?

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It's a scandal again, politics.

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I used this word last week because in my city,

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they're doing a big road rebuild and they're going to build a new bridge over the river.

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They're going to redo a bunch of highways.

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It is a huge project.

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And I saw a sign the other day that said, the new road project will be done in 2030.

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Okay.

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That's three years from now.

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So I came home and said, hey, Dan, apparently the road project is going to be done in only three years.

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Can you believe it?

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My voice was dripping in sarcasm because I do not believe that it will be done in three years.

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My guess is minimum eight years, maybe 10 years.

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I told my kids, when you are graduating from high school, they will still be working on this project.

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That was my prediction.

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So I use the word apparently.

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Apparently they think they're going to be done in three years.

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No way, right?

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All right.

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Now that you've learned these 10 phrases to talk about politics, share your opinion, but be polite.

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We're going to watch a sample conversation between

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Dan and I to talk about politics and using some of these expressions.

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And after our sample conversation, it's going to be your turn to speak.

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So make sure you pay attention and get ready.

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Let's watch.

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Hey, Vanessa.

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How you been lately?

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I'm really worried about the election.

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I'm not trying to get political, but it's all I can think about lately.

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Oh, yeah?

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I haven't been following the news too much lately.

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I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's making you feel so worried?

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Well, I've heard that taxes are going up again for small businesses like mine.

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Mmm, I heard about that.

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Apparently, they're higher than usual, too.

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I sure hope not.

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I can't believe how much attention this election is getting.

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I'll be glad when it's over.

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Me too.

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No more political discussions?

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Sounds like music to my ears.

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All right.

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Now it is your turn to speak.

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How this works is I am going to ask you a question and I have these magical teacher ears.

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I can hear you around the world no matter where you are.

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So I want you to speak out loud in the pause and use some of the expressions that you've learned today.

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If you need to pause this video, it's no problem.

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Pause it, think for a moment, and then you can speak and you're welcome to go over the section as many times as you want,

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just to get some speaking practice so that when you go out into the real world, you'll be ready.

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Are you ready?

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Let's do it.

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Hey there.

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Have you heard the latest about the election?

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Oh, okay, well I've just heard that the candidates are going to have another debate next week.

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Have you heard about it?

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Apparently a lot of people are going to watch it.

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Not to get too political, but do you keep up with the news and politics at all?

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Ah, thanks for sharing with me.

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I appreciate it.

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I'll talk to you the next time.

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Bye.

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Well, great work at practicing talking about politics with me.

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Now it's your chance to download the free PDF worksheet so that you never forget what you've learned.

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You can practice all of these phrases, take the quiz to see if you can actually use the phrases in their sentences,

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and you can download the free speaking practice so that you can use these words yourself,

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say them out loud, and be absolutely prepared for the real world.

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All you need to do to get the free worksheet is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address and voila,

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it will land in your email inbox.

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It is my gift to you.

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Well, thank you so much for taking on this controversial political topic today.

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I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.

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Bye.

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But wait, do you want more?

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I recommend watching this video next about a slightly less controversial topic, travel.

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You'll have the chance to practice speaking out loud with me to talk about your latest vacations

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and your dream vacations in the future.

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I'll see you there.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “SPEAK With Me in English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: phrase, politics, hear. This video has 247 sentences and 2510 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:27. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 39 of its 247 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
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
lesson noun	/ˈlɛs.ən/	A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
topic noun	/ˈtɑpɪk/	A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
introduce verb	/ˌɪntɹəˈdus/	To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else).
politician noun	/ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/	One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.
polite adjective	/pəˈlaɪt/	Well-mannered, civilized.
bonus noun	/ˈbəʊ.nəs/	Something extra that is good; an added benefit.
opponent noun	/əˈpəʊ.nənt/	One who opposes another; one who works or takes a position against someone or something; one who attempts to stop the progress of someone or something.
scandal noun	/ˈskændəl/	An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
lately adverb	/ˈleɪt.li/	Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
controversial adjective	/ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/	Arousing or likely to arouse controversy.
strengthen verb	/ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/	To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify.
pause noun	/pɔːz/	A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
ear noun	/ˈɪə̯/	The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea.
vacation noun	/veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	An extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go up verb		To move upwards.
turn out verb		To end up; to result.
speak out verb		To assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
go over verb		To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.
keep up with verb		To manage to remain beside or just behind someone or something that is moving away from one.
make up verb	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	To constitute, to compose.
sell out verb		To sell all of a supply or stock of something.

Sentences worth repeating

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

Are you ready to get started?
Did you see that press conference last night?
Phrase number three, did you hear that?
Did you hear that they're planning to raise taxes next year?
Did you hear this thing?

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	have been receiving · have been teaching · haven't been following
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've learned · have created · have included
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is inspired · will be done · be done
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	media, which is · people who are · someone who doesn

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 74 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, fatherly /ˈfɑðɚli/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, prediction /pɹɪˈdɪkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/, advertisement /ˈædvɚˌtaɪzmənt/, elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, 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.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrase, lesson, topic.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: SPEAK With Me in English [Conversation Lesson] - Learn English Speaking with Video

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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?

2 Tips For Improving Your Listening Skills