Shadowing Practice: Spend a Day With Me in the English Countryside 🇬🇧 | Learn Real English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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If you can understand this video,
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then you can understand real British English.
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I'm going to take you on a normal day in England with me.
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There'll be no script, no deliberate slow speaking.
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So if you can understand this video,
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then that's a very good sign for your English.
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I am currently out on a beautiful walk,
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and I can't wait to bring you out and show you the beautiful English countryside with me.
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However, this is not, unfortunately,
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how I started my day.
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I wish I had got out earlier, but I didn't.
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So let me take you back to the beginning.
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Good morning.
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It is 7.30 and as usual,
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we are running a bit late.
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that is a useful expression to have to be running a bit late
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so I have just dropped the kids off at nursery to drop off is a very common phrasal verb
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that you will use lots if you have children I have come to a local supermarket
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that is just around the corner from my children's nursery it's called Tesco
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and I will show you in a moment it's a very common British supermarket
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that you can find pretty much everywhere
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because I need to pick up a few bits
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and bobs a few of the essentials like milk
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and bread I will take you in briefly with me
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if you haven't seen a British supermarket then You are in for a treat.
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It's not that exciting.
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Here's one of the aisles,
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which is a useful word to know for supermarkets.
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It was much quieter than usual because it was early morning.
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I am driving back home from the supermarket.
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So sorry, I can't look at you.
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I must keep my eyes on the road for safety.
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So I picked up some bread and some milk and I also got some...
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Well, I don't know if these exist for other places,
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but they're very popular here around Easter.
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They're called hot cross bunks nursery where my children go to is about 15 minutes drive
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So it's not too bad in the mornings.
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I left a little bit later today Finally,
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it is time to make a coffee.
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We have our lovely a lovely coffee set up here,
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where yes, we do grind the beans and I was a skeptic
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about this at first but actually my husband was absolutely right.
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It makes a huge difference to how the coffee tastes.
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I'm gonna make myself some breakfast and then I will be able to crack on with the day.
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Thankfully the weather is brightening up slightly
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so hopefully by the time I take you out for a walk later it will still be a bit sunny, fingers crossed.
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Often I come out and have my coffee in the garden.
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I find it can be the best way to lift your mood so I recommend it.
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We are in my study and before I take you out to see the beautiful English countryside for a walk,
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I have some editing to do and I have some lessons to teach.
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If you are interested in online lessons with me or for my courses that are coming soon,
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details are below.
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And now for one of my favourite parts of the day,
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getting out for a beautiful walk.
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And this time I'm going to take you with me.
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it is just that time of year
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when the bluebells are starting to come out in the UK
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and it is just beautiful although they're not out properly yet
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when they're out fully
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which will be in a few weeks time they will just carpet the woods in fact
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if I find a picture I will put it up for what they're normally like we're at
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that stage where the bluebells are just starting to come out
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but they're not quite there yet but it's one of my favorite times
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because the days are getting longer now in the UK we get really short days in winter
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and it is very depressing so the days are getting longer
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because the clocks have changed and the trees are just starting to get their leaves through
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In a few weeks they'll have this amazing,
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really vibrant, luminous green which is just beautiful.
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I predominantly work from home because I tutor.
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I mean I do work in other places too but because of that,
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tutoring, editing, building courses, I spend most of the day cooped up in the study.
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and I get quite badly what we call cabin fever.
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So I get something called cabin fever,
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which means I feel like I need to just get out.
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So every day I get out for a walk and we are lucky enough that now we live in the countryside.
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As some of you know I used to live in London,
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well we used to live in London for a long time actually for over a decade
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and we just moved back near to where I grew up which is in the countryside about nine months ago.
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Yes it's a new change but I'm absolutely loving it because it's so peaceful Just listen,
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listen to the birds and just this view.
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I mean, and there are loads of walks like that.
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I don't know if you can see again the bluebells behind me.
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I do miss London.
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I miss, you know, I lived there for over 10 years.
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I miss the sort of,
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the buzzing nature of a big city,
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even though it can be a bit chaotic.
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But also, I was thinking about this the other day.
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It was the period before I had children.
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And any of you who are parents to young children or parents at all, maybe this resonates.
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You know, life was very different before they arrived.
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There we go, more beautiful bluebells behind me there.
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Both for the better and worse,
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you know, it's, as you'll know, there's nothing more fulfilling.
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I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old and they just light up my entire world.
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But life just is different,
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you know, it's not as free.
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I think I was a bit naive when I was pregnant with my daughter
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because I fell into that trap that I think a lot of people do,
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thinking, oh, life won't be that different.
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Everyone overstates and exaggerates how much life changes.
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We'll be that couple who just,
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you know, puts the baby on our front and goes to a music festival.
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And now I just laugh at the naivety.
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But so yes, London, for me,
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represents a different period of life,
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a period where we could eat out at a restaurant,
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any night we wanted to or go to the cinema or go to a gallery or a West End show.
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We could go on a mini break in a faraway city on a whim,
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spur of the moment spontaneously.
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But yes this is one of my favourite parts of the day,
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getting out for a beautiful walk and if this is something
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that you really enjoy let me know because I can make more of these,
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these sort of videos where you spend the day with me and I will invest in better equipment.
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The sun is coming out,
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sit back and enjoy while I show you some of the beauty of the surrounding landscape
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and I will see you when we get back home again.
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And if you are curious about how narrow British country lanes can be,
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then here we go.
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I hope you enjoyed that walk, I definitely enjoyed it.
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I am home now, so I need to make myself a quick bite to eat.
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I never have that heavy a lunch,
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I always have quite a light lunch,
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so I need to grab a quick bite to eat,
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maybe a cup of tea,
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and then I need to get on with the rest of my work this afternoon.
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So more editing and I have another lesson to teach.
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So exciting.
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And here is the hot cross bun that I mentioned.
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So it's very common in the UK around Easter time.
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And then of course a cup of tea.
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So I just finished my editing and lessons and I'm about to go and get the kiddos from nursery again.
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I thought we'd leave it there for today because the evenings can get completely chaotic with two kids under three.
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Now, you might have noticed this video that this wasn't slow textbook English.
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This is how people actually speak.
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A bit fast, a bit messy, at times unclear.
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So if it was difficult for you to understand at times,
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don't worry, that's completely normal.
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This sort of learning is actually one of the most effective ways of learning because it's real life.
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So don't worry if you didn't understand everything because that's actually how you improve.
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Not by memorising more rules but by hearing English like this more often.
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Obviously this was very different to my usual sort of videos where I'm just giving a lesson and talking.
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if you did prefer this please do let me know it's
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been quite different today making it it's a very different experience I've enjoyed it
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and if it's popular with you
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and you all enjoyed it I would happily happily do it again
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so please let me know and also then I will invest in the proper equipment
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because obviously you might have noticed from today I don't have it if you want to learn more daily English,
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real life English, not textbook English,
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then make sure you subscribe because this is the place for you.
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Make sure you have a look at all of my free PDFs
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that I offer as well as the courses and online lessons with me that are linked below.
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I loved bringing you with me on my day so as I said I'll be happy to do it again,
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let me know, I'll see you next time.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This engaging video titled "Spend a Day With Me in the English Countryside" provides a wonderful opportunity for english speaking practice. By following a day in a British person's life, you get to experience real-life conversation and everyday vocabulary in an unstructured and natural setting. The absence of a script means you hear genuine expressions and colloquialisms, which can greatly enhance your understanding of real British English.

Practicing your speaking skills by mimicking what you hear in the video can boost your confidence and fluency. Techniques like shadow speaking—where you repeat what the speaker says immediately after—can solidify your speaking skills while improving pronunciation. The informal context also allows you to learn about cultural nuances and daily expressions, making the process both educational and enjoyable.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Running a bit late: This phrase is commonly used to indicate that someone is delayed. It’s a useful expression to use when explaining a delay in various contexts.
  • To drop off: A versatile phrasal verb used frequently when referring to leaving someone or something at a place. For instance, "I just dropped the kids off at nursery."
  • Aisles: Knowing this term is essential when discussing stores. It refers to the passages in supermarkets where products are displayed.
  • To crack on: This informal expression means to continue persistently. It’s a great example of British vernacular you might encounter often.

Through these expressions, you'll unpack valuable grammar structures that will enhance your conversational skills. Try writing sentences using these phrases in your practice sessions, incorporating them into your daily life.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, you may encounter words and phrases that present challenges in pronunciation, particularly with dialects and accents unique to British English. Pay attention to the following:

  • Supermarket: Often spoken quickly, it can be pronounced as a single fluid word rather than in syllables.
  • Hot cross buns: Emphasizing the “hot” and recognizing the blending of sounds can be tricky.
  • Nursery: Note the soft “u” sound, which is distinct in British accents compared to American ones.

By focusing on these specific tricky words, you can improve your shadow speech skills. Repeating them out loud after the speaker can help you refine your accent and pronunciation, making your learning experience richer and more effective. Enjoy learning English with YouTube, and don’t forget to apply these practical tips in your daily practice!

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.

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