Shadowing Practice: Stepmom Hates Me Coz I'm WAY Prettier Than Her - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hi there!

I'm Sol from San Francisco.

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When I was only two, Mom left Dad because his business was failing miserably, and she didn't want to be with someone poor.

But growing up, Dad adored me and made sure I had everything.

But over the next few years, he turned really lucky and his business was booming again.

And just like that, we were richer than ever.

big mansion fancy cars and butlers on my fourth birthday Dad said he had a big surprise for me, and I was super excited for it.

But then he introduced me to his girlfriend, Linda.

Aww, Saul, you're adorable, baby girl!

Ew, she was so weird!

But very soon I discovered that she was a witch too!

The second Dad would turn his back, she would go all crazy on me.

You look like a filthy boy from a slum.

And what's with your ugly hair?

Ew.

But Dad wouldn't listen to a word against her.

He was so blindly in love.

Soon after they got married, and the first thing Linda did was transfer all of Dad's money to her name.

A year later, she gave birth to Tanya, who was the cutest, but slowly, Linda started revealing her real face to Dad, too.

One day, while Dad was getting ready for a business trip, Linda went all bonkers on him.

"I have a night out with my friends, and you want me to take these good -for -nothing kids with me?

You better stay home and do it yourself." "Don't talk to me like you're my boss.

It's because of me that you get to enjoy all these luxuries." I work hard, and I feed everyone here, so don't give me that attitude.

Oh?

Who says I'm not the boss?

Saying that, she threw the property papers in his face and asked him to leave her house.

This was crazy!

But what dad did was even crazier.

He left us.

Forever.

And I had to put up with my witchy stepmom.

Now, Linda would spend all of Dad's money on shopping and her parties all day long, and not even care about Tanya.

So, I made sure to look after her, and over time, we grew quite close.

One day, Tanya fell sick, and I asked Linda to go get her some medicine.

But when she came back, her hands were full of shopping bags.

And worse, she didn't get the medicine.

Seriously, Linda?

I can't believe you're doing this to your own daughter now!

Okay, I forgot.

What's the big deal anyway?

It's just a fever.

It'll go away on its own.

But the important thing is...

What will I wear for tomorrow's party?

Whoa, this woman was something!

Years passed and Tanya started going to school with me, but I was concerned about her grades.

So I went to her room to help her with the upcoming tests, but Linda didn't seem happy about it.

Why are you trying to make her a geek like you?

Isn't it enough that she has the biggest glasses on her nose?

For God's sake, let her be like me.

Growing up and finding a rich husband, that's what smart women do.

Ugh, she was horrible!

And Tanya was nothing like her so I made sure to help her when Linda wasn't around.

Then one snowy evening, I thought Tanya was outside having snow fights with the neighborhood kids, But what I saw left me shocked.

I realized all the kids had ganged up on her and were throwing snowballs at her face.

Take this, loser!

OMG, he was so done!

I ran out and picked up a huge chunk of snow and throw it at him.

Don't you dare hurt my sister, dummy!

I chased all the stupid kids away and took Tanya inside.

A few moments later, Linda walked in, and I told her all about it.

So, what should I do?

And what did you expect, really?

Of course kids are gonna bully her for looking like a loser nerd.

Linda, are you crazy?

You're her mother. Do something!

You want me to do something?

Fine.

From today, she won't go to school and anywhere outside.

And then there'll be no more problems.

What?

How could she do that?

Tanya ran up to her room in tears and I went after her.

Don't worry, little sis.

I'll get you out of here. But how?

She'd ground me forever if she finds out.

Well, then she will never find out.

That's when an idea hit me.

If I kept Linda distracted, she wouldn't care about us.

I swapped Linda's shampoo with green dye, and the next morning, she looked like the freaking Grinch as she ran to the salon in her bathrobe.

Tanya and I laughed our butts off and headed off to school.

I'd find more ways to keep Linda busy.

Later that day, when I went to the school cafeteria to have lunch with Tanya, She didn't show up for quite some time.

Just then, I heard someone crying from under the table.

I bent down and saw Tanya!

Hey, what's wrong?

Why are you crying?

Come on out.

That boy, that cherry, he took my glasses and pushed me.

I couldn't see anything and everyone started laughing. So...

I hid here.

Oh god.

I marched straight to the boys table and pulled him up by his shirt.

Let me show you who the real gangster is, kid!

Whoa!

Easy, easy, please.

What's wrong?

I turned around to see Sebastian, a new student who had just joined my class.

100

This guy has been bullying my little sister, and I'm here to teach him a lesson.

101

OMG, I'm so sorry.

102

He's my younger brother, and I'll make sure to teach him better.

103

"I promise, he won't do it again." He immediately grabbed the glasses from his little brother's hand and put them on Tanya.

104

Well, that was sweet.

105

Later during class, he apologized to me again and I kind of felt I was too harsh with his brother.

106

"Hey, listen, it's just that I'm too attached to Tanya.

107

I feel more like a mom to her, so I couldn't see her crying and..." It's alright.

108

I totally understand.

109

Turns out, he and his brother were a lot like us.

110

Their mother passed away long ago, and their dad was always away for work.

111

And that connected us instantly.

112

He also suggested that we all go sledding in the evening, so that our siblings could get along.

113

It sounded like a great idea, and the four of us actually had a lot of fun together that evening.

114

But as soon as we reached home, I was shocked to find Linda all flared up pranks on me?

115

Well, now it's my turn.

116

Tanya, you're grounded forever.

117

No school, no friends, and finally...

118

No sister!

119

'Cause Saul's moving to an orphanage right now!

120

What?

121

Why?

122

You can't do that!

123

"Mom, no!

124

Please don't say that!

125

She's my sister!

126

And your daughter !" No, she isn't.

127

Not anymore.

128

I have signed off the papers and gave up her guardianship.

129

Now she's an orphan.

130

So, pack up your bags and leave my house, Saul, before I kick you out.

131

No!

132

You can't make me leave!

133

I tried to fight her for Tanya's sake, but that evil witch made the guards throw my stuff out of the house, and now I had no other option but to leave the house and Tanya.

134

While I was leaving, Tanya kept screaming at me from the balcony.

135

"Please don't go, Sol!

136

What will I do without you?" It was hard for me to see her in tears, but I promised her I'd come back for her someday.

137

After that, I kept walking for hours until it started raining and I stopped at a restaurant.

138

Just then, the waitress came in and asked me what I wanted to eat.

139

Well, I don't have any money, so I'm afraid I won't be able to order anything.

140

But she sneaked me some hot chocolate from the counter and told me it was on her.

141

She seemed like a really nice lady and even asked me if I wanted a job.

142

A job?

143

That'll be great!

144

I didn't want to go to the orphanage, and this way I could earn some money too so I started working there as a waitress.

145

The lady also offered me a place to live, and I kind of felt like I'd found a new home.

146

Days passed, and I even learned some basic tailoring and designing from the old waitress.

147

Within a month, I was able to design beautiful dresses and sweatshirts out of old rugged clothes.

148

One day, while I was serving coffee to one of the customers, I accidentally spilled some over her dress.

149

Are you blind?

150

That's a designer piece!

151

She seemed really mad, so I said I'd get her something to wear.

152

I ran to the storage room where I had all my designs, and since I couldn't pick one for her, I carried them all to her.

153

Oh my god, these are amazing!

154

Who made them?

155

I did!

156

She looked awestruck by my talent and told me she was a world famous designer herself.

157

Her name was Angelica Martino, and then she offered me a job as a designer.

158

This was...

159

Freakin' awesome!

160

I couldn't believe my ears!

161

I took this opportunity and followed her to Italy and joined her massive company.

162

And within months, I was making more money than I'd expected.

163

Honestly, I was quite happy, but I always felt that there was something missing from my life.

164

Tanya, I told Angelica I wanted to visit San Francisco, but she wouldn't let me.

165

I can't let anyone go just like that.

166

We have business to do here.

167

And if you still want to go, you can.

168

But then I won't give you any credits for your designs, girl.

169

What?

170

Why had she turned into a Karen?

171

But I wasn't going to take that rubbish from her.

172

I stormed out of her office taking all my savings

173

and cutting up all the designs I made for the company so they couldn't use them.

174

Yeah, and I could hear the witch Angelica's screams as far up as the plane.

175

As soon as I landed in the city, I crashed into someone I've never imagined.

176

Sebastian!

177

Saul, is that you?

178

Oh my god, I was so worried.

179

I had no idea where you'd gone.

180

Are you okay?

181

Suddenly, I burst into tears and told him everything that happened, and he asked me to move into his place with him and Jerry.

182

I said yes, and he took me to his huge mansion.

183

And seeing the brothers taking care of each other? made me think about Tanya even more.

184

So I went to see her the first thing in the morning with Sebastian, but I was super shocked to see her all alone.

185

She ran towards me as soon as she saw me and burst into tears.

186

Oh, Sol, where were you?

187

I missed you so much.

188

You said you'd come back for me, and I waited for you every single minute of every day.

189

I felt so lonely without you!

190

I missed you too, little sis.

191

I thought about you every single day and I'm so sorry that I made you wait for so long.

192

But now that I'm here, I promise I'm never gonna leave you alone.

193

And I'll make up for everything.

194

Then she told me that Linda had been living away with her rich boyfriend for months now

195

and she had left Tanya all by herself.

196

She was unbelievable.

197

I took Tanya with me to Sebastian's place

198

and I even filed a case against Linda for Tanya's custody and she happily gave it away to me.

199

Good riddance.

200

After that, I opened my own fashion store.

201

A few years later, Linda came back after getting dumped by her fraud boyfriend who took all her money and ran away.

202

I raised you all those years, so I deserve half of the money from your fashion store.

203

You can't say no. You didn't raise me, Linda.

204

You just threw me out of my own house like trash.

205

And now I'm returning the favor!

206

Yeah, Mom, I prefer to see you homeless because you're the worst mother on Earth.

207

Just get lost.

208

Oh, on second thought, why homeless when we can put her in jail?

209

The right place for terrible people like her.

210

We finally called the cops and filed a case against Linda.

211

We won and she was thrown in jail for years.

212

And Tanya and I lived happily ever after.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Stepmom Hates Me Coz I'm WAY Prettier Than Her”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Tanya, Linda, dad. This video has 212 sentences and 2147 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:41. The speaker talks fast, about 184 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 32 of its 212 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
waitress noun	/ˈweɪ.tɹɪs/	A female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar.
orphanage noun	/ˈɔː(ɹ)fənɪd͡ʒ/	A residential institution for the care and protection of orphans.
whoa	/woʊ/	Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.
loser noun	/luzɚ/	A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
mansion noun	/ˈmæn.ʃən/	A large luxurious house or building, usually built for the wealthy.
happily adverb	/ˈhæp.ə.li/	In a happy or cheerful manner; with happiness.
scream verb	/skɹiːm/	To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek.
burst verb	/bɜːst/	To break from internal pressure.
awestruck adjective		Filled or overcome with awe or wonder.
bathrobe noun	/ˈbæθ.ɹoʊb/	A robe usually made of terrycloth intended to be worn when one is still damp from bathing or when there is no immediate need to dress fully.
blindly adverb	/ˈblaɪndli/	In a blind manner; without sight.
bonkers adjective	/ˈbɑŋkɚz/	Mad; crazy.
cafeteria noun	/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/	A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
guardianship noun		The office or position of one acting as a guardian or conservator, especially in a legal capacity.
miserably adverb		In a miserable manner.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come back verb	To return to a place.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.
grow up verb	To mature and become an adult.
cut up verb	To cut upward.
get along verb	To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble.
give up verb	To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
pass away verb	To die.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.

Sentences worth repeating

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

And what's with your ugly hair?
Who says I'm not the boss?
What's the big deal anyway?
What will I wear for tomorrow's party?
You want me to do something?

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 concerned · was shocked · was thrown
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have signed · I've never imagined
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was failing · was booming · was getting
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	started revealing · started laughing · kept screaming

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bathrobe /ˈbæθ.ɹoʊb/, filthy /ˈfɪlθi/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: mansion /ˈmæn.ʃən/, shampoo /ʃæmˈpuː/, rubbish /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: cafeteria /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/, adorable /əˈdoɹ.əˌbəl/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/

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 waitress, orphanage, whoa.

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: Stepmom Hates Me Coz I'm WAY Prettier Than Her - 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?