Shadowing Practice: Stop Saying “I Don’t Care” — Use These Fluent Phrases! - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Have you ever said, don't care in English and suddenly the conversation felt really awkward?
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Have you ever said, don't care in English and suddenly the conversation felt really awkward?
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Yeah, that's because in English, I don't care can sound cold, dismissive or even rude.
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But here's the deeper problem.
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You're translating your thoughts directly instead of thinking in English like a native speaker.
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Native speakers don't usually think, I don't care.
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Instead, they think, more specifically.
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This isn't my responsibility.
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I don't know enough about that.
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That's not my role.
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That's not my interest.
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And I'm going to teach you some more idiomatic phrases that we use in everyday real life conversation instead of I don't care.
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So today I'll teach you to think in English more precisely so you sound more natural, polite, confident, and of course, fluent.
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And a quick note, I made a free PDF study guide for this lesson with all the phrases, example sentences, and a practice session.
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You can download it below.
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The link is in the description and the pinned comment.
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And practice these until they feel automatic.
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And a quick tip, if you're serious about thinking in English, don't just watch.
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Write these phrases down.
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Use the PDF.
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You can download it.
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print it off, and you can also use a small notebook just for expressions like this so you can review them daily.
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I'm going to link to one of my favorite notebooks that I recommend if you'd like to check it out.
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Okay, let's start with the first phrase, one of my favorites.
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It comes from baseball.
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So if you're a baseball fan, this is a fun one.
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It's out of my league, like a baseball league.
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You know, we have an amateur and a professional league.
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So if we're talking about something that is a little too advanced for us, we would say it's out of my league.
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And we can say this jokingly, but it basically means that something is too advanced or beyond your knowledge or experience.
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And I thought of this phrase this morning while I was walking my dog with my neighbor and his dog.
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So we were out walking around and he told me that his sister just became an attorney.
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She just passed the bar exam, which is a difficult test that makes you officially able to practice law.
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So he then said, I don't really know how all that works.
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It's out of my league.
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And I thought that's a great phrase to talk about with you.
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So he said, Honestly, that's out of my league.
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I don't really understand how all that works.
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This is humble, natural, slightly informal.
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So whenever you feel like something is a bit beyond what you know, you can use this phrase.
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It's out of my league.
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And it can be used like kind of jokingly too.
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Or if you just don't want to talk about something, it's also a good phrase to know.
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Okay, another one that's above my pay grade.
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I also used this phrase this morning and I couldn't wait to share it with you.
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So I was talking to my neighbor and he told me that his boss wants him to start taking clients out to lunch, but he's not in sales or marketing.
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He's an engineer.
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So I said, that's kind of outside your job description.
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And he said, yeah, it's way above my pay grade.
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Meaning it's not part of his expected work.
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So he doesn't really want to do it.
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It's not part of his job and he's not a very social person.
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So he said, yeah, it's above my pay grade.
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It's a professional phrase, slightly playful and very natural.
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Another one that's used at work.
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or in professional situations a lot is, it's out of my wheelhouse.
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This is another idiom that comes from baseball.
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A wheelhouse is the zone where you can hit the best.
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So if something is out of your wheelhouse, it's not where you perform best.
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So out of my wheelhouse means it's not your area of expertise or something you're comfortable with.
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For example, technical SEO.
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is kind of out of my wheelhouse.
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I focus more on content strategy.
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Another one.
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It's not my strong suit.
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And by the way, if you're just listening, stop, repeat after me.
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After I say these phrases, you're going to learn so much faster.
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You're going to remember more if you repeat them after me.
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So if you haven't been repeating, be sure to go back and repeat these phrases along.
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with me. It's also a good idea to write them down as I mentioned before.
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So let's practice your pronunciation.
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Let's practice your speaking together.
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And let's say this one again.
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Ready? It's not my strong suit.
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So this means it's not something you're especially good at.
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For example, public speaking in large groups isn't my strong suit.
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I prefer smaller conversations.
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It's honest, humble, very natural.
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By the way, Maybe you can see this microphone here.
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I wanted to tell you, I recently got the Shure MV7 Plus microphone and I love it.
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It's really been helping me to create the Private Fluency podcast, which uh you can listen to if you go to gne.supercast.com.
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I'll also add that link in the description and the pinned comment.
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And I'm really excited because...
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I'm gonna add another microphone for guests to have conversational lessons.
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And I got this pod track.
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This is where I plug both microphones in and mix them.
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I guess this is a little mixer.
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I'm learning a lot, technologically speaking.
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This used to be out of my wheelhouse, but no more, no longer, because I'm learning.
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I'm educating myself about how to video podcast with two people or more.
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And if you're interested, I'll link to this as well if you're interested in creating content.
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Okay, I have more phrases for you.
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Are you ready?
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That's not really my area, meaning not your expertise.
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I work in marketing, so finance stuff isn't really my area.
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I'm not involved in that, meaning you're not part of the situation.
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For example, I'm not involved in that project, so I don't have the details.
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That's outside my scope, meaning it's not part of your role.
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For example, hiring decisions are outside my scope.
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That's not my call, meaning not your decision.
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To be your call means your decision.
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So this is a really good one to know.
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It's very common.
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For example, whether we approve this, that's not my call.
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Next, I'm not the right person to ask, meaning someone else knows better.
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For example, I'm not the right person to ask about legal stuff.
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I'm not a lawyer.
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That's not really my thing, meaning it's not your interest.
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This is much better than saying you don't care about something.
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That's not really my thing.
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Another bonus phrase that's even more idiomatic is that's not my cup of tea.
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I learned when I was living in Brazil that the equivalent phrase is it's not my beach.
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Não é minha praia if you speak Portuguese, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that was really cute sometimes We have the same meaning in totally different idiomatic phrases like you can't translate directly and that's why it's so important to remember these phrases and not Translate in your head from your first language.
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Okay moving on I don't have much insight into that Meaning, you don't know enough to comment.
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I don't have much insight into that decision.
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I can't really speak to that.
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Meaning, you're not qualified to give an opinion.
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I can't really speak to that.
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I wasn't there.
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I wasn't in the meeting.
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That's a bit beyond me.
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It's slightly too complex.
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All the technical details are a bit beyond me.
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I'll have to defer to someone else on that.
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you're passing it to another person.
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For example, I'll have to defer to the legal team on that.
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So remember, when you say, don't care, it doesn't mean what you think it might mean.
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We really only specifically use, I don't care if something is truly unimportant and we don't really want to talk about it.
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It sounds...
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It can sound rude.
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So be careful using this phrase.
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It can sound like saying, isn't important.
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This is a waste of time or stop talking.
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Yes, saying I don't care actually conveys these very kind of strong and negative meanings.
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So be careful because most of the time that's not what you mean.
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So instead of translating, don't care from your native language, pause and think, what do I really mean?
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It's not my job.
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It's not my expertise, not my interest.
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Then choose the exact phrase.
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And that's how you start thinking in English is thinking how natives really use the language, not how you would translate from your mother tongue.
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All right. Now it's your turn.
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In the comments, complete the sentence.
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When it comes to fill in the blank, I usually say fill in the blank.
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For example, when it comes to investing, I usually say, that's not really my area.
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Or when it comes to the law, that's outside my wheelhouse.
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So you can practice more than one of these phrases in the comments.
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Be sure to subscribe to get new lessons every week here.
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And remember to get your free PDF download to study along with me.
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Remember, the goal isn't just to speak English, it's to think in English like a native speaker.
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and small shifts like this using the right idiomatic phrases, they completely change how people experience you.
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Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you next time.
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Bye for now.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Practicing speaking using this video can enhance your English fluency dramatically. The key lies in replacing the phrase "I don't care," which can sound dismissive, with more thoughtful expressions like "it's out of my league" or "it's above my pay grade." By integrating these phrases into your speech, you not only sound more polite and engaging but also develop a more native-like understanding of conversational English. This practice reinforces your ability to think in English rather than translating from your native language, a crucial skill for effective communication. Using techniques like shadow speech, where you mimic phrases from the video, can lead to improvements in English pronunciation and help you prepare for situations like the IELTS speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker in the video uses a variety of idiomatic expressions and structures that are vital for natural conversation. Here are a few key takeaways:
- Out of my league: This phrase indicates that the subject is beyond someone's knowledge or experience. For example, "It's out of my league to discuss legal matters."
- Above my pay grade: This expression signifies that a task or topic is not part of one's responsibilities. You might say, "Managing sales isn't something I'm trained for; it's above my pay grade."
- Not my responsibility: This straightforward phrase clearly delineates the lack of obligation towards a certain issue, as in, "That's not my responsibility; I’m an engineer."
These phrases not only improve your vocabulary but also help refine your understanding of context and usage in conversations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you work to improve your English speaking skills, pay attention to the following pronunciation traps highlighted in the video:
- League: This word, when pronounced, can often lead to hesitation. Practice saying it clearly: /liːɡ/.
- Pay grade: The 'pay' and 'grade' should be pronounced with a sharp distinction, leading to clarity when saying the full phrase.
- Responsibility: A longer word that can easily be mispronounced. Break it down into syllables: /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/.
Utilizing the shadowing technique with these phrases can significantly enhance your ability to navigate tricky parts of English speech. Listen closely, practice regularly, and you will see a marked improvement in your English pronunciation. Make sure to incorporate these expressions as you prepare for your IELTS speaking practice, as they will help you sound more natural and fluent.
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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