Shadowing Practice: Talk About Your Goals | Easy English Conversation for Beginners | Daily English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, everyone.
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Hi, everyone.
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Welcome back to Everyday English Talk,
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the podcast where we practice simple English for real daily life.
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I'm Anna.
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And I'm Ben.
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Thanks for joining us today.
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We're happy you're here, whether you're at home,
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on the bus, or maybe even thinking about your future right now.
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Today's topic is about looking ahead.
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We're going to talk about our goals.
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That's right.
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Goals are things we want to achieve in the future.
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They can be big dreams or small plans.
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Talking about our goals is good.
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It helps us think clearly about what we want,
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and it can help us stay motivated.
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In this episode, we'll learn simple phrases to talk about different types of goals,
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and how we can work towards them.
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So sit back, relax, and let's talk about our plans.
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And remember, you can download the free PDF transcript with today's vocabulary and exercises.
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The link is in the description.
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Okay, Ben, let's start small.
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When we talk about goals,
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they don't always have to be huge, life-changing things, right?
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Exactly.
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Sometimes the best goals are small ones,
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things you want to do soon.
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We call these short-term goals.
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Short-term?
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What does that mean?
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It means, for a short time in the future.
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Like, a goal for this week or this month.
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Something you can achieve relatively quickly.
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Ah, I see.
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Okay, what is one short-term goal you have right now?
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Well, I bought a new book last week.
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It looks really interesting, but I haven't started it yet because I've been busy.
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So, my short-term goal for this week is to finish reading that book.
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That's a great goal.
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How many pages is it?
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About 300 pages.
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So I plan to read maybe 50 pages every night before I go to sleep.
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That sounds achievable.
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You're focusing on one specific thing.
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Yes.
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What about you?
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Do you have a short-term goal for this week?
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I do.
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My goal is to exercise three times this week.
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That's a healthy goal.
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What kind of exercise do you plan to do?
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I try to go for a run in the park near my house,
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just for 30 minutes.
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It makes me feel good,
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but sometimes I get lazy.
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I know that feeling.
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So my goal is, Monday,
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Wednesday, and Friday, go for a run.
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I need to focus on it.
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That's good.
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Another common short-term goal is about money.
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Like, trying to save a little money this month.
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Oh, that's a hard one.
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It is.
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But maybe the goal is just,
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this month, I plan to save $50.
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It's small, but it's a start.
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Or maybe a goal like,
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I try to cook dinner at home four times this week.
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Instead of ordering food.
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Yes, that saves money and it's healthier.
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So short-term goals are like small steps.
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they help you feel good because you can achieve them quickly
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and they help you build confidence for bigger goals exactly they
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are important let's go over some useful phrases sure first a
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short-term goal this is a goal you want to achieve soon like this week
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or month example my short-term goal is to finish this project by Friday.
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Second, plan to.
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We use this to talk about something we intend to do.
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Example, I plan to visit my parents this weekend.
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Third, try to.
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This means to make an effort to do something.
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Example.
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I try to wake up early, but it's hard.
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Fourth, achieve.
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This means to successfully finish or reach something.
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Example.
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She worked hard to achieve her goal.
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And fifth, focus on.
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This means to give all your attention to one thing.
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Example.
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This week, I need to focus on studying for my test.
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So listeners, what is one short-term goal you have for this week?
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Share your answer with us in the comments.
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Okay, so we talked about short-term goals, the small steps.
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What about the big dreams,
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the things we want to do in the future?
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Ah, yes.
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Those are long-term goals.
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Long term?
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Yes, it means for a longer time in the future.
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Like a goal for this year or for the next five years.
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Something that takes more time and effort to achieve.
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Okay.
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So, Anna, what is one long-term goal you are working towards right now?
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My biggest long-term goal right now is to improve my English speaking skills.
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But your English is great.
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Thank you, Ben.
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But I want to be more fluent and confident.
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I hope to be able to have long conversations without feeling nervous or searching for words.
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That's a fantastic goal.
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How long do you think it will take?
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I think it's a goal for this whole year, maybe even longer.
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It's not something I can finish in one week.
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I have to study and practice step by step.
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Step by step is a good way to think about long-term goals.
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What about you, Ben?
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What is your big dream?
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My biggest long-term goal right now.
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I dream of traveling to Japan.
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Oh, Japan.
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That's amazing.
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Why Japan?
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I love the culture, the food, the history.
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I've always wanted to go.
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I hope to go next year.
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That's a wonderful goal.
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But traveling to Japan is expensive, right?
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It is.
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So that goal has many small steps.
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I need to save money every month.
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That's a short-term goal connected to my long-term goal.
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I also need to plan the trip,
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maybe learn a few basic Japanese phrases.
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So you are working towards it step by step.
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Exactly.
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Other long-term goals people have might be getting a better job.
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Yes, like getting a promotion or finding a job in a new company.
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That takes time.
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Maybe you need to learn new skills or get more experience first.
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Or maybe learning a big new skill,
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like your goal to play the guitar.
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That's probably a long-term goal, right?
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Definitely.
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It will take many months,
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maybe years, before I can play well.
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Or saving money to buy something big,
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like a car or even a house.
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Those are definitely long-term goals.
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So long-term goals are the big dreams that guide us.
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They give us direction.
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And the short-term goals are the small actions we take to get there.
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That makes sense.
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You need both.
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Let's go over some useful phrases.
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Sure.
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First, long-term goal.
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This is a goal for the future,
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maybe next year or in five years.
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Example.
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My long-term goal is to buy my own apartment.
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Second, hope to.
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We use this to talk about something we want to happen in the future.
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Example I hope to get a new job soon.
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Third, dream of.
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This is used for a big hope or ambition.
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Example She dreams of becoming a doctor.
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Fourth, work towards.
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This means to make effort over time to achieve a goal.
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Example I am working towards saving enough money for a vacation.
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And fifth, step by step.
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This means doing something slowly,
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one small part at a time.
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Example, learning a language happens step by step.
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What about you, listeners?
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What is one long-term goal you are working towards?
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Let us know in the comments.
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So we have our short-term goals and our long-term goals.
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But Ben, sometimes setting a goal is the easy part.
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Achieving it is the hard part.
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You are so right.
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Especially with long-term goals.
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They can feel so big and far away.
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Sometimes it feels impossible.
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Exactly.
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My goal to improve my English.
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Sometimes I feel like I'm not making any progress.
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It feels overwhelming.
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So what helps?
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How do we actually reach our goal?
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I think the most important thing is to break it down.
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Break it down?
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What does that mean?
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It means to take a big goal and divide it into many small, manageable steps.
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Ah, like we said before,
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the long-term goal needs short-term goals.
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Yes.
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For my English goal, I can't just say,
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I want to be fluent.
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That's too big.
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I need smaller steps.
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Like what?
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Like, this week, learn 10 new vocabulary words.
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Or, plan to practice speaking with a friend for 30 minutes on Saturday.
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Or, try to watch one English movie without subtitles this month.
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Those steps feel much easier.
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You can actually do them.
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Yes, and when you finish a small step,
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you feel successful, and that helps you stay motivated.
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Ah, stay motivated.
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That's the other big challenge.
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How do you do that?
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For me, it helps to tell someone about my goal.
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I told my friend I want to run three times a week.
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Now, on Wednesday, she might ask me,
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did you go for your run?
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Oh, so your friend helps keep you accountable.
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Exactly.
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It also helps to track my progress.
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Track my progress?
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Yes, like keeping a record.
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For my running goal, I have a calendar,
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and I put a big checkmark on the days I run.
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When I see the checkmarks,
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it makes me feel good and want to continue.
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I do that with saving money.
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I have a small chart where I color in a box every time I save $10 towards my Japan trip.
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That's a great idea.
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But what happens when you fail?
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Like, I wanted to run on Monday,
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but it rained, so I didn't go.
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Sometimes I want to give up.
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Oh, that happens to everyone.
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You miss one day, or you make a mistake.
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The important thing is not to give up completely.
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So what do you do?
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You just start again the next day.
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It's okay.
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One bad day doesn't ruin your whole goal.
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You just keep going.
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Step by step.
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That's good advice.
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Be kind to yourself.
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And remember why you started.
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Think about that amazing feeling when you finally reach your goal.
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Yes, imagining myself speaking English easily or you being in Japan.
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That helps me stay motivated.
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It feels so great when you finally reach your goal.
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All the hard work feels worth it.
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It really does.
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So, break it down, stay motivated,
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track your progress, and don't give up.
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That's the plan.
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Let's go over some useful phrases.
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Sure.
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First, break it down.
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This means to divide something large into smaller parts.
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Example, the project is too big.
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Let's break it down into smaller tasks.
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Second, stay motivated.
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This means to keep having enthusiasm and determination to do something.
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Example, listening to music helps me stay motivated when I exercise.
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Third, track my progress.
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This means to watch and record how well you are doing towards your goal.
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Example, I use an app to track my progress in learning Spanish.
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Fourth, give up.
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This means to stop trying to do something.
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Example, the puzzle was too hard,
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so I decided to give up.
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And fifth, reach my goal.
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This means to successfully achieve what you wanted.
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Example, after years of saving,
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I finally reached my goal of buying a car.
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So listeners, what helps you stay motivated when working on a goal?
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Let us know in the comments.
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Now it's your turn.
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Let's practice what you learned today.
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This is your chance to use these new phrases.
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First, listening practice.
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Listen to this episode again from the beginning.
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Try to find all the useful phrases we talked about.
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Listen for when I talked about my short-term goal of reading a book.
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Or when I talked about my long-term goal to improve my English.
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Try to find at least three to five phrases.
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like work towards, break it down, or reach my goal.
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Second, speaking practice.
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Try to say three short sentences out loud.
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Tell us about one of your goals.
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For example, you can say,
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my goal is to save money.
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It is a long-term goal.
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I will try to save $10 this week.
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Or, I hope to learn guitar.
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I will practice step by step.
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I will not give up.
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Third, writing practice.
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Write a short paragraph in your notebook or in the comments.
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You can start with, my biggest goal right now is,
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tell us what it is and one small step you can take.
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Remember, small practice every day helps you improve.
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That's right.
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Just focus on the next step.
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Let's quickly review what we learned today, Anna.
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Yes, it was a very useful conversation.
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We talked about goals.
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First, we talked about short-term goals.
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These are small things you plan to or try to achieve soon,
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like this week or month.
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Like finishing a book or exercising three times.
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You need to focus on them.
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Second, we talked about long-term goals.
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These are bigger dreams you hope to or dream of achieving in the future.
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Like improving your English or traveling,
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you need to work towards them step by step.
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Finally, we talked about how to make goals happen.
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It helps to break it down into small steps.
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You need to stay motivated,
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maybe by tracking your progress,
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and it's important not to give up.
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Because it feels amazing when you finally reach your goal.
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Setting goals, big or small,
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helps us move forward and make our lives better.
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Thanks for listening to Everyday English Talk.
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We hope you enjoyed today's episode and learned some useful phrases for talking about your own goals.
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Don't forget to download the free PDF transcript and vocabulary exercises from the link in the description.
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It's a great way to review.
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And we'd love to hear from you.
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Tell us in the comments what is one small step you can take today towards your goal.
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We'll see you next time.
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Until then, keep practicing.
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And keep working towards your dreams.
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Bye for now.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video titled "Talk About Your Goals" is an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their English speaking practice. Listening to natural conversations help you not only hear the flow of the language but also gives you insight into how to express thoughts and feelings clearly. This context is crucial, as it empowers learners to articulate their own goals and aspirations in English. Engaging with the material can enhance motivation, making it easier to stay committed to your language learning journey.

Moreover, discussing personal goals in English can boost your confidence. It can be particularly beneficial when speaking in social settings or during job interviews, where articulating your ambitions is often necessary.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key grammatical structures and expressions stand out, making it easier for learners to grasp practical language use:

  • Short-term goals: The expression illustrates how goals can be immediate and achievable within a brief time frame. Learning to identify and discuss your short-term goals will enhance your conversational skills.
  • I have a goal to...: This structure is particularly useful when sharing your ambitions. For example, saying "I have a goal to read this book" can help reinforce your intention.
  • That sounds achievable: This phrase demonstrates how to respond positively when someone shares their goals. Such responses are vital for fostering supportive conversations.
  • My plan is to...: This phrase is effective for outlining actionable steps you intend to take, an essential aspect of both speaking and writing in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing with this video, you may encounter some pronunciation challenges. Here are a few words and phrases to pay attention to:

  • Achievable: This word can be tricky, as the stress is on the second syllable: a-CHIE-vable.
  • Motivated: Make sure to pronounce the "v" clearly, as it often gets blended with the surrounding sounds.
  • Short-term: This compound word might tempt learners to pronounce it as a single syllable. Practicing it separately will help improve your English pronunciation.

Additionally, shadowing the speakers can aid in mimicking their pronunciation and intonation, making it easier to integrate new vocabulary into your speech. Utilize this shadowing site method to enhance your speaking fluency and overall confidence when you learn English with YouTube.

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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