Shadowing Practice: Talking About Countries, Culture & Wanderlust | Easy English for Learners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy,
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Everyday English Academy,
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where we make English simple and enjoyable.
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I'm Sarah.
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And I'm Mike.
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Hello to all of our wonderful listeners wherever you are in the world right now.
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Mike, I have a question for you, a fun one.
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Ooh, I like fun questions.
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Go ahead.
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Okay.
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If you won the lottery tomorrow and you had to move to another country,
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where would you go?
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Oh, that's easy.
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I would go to… hmm, wait, okay.
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Italy?
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No. Japan?
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Actually, no, hold on.
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It's an imaginary lottery.
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Just pick one.
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I know, but this is a big decision.
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Even in my imagination, I can't decide.
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You just changed your answer three times in 10 seconds.
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Because every country has something amazing.
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Italy has the food, Japan has the culture,
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and then my brain says, what about New Zealand?
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Your brain needs to relax.
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But honestly, I think everyone has this problem.
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We all have a dream country,
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maybe two or three, but when someone asks us to actually talk about it, suddenly it's hard.
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Especially in English.
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You can picture your dream country perfectly in your head,
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but explaining why you love it,
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describing how it feels, that's a different story.
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Well, that is exactly what we're going to work on today.
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We're going to help you talk about your dream country in natural, easy English.
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And honestly, this is one of those topics that comes up all the time.
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At parties, at work, with new friends,
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people love asking, where would you live if you could live anywhere?
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It's one of the best conversation topics because everyone has an answer,
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even if they can't decide like someone I know.
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I will decide by the end of this episode.
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And before we go deeper,
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if you enjoy learning English with us,
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please subscribe to Everyday English Academy.
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Yes, click that subscribe button and give this episode a like.
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It helps us reach more learners like you.
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Okay, Mike, let's start with something simple.
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What is a dream country?
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A dream country is a country you imagine living in or visiting one day.
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It's the place you think about when you're bored at work or stuck in traffic or scrolling through travel photos at midnight.
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The midnight scrolling is so real.
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You're in bed, it's late,
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and suddenly you're looking at photos of beaches in Thailand thinking,
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I need to go there.
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And then you check the price of flights and think, maybe next year.
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Every year.
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But that feeling, that desire to travel and explore new places,
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there's actually a beautiful word for it, wanderlust.
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Oh, I like that word, wanderlust.
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Wanderlust means a strong desire to travel and see the world,
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like your heart is pulling you to go somewhere new.
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I have serious wanderlust.
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I want to visit every continent.
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Or, every time I see travel videos, my wanderlust gets worse.
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That is me.
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My wanderlust is out of control.
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Same.
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And I think many people listening feel the same way.
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So, let's talk about our dream countries.
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Mike, you had trouble choosing before.
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Have you decided yet?
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Okay, yes, I'm going with Japan.
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Japan?
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Why Japan?
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Because Japan has this incredible mix of old and new.
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Ancient temples right next to modern cities.
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And the nature, the mountains,
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the forests, everything is so beautiful.
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That sounds amazing.
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And actually, there's a great word for that.
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The charm of a place.
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Charm?
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Yes.
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Charm means the special, attractive quality that makes a place feel unique and wonderful.
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It's hard to explain, but you feel it.
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Oh, so Japan has a lot of charm because of the mix of tradition and modern life?
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Exactly.
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I love the charm of small Japanese towns.
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Or Paris has so much charm, every street feels special.
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That's a great word.
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Japan definitely has charm.
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The food, the respect, the little details everywhere.
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But wait, what about your dream country, Sarah?
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Okay, don't judge me.
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Oh, no. Why would I judge you?
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Because my reason is mostly about food.
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Of course it is.
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My dream country is Mexico.
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Mexico.
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Oh, that's a great choice.
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The colors, the music, the energy.
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But honestly, the food.
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I would move there just for the tacos.
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You would change your whole life for tacos?
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Without thinking twice!
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And actually, when we talk about a country's food,
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there's a more specific word than just food.
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It's cuisine.
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Cuisine?
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Cuisine means the style of cooking and food from a specific country or region.
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So we say Mexican cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Italian cuisine.
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Japanese cuisine is famous for fresh fish and simple flavors.
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Or, I fell in love with Mexican cuisine after my first real taco.
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And honestly, that sentence is my life story.
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Your love story with tacos.
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But, you know, I think food is a really good reason to love a country.
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Thank you.
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And I think many of our listeners agree.
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What about you listening right now?
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What's your dream country?
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Tell us in the comments.
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Even just the name.
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We want to know.
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Yes, we read every comment.
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And I'm curious, will anyone say the same country as Sarah or me?
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Okay, so we shared our dream countries.
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But let's talk about why people choose certain countries,
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because there are many different reasons.
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True.
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For me, it's culture and nature.
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For you, it's food and energy.
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But what about other people?
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Well, some people choose a country because of the weather.
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They dream about living somewhere warm and sunny all year.
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Oh, I understand that.
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Especially if you live in a cold country, you just want sun.
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And some people choose based on something very practical, the cost of living.
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They want to live somewhere reasonable.
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Reasonable?
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Reasonable means the prices are fair, not too expensive.
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You can live a good life without spending too much money.
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Oh, so a country with reasonable prices is a country where your money goes further.
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Exactly.
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Thailand is popular because the cost of living is very reasonable.
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Or, I want to live somewhere reasonable so I can save money and enjoy life.
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That's smart.
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But here's my question, Sarah.
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What's more important, reasonable prices or amazing culture?
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Ooh, that's tough.
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For me, culture.
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And food.
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Always food.
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I knew it.
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But I actually think many people choose both.
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They find a country that has great culture and reasonable prices.
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That's true.
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And there's another reason people love certain countries.
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Diversity.
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Some countries are very diverse.
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Diverse means there are many different types of people,
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foods, traditions, and experiences in one place, right?
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Exactly.
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London is one of the most diverse cities in the world.
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Or, I love diverse countries because there is always something new to discover.
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And you know what?
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There's one more reason people don't talk about enough.
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Heritage.
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Heritage?
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Tell us about that.
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Heritage is the cultural traditions,
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history, and customs that are passed down through generations.
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It's what makes a country feel deep,
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not just pretty on the surface,
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but rich on the inside.
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Oh, I love that.
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Japan has a very rich cultural heritage.
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One of the things I love about Mexico is its heritage.
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The traditions, the festivals, the history.
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Yes, that's exactly what pulls me to Mexico.
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It's not just beautiful, it has soul.
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Now, Sarah, I want to ask our listeners something.
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What matters more to you when you think about your dream country?
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Is it the food and cuisine?
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The culture and heritage?
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the weather, or reasonable prices?
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Tell us in the comments.
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I say nature is number one.
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And I say food.
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We need to know who wins this argument.
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It's not an argument.
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It's a friendly disagreement.
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Sure, Mike, sure.
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Okay, now let's talk about something important.
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Because dreaming about a country is one thing,
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but actually living there, that's completely different.
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Oh, this is such a good point.
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There's a big difference between visiting a place for two weeks and actually moving there.
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Right.
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When you visit, everything is exciting.
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The food is new, the streets are beautiful,
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every day is an adventure.
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But when you live there,
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you also have to deal with boring stuff.
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Bills, paperwork, finding a job, understanding the rules.
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And the word for moving to a new place to live is relocate.
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Relocate.
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That sounds serious.
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It is serious.
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To relocate means to move your life to a new place.
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New home, new city, maybe a new country.
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She relocated to Barcelona for work.
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Or, relocating to another country is exciting but also stressful.
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Exactly.
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And here's something people don't expect.
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When you relocate to your dream country, sometimes you feel homesick.
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Homesick.
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That's when you miss your home country, right?
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Yes.
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Homesick means you miss your home,
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your family, your friends, your normal life.
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Even if you love the new country,
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sometimes you just miss home.
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I've been living in Canada for six months,
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but sometimes I still feel homesick.
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She felt homesick during the holidays because she couldn't visit her family.
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And honestly, I think this surprises many people.
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You finally arrive in your dream country,
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and then you miss home.
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Your heart is very confusing sometimes.
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It really is.
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But here's the key.
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When you relocate, the most important thing is to embrace the new culture.
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Embrace?
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To embrace something means to accept it and welcome it with open arms.
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Not just tolerate it, but really say yes to it.
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Oh, so embrace the food,
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embrace the language, embrace the way people live.
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Exactly.
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When you move to a new country,
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try to embrace the local customs.
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or he embraced the culture and made friends very quickly.
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I think that's the secret to being happy in a new country.
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If you embrace everything, even the confusing parts, you enjoy it more.
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Much more.
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Instead of comparing everything to home,
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you open your mind and say,
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okay, this is different, but different can be wonderful.
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That's actually beautiful advice, even for people who are not relocating.
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If you just visit a country and embrace the culture,
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your trip is 10 times better.
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100%.
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Don't just take photos.
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Actually live the experience.
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Okay, Sarah.
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Let's make this fun.
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If you arrived in Mexico tomorrow,
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your dream country, what would be your top priority?
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Top priority?
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Yes.
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Your top priority is the most important thing you want to do first,
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the number one thing on your list.
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Oh, that's easy.
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My top priority would be finding the best street taco place in the city.
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I should have known.
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Not finding an apartment, not learning Spanish, tacos.
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Tacos first, apartment second.
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But seriously, my second priority would be learning some local Spanish expressions.
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Not textbook Spanish.
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Real Spanish.
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The kind people use on the street.
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Oh, that makes sense.
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What about the third?
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Visiting a local market.
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The colors, the smells, the energy of a Mexican market.
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I have seen videos and it looks incredible.
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That does sound amazing.
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For me, in Japan, my top priority would be visiting a quiet mountain temple.
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Just sitting there in silence.
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No phone, No noise, just peace.
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That is so you, Mike.
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My dream starts with tacos,
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and yours starts with silence.
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We are very different people.
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My second priority would be trying a real Japanese tea ceremony.
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I've always wanted to experience that.
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Oh, that's beautiful.
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And your third?
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Walking through Tokyo at night.
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I've seen so many photos.
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The lights, the signs, the energy.
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It looks like a different planet.
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It really does.
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Okay, listeners, what about you?
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If you arrived in your dream country tomorrow,
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what would be your top priority?
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Tell us in the comments.
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Just write two things you would do first.
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We want to read them.
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Yes.
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For example, my dream country is Italy.
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My top priority would be eating real pizza in Naples.
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Simple and fun.
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Okay, Mike, let's do a quick review of the words we learned today.
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Great idea.
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First, wanderlust, a strong desire to travel and explore the world.
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Charm – the special, attractive quality that makes a place feel unique and wonderful.
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Cuisine – the style of cooking and food from a specific country or region.
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Reasonable – not too expensive, fair prices.
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Diverse – having many different types of people, foods, and experiences.
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Heritage – the cultural traditions and history passed down through generations.
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Relocate – to move your life to a new place,
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especially a new country.
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Homesick – missing your home and family when you are far away.
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Embrace – to accept and welcome something new with open arms.
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And top priority, the most important thing you want to do first.
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Those are really useful words for talking about countries,
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travel, and big life decisions.
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And remember, you don't need to memorize all ten today.
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Pick two or three that you like and try using them this week.
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Even one sentence is great practice.
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Like, I have wanderlust.
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My dream country is… and just go from there.
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And if you enjoyed this episode,
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please subscribe to Everyday English Academy and give us a like.
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Share this with a friend who loves traveling or a friend who needs help deciding their dream country.
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Like Mike, he still can't decide.
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I decided.
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Japan.
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Final answer.
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For now.
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Okay, maybe.
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Thank you so much for spending time with us today.
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Keep practicing, keep dreaming, and remember,
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your dream country is waiting for you.
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Maybe not tomorrow, but one day.
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Stay curious, stay kind, and we'll see you in the next episode.
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Bye, everyone.
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Goodbye.
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Context & Background
In the engaging dialogue presented by Sarah and Mike, learners can appreciate the relatability of discussing countries and cultures. The conversation highlights a common challenge many face: articulating their thoughts about their dream destinations in English. As they question each other about their ideal countries, they illustrate the importance of expressing personal preferences and cultural interests. This scenario resonates with English learners who often find it difficult to convey their ideas fluently, especially in a second language. Understanding this context helps set the stage for practical speaking exercises that can boost confidence and fluency.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "If you won the lottery tomorrow, where would you go?" - A great way to initiate conversations about travel dreams.
- "Every country has something amazing." - A positive affirmation that can lead to in-depth discussions about different cultures.
- "I think everyone has this problem." - A relatable statement that connects you with your conversation partner.
- "Explain why you love it." - Encouraging elaboration can enrich your dialogue and enhance your vocabulary.
- "The place you think about when you're bored." - This phrase opens the door to personal stories and experiences related to travel.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the content of this video for your english speaking practice, follow this simple shadowing technique:
- Listen Actively: First, watch the video carefully. Pay attention to the pronunciation and intonation of Sarah and Mike as they discuss their ideas about dream countries.
- Pause and Imitate: Use the shadow speak method by pausing the video after key phrases. Try to repeat what they said while mimicking their tone and pace. This helps with IELTS speaking practice as well.
- Note New Vocabulary: Write down any unfamiliar words or phrases. Look them up and practice incorporating them into your own sentences about countries.
- Record Yourself: After practicing several times, record your voice while retelling the conversation. This will help you become more aware of your speaking speed and clarity.
- Engage with Others: Finally, share your experiences! Discuss your dream country with friends or fellow learners. This real-life practice is essential for improving fluency and retaining what you’ve learned through shadowspeak.
By following these steps, you can effectively enhance your speaking skills and confidently discuss countries and cultures in English. Enjoy the journey of learning and expressive communication!
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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