Shadowing Practice: Talking about socialising πŸ‘‹πŸ₯³πŸ€­ Real Easy English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English,
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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English,
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the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Georgie.
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You can now watch this podcast and find a worksheet to help you learn on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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So, Georgie, how are you?
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I'm very tired, actually.
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I've had a lot of social plans lately.
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How about you?
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Yeah, I'm fine.
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Social plans, that's interesting, because we're talking about friends today.
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Yes, we're talking about socialising,
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which means spending time with people for fun.
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So, Neil, do you like spending time with friends?
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Yeah, I love spending time with my friends.
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If I don't see my friends very often,
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I feel a bit sad and lonely.
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So, yeah, I really like seeing my friends but I don't get to see them very often because,
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you know, we're grown-ups and we have responsibilities.
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You have kids, you have lots of things going on.
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I also like spending time with my friends.
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I have lots of friends.
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As I said, I've had a lot of social plans lately.
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Pretty much every day I've been socialising.
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Wow.
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So, you like socialising, but do you like things like parties or do you prefer smaller social events
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i do really like big parties um
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because i like meeting new people i like dancing as well
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so at big parties usually there's some music um but i do have a shy side of my personality so usually
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a smaller event is better for me so I can have kind of deeper conversations with fewer people.
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How about you?
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Yeah, I don't really like that situation where you're at a party and don't know lots of people.
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So a small group of people that I mainly know and there's one or two people who I don't know so well.
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That's fine.
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But a bigger group with lots of people I don't know.
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I really don't like that.
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And why is that?
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Is that because you don't like small talk?
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Yeah, I don't really like small talk.
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It feels a bit empty.
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Small talk is conversations about things that aren't important,
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like the weather, usually with people that you don't know very well.
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Yeah.
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And you don't like that.
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No, I find it awkward.
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So Georgie, you like meeting new people.
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Do you feel embarrassed at all or are you completely fine with that?
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Oh, I think it depends.
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I think if you find a topic quite quickly that you have in common, that avoids embarrassment.
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But it's when you meet someone new,
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you don't know them very well,
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obviously, because they're new, and you don't know what they like
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or don't like or what they think is rude or not rude.
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But if you can figure that out quite quickly, it's usually okay.
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Do you usually feel quite embarrassed then?
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Sometimes.
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Like you said, it depends.
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If you find something that you have in common,
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and you can talk about that,
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sometimes you don't find something in common,
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and then it's really, I don't know, embarrassing, I suppose.
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Ooh, I feel strange just thinking about it.
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You obviously, you like parties,
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you like socialising, but do you like spending time alone?
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I get more energy from spending time alone and relaxing and not talking to anyone.
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I often get what I call social burnout,
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which means you just get exhausted from spending too much time with others.
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How about you?
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Well, yeah, spending time alone is also important.
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And I like to do that,
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but not so much, not as much as maybe spending time with people
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because like I said before if I'm alone for too long I get a bit lonely
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and feel a bit I don't know just lacking energy.
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Let's recap the vocabulary we heard in this podcast,
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starting with socialise, which means to spend time with friends or other people to enjoy yourself.
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We had small talk, which is conversation about things which aren't important,
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such as the weather or the traffic.
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We use small talk a lot in the UK.
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We heard some adjectives to describe how you might feel about meeting new people.
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So we had embarrassed, which means feeling ashamed or shy.
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And we also heard awkward,
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which means feeling uncomfortable when you're meeting new people.
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We also heard in common,
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so if you have something in common with someone,
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it means you share the same likes,
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dislikes or interests with someone.
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That's it for this episode of Real Easy English.
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Test what you've learned by downloading the free worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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See you then!
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Bye!

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About This Lesson

In this engaging lesson derived from the podcast "Talking about socialising," learners will focus on the intricacies of socialising in English. This video features a casual conversation between Neil and Georgie, discussing their views on spending time with friends and social events. Key topics include the differences between large gatherings and smaller, intimate events, along with relatable experiences about social interactions.

Throughout this lesson, you will practice essential vocabulary related to socialising, explore grammar patterns in conversational contexts, and enhance your speaking skills through repetition and engagement. This is a fantastic opportunity for those preparing for the IELTS speaking section or seeking to improve overall English fluency.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Socialising: Spending time with others in a friendly atmosphere, often for enjoyment.
  • Social plans: Arrangements made to meet friends or acquaintances for leisure activities.
  • Small talk: Casual conversation about trivial matters, often with someone you don’t know well.
  • Shy side: A part of your personality that feels reserved or hesitant in social situations.
  • Embarrassed: A feeling of self-consciousness or awkwardness in social contexts.

Practice Tips for This Video

Using the shadowing technique can significantly enhance your English speaking practice, particularly with this video. Here are some focused tips:

  • Listen and Repeat: Focus on imitating Neil and Georgie's pronunciation and intonation. Their speech is clear and conversational, making it ideal for pronunciation practice.
  • Pace Yourself: The speaking speed in this video is moderate, allowing for easy comprehension. Start by repeating phrases slowly, then gradually increase your pace to match theirs.
  • Focus on Expressions: Pay attention to how the speakers use language to express feelings and opinions about social situations. Practice these expressions to improve your confidence in similar social settings.
  • Discuss with a Partner: Find someone to discuss your own social experiences. Use the vocabulary learned from the video to describe your preferences and feelings, which will help solidify your understanding and fluency.

By incorporating these strategies, you'll enhance your speaking skills and gain greater confidence in English conversations, making socialising in English a much more enjoyable experience.

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 β€” 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 β€” making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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