Shadowing Practice: Talking about your Hobbies and Interests ESL Conversations | Present Simple - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Talking about interests.
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Janelle recently started a new job.
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Now she has more free time.
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She is happy because she has more free time.
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She can do things she's interested in.
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Janelle really likes to read.
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She enjoys reading different kinds of books.
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such as science fiction, mystery, and romance.
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Her favorite book, is IQ 84.
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by haruki Murakami.
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It is interesting because it is a mystery and a love story.
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She also enjoys listening to music.
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She likes different kinds of music.
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such as pop, jazz, and rock.
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She listens to pop music in the gym.
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"Jazz at home when she's relaxing." and rock on her way to work.
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on her days off, Janelle likes to play basketball with her friends.
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She is not very good at basketball, But she thinks it is fun.

Who Will Benefit from This Video?

If you’re an ESL learner ready to talk about your hobbies with confidence, this video is your perfect match! Whether you’re a beginner looking to build basic conversation skills or an intermediate learner aiming to sound more natural, the simple, relatable dialogue focuses on the present simple tense—key for discussing daily interests. You’ll learn to describe what you love doing, why you enjoy it, and even how you fit hobbies into your routine. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to learn English with YouTube through real-life scenarios that stick.

Must-Know Words & Phrases to Add to Your Toolkit

The conversation is packed with practical expressions you can use right away. Here are a few standouts:

  • "recently started a new job" – A great way to explain a change in your schedule (and why you have more free time!).
  • "different kinds of" – Perfect for listing hobbies (e.g., "I like different kinds of music").
  • "on her days off" – Natural phrasing to talk about free time (replace "her" with "my" for your own stories!).
  • "not very good at, but thinks it is fun" – A humble, friendly way to admit you’re still learning a hobby.
These phrases make your speech sound less scripted and more like a native’s!

Mastering Pronunciation: Tips for Sounding Natural

To improve English pronunciation with this video, focus on two key areas. First, the rhythm of the present simple: notice how the speaker stresses verbs like "enjoys" and "listens" to keep the flow smooth. Second, link words naturally—for example, "she’s interested in" becomes "she’s interestin’ in" in casual speech. Try shadow speak (repeating the lines aloud right after the speaker) to mimic their pace and intonation. This shadowspeaks technique helps train your mouth and ears to match native patterns. Don’t worry about perfection—even practicing for 5 minutes a day will make a big difference in how confident you sound when talking about your own hobbies!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing formenjoys reading · enjoys listening

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →