Shadowing Practice: The dopamine doesn’t come before you start. - Learn English Speaking with Video
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17 sentences
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I have vivid memories of sitting outside my backyard and being like, Em, just go write for 30 minutes,
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fully knowing that it needed to be longer, but I would lie to myself because I know that the dopamine doesn't come before you start.
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It comes after the first 10 minutes, after your brain has evidence of progress, and progress boosts dopamine, which boosts motivation,
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which then in turn boosts momentum and actually motivates you to continue to work.
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Okay, so I would lie to myself and be like, just work for about 30 minutes, and then I would write for 30 minutes,
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and then the dopamine would hit, and then I would end up writing for 10 hours.
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Maybe you're thinking, Em, all I need to do is write an email.
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It's such a small thing already.
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I had somebody in Minecraft ask me the exact same question on a call once.
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She said, all I need to do is write an email.
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And I said to her, no, all you need to do is write one sentence.
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I know people, including some past versions of myself, where I would avoid even sending a text.
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You don't need to send that text.
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You need to write one word.
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I promise you, when you break the task down into the smallest little piece,
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the smallest little cookie crumb it will help you to actually initiate the task
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and start and that is going to make you unstoppable
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “The dopamine doesn’t come before you start”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: write, boosts, dopamine. This video has 17 sentences and 242 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:07. The speaker talks fast, about 215 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| boost verb | /buːst/ | To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| cookie noun | /ˈkʊki/ | A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm. |
| momentum noun | /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/ | Of a body in motion: the tendency of a body to maintain its inertial motion; the product of its mass and velocity, or the vector sum of the products of its… |
| backyard noun | /bækˈjɑːd/ | A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence. |
| vivid adjective | /ˈvɪvɪd/ | Clear, detailed, or powerful. |
| initiate verb | /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/ | To begin; to start. |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| dopamine noun | /ˈdoʊ.pəˌmin/ | A monoamine C₈H₁₁NO₂ that is a decarboxylated form of dopa, present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including adrenalin. |
| crumb noun | /kɹʌm/ | A small piece which breaks off from baked food (such as cake, biscuit or bread). |
| unstoppable adjective | /ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/ | Unable to be stopped. |
| email noun | /ˈiˌmeɪl/ | A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet… |
| task noun | /tæsk/ | A piece of work done as part of one’s duties. |
| sentence noun | /ˈsɛn.təns/ | The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime. |
| exact adjective | /ɪɡˈzækt/ | Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, initiate /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/
- Long words — get the stress right: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/, initiate /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/, unstoppable /ʌnˈstɔ.pə.bəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like boost, motivation, cookie.
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.