Shadowing Practice: The Lovers - Hans Christian Andersen - Learn English Speaking with Video
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196 sentences
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1
The story I want to tell you today is a sad one about loving someone who doesn't love you back.
2
And it starts with a game.
3
Mmm.
4
Ah!
5
Oh, no, I hate this part.
6
Hey, Charlie.
7
Yes, Ed?
8
Don't you ever get tired of watching this game?
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It's not the game I'm interested in, Ed.
10
No, no, no, wait, I'm not ready.
11
Oh!
12
Oh!
13
Ah!
14
Wow.
15
She loves that part, you know.
16
Oh.
17
Oh.
18
All right.
19
What I meant to say was, don't you ever get tired of watching her from a distance?
20
It's getting kind of pathetic.
21
Good morning, Miss...er...thingy.
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Hello, Mr...Stevenson.
23
I've got it!
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You're out!
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Woohoo!
26
Fantastic play!
27
Oh, hello, Ed.
28
Oh, hi, Elsa.
29
Er...well...
30
Well, what?
31
Do you want to go for a stroll by the woods or don't you?
32
Oh...
33
Forget it, Elsa.
34
I assure you, Charlie's attention is elsewhere entirely.
35
But I'd be happy to go for a stroll by the woods with you.
36
Well, I was kind of hoping...
37
Oh...
38
Why not?
39
Yes, let's you and me go for a stroll by the woods.
40
I thought you'd never ask.
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No, no, no, no, wait!
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Bye!
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Bye! And there I was.
44
And Master Nick threw me up in the air and then the paddle swung and wham!
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And then I flew way, way, way up there.
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And then I saw Mr. Stevenson.
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And we chatted for a little while, as we always do.
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He's such a charming fellow.
49
Hello, Martina.
50
Hello.
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Erm, Choke?
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Charlie?
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Oh, yes, yes.
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I, er, I was wondering...
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Yes?
56
Well, maybe you'd like to, with me, that is, go for a stroll by the picnic?
57
A stroll by the picnic?
58
Oh, I mean, go for a river by the woods.
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I'm sorry, Chucky.
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I'm afraid I'm quite busy this afternoon.
61
Did you know my parents were genuine silk slippers?
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Yes, I did know that actually.
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It's great, isn't it?
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It's wonderful.
65
See you.
66
Have you ever wondered if your approach might need a little polish?
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Well, look at Mr Slick.
68
I must say it's the best colour you've had so far.
69
Crisp, vibrant, just the business.
70
Yeah!
71
Hey!
72
Isn't this great?
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Martina is bound to like me like this.
74
We will be a perfect match.
75
Erm...
76
Would you like to go for a walk by the river with me?
77
Well, the fact of the matter is, Chuckie...
78
Charlie?
79
Charlie, that I'm...
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I'm engaged to be married to Mr. Stevenson.
81
Mr. Stevenson?
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The swallow up on the roof.
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The one with the hat.
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No, Mr. Stevenson.
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Oh, that Mr. Stevenson.
86
Well, well, well, well.
87
Engaged, eh?
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I'm so happy for you.
89
I...
90
I...
91
I...
92
I...
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I have to go.
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Oh!
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Yes!
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Oh.
97
Oh.
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Oh.
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Oh.
100
Yoo -hoo.
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Good morning, Mr. Stevenson.
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Oh, good morning, Miss.
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I'm sorry.
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I have to admit I never did catch your name.
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It's Martina.
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Oh.
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That's me.
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I'm Martina.
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I see.
110
What a silly ball.
111
That's the 14th time she's been up there today.
112
Planning a wedding must be really complicated.
113
I know it's not easy, but now that she's getting married, maybe it's about time you forgot about her.
114
Don't you think?
115
There are other fish in the sea.
116
It's not a fish I want, Ed.
117
It's a ball.
118
That ball right there.
119
Martina.
120
I think it's gone.
121
Did you see it?
122
It has gone.
123
Martina!
124
That's it.
125
She's gone off to marry him.
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Oh, let's find you another fish.
127
What do you say?
128
I told you, it's not a...
129
I know, I know, Charlie, but it looks like you're not getting the ball.
130
So why not look for something else?
131
Never!
132
Come on, Charlie.
133
You have to stick to the beat.
134
Many years went by and Nick grew up.
135
He got married, and he and his wife had a son called Eric.
136
More years passed, and that seemed to be the end of it.
137
But that's not always how fate works.
138
Take it easy, will you?
139
Hey, don't blame me.
140
This kid's just not getting ahead of it. Where did he go?
141
Charlie?
142
Oh.
143
Oh.
144
He must be around here somewhere.
145
Help!
146
I'm in here.
147
Oh, at last, someone I can talk to.
148
Don't be put off by my appearance.
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Actually, I'll have you know, my parents were genuine silk slippers.
150
Wait a minute!
151
You're not!
152
Martina!
153
What are you doing here?
154
Chucky!
155
Oh, Charlie!
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I thought you were married to Mr. Stevenson, off somewhere living happily ever after.
157
Oh, if only.
158
I'm afraid that was just something that never existed anywhere but inside my head.
159
So, what happened?
160
Where have you been all this time?
161
Well...
162
Oh...
163
Whoa!
164
Oh, yoo -hoo!
165
Oh!
166
Oh!
167
Oh!
168
Oh!
169
Oh!
170
And you've been here all these years?
171
That's right.
172
Now I'm old and I'm ugly.
173
Martina, there's something I want to ask you.
174
Why did you never want to go with me for a stroll by the picnic?
175
I mean by the river. With you?
176
Why would I want to go for a stroll with you?
177
My parents were genuine silk slippers, you know.
178
Oh, you'll never change.
179
I'm fine, just the way I am.
180
Oh!
181
Ah, I found it.
182
Charlie's all right.
183
Dear Santa and all his helpers, he's all right.
184
Hey, look at that.
185
I think I...
186
Yes, I do remember this ball.
187
I lost this when I was about your age, Eric.
188
Ew! But, Charlie,
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what's the difference between you thinking she'd married someone else years ago and her just being here all this time ignoring you.
190
Oh, there's a big difference! Which is?
191
If she had been here all these years ignoring me I would have realized how horrible she is
192
and look for love elsewhere a long time ago.
193
That's exactly what I've been telling you all along.
194
Well, sometimes it takes me a while.
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And so, after all these years,
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Charlie had finally learned his lesson. so
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “The Lovers - Hans Christian Andersen”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Charlie, Martina, Stevenson, stroll, married. This video has 196 sentences and 990 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:56. The speaker talks slowly, about 83 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 34 of its 196 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stroll verb | /stɹoʊl/ | To wander on foot; to ramble idly or leisurely; to rove. |
| genuine adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.juˌɪn/ | Belonging to, or proceeding from the original stock; native. |
| silk noun | /sɪlk/ | A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider). |
| picnic noun | /ˈpɪknɪk/ | An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink. |
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
| elsewhere adverb | /ˈɛlsˌʍɛɹ/ | Synonym of somewhere else: in, at, or to some other place. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| complicated adjective | /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/ | Difficult or convoluted. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| horrible adjective | /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ | Causing horror; terrible; shocking. |
| ugly adjective | /ˈʌɡli/ | Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing. |
| marry verb | /ˈmæɹi/ | To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| fate noun | /feɪt/ | The presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events. |
| swing verb | /ˈswɪŋ/ | To rotate about an off-centre fixed point. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get ahead of verb | To take preemptive action before a potential development becomes reality. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
| put off verb | To postpone, especially through procrastination. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Don't you ever get tired of watching this game?
- Did you know my parents were genuine silk slippers?
- Take it easy, will you?
- What are you doing here?
- Where have you been all this time?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever wondered · you've had · she's been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is bound · be put |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will be · will you · I'll have |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must say · have to go · have to admit |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 37 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: pathetic /pəˈθɛtɪk/, thingy /ˈθɪŋi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: polish /ˈpɑ.lɪʃ/, assure /əˈʃʊɹ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like stroll, genuine, silk.
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.