Shadowing Practice: The Problem With Waiting for the Perfect Time | A2 English Shadowing - Learn English Speaking with Video
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132 sentences
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Have you ever told yourself, I will do it when the time is right?
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Maybe you want to learn English.
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Maybe you want to start exercising.
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Maybe you want to call an old friend or begin a new project.
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But you keep waiting.
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You wait for more time.
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You wait for more money.
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You wait to feel ready.
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You wait for a better day.
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Then one day becomes one week.
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One week becomes one month.
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And the thing you wanted to do is still waiting.
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The problem is that the perfect time may never come.
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In this A2 English shadowing practice, we will look at why we wait, what waiting can cost us,
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and how one small action can help us begin.
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Imagine that you want to learn English.
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You buy a notebook.
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You choose a few videos You make a plan You tell yourself, I will start on Monday Monday comes,
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but you have a busy day You say, I will start tomorrow The next day you feel tired You say,
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I will start this weekend The weekend comes, but you have other things to do Soon,
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you are still waiting to begin This may sound like a small problem but it can happen with many things in life.
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We wait for the perfect time to study, travel, exercise, save money, or talk to someone.
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We may think that the right time will feel clear and easy.
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We imagine a day when we have enough time, enough energy, and no problems.
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But real Your life is rarely like that.
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There is almost always something to do.
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There is almost always something to worry about.
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There is almost always a reason to wait.
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The perfect time sounds good because it removes the need to begin now.
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If you say, I will start when I have more time, you do not have to start today.
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If you say, I will start when I have more time, you do not have to start today.
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If you say, I will try when I feel ready, you do not have to make mistakes today.
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Waiting can feel safe, but it can also keep you in the same place.
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You may not need a perfect day.
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You may only need 10 free minutes.
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You may not need to feel ready.
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You may only need to try.
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The first step does not have to be big.
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It only has to be real.
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Waiting for the perfect time can cost us more than time.
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It can also cost us chances.
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Imagine that you want to call a friend.
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You have not spoken to this person for a long time.
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You think, I will call when I have more time to talk.
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But when you have time, you feel busy with something else.
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Then you think, I will call next week.
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Weeks pass.
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You still have not called.
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The friendship may become quieter, not because you do not care, but because you keep waiting for the perfect moment.
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The same thing can happen when we want to learn a new skill.
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At first, we feel excited.
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We imagine ourselves speaking English well, playing an instrument, or cooking a new meal.
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But then we think about all the work.
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We think about the mistakes we may make.
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We think about how long it may take.
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The dream begins to feel too big.
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So we wait.
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But waiting does not make the work smaller.
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It only moves the beginning into the future.
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Sometimes we also wait because we are afraid of doing something badly.
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We think, if I cannot do it well, I should not do it now.
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But beginners are not supposed to be perfect.
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A person learning to cook may burn the first meal.
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A person learning English may make many mistakes.
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A person learning to draw may create pictures that do not look right.
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That is normal.
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You cannot become better at something without doing it badly at first.
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Every strong skill begins with a weak first try.
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So ask yourself, what am I waiting for?
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Do I really need more time?
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Or am I afraid to begin?
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The answer may be uncomfortable, but it can help you understand your next step.
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You do not need to remove every problem before you start.
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You only need to decide what you can do today.
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So, how can we stop waiting for the perfect time?
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First, make the action smaller.
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If you want to read a book, do not promise to read 50 pages.
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Read 2 pages.
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If you want to exercise, do not promise to exercise for 1 hour.
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Walk for 10 minutes.
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If you want to study English, do not promise to study all evening.
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Practice for five minutes.
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A small action may look too easy, but that is the point.
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It is easier to begin when the task is small.
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Second, choose a real time.
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Do not say, I will do it later.
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Say, I will do it at seven o'clock.
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Do not say, I will study this week.
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Say, I will study for 10 minutes after dinner.
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A clear time turns a wish into a plan.
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Third, accept that the first try may not be perfect.
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You may feel tired.
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You may make mistakes.
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You may not enjoy the task every time.
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That does not mean you should stop.
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Some days will be easy.
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Other days will be difficult.
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The important thing is to keep taking small steps.
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You can also remember this.
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Action often comes before confidence.
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Many people wait to feel confident before they begin.
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But confidence often grows after they begin.
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When you practice, you learn.
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When you learn, you feel a little stronger.
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When you feel stronger, you want to try again.
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This is how progress begins.
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You do not need to feel brave before you take the first step.
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Sometimes, taking the first step helps you feel brave.
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Finally, stop asking, is this the perfect time?
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Ask a better question.
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What is one useful thing I can do now?
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Maybe you can write one sentence.
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Maybe you can send one message.
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Maybe you can put on your shoes and walk outside.
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Maybe you can open your book and read one page.
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One small action may not change your whole life today, but it can change the direction of your day.
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And tomorrow, you can take another step.
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The perfect time may never come, but the present moment is real.
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You can keep waiting for a better day, or you can begin with the day you have.
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The choice does not need to be big.
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Start small.
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Start imperfectly.
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Start today.
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Waiting for the perfect time can feel safe, but it can also stop us from living.
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You do not need a perfect day to begin.
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You need one small action and a clear time.
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Do not wait until everything is easy.
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Start with what you have, where you are, and take one small step today.
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Great job completing this A2 English shadowing practice.
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Keep listening and speaking just behind the narrator.
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You do not need to be perfect.
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You only need to practice a little and keep going.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Problem With Waiting for the Perfect Time”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: perfect, begin, waiting, step, English. This video has 132 sentences and 1192 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:39. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 93% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| badly adverb | /ˈbæd.li/ | In a bad manner. |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| brave adjective | /bɹeɪv/ | Strong in the face of fear; courageous. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| friendship noun | /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ | The condition of being friends. |
| instrument noun | /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/ | A device used to produce music. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| uncomfortable adjective | /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/ | Not comfortable; causing discomfort. |
| narrator noun | /ˈnæˌɹeɪ.təɹ/ | One who narrates or tells stories. |
| notebook noun | /ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/ | A book (physical or digital) in which notes or memoranda are written. |
| beginner noun | /bəˈɡɪnɚ/ | Someone who is just starting at something, or has only recently started. |
| imperfectly adverb | In an imperfect manner or degree; not fully or completely. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you say, I will start · If you say, I will try |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever told · have not spoken · have not called |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may never come · may sound · may think |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | start exercising · keep waiting · stop waiting |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, shoe /ˈʃu/
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 meal, badly, shadow.
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.