Shadowing Practice: Train Your Brain to Think English Every Day | Easy English Speaking Practice for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello everyone!
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Hello everyone!
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Welcome back to Ima English Daily,
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where every conversation helps you learn English.
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I'm Ima, and today I'm here with Jack.
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Hello everyone.
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Hi Ima.
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How are you today?
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I'm very happy today because I went for a walk this morning and the weather was beautiful.
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What about you, Jack?
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I'm okay, but I feel a little tired because I stayed up late last night watching an English movie with subtitles.
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That is actually good practice because reading English subtitles can help you learn new words and improve listening skills.
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Yes, but the movie was so interesting that I kept saying,
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just one more episode, and suddenly it was very late.
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That happens to many people.
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But today we have an important topic,
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because we are going to talk about training your brain to think in English.
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Thinking in English sounds difficult to me,
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because I usually think in my own language first,
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and then translate everything into English.
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That is very common for English learners,
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but translating all the time makes speaking slow,
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and sometimes the sentences sound strange or incorrect.
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Yes, that happens to me a lot because I create the sentence in my language first,
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and then I try to find English words.
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Our goal is simple today.
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We want your brain to stop translating and start thinking directly in English.
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little by little.
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Can people really do that,
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or is it only for advanced English speakers?
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Yes, people can definitely do it if they practice every day.
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And after one or two months,
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they usually notice a big improvement.
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That makes me feel more confident because one or two months is not too long.
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Good!
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Confidence is important when learning a language because fear makes speaking more difficult.
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So how can I start thinking in English without translating everything?
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My first tip is very simple.
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Think in short and easy English sentences about everyday actions and objects around you.
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What kind of sentences do you mean?
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For example, if you are sitting on a chair,
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you can think, I am sitting on a chair.
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Or if you wake up in the morning,
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you can think, I am tired, or I need coffee.
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Oh, I understand now because the sentences are short,
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natural, and easy for the brain to remember.
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Yes, exactly.
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I am tired is already English thinking because you are using a simple sentence directly in English without translating.
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So the secret is to use short and easy sentences instead of trying to make long and difficult ones.
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Yes.
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That is tip number one,
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and it works very well because small sentences feel natural and not scary.
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Let me try another one.
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The sun is bright.
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I feel warm.
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Perfect!
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Those are two simple English thoughts,
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and they are clear like small photos made with words.
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I really like that idea because it feels like I am taking little word pictures in my mind.
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Exactly.
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And you can practice this anywhere,
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like on the bus, in the park,
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at home, or while walking outside.
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Okay, on the bus, I can think.
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The bus is crowded.
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Some people are standing.
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I have a seat, so I am lucky today.
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That is a*****, Jack.
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Your English thoughts already sound more natural and comfortable.
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Maybe I am becoming an English poet now.
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Yes, a poet who writes small English sentences while riding the bus.
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This is actually fun, and it feels much easier than translating big sentences in my head.
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That is because your brain learns better step-by-step,
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one small sentence at a time.
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Okay, I understand tip number one.
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So what is tip number two?
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Tip number two is input,
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which means putting English into your brain by listening and reading every day.
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So listening to this podcast right now is also input practice for English learners.
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Exactly.
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Podcasts, songs, movies, simple books,
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and even children's stories are all good kinds of English input.
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I like children's books because the pictures help me understand the story,
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and the language is simple.
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That is why they are perfect for beginners,
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because the words are clear,
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easy, and useful for daily life.
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So the more I listen to English and read English,
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the more normal English starts to feel inside my brain.
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Yes, your brain slowly becomes familiar with English,
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just like learning the words of a song after hearing it many times.
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That is a great example,
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because music stays in the brain naturally.
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Exactly, and there is another useful practice called shadowing.
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Shadowing sounds interesting, but what does it mean?
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It means you listen to someone speaking English and then immediately repeat the same words,
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sounds, and rhythm.
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So I can listen to this podcast,
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pause it, and repeat the sentences after you speak.
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Yes, and this helps your pronunciations become smoother because your mouth learns the English sounds naturally.
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That actually sounds fun, like becoming an echo in English.
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Exactly.
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Shadowing is fun, simple, and very powerful for speaking practice.
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Okay, I will definitely try shadowing with this podcast today.
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Wonderful.
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Now let's move to tip number three, which is output.
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Input goes into the brain,
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so I guess output means English coming out of the brain.
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Correct.
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Output means speaking English or writing English,
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using the words you already learned.
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So listening alone is not enough if I never speak English myself.
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Yes, because even if you listen for many years,
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speaking will still feel difficult, without practice.
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That makes sense.
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But what can I do if I have nobody around me to practice English with?
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The answer is simple.
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Start talking to yourself in English every day.
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Talking to myself sounds funny because people might think I am a little crazy.
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Maybe people will think you are a little crazy,
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but you will also become better at English,
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so it is a good deal.
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That is true because when I talk to myself,
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there is no pressure and nobody is judging my mistakes.
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exactly you can make mistakes try again and keep practicing without feeling nervous
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or embarrassed okay I will start talking to myself in English at home every day.
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Perfect!
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Imagine you are in the kitchen making coffee in the morning.
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You can say, I am making coffee.
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The coffee smells good.
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I feel a little hungry,
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so maybe I will make some toast.
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That sounds like my own little English radio show in the kitchen.
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Yes, exactly.
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Your kitchen can become your personal English classroom every morning.
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Welcome to Jack's Kitchen, where today we are making coffee and enjoying a beautiful morning.
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Perfect!
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That is natural English practice.
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And as it, you can also describe the things you see around you.
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Right now I can say, I see a table.
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I see a window.
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The sky is blue and there is a green tree outside.
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Excellent!
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That is real English output because the words are coming naturally from your mind.
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When I practice this way,
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English feels easier and less stressful.
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That is because you do not need perfect grammar all the time.
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You only need to practice speaking and expressing your thoughts.
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So my brain becomes stronger every time I try to use English,
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even if I make mistakes.
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Exactly.
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Practice is what trains your brain and makes English feel more comfortable over time.
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I really like that idea because comfortable English sounds more realistic than perfect English.
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Yes, the goal is not perfect English.
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The goal is comfortable English that you can use naturally in daily life.
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I will remember that sentence every day.
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Comfortable, not perfect.
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Good, because confidence grows when you focus on communication instead of perfection.
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Is speaking the only kind of output,
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or is there another way to practice, too?
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There is another great method,
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and that is writing in English every day.
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What kind of writing should beginners do?
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You can keep a small diary or write short notes about your day using simple sentences.
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So I can write things like,
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today I went to the shop,
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I bought bread, and the bread was very fresh.
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Exactly.
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Simple writing practice helps your brain organize English thoughts more clearly.
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That sounds easy, because I can write a few sentences every night before sleeping.
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Yes, and both speaking and writing are important forms of output because they help you actively use English.
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So the key is to use English in every possible way,
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by speaking, writing, and thinking out loud every day.
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Exactly.
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The more you use English in real life,
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the faster your brain becomes comfortable with it.
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Then I will talk to my coffee in the morning and write English notes in my notebook at night.
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That sounds like the perfect daily routine for an English learner, Jack.
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Thank you, Jack.
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I can already imagine you talking to your coffee every morning in English.
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Yes, I am ready for my new English coffee routine.
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Before we finish today, let's review the three important tips one more time.
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Yes, review time because repetition helps the brain remember better.
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Tip number one is to think in small and simple English sentences using easy words every day.
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For example, I am sitting,
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I feel tired, or I am happy today.
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Perfect!
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Short sentences are easier for the brain and help you stop translating.
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Okay, tip number two is input,
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which means listening to English and reading English every day.
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Exactly!
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Podcasts, songs, movies, videos, and simple books all help your brain become familiar with English.
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So input means English goes into the brain little by little every day.
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Yes, and tip number three is output,
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which means using English by speaking,
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writing, or talking to yourself.
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Even in the kitchen while making coffee.
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Especially in the kitchen because coffee is a very patient listener.
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Yes, my coffee never judges my pronunciation mistakes.
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That is why talking to yourself is such good practice for beginners.
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Before we finish, I have one more question.
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How much time should people practice English every day?
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Many people think they need two or three hours every day,
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but actually, a small amount of daily practice is enough.
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Really?
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So how many minutes should beginners practice?
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Even 10 minutes every day can create a big improvement over time.
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Only 10 minutes?
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That sounds much easier than I expected.
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Yes, because language learning works best with repetition and daily habits,
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not with long study sessions once a week.
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So practicing a little every day is more powerful than studying for many hours only on Saturday.
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Exactly.
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Small steps every day slowly build strong English habits inside your brain.
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That reminds me of building a house brick by brick until the whole house is finished.
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That is a perfect example because language learning also grows slowly,
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one small step at a time.
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So after one month, two months,
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or six months, people will notice a real difference in their English.
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Yes, because daily practice slowly becomes a natural habit and English starts to feel easier.
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I think the best time for me to practice is every morning with my coffee.
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That is an excellent plan because doing English practice at the same time every day helps build consistency.
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So every morning I can listen to a podcast,
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read a few sentences, and talk to myself in English for 10 minutes.
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Exactly.
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And after some time, it will feel completely normal and comfortable.
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Maybe after six months people will say,
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Jack, your English sounds really good now.
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And then you can answer, thank you.
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I practiced English with my coffee every morning.
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That sounds like a funny but effective secret for learning English.
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Yes, because anyone can find 10 minutes a day,
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even busy or tired people.
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This conversation was really helpful,
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and now I feel much more confident about practicing English every day.
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Thank you, Jack.
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And thank you to everyone listening to Ima'a English Daily today.
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Please subscribe, like this episode,
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and share it with your friends who are learning English too.
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And before we go, we have a question for all our listeners today.
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Do you usually talk to yourself in English or in your own language?
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Tell us in the comments.
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Remember, you do not need perfect English.
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You only need small daily practice and confidence.
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Your brain is always listening,
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always learning, and slowly becoming stronger in English every day.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will learn techniques to train your brain to think directly in English instead of constantly translating from your native language. This practice is designed for beginners who want to improve their English speaking skills and gain greater fluency. By focusing on simple, everyday sentences, you will gradually build confidence and reduce the time it takes for your thoughts to translate into speech. Expect to embrace the use of short phrases that describe your daily actions and surroundings, making English a more instinctive part of your communication.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Thinking in English: The ability to formulate thoughts directly in English without translation.
- Short and easy sentences: Simple phrases that help create a natural flow of thought.
- Practice: Repeating exercises regularly to improve skills.
- Listening skills: The capacity to understand spoken English, enhanced by watching movies with subtitles.
- Confidence: A key aspect of effective speaking, derived from comfort and familiarity with the language.
- Everyday actions: Common activities that can be described simply in English.
Practice Tips
To effectively integrate the skills discussed in this lesson, consider utilizing a shadow speaking app to practice your English pronunciation and fluency. Here are some tailored tips to help enhance your shadowing experience at a beginner-friendly pace:
- Begin with simple sentences: Start by shadowing short sentences from the video, such as "I am sitting on a chair" or "I need coffee." This will familiarize your brain with English structure.
- Mirror the speakers: As you listen, try to repeat the sentences at the same speed and intonation. This method helps internalize the rhythm and sounds of English.
- Use pauses: Don’t overwhelm yourself. Pause the video after every few sentences, repeat them aloud, and ensure you’re comfortably articulating the words.
- Record your voice: Listening to your own shadow speak can help you identify areas for improvement and boost your confidence.
- Daily practice: Make it a routine to spend at least 10-15 minutes daily with shadowing exercises. High consistency over a month can lead to noticeable improvements, especially for IELTS speaking practice.
By practicing regularly and focusing on the short, meaningful sentences from your day-to-day experiences, you will find that thinking in English becomes more natural. Remember, the goal is to decrease translation time and increase fluency!
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.
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