Shadowing Practice: Under 35? This Is the Best Country to Live in Europe - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Are you under 35 and living in the EU?

Well, it might be time to pack your bags, because not all 27 member states are created equal.

I mean, in Dublin the average young person can expect to spend 75 % of their income just on rent.

And in Spain, you have a 27 % chance to be out of a job.

And in France, you are increasingly likely to be wound up in a crime.

Ouch.

A recent study by Alorix ranks every EU country on what really matters for young people.

Crime, education, salaries, housing, job opportunities, and even happiness.

And the results?

Let's just say there are some clear winners in a few countries you might want to avoid.

So in this video, we'll go through the rankings, category by category, and reveal who's sitting at the top and who's firmly at the bottom.

And credit where credit is due.

written by Alorix in February this year.

And you can find their full article linked in the description.

So let's kick things off with safety, because nobody wants to move somewhere just to get mugged on the way home.

And for this, we'll use the Nomeo Crime Index.

It's based on what residents actually say about crime levels, how safe they feel walking at night, and whether things are getting better or worse.

And here's where things get very interesting.

The EU countries where people feel safest aren't the usual suspects.

are Estonia, Slovenia, and Croatia.

Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either.

You'd expect the Nordics to crush this category.

But instead, Sweden is right near the bottom, just above Belgium, and France.

And France really stands out here.

It has the highest crime perception in the EU.

And in this case, perception matches reality.

Violent crime has been rising for years, and France actually records the highest number of homicides in the EU.

887 last year.

More than Germany, despite Germany's much larger population.

France struggles with organized crimes, with gangs active in big cities like Marseille, Lyon and Paris.

And around Paris there are ghettos with big social problems, poverty, poor integration and marginalization, which makes crime especially high.

Estonia, by contrast, is now one of the safest countries in the EU.

In the 1990s it had major often with EU support, turn things around.

Today crime is so low that they even have spare prison space to rent out.

That said, compared globally, all 27 EU countries still count as relatively safe.

Next up is education, because if you want a good job and a real career opportunity, a solid degree still makes a big difference.

For this, we look at Eurostat's data on the share of young people completing tertiary education.

That's things like bachelor degrees or higher.

And here, Ireland dominates the list, followed by Cyprus and Luxembourg.

that are modern, competitive and open to students from many different financial backgrounds.

But not everyone is doing so well.

At the bottom we find Italy, Hungary and by quite some margin, Romania.

In these cases, high dropout rates

and tendency for students to study abroad rather than finish a degree at home drag the numbers down.

careers, and in some countries, they're just as valuable.

Still though, what really does set Europe apart is the price tag.

In Ireland, bachelor students pay a maximum of 3000 euros a year as a contribution fee, while the government covers the rest.

There are also grants for families who need extra help, and it's a similar story across much of the EU.

Universities are cheap or even free, unlike the US or the UK, where fees can run into the tens of thousands salaries,

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Back to the video.

Next up, salaries.

Now, comparing pay across Europe isn't as simple as looking at euros, because in some countries, your money simply stretches further than others.

So instead, let's have some fun and measure it in Big Macs.

Here's how it works.

We take the average annual net earnings of a full -time worker without children

and divide it by the price of a Big Mac in their respective country.

And voila, you get how many burgers an average salary can buy in a month.

Take Sweden for example.

On average, a worker there could afford about 356 Big Macs a month, which puts Sweden right in the middle of the EU pack.

At the bottom is Slovakia, with just 253 Big Macs a month.

Meanwhile, at the very top, the Dutch could feast on a staggering 533 Big Macs every month, the highest in Europe.

Romania.

The Netherlands manages this thanks to sky -high wages, one of the strongest economies in Europe,

relatively stable prices, and a social model where big costs like healthcare and education are heavily subsidized.

Lots of Big Macs are great though, but if most of your salary disappears into rent, then it's not exactly an accurate picture of your income.

So, next let's check how much of the average income actually goes into housing, and this one is wild.

In countries like Ireland and

more than 70 % of the average monthly wage goes straight into rent for a one -bedroom apartment in the capital city.

That's insane.

To be fair, this so -called rental index is based on the price of a one -bedroom in the capital, divided by the average salary.

Obviously, living outside the capital is cheaper.

Lisbon is in a whole different league compared to northern Portugal, for example.

Still though, Lisbon and Dublin are brutal.

That's down to a mix of limited housing supply, high demand from students and expats, and in some cases, short -term rentals pushing locals out.

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At the other end of the scale are the capitals of Austria, Romania and Latvia, where people spend the smallest share of their salary on rent.

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So while Latvia doesn't have great purchasing power in Big Macs, at least low rent means more money is left over for other things.

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looks very different across Europe.

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In 2024, the lowest rates were in Czechia, Poland and Malta, all hovering around 3%.

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On the other end of the spectrum are Sweden, Spain and Greece.

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In Spain and Greece especially, youth unemployment is sky high.

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A big reason here is the heavy reliance on tourism and seasonal industries, which collapse in downturns.

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Add in widespread use of short -term want and deep regional divides,

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young people often end up stuck with unstable work or none at all.

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And then lastly, there's happiness.

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This comes from the World Population Review, which looks at factors like life expectancy, income, social support, and overall life satisfaction.

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And apparently, happiness likes cold weather.

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The happiest countries are dominated by the Nordics.

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Finland at number one, followed by Denmark, and then Sweden.

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These countries combine strong, extensive social programs, from generous parental leave to affordable childcare,

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all of which support high living standards.

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At the bottom of the list are Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria, where economic pressures and lower levels of social support weigh more heavily on people's day -to -day lives.

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Lucky for us, Alorex crunched the numbers and came up with an overall index score.

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Basically, a way to combine all six areas into one big ranking.

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So let's make it fun and start from the bottom of the podium.

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Third place, we have Poland.

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They didn't actually come first in any single category, but they were consistently good across the board, with low crime, strong purchasing power, and very low unemployment.

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Then second place, Austria.

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Just edging out Poland.

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I guess the skiing, mountain views, and upper ski shots, do count for something.

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And then at number one, we have the Netherlands.

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Top marks for education, safety and overall quality of life.

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Yes, housing can be pricey, especially in Amsterdam.

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But with higher incomes balancing things out, the Dutch still come out as the most attractive spot for young Europeans.

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Now here's the full ranking, so you can check where your country landed.

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And down at the very bottom, we've got Greece, Portugal and in last place, Italy.

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Why?

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Alorix points out to long -standing economic struggles, low trust in the government in life.

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And add in the high crime perceptions in Italy and France

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and you get a mix that makes young people feel a lot less secure about their future.

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It's also interesting to notice the broader trends across Europe.

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There's still a clear divide between the North and the South.

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For young Europeans, the best opportunities often seem to be in Central and Northern Europe, while the South still lags behind.

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Here's what I think.

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This ranking is super fun to look at, And of course life is a lot more complex.

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Pensions, healthcare, the ability to buy a house, even how easy it is to start a business.

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All of that matters too.

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So take these results with a very big pinch of salt.

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Still though, some countries create better conditions for young people in certain areas, while others fall behind.

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And that's exactly what this new series is about.

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Comparing EU countries and asking who does it better, and crucially, why?

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And can we copy their model?

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This was just the introduction.

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In the coming weeks, we'll kick things off properly with pensions.

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And trust me, you don't want to miss this one.

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Germany spends over 27 % of its budget on pensions. must be amazing right?

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Well, not exactly.

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And next week we'll dig into the why and how other countries do it way better.

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And if you want something to watch while you wait, check out our country on immigration, where Denmark really stands out compared to the rest of the EU.

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You can find it right here.

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Thank you so much for watching.

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And to support us further, consider joining us on Patreon.

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And thank you so much to our presidents, Jan Schauke, Christian Peter, AGVD, Daniel Unite Europe, recent president Kiki Lokson.

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Thank you for your support.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Under 35? This Is the Best Country to Live in Europe”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: countries, crime, Europe. This video has 158 sentences and 1916 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:21. The speaker talks at a natural 155 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
divide verb	/dɪˈvaɪd/	To split or separate (something) into two or more parts.
sponsor noun	/ˈspɒn.səː/	A person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or…
perception noun	/pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/	The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information.
dominate verb	/ˈdɑ.məˌneɪt/	To govern, rule or control by superior authority or power.
bachelor noun	/ˈbæt͡ʃ.ə.lə(ɹ)/	A person, especially a man, who is socially regarded as able to marry, but has not yet.
euro noun	/ˈjʊɹoʊ/	The currency unit of the European Monetary Union. Symbol: €
rental noun	/ˈɹɛntəl/	Something that is rented.
combine verb	/kəmˈbaɪn/	To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.
childcare noun		The act, practice, or occupation of supervising and taking care of young children.
compliant adjective	/kəmˈplaɪənt/	Willing to comply; submissive; willing to do what someone wants.
confidentiality noun		The property of being confidential.
crucially adverb	/ˈkɹuːʃəli/	In a crucial manner.
downturn noun	/ˈdaʊntɜːn/	A downward trend, or the beginnings of one.
dropout noun		Someone who has left an educational institution without completing the course
expectancy noun	/ɪkˈspɛktənsi/	Expectation or anticipation; the state of expecting something.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
stand out verb		To jut out, protrude (from a surface etc.).
check out verb		To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
fall behind verb		To be late (for a regular event)
get off verb		To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it.
get out of verb		To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'll, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/, crucially /ˈkɹuːʃəli/, marginalization /ˌmɑː(ɹ)dʒɪnəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/, tertiary /ˈtɜː.ʃi.ə.ɹiː/, transcription /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: expectancy /ɪkˈspɛktənsi/, marginalization /ˌmɑː(ɹ)dʒɪnəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/, tertiary /ˈtɜː.ʃi.ə.ɹiː/, satisfaction /sætɪsˈfækʃən/

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 divide, sponsor, perception.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Under 35? This Is the Best Country to Live in Europe - Learn English Speaking with Video

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