Shadowing Practice: Unfortunately, Approaching Women Really is This Simple - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
452 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Have you ever wanted to approach a girl, but you didn't because she was with a friend, she was on her phone,
2
she had headphones in, or maybe you just didn't know what to say.
3
In the next few minutes, you're going to watch me debunk every single approach excuse imaginable and successfully get multiple phone numbers.
4
Starting with this first approach.
5
Oh, I see a group of two girls.
6
Oh my God.
7
I want to approach her, but she's with her friend.
8
They're too far away.
9
I'm going to just not do it.
10
The opportunity passed.
11
Excuse me.
12
Sorry to bother you.
13
I didn't mean to scare you.
14
I just thought you were cute.
15
I wanted to say hi really fast.
16
Oh, hi.
17
What's your name?
18
Nice to meet you.
19
What's your name?
20
Nice to meet you.
21
That sounds very Southern.
22
Are you Southern?
23
No, I'm from London.
24
You both got boots on.
25
You have like a very Southern sounding name.
26
No, not Southern.
27
So you're Southern and not Southern.
28
Oh my God.
29
You're from England.
30
Yes.
31
Okay, from London.
32
Yes.
33
I can tell by the Cockney accent.
34
It's not Cockney.
35
Isn't it the same thing?
36
London.
37
That's like saying like a Southern accent is the same as like a regular accent.
38
Really?
39
Okay.
40
Very different.
41
That's so bad.
42
It's not like an opera, I'm from Cockney.
43
It's how I talk.
44
You should talk like that all the time.
45
No, never.
46
She's moving to Australia.
47
Yeah.
48
No way.
49
I came to find the love of my life too late.
50
When are you going to Australia?
51
I move in two weeks.
52
Wow.
53
Okay, where in Australia are you going?
54
Sydney.
55
Okay, I spent a month there on a surf trip like six years ago.
56
Okay, cool.
57
Cool, I don't want to prevent the friend hangout before you go, but it'd be cool to get your Instagram and chat some more sometime.
58
You want to just pop it in?
59
Sure.
60
Thanks.
61
Cool, well, it was nice meeting you guys.
62
See you guys soon.
63
Later.
64
Oh my God, my heart is still beating so fast.
65
I'm so nervous.
66
I couldn't approach a girl.
67
I couldn't approach her from behind.
68
I couldn't approach her if he's with a friend.
69
No way, right?
70
I can only approach a girl if it's super convenient and the opportunity falls into my lap.
71
That's the excuse that most guys make.
72
They will literally not do an approach with a woman that they're genuinely interested in unless it's super,
73
super convenient for them, unless it literally falls into their lap.
74
But if you're a beginner or you're a guy who wants to meet women, you just have to get in the habit of starting.
75
Most guys think it's creepy to approach a girl once you've already walked past her, but just watch this.
76
There's no way that can work, right you know what no it can excuse me sorry to bother
77
you i thought i thought you were cute
78
i wanted to say hi oh thank you excuse me sorry
79
where are you from greece are you are you visiting
80
i saw you taking a pic oh yeah it's my second time
81
but i'm still taking pictures of everything yeah yeah what have you what have you seen
82
so far you know you look pretty greek like your skin tone
83
but i can break people have green eyes like yours well i don't know like basically they have brown eyes
84
Okay, so you're just special.
85
Yeah, I guess.
86
I guess.
87
But like there are people with light eyes.
88
They're just the jeans.
89
I don't know.
90
Well, your jeans are nice too, along with your other jeans.
91
Oh, thank you.
92
Thank you very much.
93
Thank you for everything.
94
When are you heading out?
95
When do I go back?
96
So we're going out tonight for her birthday.
97
That's the plan.
98
Anywhere fun?
99
But like now they're home getting ready.
100
I just wanted to go for a stroll, soak up the New York.
101
LARPING.
102
LARPING?
103
Yeah, I saw you LARPING.
104
Yeah, LARPING.
105
Yeah, and I'm FaceTiming everyone back in Greece and be like, oh, yeah.
106
Just flexing on them.
107
That's basically what I'm doing right now.
108
That's funny.
109
Matcha, you know, like.
110
Cute fit on, the whole thing.
111
Yeah, thank you.
112
Thank you very much.
113
No, I think it's the best place in the world.
114
It's like Ibiza, Las Vegas, Mykonos.
115
That's it.
116
Okay, so all three red flag locations.
117
And then there's New York.
118
It's the center of the universe, I think.
119
Okay, cool.
120
Well, maybe if you're around this weekend, maybe we can do something fun.
121
Do you have Instagram?
122
Yeah, I can shoot your message.
123
Well, cool.
124
I don't want to interrupt your LARPing or your stories, but thank you very much.
125
Very nice to meet you.
126
Yeah, I'm going to meet a friend.
127
Okay, great.
128
Nice to meet you.
129
Bye bye.
130
Oh my god, we made eye contact.
131
We walked past each other.
132
Now it's weird if I turn around and go back.
133
Well, was any of that weird?
134
This is why when it comes to approach,
135
your ability to approach is directly correlated to your ability to challenge your own assumptions and challenge your beliefs.
136
Because all of the excuses, all of the anxiety that you get when you see an opportunity
137
and you ultimately don't take it are rooted in an assumption or a belief about how the outcome will come out.
138
And you have absolutely no idea how the outcome will come out.
139
And so you actually put yourself in that position to experience the outcome.
140
You cannot experience outcomes on the sidelines.
141
And the funny thing about that one is that at the end, she asked, are you alone, by the way?
142
What was that for?
143
Because she's probably screening my logistics, and that was probably an opportunity to go on an instant date.
144
On to the next excuse.
145
This next excuse is she's on her phone.
146
She already walked past me.
147
Oh, no, there's people around.
148
I don't want them to hear.
149
Excuse me.
150
Sorry to bother you.
151
I thought you were cute.
152
I like your outfit.
153
Oh, no worries.
154
You had a very nice preppy vibe to you.
155
Have a good rest of your day.
156
Bye -bye.
157
So many guys watching this, their worst fear is experiencing what just happened, which is a rejection.
158
Having a woman tell you no. Whether she had a boyfriend or not, doesn't even matter.
159
Because just like I had a streak of two in a row, rejections are part of the process.
160
No matter how good you are, no matter who you are, you will always, always, always experience rejection.
161
And the big problem most guys have with rejections like this is that they feel that the rejection means something about them.
162
It means that they're unworthy, it means that they're undesirable, it means that they're maybe not as good with women as they thought.
163
And the truth is none of that is true.
164
And this is what's so good about meeting women in person is that it forces you to live in the real world,
165
in the present, to focus on talking to women actually i'm living in the present i see an opportunity
166
excuse me sorry i i i don't mean to bother
167
you i know you have headphones in i thought you were cute
168
i just wanted to say hi i saw
169
you strolling down with your outfit i'm like i want to stop her
170
and say something thanks are you headed this way yeah
171
you want to walk with me sure well what
172
do you guys up to anything fun okay no
173
I don't go to school here I'm 47 years old
174
so I just you know walk in the streets do my thing exactly literally no I was walking
175
that way to meet a friend
176
and I is like okay i just i need
177
i need to stop me to say something
178
you can wait a second right i just want to make sure escort
179
you to the pop -up make sure you look you arrive safe
180
and sound you know maybe get your number in the process
181
fall in love at some point in the future the usual well you're 46.
182
no i'm kidding can you guess how old i am actually i did not moisturize today unfortunately I don't know.
183
You have really like unique hazel eyes.
184
That's why I'm trying to figure it out.
185
I'm Eastern European.
186
Okay, you speak really badly, but did you ask me if I speak Russian?
187
No, I asked you if you speak Polish.
188
Oh, no. You're Russian?
189
No. Ah, okay.
190
Okay, so I was close.
191
That's the only
192
Eastern European language I know.
193
I don't know
194
Polish that well, but...
195
I don't want to say Russian because sometimes people get offended.
196
I don't know why.
197
I'm not Ukrainian.
198
Don't worry.
199
I'm half.
200
You smell good.
201
Okay, thanks.
202
Can I guess what you're wearing?
203
You're never gonna guess.
204
It's actually very basic.
205
It's how I fell?
206
Yeah, how'd you know?
207
It's the navy dark blue bottle.
208
I'm a brother.
209
Okay, okay, cool.
210
Do you go here to NYU?
211
Yeah, I do.
212
What year are you?
213
Guess.
214
Second.
215
Third?
216
Fourth.
217
Fourth?
218
I'm 46.
219
46, wow.
220
Second?
221
I can tell.
222
I can just tell by the vibe.
223
You're like too confidently walking around to be a first year in October.
224
So I get to.
225
I already have my footing.
226
You do?
227
More or less.
228
Five foot one footing?
229
Three.
230
Five foot three.
231
Okay.
232
That was close.
233
I don't want to hold you up too long.
234
I do have to go.
235
You should enjoy your game charge pop -up and tell me how it is.
236
Do you want to exchange numbers?
237
I'll text you.
238
Yeah, I know.
239
What's your name?
240
Benjamin.
241
Benjamin.
242
Nice to meet you.
243
That's not a Russian name.
244
I'm not that Russian.
245
I'm very off the boat.
246
Off the boat.
247
Okay.
248
I'll text you.
249
Okay.
250
I'll shoot you a message.
251
Nice to meet you.
252
Yeah, it was very nice to meet you as well.
253
Do you know where you're going?
254
Yeah, I think I just saw my phone.
255
Okay, I'm headed this way.
256
Nice seeing you.
257
And by the way, if you're an older,
258
successful guy, and you want to learn exactly how to meet women just like this in your day -to -day interactions,
259
including literal models like my 54 year old client Todd did, then click the link in the description and apply to work with me personally.
260
We'll help you build a custom game plan based on your city,
261
schedule, and lifestyle to make sure you're consistently meeting the type of women that actually excite you.
262
Fair warning, it's not cheap because we work with each guy individually and thus have limited capacity.
263
So apply now before spots fill up for the month.
264
Oh my god, look at me.
265
I just got rejected.
266
It's over.
267
I should have just quit and go home.
268
Nope.
269
I literally walk three seconds down the street.
270
I see another opportunity.
271
Oh no, she had headphones in.
272
If she has her headphones in, there's no way I can approach her.
273
There's no way she's going to stop.
274
I don't want to bother her.
275
And guess what?
276
I stop her.
277
It goes well.
278
We go on a little midday stroll.
279
We have a great interaction.
280
And there we go.
281
If this doesn't inspire you to go and actually take action
282
and live in the real world instead of in the fake internal world that you've constructed for yourself, honestly, nothing will.
283
And you need some external force, some outside accountability to kick you into gear and kick you into action.
284
I've taken literally thousands of men over the last decade from zero approach experience, having never started conversations with women,
285
to starting conversations, to consistently getting numbers, consistently getting dates, and eventually settling down into long -term relationships,
286
marriages, and even eventually starting families from this skill set.
287
There's no way this taller woman is going to be receptive to me.
288
I might as well not even try.
289
Oh my God, I'm nervous.
290
Look how tall she is.
291
She's like a whole head taller than me.
292
Well, here goes nothing.
293
Excuse me.
294
Hey, sorry to bother you.
295
I thought you were cute.
296
I wanted to say hi.
297
Oh, hi.
298
What's your name?
299
Nice to meet you.
300
Are you headed this way?
301
Yeah.
302
I can stroll with you till the end.
303
Why are you only visiting?
304
My sign load's here.
305
I'm from California.
306
Okay.
307
I lived in California for a few years back in the day.
308
Yeah, I lived in LA.
309
I lived in like Encino, all over the valley, and then i lived in hollywood for a
310
while too okay where are you from originally here new york
311
but like uptown uptown like near the bronx okay cool what about you where in cali are you from i'm from
312
okay county
313
if you've ever went down south from la i used to go surfing
314
there all the time oh you did yeah yeah do you surf
315
i don't i look snorkeled okay cool i was gonna say
316
you must play some sport with your height volleyball basketball something
317
it's always the tall girls who play volleyball yeah did you
318
play any sports a lot football a ton of others yeah what's your itinerary
319
i don't want to lead you in the wrong direction
320
but yeah maybe with a friend for dinner res maybe we should take your number
321
if you'd like yeah that'd be great for your instagram yeah
322
i'll give you my number you can just pop it in yeah how long are you in town for i'm leaving
323
Sunday morning.
324
Okay, so we have two days to fall in love and do the whole thing.
325
I actually might be in LA in about two, three weeks.
326
It's not, but closer than usual.
327
It is very close, yeah.
328
Nice to meet you, Benjamin.
329
Nice to meet you.
330
Very nice to meet you.
331
Let's see you around.
332
Bye -bye.
333
So that girl who was significantly taller than me, how much taller than me would you say she was?
334
Solid two, three inches.
335
Probably look bad on camera.
336
I was getting bogged.
337
I got mogged by a woman who is three inches taller than me
338
and I was still able to just have a normal conversation, get her number, explore, see if it goes anywhere, see if there's any potential.
339
If I would have let my insecurity or my own bullshit excuses about why it couldn't work, she's taller than me, that doesn't make sense,
340
she's not gonna girls only like guys who are tall, you need to be taller than them.
341
Those are all just beliefs and those are all just assumptions and if you still haven't taken anything from today, that's what this video is about,
342
challenging all of the assumptions and the beliefs that exist in your mind.
343
But I'm nervous.
344
I don't want to approach her.
345
I'm nervous.
346
So she's sitting down at the table, has headphones in.
347
So she's sitting at the outdoor cafe, having lunch by herself.
348
I'm just too nervous to approach.
349
I don't know.
350
Should I do it, man?
351
Chess, go do it.
352
Oh my God.
353
No, but I'm nervous.
354
I feel my heart racing.
355
I'm nervous.
356
I can't do that.
357
No way.
358
I could just do that.
359
I could just open up Tinder.
360
I could swipe.
361
Maybe I slide into some DMs.
362
No, I can't do it.
363
I feel anxiety, but Like, it's so weird.
364
Even though I feel nervous and anxiety, like I can still just put one foot in front of the other and cross the street.
365
Oh my God, there's a million people there.
366
The waitress is there.
367
Oh my God.
368
There's going to be a bunch of people overseering.
369
Oh no. Excuse me.
370
Sorry to bother you.
371
I just thought you were pretty.
372
I wanted to come say hi really fast.
373
What's your name?
374
Where are you from?
375
You're from here in New York?
376
Okay, I hear a bit of an accent.
377
That's why I'm like, okay.
378
Are you having lunch or dinner or a little bit of both?
379
Just a drink?
380
Why by yourself?
381
My husband is running late.
382
Ah, okay.
383
Well, enjoy the drink with your husband.
384
Take it as a compliment.
385
Have a great day.
386
Bye -bye.
387
Oh, my God.
388
I just got rejected.
389
Holy, I approached her.
390
There was people all around.
391
The bystanders were laughing at me, seeing me do the approach, seeing me get brutally rejected.
392
Oh, my God.
393
That means women don't like me.
394
That means I'm a loser.
395
Oh my god.
396
Literally who cares?
397
Did I spontaneously combust after that rejection?
398
No, of course not.
399
What's funny is one of the girls already texted me from the earlier approach.
400
We've been out what maybe an hour?
401
And one of them already messaged me nice meeting you Benjamin.
402
I wish I was in town longer
403
All you got to do guys just got to put yourself out
404
there just got to have a little bit of balls a little bit of courage and
405
Know how to say and do the right thing.
406
That's it.
407
And to be clear when I say you just need to know how to say the right thing.
408
I'm not talking about nonsense, gimmicky, cringe, pickup artist tricks.
409
What I'm talking about is knowing how to be present and relaxed enough in the conversation to read someone's body language,
410
read someone's tonality, see where they're at energetically, and be able to meet them where they're at.
411
A lot of guys like to think that they're tough, they're masculine.
412
they're really confident.
413
Let's see how confident you are.
414
Why don't you go up and talk to the woman that you're nervous to talk to?
415
Why don't you go up and talk to a woman where there's a low probability that it may not happen?
416
If you're so confident in yourself, why are you resisting the rejection?
417
Men will spend $8K a month on rent to live in New York
418
and be surrounded by beautiful women and still not approach a single one of them.
419
They'll walk outside, see the girl they like.
420
Oh, I want to talk to her.
421
Oh, she looks busy.
422
Oh, I have another excuse.
423
Oh, she's on the phone.
424
Oh, she has headphones in.
425
Whatever excuse it is.
426
How's this for an excuse?
427
Did you spend this much money to live in the highest
428
cost of living city in the entire world to sit in your apartment, to be surrounded by beautiful women and not interact with any of them?
429
You could literally be doing this in Wisconsin.
430
If you're a guy, you came to New York, every single guy who moves to New York thinks, oh, my dating life's going to be great.
431
I'll be able to meet all these different women.
432
If you're not doing it, if you're not taking advantage of the opportunity to meet your future wife here, then what are you even doing here?
433
Go back to Wisconsin.
434
You can go do your same exact routine of work, gym, repeat in Ohio, wherever you came from.
435
Go back to the Midwest.
436
This is one of the most densely populated cities in the
437
world where you can genuinely walk outside of your apartment and meet your future wife on the sidewalk.
438
I know because I've literally helped dozens of clients here in New York City do exactly that.
439
So if you're a successful guy living in New York
440
and you want to take advantage of this unique access window
441
that you have in your life
442
and you want to learn how to start conversations with the people you meet in your day -to -day life,
443
click the link below to watch my free video showing you exactly how.
444
And if you're a successful man who has all the boxes checked
445
but your dating life is still not up to par with the rest of your life,
446
then click the link below and apply to work with me and my team.
447
We've worked with thousands of successful men to consistently get them on one to three dates per week with women
448
they're genuinely excited about.
449
And if you're the right kind of guy, we can help you do the same.
450
Everything from how to get over your approach anxiety, what to say in the interactions,
451
and how to follow up over text to get these women on dates.
452
And if you want to see my 54 year old client picking up literal models on the street, click here to watch this video.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
1115 sentences
Blind Dating 6 Girls Based on Their Glow Up Photos
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
166 sentences
Master The Art of Approaching Women (It’s Easier Than You Think)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
463 sentences
MY FIRST DAY IN ITALY! 🇮🇹
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
883 sentences
for ambitious women: how to let go of perfectionism & build your dream life ft. Gaby Ulloa
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
359 sentences
Woman Says Online Boyfriend Dumped Her During First In-Person Visit!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
29 sentences
Meeting My Girlfriend's Parents for the First Time
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2331 sentences
these strangers were so cute i had to ask... they said no... #cutecouple #videography
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2265 sentences
SAN DIEGO SERIES | Matt Rife crowdwork
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2205 sentences
They’re Both Lowkey Scheming | How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B25
148 sentences
If you never had a girlfriend, this video is for you
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
172 sentences
Is it “Too Much”? Dating advice with Girl in Red!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2101 sentences
Ryan Gosling hitting on Emma Stone
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Unfortunately, Approaching Women Really is This Simple”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: approach, meet, excuse. This video has 452 sentences and 3480 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:56. The speaker talks fast, about 206 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| rejection noun | /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | The act of rejecting. |
| headphones noun | /ˈhɛdfoʊnz/ | A pair of cushioned speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| outcome noun | /ˈaʊtkʌm/ | That which is produced or occurs as a result of an event or process. |
| consistently adverb | /kənˈsɪstəntli/ | In a consistent manner. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| assumption noun | /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/ | The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting. |
| stroll verb | /stɹoʊl/ | To wander on foot; to ramble idly or leisurely; to rove. |
| interaction noun | /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/ | The situation or occurrence in which two or more things act upon one another to produce an effect; the effect resulting from such a situation or occurrence. |
| genuinely adverb | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/ | In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly. |
| jeans noun | /d͡ʒiːnz/ | A pair of trousers made from denim cotton. |
| surf verb | /sɝf/ | To ride a wave on a surfboard; to pursue or take part in the sport of surfing. |
| outfit noun | /ˈaʊtfɪt/ | A set of clothing (with accessories). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| pop up verb | To come up with a "pop" sound. | |
| get over verb | To overcome. | |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You want to just pop it in?
- When are you heading out?
- Can I guess what you're wearing?
- Do you know where you're going?
- We've been out what maybe an hour?
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 wanted · you've already walked · have you seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | guy who wants · happened, which is · woman who is |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is directly correlated · are rooted · be surrounded |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 129 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, unworthy /ʌnˈwɝði/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/
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 bother, rejection, headphones.
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.