Shadowing Practice: Want to Think in English? Try This Daily Technique! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
54 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
- So you want to be able to think in English.
2
This is actually one of the most common questions I get as an English teacher here on YouTube.
3
How do I stop thinking in my native language and start thinking in English?
4
Well, in this English lesson, I'm going to teach you a technique that you can use throughout the day that I guarantee will help you start.
5
to think in English.
6
So the way this technique works is that I'm going to teach you six
7
sentence starters that you need to think about as you go through your day even if you're at a place like this, a gas station.
8
The first two I want to teach you are the sentence starters I need, and I want.
9
When I go to the gas station, I usually think in English about two things.
10
Number one, I need to buy gas Number two, I want to go in this little store over here behind this truck and buy a chocolate bar.
11
So, You should do the same thing.
12
When you're at a place like the gas station, you should think about what do you need and what do you want?
13
And in your mind, think about those sentences.
14
So I need to buy gas.
15
I want to buy a chocolate bar.
16
So the next two sentence starters that I want to teach you are the sentence starters I love and I hate.
17
Often when I'm at the gas station, I will be thinking, of course, that I need to buy gas and I want to buy a chocolate bar,
18
but I'll also look around at my surroundings.
19
And I often will see this pizza shop And then I will think to myself,
20
using those two sentence starters, I love pizza but I hate cold pizza.
21
So I'm standing at the gas station, I'm thinking to myself in English, I need to buy gas.
22
I want to buy a chocolate bar.
23
I love pizza, but I hate.
24
cold pizza.
25
So there's your first four sentence starters.
26
Let's learn the last two.
27
The last two sentence starters I want to teach you today are the sentence starters I feel and I think
28
When you're at the gas station in Ontario, Canada, you're often outside.
29
And so you think about the weather.
30
So I might be thinking this to myself as I put gas in my car.
31
I feel cold.
32
But I think it's supposed to get warmer today.
33
So in English, I am thinking about how I feel.
34
I feel cold.
35
And then I'm also thinking about what might happen later today.
36
I think it's supposed to get warmer today.
37
So the last two sentence starters I want you to use, I feel, And I think.
38
So how can this technique help you learn to think in English?
39
Well, you need to use these six starter sentences throughout your day every day.
40
And you can start right away in the morning.
41
When you wake up, you can think to yourself in English, "I want to sleep in, but I need to get out of bed.
42
I love sleeping in, but I hate being late for work." "I think I should get up.
43
"even though I don't feel like getting out of bed, So if you use those six sentence starters early in the morning,
44
maybe at lunch, maybe on your way to work, or on your way home from work or both times, and maybe once in the evening, it will help you start to think in English.
45
And it is a simple way to start.
46
it won't make you start thinking in English all the time but it should open the door towards fluency.
47
It should open the door towards you being able to think in English, almost all the time.
48
Well, hey, thank you so much for watching this little English lesson.
49
I hope it will help you learn to think in English, and have better English conversations in the future.
50
If this is your first time here, don't forget to click that red subscribe button.
51
Give me a thumbs up and leave a comment below.
52
I love reading them and I'll see you next week with another English lesson.
53
Bye.
54
you
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
B12
An English Lesson about the Great Outdoors! 🌳🌿🍂
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A21
A Show and Tell English Lesson
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B111
Learn English Words and Phrases about Clothing & How People Dress! 👕👔🧥
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
12 English Phrases about Improving Your English!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B14
An English Lesson on the Road! I Will Go Where You Tell Me To Go and Teach Some English!
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2Learn English on the Farm | English Video with Subtitles
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
I Survived! 8 English Phrases to Use After Difficult Situations
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
3 Goals You Can Set To Help Improve Your English 🎯
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
9 Ways to Ask for Help in English
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B11
Free English Class! Topic: Cleaning! 🧹🧺🗑️ (Lesson Only)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B22
All About Canadian English and the Canadian English Accent! 🍁 (Compared Mostly to American English)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A26
A Show and Tell English Lesson
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B12
Let's Learn English! Topic: English Phrases with "in the..." 🏃😉❌ (Lesson Only)
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B13
Learn English Tenses: The Present Perfect
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
A2Weather Talk! Learn English Words and Phrases to Talk about the Weather | Video with Subtitles
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A23
Let's Learn English at the Shopping Mall | English Video with Subtitles
KidsTravel EnglishTeens
A22
Let's Learn English Downtown!
KidsTravel EnglishTeens
A29
Phrases English Speakers Use Every Day
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
Let's Learn English at the Shopping Mall! It's Time for A Field Trip! 👔👟👗
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
The Two Most Important Things for Learning English
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
A21
55 sentences
How To Think In English | Slow English Podcast
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
45 sentences
How to show interest in English
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2333 sentences
How to Practice English Every Day and Speak Confidently | Easy Tips for Beginners
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A24
249 sentences
15 Essential Daily English Sentences You NEED to Know!
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
54 sentences
How to Improve Your English Speaking Skills ( by Yourself )
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
1034 sentences
How To Speak English In Daily Conversations | Speak Naturally And Confidently | Speak English Daily
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A210
41 sentences
🎧 Check Your English Level | A2 English Listening Test #learnenglish #redditstories #goodenglish
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A215
7 sentences
Thinking in English #easyenglish #beginnerenglish #beginners
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
![[A2] 3 Daily Exercises to Start Thinking in English | Train Your Brain Fast](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GidnYO10Adw/mqdefault.jpg)
A21
89 sentences
[A2] 3 Daily Exercises to Start Thinking in English | Train Your Brain Fast
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2321 sentences
How To Train Your Brain to Speak English Like a NATIVE | Easy English for Beginners
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A25
162 sentences
How to Learn English: for Beginners!
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will practice thinking in English through a unique, daily technique involving six essential sentence starters. This approach helps you transition from thinking in your native language to expressing your thoughts in English. By incorporating these sentence starters into your daily routine, you will develop a habit of thinking in English, enhancing your fluency and conversational skills. Whether you're at home, commuting, or running errands, engaging with these phrases allows for real-time practice that tightens your grasp of the language.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- I need: Expresses necessity or requirement.
- I want: Indicates desire.
- I love: Conveys strong positive feelings.
- I hate: Indicates strong dislike.
- I feel: Describes your emotional state.
- I think: Shares thoughts or opinions.
- Shadow speak: A practice technique to improve fluency.
- Shadowing technique: Mimicking a speaker to enhance pronunciation and pacing.
Practice Tips
To maximize learning, consider using the shadowing technique while watching the accompanying video. Here’s how to implement it effectively:
- Listen Actively: Play the video at a speed that feels manageable. Listen closely to the way phrases are pronounced.
- Repeat After the Speaker: Pause the video periodically to repeat what the speaker says. This will help you practice shadow speech, allowing you to sync your speech patterns with natural English rhythm.
- Use the Sentence Starters: Try to incorporate the six sentence starters into your daily thoughts. For instance, while on your way to work, think, “I need to arrive on time,” or “I want to have lunch at my favorite place.” This technique sharpens your ability to improve English pronunciation while consolidating your vocabulary.
- Record Yourself: Use your phone or any recording device to capture your shadow speaking practice. Listen to improve your pronunciation and fluency over time.
- Practice Regularly: Consistency is key! Make this exercise part of your morning or evening routine, and aim to use these sentences in various contexts throughout your day.
Engaging with the content in this way not only makes learning enjoyable but also incredibly effective. By regularly practicing with these sentence starters through shadowing, you’ll find it easier to think and speak in English effortlessly.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop thinking · love sleeping · start thinking |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should do · should think · should get |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might be · might happen |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will help · will be · I'll also look |
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.