Shadowing Practice: We Speak NYC: Ep 03 - Rolando's Rights - Learn English Speaking with Video
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299 sentences
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1
Thank you.
2
I didn't get paid for my last two years.
3
Two weeks on the job.
4
I need that money.
5
I worked for it.
6
I'm sorry.
7
I told you on the phone.
8
I want to help.
9
But there's nothing I can do.
10
You got sick.
11
You lost your job.
12
You lost your pay.
13
I'm talking about before I was sick.
14
I didn't get paid for two weeks.
15
The owner said he doesn't owe you anything.
16
Hey, oh.
17
Why are you so late?
18
I had some bee's knees I had to take care of.
19
Well, you have to take care of it on your own time.
20
You need to be back from lunch. On time.
21
Okay.
22
Sorry.
23
You got it?
24
Yes.
25
Good.
26
What's going on?
27
Have you ever been ripped off in a job?
28
Tell me about it.
29
What happened?
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The place where I used to work ripped me off.
31
They fired me because I was sick, and they didn't pay me for two weeks.
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I worked before I got sick.
33
They can't do that.
34
Well, they did, and I went back there to ask for my money.
35
Hey.
36
Let's just get back to work.
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I just got this job.
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I don't want to lose it.
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Sylvia?
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They said no. There must be something else you can do.
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What do you have there?
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Nothing.
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No, let me see.
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Let me see.
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Let me see.
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Let me see.
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He looks like a big cat.
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It's a lion.
49
Is that right?
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That's right.
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Lion.
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King of the animals.
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Can you show me how to roar like a lion?
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Roar!
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Roar!
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Roar!
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Roar!
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Rawr!
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Rawr!
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Rawr!
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Rolando.
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Thanks, honey.
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Okay.
64
It's perfect.
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Mwah.
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We are going to figure this out.
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Okay?
68
Bye.
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I got something for you.
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Your money.
71
Gracias.
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Yeah, we lay the concrete and we're finished.
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Hey, have you ever read any of these signs?
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to anonymously report unsafe conditions at this work site, call 311.
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Anonymously?
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That means you don't have to give your name, right?
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What if you want to...
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You report that your boss didn't pay you.
79
Can you call 3 -1 -1 anonymously?
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You asked me if I ever got ripped off on a job.
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The company we work for right now ripped me off.
82
Me too.
83
I was sick for a few days.
84
I asked for sick leave, but the company didn't give it to me.
85
Me too.
86
Sick leave, what's that?
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In New York City, if you're sick, you don't have to go to work.
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But you still get paid.
89
It's called paid sick leave.
90
I don't know all the rules.
91
But my friend told me it's for workers without a union contract.
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Like us.
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But what if your company doesn't give you paid sick leave?
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What do you do?
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Let's call that number.
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3 -1 -1.
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You guys try it.
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Tell me what you find out.
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I have to pick up my son at school.
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Okay.
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Okay.
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I'm king of the animals!
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Roar!
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Excuse me, Mr Lion.
105
Can you be a little choir?
106
Why?
107
I'm a lion.
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That's how I talk.
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I, I, I forgot my words.
110
Your line is, I have a voice too.
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Let's practice it.
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I have a voice too.
113
Great.
114
They're practicing their lines.
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Lionel is one of our stars.
116
Let's continue.
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I have a voice too.
118
I have a voice too.
119
Me too.
120
Me three.
121
Let me hear your voices!
122
Roar!
123
Roar!
124
Roar!
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Roar!
126
so what did they tell you they said
127
we can get help from DCA the Department of Consumer Affairs
128
they have a special office for workers rights they told me the same thing they said we could
129
or file a complaint online, or do it on the phone?
130
They, uh, said we can go to the DCA office, too.
131
And you don't need an appointment.
132
Hmm.
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Maybe going there is a good idea.
134
We can speak to somebody face to face. But when?
135
I have no idea.
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Next Wednesday.
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Our construction site will be closed for an inspection.
138
Let's go then.
139
Yeah.
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We'll work together to solve your problem.
141
And if you want an interpreter in your language, let me know.
142
In New York City, workers in companies with five or more employees have the right to pay sick leave.
143
That's us.
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You can start using your sick leave after four months.
145
And if someone in your family is sick, for example, your wife or your child or your parent, you can use your sick leave.
146
You can stay home and take care of them and still get paid.
147
Our company didn't give us paid sick leave.
148
We'll help you get it.
149
The company owes you that money.
150
We don't have a union contract.
151
Are we protected?
152
We don't want to lose our jobs.
153
The company is not allowed to fire you for getting help from DCA.
154
It's against the law.
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I have another problem.
156
My old company didn't pay me for the last two weeks that I worked there.
157
They ripped me off two full weeks of pay.
158
That is called wage theft.
159
The company is required by law to pay you for every hour that you work.
160
I have another question.
161
My wife wears a hijab
162
She's starting a new job
163
Is that a problem?
164
No It is not.
165
It is illegal for employers to discriminate against workers because of religion.
166
And workers like your wife, or anyone, have the right to wear their religious clothing.
167
The workers' bill of rights.
168
That's right.
169
Workers in New York City have rights.
170
And it doesn't matter if you have immigration papers or not.
171
this is good this is what i need do you want
172
to file a complaint we'll contact the company to get your money we should file a complaint
173
if you want to talk it over and decide that's fine when you are ready we are here to help
174
so what do you guys think do you want to file a complaint
175
or speak with Marco I think we should file a complaint
176
I think we should speak to Marco first maybe the company doesn't know the rules
177
I think they know the rules what do you think about speaking to some other workers if more of us tell
178
Marco what we know.
179
Maybe he tell the owner.
180
What do you think Rolando?
181
Yeah basically it's for home health days like you do.
182
I see.
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Also nannies, house cleaners, all domestic workers.
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The rules are a little different.
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Let's see what this is.
186
I mean, you sound sick man, you should be at home resting.
187
I cannot afford it.
188
With paid sick leave, you can stay home and you still get paid.
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I don't want to make any trouble.
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My wife is pregnant.
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I don't want to lose my job.
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It's your right, Patel.
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You mean, if someone in my family is sick, paid sick leave covers that, too?
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Mm -hmm.
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That's right.
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I think speaking as a group is a good idea.
197
Why aren't you dressed for work?
198
Sylvia, do you ever think about leaving?
199
Leaving?
200
Going back.
201
We made a decision.
202
We came here, worked hard, built a family.
203
This is our home now.
204
Love you.
205
What did you decide?
206
I'm going to show you the documents we got from DCA to my old foreman.
207
What are you going to say to him?
208
Let's practice it.
209
What?
210
You'll be the boss and I'll play myself, Orlando.
211
Okay, I've never been a boss before.
212
You'll be a good one.
213
Thanks.
214
Go ahead.
215
I'm listening.
216
What do you want, Rolando?
217
I've already listened to you.
218
I'm a very busy man.
219
I only need a couple of minutes of your time and I won't bother you anymore.
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Okay.
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You have two minutes.
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Talk to me.
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Look, it's my money.
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I worked for it and you can't take it.
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You were sick.
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I needed a worker.
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I had no choice.
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I had the flu.
229
You can't fire me for that.
230
I have the right to paid sick leave
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and I have the right to all of the money
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that I earned before I got sick too I'm not the boss of this company I only work
233
and I do what I'm told.
234
Rolando, the foreman is here.
235
You came break earlier today.
236
Great, thanks.
237
Thanks, Mom.
238
Jose, I need to talk to you for a minute.
239
Rolando, you don't work here anymore.
240
I've worked for this company for five months.
241
I have a right to paid sick leave, and I have a right to receive all of the money that I worked for.
242
Look, Rolando, I'd like to help you.
243
But there's nothing I can do.
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I'm not the boss.
245
Can you talk to him again?
246
I'm gonna try.
247
I can't guarantee anything.
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I'll give you a call.
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Thank you.
250
Marco, we want to tell you that we know about paid sick leave.
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That's right.
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We don't want to cause trouble.
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We just want to take care of ourselves.
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And our families.
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Don't waste your time.
256
Boss doesn't care.
257
Maybe he would care if he knows that we can file a complaint with DCA.
258
Then he would have to pay us.
259
Plus fines.
260
Penalties.
261
And we know that he is not allowed to fire us.
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We are protected by the law.
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That's right, Marco.
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We know our rights.
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All right, I will show this to the boss, but I don't think he cares.
266
Hey, Silvia.
267
Hi.
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Hey.
269
So the foreman at the old job said that he would talk to the boss.
270
That's a good sign, but it's good to have another plan.
271
I'll wait a few days.
272
If they don't do anything, I know what to do.
273
Oh, yeah.
274
Delando.
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We've decided that we are going to file complaints with DCA.
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We're tired of waiting.
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I haven't heard anything from my old farmer, neither.
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You should file a complaint, too.
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I already have.
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Roar.
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I can't roar.
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Don't worry, Leonel.
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You'll get your voice back soon.
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Dear, I'm going to stay with you.
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I called my agency, and they said it's fine.
286
I've been working there a long time so they said I can stay home and I'll get paid.
287
Next time it'll be my turn after I've been with the company longer than we win our fight.
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Listen everybody, before you leave I have something important to tell you.
289
You were Right.
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Everyone who works for this company, 120 days or more, gets paid sick leave.
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In New York City, it's the law.
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And it's good for the company to have healthy workers.
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I have this information about paid sick leave.
294
I'm going to post it by the entrance and outside my office.
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We deserve it.
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Yeah, it's our right.
297
We build this city.
298
We'll be right back.
299
We'll be right back.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “We Speak NYC: Ep 03 - Rolando's Rights”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sick, paid, roar, worker, complaint. This video has 298 sentences and 1800 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:52. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| roar verb | /ˈɹoɹ/ | To make a loud, deep cry, especially from pain, anger, or other strong emotion. |
| worker noun | /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ | One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor. |
| complaint noun | /kəmˈpleɪnt/ | The act of complaining. |
| rip verb | /ɹɪp/ | To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence. |
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| foreman noun | /ˈfɔː(ɹ).mən/ | The leader of a work crew. |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| clothing noun | /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/ | Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to… |
| immigration noun | /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/ | The act of immigrating; the passing or coming into a country of which one is not native born for the purpose of permanent residence. |
| penalty noun | /ˈpɛn.əl.ti/ | A legal sentence. |
| concrete adjective | /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ | Real, actual, tangible. |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
| wage noun | /weɪd͡ʒ/ | An amount of money paid to a worker for a specified quantity of work, usually calculated on an hourly basis and expressed in an amount of money per hour. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Why are you so late?
- Have you ever been ripped off in a job?
- What do you have there?
- Hey, have you ever read any of these signs?
- Why aren't you dressed for work?
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 been ripped · I've never been · I've already listened |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been ripped · will be closed · is not allowed |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should file · should speak · should be |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will be · We'll work · We'll help |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 73 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, theft /θɛft/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: immigration /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/, inspection /ɪnˈspɛkʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: immigration /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/, interpreter /ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪ.tɚ/, discriminate /dɪˈskɹɪm.əˌneɪt/, anonymously /əˈnɒnəməsli/
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 roar, worker, complaint.
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.