Shadowing Practice: 🤔 "What Would YOU Do?" | Learn English with Fun 'What If' Questions! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello English learners, welcome back to another great lesson here at EnglishPod.
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My name is Marco.
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And my name is Catherine.
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So Marco, today we've got a little bit of an unusual lesson because we're talking about...
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hypothetical situations.
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Right, we're talking about a unreal situation or something that may happen or may not happen.
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Okay, so you're gonna hear all about this in today's dialogue.
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We're gonna hear a couple of times when we come back.
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We'll be breaking it down for you
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so you know all about these great phrases and how to talk about not real situations with your friends.
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Bye.
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Okay, next question.
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If Eric asked you out on a date, what would you say?
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Duh, I would say yes.
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Eric is the most popular kid in school.
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Okay, my turn.
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What would you do if you won the lottery?
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Let's see.
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If I won the lottery, I would buy two tickets for a trip around the world.
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If you buy me a ticket, I'll go with you for sure.
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My dad would freak out if I even mentioned a trip like that.
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All right, this is a good one.
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What would your mom say if you told her that you're going to get married?
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If I told her that, she would faint and have me committed.
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Yeah.
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Alright, so I think that was clear and well, a very common situation.
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Two teenage girls talking to each other about, you know.
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boys and what would you do and da da da.
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Guys do this too, so don't just put this on the girls, okay?
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I don't think we do it like this though.
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No, but it's actually a very popular game in the car to play.
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The what if game.
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The what if game, exactly.
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And that's exactly the topic that we want to talk about today is the structure, what if, which is actually called a conditional.
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All right, it's a conditional because the results, the thing that happens depends on something else.
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Exactly.
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So let's actually take a look before we talk about all this grammar stuff.
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Language Takeaway.
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Okay, so we'll start out with some basic words.
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Well, you know, they were talking about guys, and she said if Eric asked you out.
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Uh -huh.
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Right?
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So, to ask somebody out.
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Okay, so this might be a little bit strange because you think, okay, to ask is to ask a question.
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But to ask out, it's a fixed phrase.
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It's something you say.
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These two words go together, right?
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So, I want to ask someone out.
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It means I want to invite someone on a date.
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On a romantic date, usually.
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So yeah, I want to ask him out to dinner or he asked me out to the movies.
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Now, if I didn't want to ask somebody out on a romantic date, what verb would you use?
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I'd say you could invite someone out, but then again, it's always a little bit.. well, you can say invite for someone if you're going to ask them on a date too.
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So I'd say to ask out is always romantic and to invite can be romantic or just friends.
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Okay, so to ask somebody out.
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Now, uh, they were talking about other situations, maybe they would go on a trip or something,
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and she said, "My dad would freak out." This is a great phrase.
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This is something that I used a lot when I was a teenager.
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The word freak out?
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Freak out.
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So the verb to freak out means to be really angry or upset or, you know, it could be a good thing or a bad thing.
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But usually when we're talking about our parents, it's a bad thing.
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It's a bad thing.
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So they get angry, they start yelling at you.
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Freak out.
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Yeah, so freak out means like overreact.
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Alright.
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And the last word that we have on language takeaway today is committed.
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Look at the whole phrase.
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He says, "She would have me committed." So this is actually being done to someone.
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Now we did look at this word before, but basically for marriage, right?
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To commit to somebody, to promise.
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Yeah, but to have someone committed means that you're going to send them away to maybe a mental institution.
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Exactly.
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So this means they have psychological problems and someone else sends them to the hospital Exactly.
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So it's always used to have someone committed, right?
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Right, because it's being done to them.
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They don't want it to happen.
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It's involuntary.
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Okay.
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So she had him committed.
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My mom's gonna have me committed if I keep working 20 hours a day.
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Exactly.
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So that's the way you use it.
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And so now you have another way of using this verb.
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But now I think we should listen to this dialogue again.
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We're gonna slow it down a little bit.
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we want to talk about.
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Okay, next question.
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If Eric asked you out on a date, what would you say?
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Duh!
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I would say yes.
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Eric is the most popular kid in school.
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Okay, my turn.
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What would you do if you won the lottery?
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Let's see.
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If I won the lottery, I would buy two tickets for a trip around the world.
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If you buy me a ticket, I will go with you for sure.
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My dad would freak out if I even mention a trip like that.
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All right, this is a good one.
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What would your mom say if you told her you were going to get married?
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If I told her that, she would faint and have me committed.
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All right, so we understood all the vocab now.
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Now let's take a look at these unreal situations and what we were saying, the what if game.
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Right, so I think it's important to push these into two different categories, right?
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We have one kind where it's very unrealistic.
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It's probably not going to happen, that kind of situation.
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And the other one is a situation that could very well happen,
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So the first one we're going to talk about is very unrealistic situations, things that probably won't happen.
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Okay, so let's take a look at an example that we found in the dialogue.
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The most common one, and I think everybody gets asked this question, is if you won the lottery, what would you do?
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Okay, if you won the lottery.
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So this is a situation that's very uncommon, right?
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Not many people win the lottery.
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So we have to say, if you won the lottery, so we use this.
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this verb in the past tense.
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If you won the lottery, if this happened, what would you do?
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Right.
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So, Katherine, if you won the lottery, what would you do?
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If I won the lottery, I would buy a boat and sail around the world.
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With my friends.
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Alright.
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So, another example, again, using the same structure, right?
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The verb in the simple past tense, we would say, "If you were stuck on an island with one other person, who would that be?
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Alright, so if you were stuck on a desert island with one person, who would that person be?
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So Marco, I'm gonna ask you, who would it be?
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I think it would be an engineer or a scientist that could probably get me off the island.
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What about your girlfriend?
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Well, you know, that's the point, if I can get to her quicker.
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Okay, I would say maybe kind of romantic, but kind of not.
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So that's the first situation, we've got these situations like being stuck on an island, winning the loss, These are very unlikely.
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But what about the other kind?
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But before we move on to that, you notice
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that we used the verb "was." We didn't say "if I was on an island." I said "if I were," right?
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Or "if you were." So this is the way that you use it in these conditionals.
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"If I were you," or "if you were president of the United States." This is a rule.
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So this is a grammar rule.
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We're not going to describe why it happens because it's very, very complicated and you can look it up on our site.
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But we're gonna describe how to use it.
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That's the most important so we can say for example Marco if I were you I would...
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Dye my hair red.
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Why?
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I don't know I think it would look cool.
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I don't think so.
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So if I were you I would or if you were me What would you do?
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Mm -hmm?
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Exactly?
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So we always use it like this, right?
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If you're gonna use this conditional always use were for the subject never wise.
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a lot of English speakers make this mistake.
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Yes, very many.
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So, but now you know that you shouldn't make this mistake and you can speak properly.
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Alright, so now that we've seen these semi unreal situations, let's move on to something that's a little bit more probable, that it may happen.
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Right, so we've got these situations that are common or likely.
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For example, in this lesson we hear, I will go with you for sure.
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So this is, if you buy me a ticket to travel, of course I will go with you.
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So, if you buy, this is in the present tense, if you buy, then I will.
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Right.
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Right.
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So, now you notice the difference.
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The verb is in the present, and then we use, instead of would, we use will. So, again...
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I can say: If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home and watch TV all day.
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Okay, so think about this.
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Before we talked about going to desert islands, now we're talking about rain and the weather.
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They're very, very different.
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The rain is, you know, it's very common.
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So we can say, if it rains tomorrow, I will need an umbrella.
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What about this?
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If we have lunch tomorrow, what will we eat?
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Okay, so we have lunch pretty much every day, right?
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Yeah, pretty much.
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So again, it's a situation that is very probable.
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So if lunch tomorrow, we will probably eat, I don't know, pasta, I think.
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I'm feeling like pasta.
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Pasta, noodles.
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Yeah.
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Alright, so Marco, let's take another listen to some of these phrases and try and figure out while you're listening, which kind of conditional it is first or the second.
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Example 1 If it's sunny today, we will go to the park.
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Example 2 I would get a divorce if I were you.
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Example 3.
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Mary will be very sad if Joe leaves.
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Example 4.
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We wouldn't be so late if Nick drove faster.
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Very good.
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So we heard different examples and the first conditional is the one
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that we mentioned is very probable and the second conditional is the one that's not so probable.
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So they're very easy to distinguish.
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You don't really need to know the names, just know how to use them, right?
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Exactly.
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And so just remember, if you were me, what would you do?
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We've got these kind of pairs, these words that go together.
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And the other one is more common.
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It's, if it rains tomorrow, I will bring an umbrella.
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Perfect.
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So why don't we listen to this dialogue for the last time just to kind of reinforce everything
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and then we'll come back and talk a little bit more.
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OK, next question.
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If Eric asked you out on a date, what would you say?
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Duh, I would say yes.
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Eric is the most popular kid in school.
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Okay, my turn.
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What would you do if you won the lottery?
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Let's.
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Z. If I won the lottery, I would buy two tickets for a trip around the world.
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If you buy me a ticket, I'll go with you for sure.
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My dad would freak out if I even mentioned a trip like that.
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All right, this is a good one.
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What would your mom say if you told her that you're going to get married?
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If I told her that, she would faint and have me committed.
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So Marco, if we talk any more about grammar, someone's going to have to have me committed.
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It is a little bit difficult to talk about grammar, especially on a podcast, because it's such a difficult topic and it's also kind of heavy, right?
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It is, but I'll tell you this.
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These are very, very common phrases.
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People use these all the time.
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We talk in hypotheticals very often.
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So, if you're asking for advice, for example, or if you're just playing a game in the car, But you're going to encounter these and it's very important to be able to know how to use them.
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Mm -hmm.
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So, and this is what we want to see now.
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Please come to our website at EnglishPod .com.
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And you have a million questions.
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You have a million hypotheticals that you can leave on our website.
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So let us know.
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Ask us the craziest, funniest, weirdest questions that you can, right?
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Exactly.
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And if you have questions about the stuff that we've been talking about, you're not really clear on some things, just ask us because we're happy to answer your questions and give more examples on the website.
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we'll see you guys there and until next time.
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Bye.
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The EnglishPod Audio Review.
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Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.
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to be in the place of someone. Be in your shoes.
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To lose one's nerve, become suddenly anxious.
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Freak out.
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An instance of spending the night as a guest at another's home.
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Sleepover. to request a date.
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Thank you.
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Ask someone out.
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Suppositional, uncertain.
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hypothetical put in a mental hospital.
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commit rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
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Gossip. to join in marriage.
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Get married.
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to have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake.
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Thank you.
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Daydream.
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A romantic meeting.
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Thank you.
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date Thank you.
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Let's try that faster!
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Suppositional, uncertain.
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hypothetical. to join in marriage.
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Get married.
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Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
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Gossip.
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to have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake.
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Daydream.
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to be in the place of someone. Be in your shoes.
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put in a mental hospital.
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Commit.
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A romantic meeting.
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Date.
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An instance of spending the night as a guest at another's home.
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Thank you.
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Sleepover. to request a date.
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Ask someone out.
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To lose one's nerve becomes suddenly anxious.
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Freak out.
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Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.
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Ask someone out.
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When asking someone out, choose your moment carefully
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and practice what you might say in advance so that you don't appear tongue -tied.
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Ask someone out.
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Thank you.
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I heard you asked your new neighbor out on a date.
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Ask someone out.
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I really want to ask Jeff out.
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But what if he says no?
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Thank you.
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Freak out.
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Thank you.
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Oh my gosh.
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I'm going to meet Justin Timberlake.
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I'm totally freaking out.
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Freak out.
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Why did you freak out when I told you I'd be late for dinner?
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Freak out.
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Thank you.
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Don't freak out.
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We can solve this problem in five minutes.
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Commit.
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Thank you.
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The judge had him committed to a mental institution.
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Commit.
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Thank you.
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If you get committed to an asylum, can you eventually get out?
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you Thank you.
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Commit.
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He was committed to 50 hours of community service for his crimes.
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Thank you.
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If I won a million dollars, I would buy you a diamond ring.
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Thank you.
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We wouldn't be so late if Nick drove faster.
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I would get a divorce if I were you.
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Thank you.
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If it's sunny today, we will go to the park.
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Thank you.
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If you study hard, you will pass the test.
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you Thank you.
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Mary will be very sad if Joe leaves.
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Thank you.
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Everyday "What If" Chats: How Teens Talk About Hypotheticals
Imagine two friends killing time—maybe in a car, at lunch, or after school—trading wild "what if" questions. That’s the scene in the video: a casual chat where they wonder, "What would you say if Eric asked you out?" or "What would your mom do if you said you’re getting married?" These aren’t just fun games—they’re perfect for practicing how to talk about unreal situations, a key skill for IELTS speaking practice and everyday fluency. The dialogue feels natural because it uses the kind of relaxed, conversational language you’d hear in real life, making it ideal for improving your English pronunciation and flow.
5 Phrases to Steal for Your Own "What If" Talks
- Ask someone out: "If Eric asked you out, what would you say?" This fixed phrase means to invite someone on a romantic date—essential for talking about relationships!
- Win the lottery: A common "what if" scenario. "If I won the lottery, I’d buy a trip around the world" shows how to link a hypothetical condition to a result.
- Freak out: "My dad would freak out if I mentioned that trip." This casual phrase means to react with shock or anger—great for describing strong emotions.
- Faint and have me committed: A dramatic (and funny!) way to say someone would be so shocked they might pass out or think you’re crazy. Perfect for adding flair to your answers.
- The what if game: "We play the what if game in the car." This simple term describes the fun practice of asking hypothetical questions—now you can call it by name too!
Your Shadowing Challenge: Mimic the "What If" Flow
Ready to turn this dialogue into speaking practice? Try the shadowing technique: play a short clip of the conversation (2-3 sentences), pause, and repeat it immediately, matching the tone, speed, and pronunciation. Focus on how the speakers stress words like "would" and "if"—this will help you sound more natural. For extra practice, record yourself and compare it to the video. Shadow speak isn’t just about repeating; it’s about absorbing the rhythm of English. Do this for 5 minutes a day, and you’ll notice your pronunciation and fluency improve in no time—great for IELTS speaking practice or just chatting with friends. So, what are you waiting for? Hit play and start shadowing!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If I won the lottery, I would buy · If you buy me a ticket, I'll go · If I told her that, she would faint |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is actually called · being done · being stuck |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most popular · The most common · the most important |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may happen · might be · might say |
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.