Shadowing Practice: Why Are We Friends? | Simon Sinek - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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You know, going through the process of a why discovery, some people do it young, some people do it middle age, some people do it at the end.
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I mean, like, my hope is that everyone goes through it.
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I can tell you from personal experience, it is a profound, rewarding, and inspiring experience to find out who you are, to find out what your why is.
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And you live your best life.
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And you live your best life.
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And I have been operating at a higher sense of purpose since my why discovery.
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Now, I can tell you a fun way to do it.
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There's many ways to do it.
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I've written about it.
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We help people find it.
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But I can tell you a fun way to do it.
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It's called the friend's exercise.
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Find a friend you love and who loves you.
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The kind of friend who, if you called them at 3 o 'clock in the morning, you'd know they'd be there for you, and you would be there for them.
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Do not do this with a spouse.
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Do not do this with a sibling.
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Do not do this with a parent.
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Those relationships are too close.
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Do it with the best friend.
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And simply ask them this question.
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Why are we friends?
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And they're going to look at you like you're crazy.
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because the part of the brain that controls language doesn't control feelings, right?
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Which is why it's hard to put our feelings into words.
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And so they will struggle.
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It's not because they don't know, it's just that the words are not available.
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And they'll hem in the hall.
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And then, weirdly, you actually stop asking the question why.
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You start asking the question what.
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You say, come on, what specifically is it about me that I know you would be there for me no matter what?
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And they'll start describing you.
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They'll start saying things like, well, I trust you
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and I like you and you're funny you have to play devil's advocate
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that's just the definition of a friend you have
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that with lots of people what specifically is about me
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that I know you'd be there for me no matter what don't let anybody help them it's going to be torturous
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and eventually they'll give up eventually they'll give up and the friendship will end to find someone else exactly
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Eventually they'll give up and they'll stop trying to describe you and they'll start describing themselves.
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And what my friend said to me is, Simon, I don't know.
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All I know is that I can sit in a room with you.
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I don't even have to talk to you.
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And I feel inspired.
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And I got goosebumps.
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In fact, I'm getting them right now.
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Because what they told me was the value I have in their life.
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And the value I have in their life is the thing that I give to the world.
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I did this with multiple friends.
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They said very similar, if not the exact same things, because that is my value to them in their lives it's not something
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that everybody wants which is why we're not friends with everybody
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and so if you do this with your friends you will come very close
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and like I said you want to get to the point where they describe themselves
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and you're the one
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that has the weird emotional reaction you'll have goosebumps you'll well
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up with tears whatever it is it's it's a fun it's a fun exercise
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 54 sentences and 591 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:47. The speaker talks fast, about 213 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- discovery /dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/ (noun) — Something discovered.
- inspire /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ (verb) — To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by…
- clock /klɑk/ (noun) — A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
- friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ (noun) — The condition of being friends.
- tear /tɛɹ/ (verb) — To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
- reward /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ (noun) — Something of value given in return for an act.
- advocate /ˈæd.və.kət/ (noun) — Someone whose job is to speak for someone's case in a court of law; a counsel.
- spouse /spaʊ̯s/ (noun) — A person in a marriage or marital relationship.
- profound /pɹəˈfaʊnd/ (adjective) — Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep.
- sibling /ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/ (noun) — A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.
- torturous /ˈtɔɹt͡ʃəɹəs/ (adjective) — Of or pertaining to torture.
- weirdly /ˈwɪə(ɹ)dli/ (adverb) — In a weird manner.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- give up (verb) — To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
- find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
- go through (verb) — To travel from one end of something to the other.
- have in (verb) — To allow in; grant permission or admittance to; invite in or over; admit.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- sit in (verb) — To attend a class, educational presentation, meeting, etc. for one time, as a visitor.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as they'll, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 discovery, inspire, clock.
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.