Shadowing Practice: Why Can't I Understand Native English Speakers, But I Can Understand You? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hi! Bob the Canadian here!
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Many of you have mentioned to me that you find it really easy to understand me when I’m speaking English.
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But when you take the time to listen to other native English speakers it can be challenging and difficult to understand what they’re saying.
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As you learn English it’s good to listen to other people, but many of you are wondering, why can I understand Bob the Canadian so well, and why do I have so much trouble understanding other native English speakers?
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So in this video we’re going to look at 5 reasons why you can understand me so well, and we’ll look at 5 things that you can do to kind of fix that problem, although it’s not really a problem is it?
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I think if you can understand me that’s awesome!
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Hey, Bob the Canadian here!
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Welcome to this video where we’re going to look at 5 reasons why I am easy for you to understand, and five things you can do to fix it.
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But before we get started, don’t forget to click that red subscribe button below if this is your first time here.
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I would love to help you learn English and if you subscribe you’ll get notified when a new lesson pops up, and if you could give me a thumbs up, all of you, at some point during this English lesson, if it’s helping you learn English.
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So, you can understand me.
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Why can you understand me, but you have trouble understanding other people?
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Well, the first reason is, because I try to speak clearly.
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Notice I didn’t say that I try to speak slowly, but I do try to speak clearly.
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And I think one of the things that you need to know is that I am a high school teacher.
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I have spent over 23 years explaining things to people.
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It is my job to explain things to people.
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So I have developed a way of talking that’s very, very clear.
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It isn’t actually that slow though.
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Many people ask if I’m speaking my normal speed.
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It’s probably a little bit slower, but it’s not a lot slower than my normal English speaking speed.
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So I speak clearly.
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I tend to not use contractions.
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So I would say, “I do not…”, instead of, “I don’t…”, and I tend to not use reductions very much.
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So that would be saying things like, “I hafta..”, instead of, “I have to…”.
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So that does help you.
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But is it bad?
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No! It’s not a bad thing to be able to understand me.
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The fact that I speak clearly and it’s not challenging for you, it is still very, very helpful.
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But, what can you do about it?
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You can speed me up.
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So in the Youtube settings you can go in and if you are finding it very, very easy to understand me you could go into the Youtube settings and you could tell it to play back this video at a faster speed.
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That would be a great challenge for you.
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And it would help just a little bit in the fact that you can understand me at the speed I’m speaking.
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And it would be a great challenge, there’s a little ant on me right now, it would be a great challenge for you to listen to me sped up a little bit.
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So why don’t you try that?
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The second reason that you find it easy to understand me is, that it’s just me talking.
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There’s just one of me talking here and there’s not a conversation between me and another person.
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Whenever you are just listening to one person talk it’s far easier to understand.
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That was a nice red dump truck that just went by.
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You might wanna rewind and look at that.
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When it’s just one person talking it’s a lot easier to understand so there’s two things you can do to solve this.
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Actually one thing I can do, and one thing you can do.
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I can invite other people to come on my Friday and Saturday live streams.
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That would be a great way for you to see interaction between two different English speakers, and I hope to do that soon.
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What you can do is make sure that, as you are watching Youtube videos, you watch videos of people like me explaining English, but also look for videos where more than one person is, is speaking, where two or more people are having a conversation.
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So,I’ll do my job.
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You do your job and we can solve number 2, the fact that there is only one person speaking makes it a lot easier for you to understand.
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The third reason that it’s becoming easier for you is you’re getting used to me.
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You understand my voice.
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You have become tuned in with the way that I speak.
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The more you listen to a certain native English speaker, the more you will understand that native speaker, because my tone, my speed, my cadence, my pronunciation is all becoming familiar to you.
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So, there’s no solution for this except, you should watch other people.
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I know it sounds kind of odd for a Youtuber to tell you to go watch other people, but you should.
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I’m glad that you watch my videos and I hope you continue to do so, but it is very important as you train your ears, as you learn English, it’s very important that you listen to other native English speakers.
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So do that.
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Find one or two other Youtubers and follow them, subscribe to them, and get used to their accent as well.
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So that was number three, you’re just getting used to me!
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The fourth reason you find it easy to understand me is that I’m a very logical person.
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All of my life I have liked things like science and I have liked math and I have liked lists and I have liked putting things together in a logical way.
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So when I design my lessons I take extra care and time to make sure that it is put together logically.
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I think many of you who watch my videos, I can tell from the comments you leave, you appreciate how I design things.
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So that’s another reason why you find it easy to understand me, is I create lessons that are very logical.
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The best way for you to address this problem is to watch things that are less logical.
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My number one recommendation is to watch English language reality TV shows.
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Shows where people argue, where people fight, where people hang out together.
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That would be a great thing for you to do.
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If you could find an English language reality TV show, like Survivor.
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One of those shows where it is unscripted, where people are just talking to each other and having great English conversations.
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That would be great for you as you learn English.
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So number 4, I think I’m pretty logical and I think that helps you.
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Try to watch things where the people are not logical.
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So the fifth reason why you find it easy to understand me is because each lesson that I create has a topic.
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Every lesson, every video that I create to help you learn English has a topic and sometimes you are already a little bit familiar with the topic.
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That can really help a lot.
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So this morning I did a live stream.
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I’ll put a link up here.
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This morning I did a live stream and the topic was the earth.
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You may already know some vocabulary about the earth so the lesson, the video is easier for you to understand.
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Having a topic helps you to prepare.
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So if you know that there’s a video or a live lesson coming up about travel, you might actually do some research before you join the live lesson.
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So having topics for my videos makes them easier for you to understand.
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So how do we address this one?
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What do you do to make it more challenging to watch one of my videos.
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Well the best thing you can do is join English language live streams.
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I do a Saturday night live stream from time to time.
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You might notice I’m not doing one right now because I’m actually spending some time with family.
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But usually I do an open topic Saturday evening live stream where I take questions from the chat and respond to them.
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The more you can participate in something where it’s not topical, where there’s no topic, it will help strengthen your English as well.
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So number 5, it’s easy to understand me because in advance you’re kind of aware of the topic and the best way to deal with it is to watch things like English live streams.
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There’s other English youtubers that also do live streams.
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When you’re in a live stream it’s a little more free.
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In fact when I am doing a live stream I tend to speak faster and I use more contractions and I use more reductions.
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So if you’re looking for something that’s closer to everyday English, join one of the live streams and you will get a small little bit of that as you continue to learn English.
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Well, hey, that was 5 reasons why you might find it easy to understand me.
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I hope that that helps you as you design and think about your plan for learning English in the next few months, the things that you’ll need to do to challenge yourself.
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But thank you so much for watching.
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I’m Bob the Canadian.
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Again, if you have yet subscribed to my channel hit that red subscribe button there for lots of content, lots of videos, that will help you learn English.
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This was super fun for me to do.
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I hope that it helped you a lot.
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Sorry there’s no live stream tonight, I’m actually a little bit busy, but if you want you can watch one of my older ones right up there.
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I’ll put a link and hopefully I’ll be back next Saturday.
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I think I will be.
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If not you can watch the Friday morning live stream.
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Anyways. Bob the Canadian here.
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Have a great day!

Context & Background

In the video titled "Why Can't I Understand Native English Speakers, But I Can Understand You?", Bob the Canadian discusses a common challenge faced by English learners: understanding native speakers. Bob emphasizes that many students find him easier to understand due to his clear speaking style and teaching experience. This realization opens the door for learners to develop strategies to bridge the gap between understanding a clear speaker and a natural native conversation.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I do not…” vs. “I don’t…” - Notice the use of full phrases rather than contractions helps in clarity.
  • “I have to…” vs. “I hafta…” - Understanding the distinction helps in enhancing pronunciation accuracy.
  • “Can you explain that?” - This phrase is useful when you need clarification in conversations.
  • “What do you mean by that?” - Don't hesitate to ask; comprehension is key!
  • “I’m getting better at understanding English!” - Celebrating your progress can motivate you further.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To tackle the difficulty of understanding native English speakers, try utilizing the shadowing technique, which encourages active listening and repetition. Here’s a simple guide to effectively engage with it:

  1. Choose the Video: Start with videos like Bob's, where he speaks clearly and offers insightful content. This is essential when using YouTube as a resource to learn English with YouTube.
  2. Listen Carefully: Pay attention to Bob's pronunciation and speech patterns. Take note of how he articulates words, especially the phrases above.
  3. Repeat: Use the shadowing technique by repeating after Bob. Practicing phrases like “I do not” and “Can you explain that?” can improve your English pronunciation.
  4. Utilize Playback Speed: If you find it easy, try increasing the video speed in YouTube settings. This can elevate your challenge as you adapt to the natural pace of conversation.
  5. Engage with Others: Finally, integrate real conversations into your practice. Look for opportunities to engage in discussions or participate in live streams. This not only aids in IELTS speaking practice but helps you to get used to different accents and speaking styles.

By following these steps, you can enhance your listening skills and make significant progress in your journey to mastering English!

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.