Shadowing Practice: Why Finnish parents leave their babies outside unattended - Learn English Speaking with Video
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60 sentences
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1
Would you ever leave your baby outside unsupervised in front of the grocery store?
2
What about in front of a cafe? Maybe just in your yard?
3
In Finland, those are all totally normal, and Ronja and her little daughter Elmi are no exception.
4
It's quite usual to leave the kid in front. It's safe and I trust that other people are also looking out for her while she's there and I go to the store.
5
As an American, that's unimaginable! Nobody in the U.S. would leave their baby outside unsupervised. In fact, you MIGHT even get the police called on you! But the Finns seem to be more trusting and confident. Which raises the question: what do Finnish parents do differently? And what do they do better?
6
Let's consider the Peros, a pretty normal Finnish family.
7
Ronja and Erkka live with their one-year-old daughter in Porvoo, a town just under 50 kilometers from the capital of Helsinki. Ronja is a film producer and Erkka is a hotel manager. Both parents take care of the home and the baby.
8
I think it's the relaxed and trustworthy approach that we have to we have towards raising a child. You allow them to try and fail.
9
According to Gallup's World Happiness Report, the Finns are the world's happiest people on average and they have been for eight years running.
10
We'll find out how the happy Finns make their children happy later.
11
At just 5.6 million, the Finns are a relatively small population, but they're surrounded by lots of nature. 550,000 families have children under 18 at home, but statistically, Finnish women each have 1.26 children.
12
That's not many, at all. The U.S., where I’m from, has a fertility rate of 1.62 children per woman.
13
Even so, state support for families is very generous in Finland.
14
Right from the baby's birth, the families receive support – financially and otherwise.
15
For example, in the case of average-earning parents, each receives about 70% of their income from the previous year for 160 days.
16
Then come child benefits of about 100 euros per month for the first two children.
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Just before 8 a.m., Ronja takes her daughter to the day-care center.
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From the age of just nine months, every Finnish child has the right to a spot in day-care.
19
Elmi has been going since her first birthday.
20
Usually, I take her there in the morning, and Erkka picks her up in the evening because I work in Helsinki. And she loves being there.
21
She always goes there and doesn't look back when I drop her there, but she's a very social child, so if she would be home with me, I think I would not be able to give her as much company and playtime that she would like to have at this stage already.
22
Elmi generally stays in the day-care from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Lots of day-care centers even offer round-the-clock care for parents who do shift work, or who go on lots of business trips.
24
Depending on their income, parents pay a maximum of 311 euros a month for the first child.
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In Finland, people who work with children in the daycare center must have a university degree.
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The state support for parents starts even before the child's birth.
27
Parents receive a free maternity package that many people call a 'baby box'.
28
It contains the supplies for the baby’s early needs, care products and even condoms.
29
Also popular are the Neuvola Centers. These are a hybrid of medical clinics and counseling centers where both the mother and father are assessed for free and given support.
30
They kind of take you in their arms and then you go there like every month probably until you give birth and if you have anything you can just call them or stop by or whatever.
31
So you are very well taken care of.
32
Funnily, like I even felt as a dad, you know, I felt like going to the shrink in a very positive way. You know, I was like, you know, it's not about the kid, it's about the parents. So they ask you, how do you feel? Do you have in your relationship? How do you feel today? And I was like...
33
We were there for one and a half hour.
34
This is how it's like being a shrink. So, while you ask, let me tell you!
35
Yeah, we took everything out of it.
36
So, it was very eye opening. It was I mean, and that was the way how they make you feel, you know, very protected and safe.
37
Today, Elmi is home for lunch.
38
The little family is going to spend the afternoon together.
39
Sometimes though, Elmi's grandparents or friends of the parents look after her.
40
There has been a saying in Finnish language that it takes a village to raise a child, and I think it means - Elmi! - I think it's like, you know, you can involve more people in your child's upbringing than only the parents.
41
But now, it's time for the afternoon nap. Elmi takes hers outside in the yard.
42
This is the baby monitor. It gives the temperature.
43
When she is outside, I'll put it here so I can see it from my monitor what temperature does she have and then also when she says something, like when she wakes up, I can hear it.
44
The outside temperature in Porvoo at 12 noon today is minus 2 degrees Celsius, or about 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
45
I think it's very typical to put the baby asleep outside 'cause they sleep better in the fresh air. So just cuddle her up in warm clothes and then let her sleep there as she usually sleeps very well and long.
46
To me as an American, that seems just a little harsh.
47
But studies have shown that little ones who take their naps outside sleep better, develop a better immune system, and grow closer to nature.
48
Nature is very important to the Finns. They love nothing more than being outside, no matter the weather.
49
Ronja and Erkka value the time they get to spend together as a couple.
50
Elmi is sleeping peacefully, so they find a quiet spot outside for her to rest.
51
We are a very trustworthy nation and people. So we trust and like our space around it.
52
So, you know, we've never had an issue of leaving kids outside.
53
It doesn't feel strange at all.
54
The couple spend a little time together at Erkka's place of work: a hotel he's recently opened. It radiates a certain Finnish character: honesty, openness and modesty – values that the parents hope to pass on to their daughter, as well.
55
I think we're very genuine and honest and I think that's something that's very important for your happiness.
56
We haven't had much in a sense that we are happy and humble of what we have.
57
All the small things!
58
We don't know so much of greater and bigger because we've never seen great nations and great wealth to compare to. So the less or what we are fortunate to have we are very happy with it without looking up or looking for something greater, which we don't even know.
59
What do you think of the way the Finns raise their children?
60
Would you ever leave your baby alone in front of a café?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Finnish parents leave their babies outside unattended”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: parents, outside, Elmi, baby, Finns. This video has 60 sentences and 1225 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:10. The speaker talks at a natural 150 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 10 of its 60 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| unsupervised adjective | Not supervised; not being constantly observed. | |
| trustworthy adjective | /ˈtɹʌst.wɜː.ði/ | Deserving of trust, reliable. |
| euro noun | /ˈjʊɹoʊ/ | The currency unit of the European Monetary Union. Symbol: € |
| cuddle verb | /ˈkʌd.l̩/ | To lie together snugly (with someone), in an intimate physical embrace; to snuggle. |
| daycare noun | /ˈdeɪkeə(ɹ)/ | Daytime supervision, usually of children or pets. |
| funnily adverb | /ˈfʌnəli/ | In a funny or amusing manner. |
| grandparent noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)pɛəɹənt/ | The parent of someone's parent. |
| modesty noun | /ˈmɒd.ə.sti/ | The quality of being modest; having a limited and not overly high opinion of oneself and one's abilities. |
| openness noun | Accommodating attitude or opinion, as in receptivity to new ideas, behaviors, cultures, peoples, environments, experiences, etc., different from the familiar… | |
| playtime noun | /ˈpleɪtaɪm/ | Time for play or diversion. |
| radiate verb | /ˈɹeɪdieɪt/ | To extend, be sent or spread out from a center like radii. |
| unimaginable adjective | /ˌʌnɪˈmædʒɪnəbəl/ | Unable to be imagined; inconceivable or mind-boggling; beyond belief. |
| upbringing noun | /ˈʌpˌbrɪŋɪŋ/ | The traits acquired during one's childhood training |
| peacefully adverb | /ˈpiːsfəli/ | In a peaceful manner. |
| maternity noun | /məˈtɜɹnəti/ | The state of being a mother; motherhood. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| look back verb | To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight). | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Maybe just in your yard?
- How do you feel today?
- Would you ever leave your baby alone in front of a café?
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 been · has been · have shown |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who work · ones who take |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, don't, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: trustworthy /ˈtɹʌst.wɜː.ði/, cloth /klɒθ/
- Long words — get the stress right: unimaginable /ˌʌnɪˈmædʒɪnəbəl/, maternity /məˈtɜɹnəti/, statistically /stəˈtɪs.tɪ.kə.li/, fertility /fɝˈtɪləti/
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 unsupervised, trustworthy, euro.
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.