Shadowing Practice: Why we disappeared from YouTube... - Learn English Speaking with Video

It's been a minute.

Hi guys.

How you doing?

Hi.

We're so sorry we've been gone.

The last time you guys saw us, Bella just turned six months old. And now...

In three days time, she's turning a year.

No, she's not.

She's turning 12 months.

12 months.

Yeah.

We don't say...

We're not a years kind of family.

So get that year stuff out of it.

She's not going to be measured in years until she's 10, okay? then she's 120 months.

Yeah, we've been gone.

We're really sorry about that.

Things have just been kind of crazy.

I know that's not an excuse, but it's no excuse at all.

But yeah, we've been being completely honest.

I've been in a bit of a weird place mentally and Monica's been incredible.

I feel so selfish that I'm the one in the weird place mentally when you're the one that gave birth.

And it's nothing to do with Bella.

There's a lot of stuff that we also don't share

that we've been through that really do take a toll on your mental health

so yeah nothing with us or with bala as well

family stuff work related distance all

that kind of stuff we just want to let you guys know we're really sorry

that we've been gone but we've been feeling good

and we're excited to come back we probably won't be making videos probably every week

but we are going to come back as much as we can

because we know you guys have been asking us a ton where we've been to come back

so yeah we do a a Q&A.

So that's question number one is where have you been?

There you go.

Yeah the thing with

YouTube that we don't experience with short form videos you know on TikTok

and Instagram stuff is YouTube like we're traditionally vloggers

so like we'll basically vlog throughout the day and stuff

and the one thing that we agreed

when we first started doing YouTube is we never want to present kind of like a fake personality

or like present to be something we're not.

I kind of found myself slipping and

when we were vlogging I kind of noticed

that I was kind of putting on a front

and pretending to be happy you know the last few videos

and stuff and it's really hard to do that

when you're trying to be as authentic as you can be

and it was also the point where it's like we're enjoying life with our daughter

and every little thing that we're doing we're like oh my gosh wait we should have vlogged that

and it was getting to a point where we were like

we also just want to like live life sometimes like with a short form content those are like quick videos

But with this when we were it was taking over everything we're like, oh my gosh, she's doing this we need to get the camera out Yeah, but we're like we just wanted to enjoy a lot more in the moment

So we're making sure to prioritize that over anything, but we are still on everything else

So make sure to go on like Instagram

and we are take talking all that work We're posting pretty much every day over there.

Let's just get into it.

Let's do a little rant over here We go.

What is your favorite part about having a daughter?

Oh my gosh You know what my favorite part is about having a daughter what the fact

that I went 30 years my life without realizing

an entire type of love could exist i would literally do anything for her

and it's a different type of love to like a partner isn't it like i love monica

and bella the same amount

but it's just in different ways yeah my favorite part it's

like i can't even like pick one thing it's absolutely everything

that i ever dreamed of

and more i love having like a little like version of us like there's just

so many things that she does where it's like oh my gosh that's so much like like Sam, they're like, oh my gosh, that reminds me of me.

And we get new versions of that every single day, don't we?

Like every day she'll do like something that she hasn't done before.

I'm like, that's Monica.

Yeah.

It sounds kind of weird, but like, I feel very like needed.

It's again, very different to like having like a husband or anything, but I feel so needed and it makes me feel really good.

And I, like Sam said, would do anything in the world for her She is just my my heart.

She literally just took my heart

when she came out of my body She said let me just grab the heart and bring it with me.

We're watching her on the screen right now This is why we're in the car by the way

because she's napping in the car.

Yeah, Monica went to pick up Starbucks And she passed out.

What's your favorite TV series of all time?

You know what?

That's your favorite of all time?

Yeah, it's a brilliant TV series Monica's like, Vampire Diaries, Summer I Turned Pretty.

I think, I think, because I was like, Vampire Diaries, Off Campus, and Summer I Turned Pretty.

Off Campus.

But I think with those three, honestly, I think Summer I Turned Pretty is- Really?

Yeah.

Just thinking about it now, I was like- No. I really think so.

I thought you were going to say Vampire Diaries, like the OG, you know?

There's just, it just tickles my brain.

I love it so much.

It tickles more than your brain.

This is a family channel.

Is this allowed on YouTube?

He's been reading through any of my books.

This was actually our most asked question.

Why do we not show Bella's face on the internet?

100

Cause we used to when she was first born.

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We did.

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However, after just seeing a lot of like information out there on, you know, what people are doing with photos and AI,

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what they're doing with like certain things, it creeped us out.

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And then also seeing people like commenting pictures of her face and stuff like that.

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Yeah, people, I got messages and I'm sure that they were coming from a good place, but I got a message once that really shook me and the person was like,

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I love this picture of Bella so much, I saved it, and now it's my background on my phone.

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And to me, again, they were probably being sweet, but to me that really made me uncomfortable and then the thought of,

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yeah, people were commenting photos as a GIF of her face, and then in my head I'm like, people are saving her photo to their phone to do that.

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And to us, we were just like, I don't like it.

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Looking at other creators and stuff

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and seeing like the amount of saves on their videos when their kids faces show up in it and stuff like that.

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I'm like, okay, it just feels weird.

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Yeah, we're really sorry that we don't show her, but again, it's just for her safety.

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What is Monica's top three British foods and what is Sam's top three American foods?

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Oh, that's a really good question.

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You want to go first, Monica?

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Cornish pasties on there.

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Yes.

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Roast dinner.

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Does that count as like a British food?

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Absolutely.

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Roast dinner and Greg's steak bake.

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Okay, my top three American foods.

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You're a sucker for barbecue.

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I am a sucker for barbecue.

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I do really like barbecue.

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I got it yesterday.

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Good deli sandwich and a bacon egg and cheese bagel.

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Nice.

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All New York stuff.

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Pretty much.

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How do you keep such a healthy marriage?

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We're just completely honest with each other at all times.

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Yeah, we're very very communicative.

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Like, we- if one of us is upset over something or just like feeling down about something, I don't know.

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We always communicate.

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Like, we are very good listeners with each other.

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We'll never judge.

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I feel like the person that's feeling down isn't always the best communicator

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But it's I think it's because we've been together almost 11 years now I can sense

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when something's even one percent wrong with Monica

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and vice versa I think we're persistent in the way that it's like I know something is wrong.

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Tell me what's wrong and we can work through it together Yeah, it's not like that.

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All right.

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I'm gonna keep asking.

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It's like come on spit it out

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And we're not afraid to have tough conversations like

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that was one of the things

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that I think long distance really sets us up for is the fact

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that we had to get really serious really quick and have those awkward conversations about where do you want to live, how many kids you want to have, what are your goals in life, like all that kind of stuff.

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And I think

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that kind of sets us up to be able to continue

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having the kind of tough conversations with each other instead of going to bed sad and letting resentment build up.

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And now can I just shamelessly plug my amazing gorgeous beautiful

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husband right here created an app literally he has a team

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of developers making this app fight us again we've posted about it on our other social media.

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It launched at the start of august.

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This app is the coolest thing in the entire world

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and I'm not being biased because I'm the wifey okay this because fight us they know that's the logo right?

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I'm not pointing to a snippy.

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Become the person your partner brags about.

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Yeah, become the person your partner brags about.

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It has gift ideas for certain events, so it's like your anniversary day, you met whatever you want to put in.

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It has these things called daily wins, which are very small, easy ways to make your partner's day.

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So like literally the other day, I opened the book that I was reading, and there was a handwritten note from Sam because it's daily win.

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It knows everything about you, like it learns everything about you, so it knows I love books.

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When you first sign up, you input like what's your partner's favorite coffee order, favorite store, favorite TV show, everything.

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Everything, love language, everything.

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It's amazing.

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And then it also has like a weekly date idea where it gives you like such personalized, like it's not just like a generic like, oh, go to dinner and a movie.

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Like it will literally be like your wife loves scary movies.

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There's a new scary movie coming out.

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Take her to that.

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Get her her favorite snack, M&Ms.

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Like it literally is so personal.

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And it has your location as well.

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So like my weekly date idea this week, it told me to go to the nearest state park.

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And it like named the state park and it said what we can do there.

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And then it said like oh this restaurants nearby go to

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this restaurant I'll have it in the description below make sure to download it guys It is

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if you're in a relationship it is the best thing

182

and it's free it is free There is a premium version as well that just has more goodies.

183

I guess yeah has more features you can regenerate stuff There's

184

a couples mode where you can link with your partner coming in the next few weeks like stuff like that Yeah, but I wanted to make it so that the free version was really usable

185

and actually like you actually wanted to use it So go download it.

186

Go download it.

187

What book are you reading and would you recommend it?

188

I'm reading Reckless right now and you are reading, she's reading like five books at a time.

189

I just finished a book literally last night.

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I forgot to tell you, I finished my book.

191

You did?

192

It's called A Long Time Coming.

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That was with Megan Quinn.

194

That was very cute.

195

I've never read her before.

196

That was a cutie one and now I'm reading

197

When the Moon Hatched which is a fantasy one that my friend has been begging me to read.

198

So I'm reading that right now and then I'm also reading Just Friends.

199

I'm reading like multiple books at once right now.

200

And yes, I would recommend every single book I'm reading.

201

And Monica has a book club now.

202

She goes to a book club every first Monday of the month.

203

She's got her little book buddies.

204

I'm in a book club.

205

It's so cute.

206

She makes little buffalo chicken dip or some Yorkshire puddings with filling and stuff like that.

207

And she'll be like, I'm going to my book club.

208

I feel like a little grandma.

209

Just like a bunch of local people that all hang out around a random kitchen, eat food, and talk about a book they read over the past night.

210

And our book boyfriends.

211

But no, it's adorable.

212

She's hosted book club at our house a couple of times.

213

And it's so cute hearing her being like, oh, I love this part and I love that part and stuff like that.

214

Now we're embarrassed.

215

No, I love it.

216

I really love it.

217

When you guys have another baby, what gender do you want?

218

Boy or girl?

219

I don't want to say because I don't want our future kids to look at this.

220

Yeah, and like, I'm torn.

221

I would be happy with either.

222

I would love to have a boy.

223

Like, I definitely want a boy.

224

But if I had another girl, I wouldn't be mad because she gets a sister and I love having a girl.

225

So honestly, I have no preference.

226

I definitely want another girl, but at some point, I also definitely want a boy.

227

Yeah.

228

So we've agreed on having three children, haven't we?

229

She finally convinced me.

230

Do you guys, if you have been here for a while, you know he was always stuck on two kids.

231

We got him up.

232

We got him up, guys.

233

We did it.

234

We shook on it.

235

Thank you, Bella.

236

Is she super?

237

Bella was the inspiration for that.

238

She's the most perfect little baby ever.

239

She's just perfect.

240

And yeah, I just, I want three now.

241

Back to books.

242

Best book that you have ever read?

243

There's tons of different categories though.

244

I would say there's like good books in each different category.

245

See A Court of Mist and Fury is the first thing

246

that came to my mind because I just remember reading that and like my entire world just was shaped differently.

247

Like I just that book I don't I don't know what it was about

248

that book but that book really like that made me really really love reading.

249

That's what I've got on her finest profile as her favorite book so I'm glad you said that.

250

I don't know.

251

I have a few top books yeah i keep thinking of fantasy ones like i love quicksilver

252

that i gave that one a five as well i don't know that's i can't answer

253

that i'm really into like finance and investing and stuff like

254

that four hour work week always stands out that's what i have on your finest as well yeah

255

because it's helped to shape my life so much

256

and then in terms of fiction honestly i would say alcatraz

257

because that's what yeah because

258

that like that's what kind of got me into reading your book

259

that was the first book of yours that i read

260

and i started reading monica's books to kind of feel closer to her

261

and have something else to talk about and stuff like that

262

and i really enjoyed it that makes me

263

so happy during your long distance relationship how did you spend

264

time with each other i'd go to visit him for like a

265

while and then we'd have some months apart

266

and then he'd come visit me and then the time we spent apart

267

and the time we spent together basically depended on work schedules

268

and visas yeah and kind of what we had going on you know like

269

if it's your birthday you probably want to be in new york for your birthday and like stuff like that.

270

And we would FaceTime and obviously do all that stuff as well.

271

I remember like one Halloween we were pumpkin carving like together through the phone.

272

I remember that.

273

I remember that.

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Valentine's dates like on the phone.

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And by the way, I'm gonna shamelessly plug one more time.

276

Fidus does have a long distance mode as well.

277

So if you are in a long distance relationship the app works for you too.

278

I'm just saying.

279

Who does Bella resemble more, you or Sam?

280

When I look at her I think more Monica but when she smiles more me.

281

Her smile is literally Sam Her smile is literally Sam Like young Sam, yeah like when I was a baby Like

282

when she laughs it's like she's got my mouth

283

But she changes every day She does It's so funny to think

284

that like we said in the beginning we posted her a few times

285

That is not even the same baby If you saw that baby on the street We don't know who that is

286

We wouldn't recognize that baby It's like certain facial expressions

287

and certain things she does

288

That I'm like oh that's Monica's daughter Like the way she

289

sleeps like I'll like see them sleeping next to each other

290

in the exact same position with the exact same facial expression I'm like

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that is my daughter

292

and my wife they are the same person would you eventually move to the UK no I don't think

293

so I think I would if we I do love it there though

294

if we ever achieved every single one of our goals

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and lived our absolute dream life I would love to have a house there

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but I wouldn't want to spend the whole year that I would love to spend a couple of months a year there.

297

How are Peter and Sunny?

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They're wonderful.

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They're doing so good.

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They're besties now.

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They are such good baby boys.

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They are and Bella is 100% their boss now.

303

Yeah they are

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so good with her like we cannot have imagined it any

305

better like they just love her especially Sunny Sunny loves her so much.

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Peter's so good with her too but Peter's more of just like hey girl.

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Yeah.

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It's like Sunny's like this is my baby guys.

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They're so cute together but yeah.

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Thank you guys so much for sending in your questions and for being so patient with us as we navigate

311

everything in life right now um we're really happy to be back

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and we definitely definitely definitely want to do youtube videos much

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more often like we're in much better places now i feel

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like we're settled into parenthood a lot more yeah settled into

315

the house yeah get ready for much more i was gonna say often videos again

316

but that doesn't make sense frequents yeah much more frequent videos again thank you guys

317

so much and we'll see you in the next one peace

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Why This Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice

The conversation in this video is a goldmine for learners because it’s authentic, conversational, and unscripted. The speakers use casual phrases, self-corrections, and natural pauses—exactly the kind of language you’ll encounter in real life. This makes it ideal for shadow speech or shadowing technique practice, as it trains your mouth and brain to mimic real-world rhythm and tone. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more fluent, this clip helps you move beyond textbook phrases.

Breaking Down Natural Speech: 3 Key Phrases

“It's been a minute.” This casual opener is far more natural than “We haven’t posted in a long time.” Native speakers use phrases like this to soften statements, and practicing it helps you sound less formal. Notice the short, relaxed pronunciation—no over-enunciation.
“I know that's not an excuse, but it's no excuse at all.” Here, the speaker corrects themselves mid-sentence, a common trait in real dialogue. This shows how fluency isn’t about perfection—it’s about communicating honestly. Mimicking this self-correction pattern will make your speech feel more human.
“We're not a years kind of family.” This playful phrase uses “kind of” to qualify a statement, a filler word that native speakers use to soften opinions. Learning to use “kind of” naturally (without overdoing it) is key to sounding conversational.

A Simple Shadowing Routine for This Clip

To practice shadow speak with this video, follow these steps: First, watch the clip once to understand the context. Then, play a 5-second segment, pause, and repeat it immediately, copying the tone, speed, and pauses. Record yourself, then compare it to the original. Focus on matching the speakers’ casual rhythm—don’t rush. Do this for 10 minutes daily, and you’ll notice your pronunciation and fluency improve. This routine works for english speaking practice because it trains your brain to process and reproduce language in real time, just like a native.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	we've been being · we've been feeling · have been asking
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	we've been gone · have just been · I've been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be measured · being biased · was always stuck
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	wins, which are · Hatched which is

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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