Shadowing Practice: Why you can’t speak English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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You have been studying English for years.

You can watch Netflix without the subtitles.

You can even read complex articles and you can understand everything that I'm saying right now.

But the second that you actually open your mouth to speak, your brain just freezes.

Now, I am a native English speaker, but I speak three foreign languages and I know this feeling.

It is so frustrating.

Today, I want to talk about why this is happening and how you can fix it.

And PS, this is not due to your intelligence.

This is due to the teaching system.

So let's jump right in.

And at the end of this video, I'm going to share with you my 30 day action plan.

for really being able to speak English.

So the first thing is what I like to call the classroom hangover.

Now, most of you learned English in school for years and you were taught it

almost like a math class like a set of rules that you memorize before a test and now This is totally normal.

In the US, we're taught Spanish this way in school.

And it just does not really make that connection between the brain and the mouth really understanding and speaking.

This is for learning the technicalities of a language, not for speaking a language.

But in the real world, nobody is grading you.

If you're spending 90 % of your time studying about the language, but only spending about 10 % of your time using the language,

you are creating a massive gap.

and that is going to make it impossible to speak a language.

So you have to break that habit of treating English like a school subject, treating it like a grade, treating it like a math problem, all of that.

You have to get rid of all of that.

And remember that English is actually a language that people use and people live in.

So how can you fix this?

Now I've had to fix this in foreign languages that I've learned And what I've found is a few things that help.

The first thing is exposing yourself to real world input.

So whatever you want that to be.

And the best way to go about this is to find what you're interested in, find it in English.

So YouTube videos, podcasts, music, TV shows, movies.

I mean, There is so much media today, anything, Just do it in English.

I mean, truly anything.

I love to cook.

So in the past, I bought cookbooks in that language and then used that time.

as a really good time to immerse myself in the language, learn new cooking vocabulary, and really practice living in the language.

So your job is to really find ways that you can integrate English into your life.

And really be creative here.

Because if you're interested, it's actually going to be fun.

And you are going to be so much more consistent about it.

And the other thing you need to do here is you need to try your hardest to create output.

Now, I know creating output is really hard, but it is extremely important to practice creating output,

even at an early stage, so that you can really get used to speaking and living in the language.

Now, the second thing holding you back is actually a physical barrier.

Now, oftentimes students treat English like a school subject, just like what we just talked about.

But it is actually a physical skill.

You are using real muscles in your mouth, and you have to learn real pronunciation techniques.

Now a lot of learners actually stay stuck

because they're unsure about the sounds in their mouth and they're unsure about is this exactly how this word sounds?

Am I saying it right?

They're insecure about their accent.

And so what happens is their brain freezes and they stay mute.

Now, I have seen this so many times with students.

They forget to focus on pronunciation from the very beginning.

They think it's something that comes later.

Once I'm better, I'll focus on pronunciation.

But this is entirely false.

Pronunciation is extremely important when learning a new language.

And English has very specific sounds that foreigners have to learn.

And this is exactly why I built my seven day pronunciation workout.

I realized that if students don't master the physical pronunciation skills from the start,

their confidence is not going to catch up to their vocabulary.

So this workout is a 7 day program

that is designed to take any learner's pronunciation and really master the important sounds by the end of it.

So you can be at any level and after those 7 days, your pronunciation will have increased a significant amount.

And the best part is that you can just redo it

and redo it and redo it if you need to really focus on that pronunciation.

Focusing on pronunciation is really going to bridge

that gap between all of the knowledge and vocabulary that you have in your brain and your mouth.

You actually have to connect the two.

It does not happen automatically.

So prioritizing this, bridging that gap is essential to actually being able to speak English.

So if you're interested, the link is in the description below.

Now, the third thing that holds people back is the input -output gap.

You are most likely over -consuming and under -producing.

Now, I have been here with foreign languages, and it is just so much easier to have input, input, input.

I'm listening to this podcast, this song, this audiobook.

I mean, there's just so much, and it's so easy to have stuff on Don't get me wrong, that is fantastic.

You want to maximize your input, but you cannot forget about output.

Speaking is an active skill that you have to practice, and listening is passive.

It's like watching YouTube videos or an actual person go to the gym for years

and thinking to yourself: Why is my strength not progressing?

Well, you're looking at it, you're not actually doing it.

You have to practice doing it yourself.

You have to practice writing and speaking all on your own.

So I know this is really hard and oftentimes students just simply don't have someone to talk to.

They don't have a friend that is a native speaker or a tutor or teacher, anyone that they can talk to.

So I totally understand this position.

But there are still things that you can do in order to practice your output without that.

So, I mean, if you have people to practice the language with, practice with them.

That is amazing.

But if you don't, you can always practice the shadowing technique.

Rewatch a certain segment of this video and try to repeat exactly what I'm saying.

listen to a few words and then repeat it back.

Or watch a TV show and repeat scenes back.

Another thing I love to do is narrate your day to yourself.

Now, I know that this is a little embarrassing.

I do this all the time in foreign languages and it's weird, okay?

It's just weird.

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And yes, you're gonna have to get used to it.

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But there is something so valuable about talking out loud of what you're doing, talking about your day, what you're thinking about.

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If I'm driving alone in the car, this is a perfect opportunity.

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Most of the time in the car, you would have input on But sometimes you can just pause it, turn it off and say, Okay, I'll be talking to myself today.

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You know, the weather is really great.

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This thing is really stressing me out.

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"Ugh, I need to talk to this person about this." I'm really excited about our dinner plans tonight.

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I mean just everything that's on your mind.

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Instead of keeping it in there, practice talking about it in English.

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And plus, when you're alone, it really helps you work through the hard parts, the things that really catch you.

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Say, oh, how did I make a grammar mistake there?

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And you can fix it.

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And you're not embarrassed.

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You're not rushed by a real high stress conversation.

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so i really recommend doing this i have found it to be so helpful when learning other languages

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just really talking to yourself out loud, practicing the language, without having to be embarrassed or stressed.

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On that same note, you can also talk to AI and actually get responses so you're holding a conversation.

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This is pretty similar because once again, it's low stress.

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but you actually practice engaging in a conversation.

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All you have to do is press the speak button on chat GPT and say,

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"Hi, I am wondering how the weather is today." and Chad will actually answer you and then you can answer back.

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You can literally have a conversation

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And I totally recommend doing this as a way of really practicing your output and bridging that gap between input and output.

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Now, the fourth thing that is holding you back is perfectionism.

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Perfectionism is the ultimate killer of fluency, and I think a lot of people misunderstand what fluency actually means.

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Fluency can be attained at any level of a language.

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It has to do with being able to communicate fluidly and to be able to communicate effectively.

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Now, honestly, you can do this at an A2 level if you're practicing the right things.

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The circumstances where you'll be able to communicate effectively are going to be limited.

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But you can do it.

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The problem is that when you are obsessed, With every single word and mistake and pause,

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this holds you back and you are not able to communicate effectively.

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And the truth is that you just have to be okay with feeling dumb for a while.

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Now, I've hated this feeling learning other languages, but honestly, it gets easier.

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You just have to accept that you're gonna feel insecure.

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But if you keep practicing, your confidence is going to grow and you're not always going to feel that way.

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Also, the truth is nobody ever actually thinks you're dumb.

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People think it's really impressive and really brave when other people are speaking a foreign language.

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So you don't actually have to worry about people truly believing you're dumb.

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Because it's not true.

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Nobody thinks that.

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But of course it feels that way.

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I always recommend finding someone who speaks English, who you really admire, and really trying to shadow their accent,

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the phrases they use, the rhythm of how they speak, their tone, I mean all of those real life ways of speaking.

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And by shadowing that, you are really going to develop a more natural, fluid, fluent way of speaking the language.

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For this one, it simply just takes time.

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But that's okay.

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That is part of learning a language.

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And I promise if you stick with it, your confidence is going to grow and you will not be stuck here forever.

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but don't let your mistakes hold you back.

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So here is the 30 -day action plan in order to get rid of all these things and actually start speaking English.

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The first thing is to commit to the pronunciation workout.

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No matter what level you are, Commit to spending the first week really focusing on your pronunciation,

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really dialing in and bridging that gap between your brain and your mouth.

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The second thing you need to do is the self -talk rule.

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It's exactly what I described earlier on, but practice narrating your day out loud to yourself.

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Oh, I'm making coffee right now.

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Oh, I'm getting in the car.

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I know it's weird.

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It's annoying.

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It's dumb, but it truly will help you to be able to speak English so much better.

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And the third thing you need to do is to find low stakes output.

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So, What I mean by this is low stress output.

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You can do this by recording voice notes of yourself talking out loud

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or like I said chatting with AI a little bit.

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If you commit to these three things, I promise that by the end of 30 days, you are going to be speaking English so much better.

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So commit to these things.

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Let this be your goal for the next month and tell me in the comments the results that you saw.

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I love seeing people grow in their language skills and I would love to hear about your experience.

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And remember, you can speak English.

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You just have to give yourself the permission to speak it imperfectly.

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You have to give yourself permission to make mistakes.

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And let me know in the comments below which of these reasons resonated with you the most, which one you really feel the most.

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Now remember to grab that pronunciation workout in the link below.

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And thank you so much for watching.

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It really supports my channel.

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If you haven't done so, please like and subscribe and I will catch you in the next video.

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Thanks for watching.

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Bye!

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Why practice speaking with this video?

If you've been studying English for years but find yourself struggling to speak fluently, you're not alone. Many learners face a challenge when transferring their comprehension skills onto spoken language. This video addresses the frustrations of speaking faced by many English learners, providing practical strategies to bridge the gap between understanding and speaking. Engaging with this content can enhance your english speaking practice, allowing you to develop confidence and fluency in real-world situations. By applying the techniques discussed in the video, such as exposing yourself to real-world input and creating language output, you can cultivate effective communication skills essential for navigating everyday conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker utilizes a variety of grammatical structures and expressions to convey their message effectively. Here are some key phrases and structures that you can incorporate into your own speaking practice:

"You have been studying English for years." - This structure presents the present perfect continuous tense, which emphasizes the ongoing nature of learning.
"This is due to the teaching system." - Using "this is due to" is an excellent way to explain causes and reasons, enhancing your ability to articulate thoughts logically.
"You have to break that habit." - The phrase encourages learners to take action, using the modal verb "have to" expresses necessity or obligation, which can be a strong addition to any discussion.
"Remember that English is actually a language that people use." - This reminds learners that language is about communication, reinforcing the idea that practice is essential.
"Try your hardest to create output." - This encourages the importance of producing language through speaking or writing, an essential skill for any language learner.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When it comes to english speaking practice, pronunciation can often pose challenges. Here are a few common pronunciation traps highlighted in the video:

Words with silent letters: Many learners struggle with words like "psychology" or "comb" where letters are not pronounced.
Vowel sounds: English has numerous vowel sounds that don't exist in other languages, like the short 'i' sound in "kit" versus the long 'ee' in "beat." Pay close attention to these differences.
Consonant clusters: Combinations like "str" in "street" can be tricky. Practice these through repetition and shadowing exercises to develop muscle memory.

By incorporating these elements from the video into your practice, you're better equipped to tackle the challenges of speaking in English. Remember, shadowspeak techniques can help reinforce these skills, allowing you to achieve greater fluency and confidence.

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	I've had · have seen · have increased
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were taught · is designed · can be attained
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	practice living · practice creating · practice writing
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the best · your hardest

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Why you can’t speak English - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Why practice speaking with this video?

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Common Pronunciation Traps

Grammar in this video

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