Shadowing Practice: Why you can understand English but can't speak. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Why can so many students understand English, but they can't speak?
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This is a problem that honestly most of my students in my club face.
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And to explain why this happens and how you can fix this, I want to give you an analogy.
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Imagine you go to the gym four times a week.
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and at the gym, you only train your arms.
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You never train your legs.
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You just train your arms.
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What's going to happen after a few months?
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You're going to have very strong arms, but your legs probably won't be that strong.
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And it's the same with speaking.
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If you don't speak, if you just listen to English speakers, but you never speak, obviously your speaking is going to be weak.
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So that's the source of this problem.
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That's where it comes from.
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And the solution is quite obvious.
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The solution is to speak more.
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It's just like training a muscle at the gym.
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It's just like training your legs or your arms.
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The more you do it, the stronger it will become.
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So if you're facing this problem, if you're having problems speaking, even though you can understand native speakers,
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then I want you to make an effort to speak.
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Even if you feel nervous to speak, even if you feel like people are judging you.
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You still need to speak.
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Language, or English rather, is a language and languages need to be spoken.
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If you don't speak a language, you're never going to become fluent.
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So if there's just one thing that you change,
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one thing that you do to overcome this problem, it needs to be speaking,
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communicating, having conversations with people.
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I'm going to give you the analogy of the gym.
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I mentioned this earlier, right?
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Going to the gym, training your muscles, becoming stronger.
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Honestly, it's the same when you learn a language.
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When you first go to the gym, you're probably going to feel weak.
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You might even feel self-conscious.
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You might feel like you don't know what you're doing.
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but after time as time goes by the more you do
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it the stronger you will become the more confident you will feel
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and the more you will improve it's the same with learning english
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when you first have a conversation with somebody maybe you're at a1 you're at a2 you're not very advanced,
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you're going to feel nervous.
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You're going to struggle to find the right words to say.
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It's completely normal.
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But if you stick with it, if you keep speaking, even if you don't feel like it,
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eventually you're going to feel more confident.
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Eventually you're going to feel more comfortable speaking and eventually you're going to become more fluent.
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It's very very simple.
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So this is something that I recommend to my students all the time.
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You need to speak.
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Just speak.
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Don't overcomplicate things.
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You don't need to make it more difficult than it should be.
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English is a language languages need to be spoken.
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Now a lot of students feel like native speakers are judging them when they speak.
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They're worried that people are going to think less of them maybe because they make a mistake.
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They forget a word.
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They use something incorrectly.
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And I understand your fear because honestly I thought the same when I was learning German,
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when I was studying Italian, I was scared to speak, especially with native speakers, because I was worried they were judging me.
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I expected that I had to be perfect.
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That was something that I struggled with.
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I'm a perfectionist.
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I always want to be perfect.
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But you have to keep in mind that most native speakers aren't judging you when you speak English.
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Seriously, most native speakers are not judging you.
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And if you don't believe me, I want you to ask yourself this question.
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Would you judge somebody learning your language?
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If you're like most people, you wouldn't.
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you'd actually be impressed.
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You'd be proud of them.
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You'd want to encourage them.
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And English speakers are no different.
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Native English speakers appreciate it when you make an effort to learn English.
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Now, obviously, there are some people who will judge you.
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That's the case anywhere in life.
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And you have to do your best to ignore these people.
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okay you should not let them discourage you they're just negative
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people right i'm sure you've experienced people like this maybe english speakers but maybe speakers of your own language
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so again those are a very small minority of people
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if you can ignore them if you can forget about them then that's really going to help you.
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But 99.9% of English speakers are not judging you for making mistakes.
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And honestly, English speakers make mistakes speaking English.
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This is something I see all the time.
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Maybe you've seen native speakers use double negatives.
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For example, I don't know nothing.
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I don't know nothing.
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This is wrong in English.
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We have to say I don't know anything, okay?
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Native speakers get this wrong all the time.
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So just because somebody is a native English speaker doesn't mean they speak perfectly.
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If you're a perfectionist, if you always want to speak perfectly, I completely understand you because I'm the exact same way.
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But you have to try to let this go.
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Because being a perfectionist is going to prevent you from improving.
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It's going to prevent you from speaking.
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And if you don't speak, as we talked about earlier, you're never going to become fluent.
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So live in the moment.
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When you're in a conversation with somebody, when you're talking to a friend or a native speaker, don't think about grammar.
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Don't think about conjugations.
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Just open your mouth and speak.
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You can worry about grammar later.
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But in the moment, in the conversation, your priority should be speaking.
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Just opening your mouth and speaking.
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That's the key.
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Remember, the purpose of language is communication.
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It's not perfection, it's communication.
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So if you can express your ideas, if you can communicate what you want to say, you're doing fine.
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And if you keep doing this, if you keep getting into conversation with people in English,
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eventually you will improve.
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Eventually you will become fluent.
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It's a slow process.
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You have to be patient, but it is possible.
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We are human beings.
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We are designed to learn language.
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So don't worry if you feel discouraged, if you feel unmotivated.
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It's completely normal.
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It happened to me when I was learning German, when I was learning Italian.
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But stick with it.
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Trust the process.
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Believe in yourself and keep speaking.
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Eventually you will improve.
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Eventually you will become fluent.
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Now, I hope you found this video helpful.
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I hope I was able to motivate you a little bit and help you get out of your comfort zone, help encourage you to speak,
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which is super important as we've seen.
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If you want to support the channel, make sure to subscribe here on YouTube.
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Leave a like if you found this video helpful, let me know in the comments.
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And if you want to study with me, if you want to improve your English with me,
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click the link in the description below to learn more about how I can help you improve your English this year.
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I hope you have a great day and I'll see you in the next video.

Context & Background

In the journey of learning English, many students find themselves in a paradoxical situation: they can understand the language quite well, yet struggle to articulate their thoughts when it comes to speaking. This common issue arises from a lack of practice, akin to focusing workouts on just one part of the body while neglecting the rest. When you hear English being spoken, your brain processes the language, but if you don’t practice speaking, your skills will remain underdeveloped. Just like building strong legs takes consistent exercise at the gym, developing your speaking abilities requires regular practice and the courage to engage in conversation.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “Can you help me with this?” – A useful phrase for engaging others in conversation.
  • “I don’t understand; could you repeat that?” – A key phrase to clarify any misunderstandings.
  • “What do you think about…?” – A great conversation starter that shows interest in others’ opinions.
  • “I feel nervous speaking English sometimes.” – Sharing your feelings can create empathy and improve communication.
  • “Let’s practice speaking together!” – Encourages collaboration and mutual support in learning.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To tackle the challenges of speaking English as highlighted in the video, one effective technique is shadowing. This method involves listening to a fluent speaker and simultaneously repeating what they say. Here’s how to incorporate shadowing into your English speaking practice:

  1. Select YouTube Content: Start by finding a video that you resonate with, preferably one that uses everyday vocabulary. This will aid your understanding and make shadowing more engaging.
  2. Break It Down: Watch the video in segments. Focus on 1-2 minutes at a time. This can reduce the pressure and allow you to concentrate on pronunciation.
  3. Listen and Repeat: Play the video on pause and repeat phrases out loud. Use a shadowing app or any audio playback tool to help you track your progress. Pay attention to the intonation and rhythm of the speaker.
  4. Practice Regularly: Consistency is key to improving your English speaking skills. Aim to practice daily, gradually increasing the length of the segments as you become more comfortable.
  5. Seek Feedback: If possible, communicate with peers or native speakers. Engaging in conversation will help reinforce what you’ve learned and boost your confidence.

Remember, the goal is to improve your English pronunciation and fluency. By making speaking a regular part of your studies and utilizing strategies like shadowing, you can become more adept at expressing yourself and overcome the barriers that hold you back from speaking confidently.

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.