Shadowing Practice: Why You Understand English But Can't Speak - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you can understand English but you can't speak, this one's for you.
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This is probably the most common problem that students learning a second language face,
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and it has nothing to do with the language you're learning or your ability.
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The reason you can understand English
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but the words just don't come out of your mouth is entirely due to the system you're using to learn.
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And I'll be honest.
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The way you learned English was probably not the best.
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School curricula around the world tend to focus on vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing.
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These are four important skills to have in a second language.
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But what's missing?
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Speaking.
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Speaking and verbal communication skills are not taught in many schools around the world.
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I can speak to this firsthand.
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I'm from Canada and in Canada we have two official languages, English and French.
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There are French -speaking parts of the country and there are English -speaking parts of the country.
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I'm a native English speaker and I was born in an English -speaking part of the country.
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Every English -speaking Canadian needs to spend roughly seven to ten years minimum learning French in school.
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I remember my French classes.
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We watched movies, we read, we learned grammar rules, but we didn't do much speaking.
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And as a result, most English -speaking
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Canadians don't speak French.
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It's not because they're bad at languages or because French is a hard language to learn, it's because they weren't taught the right way.
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Listening and speaking are two vastly different skills.
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Fluency in a language is made up of four primary skills.
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Listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
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There's a reason that standardized tests such as the IELTS test these four skills.
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You can't be fluent in a language if you haven't mastered all four.
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Your listening skills might be amazing, but your speaking skills could still be lacking.
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I like to compare this to sports.
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If you watch professional sports like soccer, basketball, or baseball, you might understand the rules of the game,
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you might understand how to play, but unless you've put in years or decades of practice,
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you're never going to be as good as a professional athlete.
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The difference is you've spent time watching, whereas they've spent time doing.
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Now it's true that your listening vocabulary, the passive vocabulary you have,
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will always be bigger than the active vocabulary or the speaking vocabulary.
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This is true of any language.
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It's also true of your native language.
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I'm sure there are words in your native language that you understand but don't use on a daily basis.
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How can you expand your active vocabulary and speak more fluently in conversations?
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It's not about the conversation itself.
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It's about how well you prepare for that conversation.
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Preparation is key.
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There's a quote that's often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the American inventor.
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By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail.
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So how do you prepare for a conversation?
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The good news is that most conversations are actually predictable.
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Ordering a coffee, making small talk with a neighbor, making a reservation at a restaurant, going to the doctor's office.
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These conversations all follow similar patterns, so you can actually script them in advance.
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When I say script, I mean imagine you're an actor learning lines.
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Sit down for 20 minutes, take a notebook and script the lines that you'd actually use in these conversations.
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You can also use AI to help you.
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I think AI is actually quite good for this purpose, but ultimately you have to memorize these lines.
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When an actor first starts their acting career, all they do is memorize lines.
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And you might be thinking, well, Michael, why should I memorize lines?
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I want to speak spontaneously.
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But don't forget that actors also improvise.
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There's nothing wrong with improvising, but you can only afford to improvise later once you've mastered the foundations of conversation.
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Some of the best lines and scenes in film history are actually improvised.
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They're spontaneous.
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Experienced actors do this but not when they're first starting out.
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When they're first learning to act and getting experience, they follow the script to a T.
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If you keep scripting your conversations and preparing in advance,
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eventually you'll internalize so much vocabulary and so many different phrases that you won't need to do this.
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Learning a language is like completing a puzzle.
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All you're doing is fitting the different pieces of the puzzle together.
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Eventually, after you've completed the same puzzle over and over again, you'll be able to do it quickly without thinking.
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I'm a big advocate for scripting what you want to say in advance.
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memorizing those lines, and going into the conversation prepared.
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I want to share with you a brief anecdote about my experience learning piano.
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Learning an instrument is a lot like learning a language.
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I've been playing piano since I was five years old, and in my many years of playing piano, I also performed in many different recitals.
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A recital is a concert.
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It sounds obvious, but the recitals where I performed my best were also the recitals that I had prepared the most for.
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90 % of all the work was done before the recital.
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Before every recital, I would spend hours practicing the piece, learning the score, learning the melody,
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learning the harmony, and I had prepared so well that by the time I got on stage, everything clicked.
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I didn't have to worry about what I was going to play
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or how I was going to play it because I had already prepared.
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And I encourage you to do the exact same when speaking.
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Prepare your conversations as best you can in advance.
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So when it comes time to speaking with a native English speaker, at the doctor's office, at the hair salon,
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at a restaurant, you'll be prepared and you'll know what to say.
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Of course, conversation is spontaneous and you won't be able to script every single line perfectly
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but by preparing in advance you'll know which vocabulary to use
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and you'll have a structure and a guideline to help you in the conversation so you have less to worry about.
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Let me know in the comments, do you find speaking difficult?
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I hope today's video could provide you with some insight and motivation.
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Make sure to subscribe to English at the Ready, leave a like, and if you want to study English with me,
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click the link in the description below to learn more about our programs.
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I have several programs available to help you speak more fluently and yes we do a lot of speaking in every class.
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So make sure to have a look and join.
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Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why You Understand English But Can't Speak”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: speaking, conversation, language, learning, English. This video has 92 sentences and 1128 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:10. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| script noun | /skɹɪpt/ | A writing; a written document. |
| piano noun | /piˈænɪː/ | A percussive keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white and black colored keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers… |
| puzzle noun | /ˈpʌzəl/ | The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in… |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| spontaneous adjective | /spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/ | Self-directed; happening or acting without external cause or instigation; proceeding from natural feeling, temperament, or momentary impulse. |
| soccer noun | /ˈsɑk.ɚ/ | Association football. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| encourage verb | /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ | To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit. |
| whereas | /(h)wɛɹˈæz/ | In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although. |
| roughly adverb | /ˈɹʌf.li/ | In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness. |
| expand verb | /ɪkˈspænd/ | To change (something) from a smaller form or size to a larger one; to spread out or lay open. |
| preparation noun | /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/ | The act of preparing or getting ready. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| start out verb | To emerge suddenly; to jump out. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- It's also true of your native language.
- It's about how well you prepare for that conversation.
- By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail.
- Let me know in the comments, do you find speaking difficult?
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 | haven't mastered · you've put · you've spent |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are not taught · was born · weren't taught |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might be · might understand |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most common · the best · my best |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as you'll, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, spontaneous /spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, curriculum /kəˈɹɪk.jə.ləm/
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 vocabulary, skill, script.
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.