Shadowing Practice: Will I ever lock in? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Will I ever lock in?

I mean, I guess if I count the days that I consider wasted, then it's been 1,419 days.

And I've talked about this before, you know, I feel like I talk about it enough, you know, wasting time and all that stuff.

But it's so weird how after, you know, the past four years, I never quite locked in.

But what's even more absurd than that is that some way, somehow, I've made it to the point where I am without ever locking in.

And it's so weird because I'm not exactly in a bad position.

I'm actually in an extremely rare position.

And obviously, I haven't done anything extraordinary yet.

I haven't, you know, become successful to some extreme extent.

But considering how much I have not been locked in, I have gotten to this point.

So it's just weird how I can be so not locked in or so seemingly out of focus,

yet I can do things that are like push me forward.

and it's like I keep on wrestling with myself you know

every single day I ask myself you know will I ever lock in will I ever just focus

and stop wasting my time stop you know scrolling Instagram

and TikTok and all this stuff and it's like I feel like I'm wasting

so much of my life so much of my time

and also I'm I'm moving you know I'm doing things

so it's kind of like this this in-between state where I'm not fully nothing,

I'm not fully doing nothing, yet I'm also like sort of preventing myself from reaching my full potential.

And that's what it really is.

It's not that I haven't done anything, it's that I haven't done as much as I could.

And that's, you could say that's like always the case, but for me personally, I just feel like I could be doing

so much more like genuinely so much more

and I'm just like I am my own bottleneck I am my own restrictor

and it's so hard to like feel like you're gonna tell yourself to do it like

and this is like the the problem of life this is just something

that like I feel like every Everyone has this issue.

Not everyone, but a lot of people do that where they just can't get yourself to do the thing.

And I want to do it so bad.

I mean, I literally think more about it or tell myself more to do it than I ever have actually done it.

And somehow I guess that's just like the cycle you put yourself into.

and it makes me wonder like what

if I just went like this the rest of my life

I mean that'd be horrible I can't stay in this position of not actually doing

and it's like I am doing but I could be doing

so much more and if I just let myself or if I push myself or just got past that block

I would just, you know, everything would just become even more ridiculous as it is now.

Like, the way my life is and the way that things have formed and changed and happened, like, I don't know if I can give myself credit for it.

It's just like the way things are going, it's incredible, genuinely.

But it's like I haven't, I feel like I haven't even done much, you know, to make it happen. and it's weird how

that works it's like god has just provided me all of this these blessings

or this luck and you know he's given me so much

but not enough to the point where i can be like oh yeah now i can sit back

and relax but it's like enough where i have to like genuinely take accountability

and look at myself and be like okay

if this is going to turn into something

if this is going to be legitimate and if I'm going to continue on this direction and actually create long-lasting success, right?

Because all of this is short-term, what I've accomplished with this channel and whatnot,

but long-lasting success, then that will require genuine foundation of the person I am.

And if I don't do that, then everything that I've accumulated will cease.

So it's like I'm constantly trying to like counting the days or thinking about all this,

these things that I should be doing.

Like it's even simple things.

I'm like, man, instead of scrolling, I should just be reading a book

or I should be studying up on something

or just you know watching YouTube videos about something more educational

and I mean I do it

but I just I feel like I don't do it enough

and I don't know how to how to make up for it

and it's like the days keep counting up you know like I'm at the end of the day

and I'm not not satisfied with what I've done I'm not satisfied with where I'm at

and it's you don't want to get too caught up in

wishing you were in a different place

but also you don't want to get too comfortable

so it's like this mix of appreciating where you are

but also not letting that appreciation or that comfortability make you just do nothing and that's where I'm at.

I'm realizing that God has given me so much opportunity to do something

and I'm the only one that can mess it up at this point.

A lot of stuff you can say is up to luck

or it's up to God or it's up to whatever

but really right now I think most of it's up to me at least in terms of just taking action. And what?

It's been like 200 days of 2026.

I've been 18 for five months.

And it's weird to like, I think about all these different measurements.

I think life is just slowly passing by.

Or not even slowly, but quickly.

And I think about a life where I never reach my full potential.

I think about a life where I never got to that point where I could just focus.

Where I could just slap myself in the face and be like, you know what?

This is it.

This is the time.

This is the moment.

And I just do it.

And I still haven't gotten there.

And I think how I've gotten this far, it's like, maybe it's just luck.

Like, I don't know.

I haven't done anything.

Yet somehow I'm still here.

and you know the work

that I need to do like I put off all my

work until like night like right now it's 12 45

and technically it's not even yesterday I mean now it's Monday even though I'm still like coming back from Sunday

and I guess it was like you know lazy Sunday

or whatever but I could have done so much more

and I'm trying to think of like a day where I was like satisfied with the work I did

and not in the sense that the work wasn't worth doing

but did I do enough

and I don't think I have had one of those days literally for the past four years

100

and I could try and convince myself

101

that yeah you know you didn't have those days

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but I don't know and maybe it's like I expect too much from myself

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or the way I'm thinking I should act is just it's just unrealistic or Or it's just kind of not necessary.

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Or it's based off of this sort of wrong frame of mind of how a person should live or conduct themselves.

105

But still, I just can't get it out of my head.

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That I should be someone who is, I'm not saying productive all the time.

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but someone who is always being very careful with how they are living their life

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and not living passively and not being unsatisfied with what they're currently doing and

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that is the main thing you know you don't always have

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to be working you don't always have to be productive but for me

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what I know I should be doing is not living in a moment where I'm unsatisfied with what I'm doing

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when I have the option to do something where I would be happy doing it

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or proud of it you know like for scrolling you know like you scroll Instagram

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and you're just like in this loop and obviously you do it

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because it's fun right it's not like scrolling is unenjoyable Of course it's enjoyable.

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But it's not the thing that is actually fulfilling.

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So there's so many other more fulfilling things, things that last, that I should be doing, but I'm not.

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And those things would be productive.

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But it's not for the sake of productivity, but it's for the sake of doing something that's purposeful.

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And that's the main point I'm getting at.

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I'm not fully living every day with some type of purpose.

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And I'm not saying in terms of life purpose.

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I don't know what my life purpose is, but just this purpose to achieve, this purpose to gain knowledge, this purpose to have perspective,

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or to just, I guess, cultivate who you are and your mind and things like that.

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And I haven't been doing enough of that.

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I haven't been doing I've been I haven't hardly been doing any of it

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or at least that's what it feels like and you know maybe externally

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or maybe if you look objectively there has been a lot of it

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but internally it doesn't feel like it

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and that's like the only thing I can measure against really

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and I don't know like will I ever get there will I ever get to a point where

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I am that person and I can do that

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and for some reason I have this problem where I feel like I have to just like instantly become

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that person right away and you know there is this gradual build-up

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and I've had it

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but I feel like I don't need to have this gradual build-up of like

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that person who is productive like why can't I just do it why can't I somehow force myself to be

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that person and I guess that's just not how it works like what what

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if you know people talk about all these different methods like okay this is how you lock in

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or something about like I've seen people talk about like a monk mode

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or something whatever that is but it's all these different methods

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and ultimately it has to become your your lifestyle it has to become who you are and I guess that you know, that takes time.

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It's not instant.

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And I wish it was.

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And maybe it's that obsession with wanting it to be instant, right?

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That it's, that it never happens.

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It's kind of like, like get rich quick, you know, like everyone wants to get rich quick,

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but actually all the things it requires to actually hold on to wealth or acquire wealth or whatever it is,

149

it takes, it takes more than just the external of what takes your character, right?

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And maybe that's also what it is with so-called locking in.

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It's not just like an instant thing, but you have to take all of whatever who you were and completely switch it and flip it.

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And maybe it is possible.

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It can happen, but quite rarely is overnight.

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And if you are so obsessed with that get rich quick thing or that lock-in-quick sort of idea,

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then when you don't lock in, somehow you're surprised.

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Or somehow you're just, not even surprised, somehow you're just like accepted it and you're disappointed

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and then you just try again even though it's the same thing and it never works.

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so like it's this perspective of first realizing

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that whatever it is there's no there's no wasted days it's just it's just life

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and if you can't let go if you can't let go it's like that weight

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or that so-called debt will always be hanging behind you.

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And even as I'm saying this, like, I don't know if I am accepting it.

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I don't even know if I'm accepting that I just need to let it go.

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And I don't know what's going to happen, like, in terms of locking in.

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And maybe it's, like, the wrong frame of things.

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Maybe you should be unlocked.

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you should unlock yourself and just become like this I don't know just absorb and learn and not

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not hold on because like the idea of like locking in it feels like you're somehow restricting yourself

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but really like especially like with limitless you know like I

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guess my series like trying to become limitless it's this ideal

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of not limiting yourself not being stuck in one frame of or one ideal of how things are supposed to be,

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but instead, you know, everything that you're doing is boundless, and you're supposed to be just,

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like, in this frame of mind where nothing feels restrictive.

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Nothing feels like discipline, and it feels like pleasure, you know?

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Like, there's this ideal around discipline that, like, you have to discipline yourself but being disciplined and all that it's like it's not fun

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it's not fun to be disciplined

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and being disciplined in some way is like taking dislike to doing things

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that are good for you

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when in reality you don't have to be disciplined you should be enjoying everything

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that is good for you and like like exercise you know people say You need discipline to exercise.

181

And maybe that is true, right?

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But you shouldn't, for your whole life, have to discipline yourself to exercise.

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You should enjoy exercising.

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You should enjoy doing something that is healthy for you.

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It has to become part of your identity or part of who you are, your lifestyle.

186

Because, you know, that's sort of why, like, you know, you see people go on, like, weight loss journeys.

187

And in many cases, they just gain it all back.

188

Because for however many months or whatever, they were disciplined, right?

189

They could get into that mode.

190

but it's like if it doesn't embed inside of you if

191

that doesn't become your lifestyle or who you are or something

192

that you just can't let go of then eventually it's going to leave you

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and ultimately you must change the internal that's where it all starts internally

194

and if you can't change your outlook on certain things internally,

195

where you can't change who you are internally versus externally, then it's all going to just kind of fade away.

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You know, whatever that progress was, whatever those dreams or ideals or everything, it'll leave you.

197

And you'll go back into your old ways.

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So, it all starts with it.

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And I don't know, I guess I know that, but it's hard to want to accept it.

200

Because, you know, obviously you want something quick that's quick.

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You want something that seems instant, even though, weirdly enough, like from my perspective, it seems easier for it to be instant,

202

but really that's like the hardest way to do it.

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It's almost impossible.

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And for something to truly last, it takes time.

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and it takes learning and if you ever want to get to

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that place you have to first change who you are

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and that's like the hardest part that is the part

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that no one really wants to do no one really wants

209

to change who they are they just want to change what they have

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or change everything that's external or everything that is in relation to other people or how other people view them.

211

But until you can confidently look at who you are and think that you are at least somewhat like,

212

you can say good things about yourself,

213

then that is when the change will remain change and it won't just be a season of change.

214

but it will be a lifetime.

215

I guess that's what I need to do.

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It's less about the days, the hours, the time, and looking at it in terms of these sort of numbers that don't really even exist, you know?

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I mean, time is just a measure for change.

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That's all it is.

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But instead, thinking more long-term and realize,

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okay, you start changing now and you commit to it.

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And you don't just want something short term, but you want to ultimately be better for your whole life.

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And that's hard to commit to, but it's like having that in the back of your mind, realizing that like being more purposeful with your choices,

223

then I think at least

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that is what will give you a better shot you know obviously there's no guarantees

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but it'll give you a better chance

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at ultimately achieving or becoming the person that achieves what you what you desire but of course

227

all within the will of god

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Will I ever lock in?”. This video has 227 sentences and 2866 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:16. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
scroll noun	/skɹoʊl/	A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
internally adverb	/ɪnˈtɜːnəli/	In an internal manner; within or inside of external limits; in an inner part or situation.
satisfy verb	/ˈsætɪsfaɪ/	To be enough (for)
genuinely adverb	/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/	In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly.
externally adverb		on the surface or the outside
limitless adjective		Without limits in extent, size, or quantity.
purposeful adjective	/ˈpɝ.pəs.fəl/	Having purpose: having intention or meaning; intentional.
unsatisfied adjective		Not satisfied, especially with the quantity of something; dissatisfied; uncontented.
gradual adjective	/ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuəl/	Proceeding or advancing by small, slow, regular steps or degrees
fulfill verb	/fʊlˈfɪl/	To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.).
unlock verb	/ʌnˈlɑk/	To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.
accumulate verb	/əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/	To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together (either literally or figuratively), often gradually and without active intent.
bottleneck noun		The narrow portion that forms the pouring spout of a bottle; the neck of a bottle.
boundless adjective	/ˈbaʊndləs/	Without bounds, unbounded.
comfortability noun	/ˌkʌmfɚtəˈbɪlɪti/	Synonym of comfort (“contentment, ease”).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
build up verb	To erect; to construct.
come back from verb	To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc.
count up verb	To count (things or people) so as to add up and get a sum total.
get past verb	To continue around a blockage; to get around (something); to surpass something that is in the way.
hang behind verb	To linger or remain in a place after an event has completed and others have mostly departed.
put off verb	To postpone, especially through procrastination.
sit back verb	To recline while still in a seated position, with one's back on the frame of the seat.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Will I ever lock in?
I'm actually in an extremely rare position.
Yet somehow I'm still here.
I guess that's what I need to do.

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	haven't been doing
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've talked · I've made · haven't done
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	have not been locked · being unsatisfied · should be unlocked
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	someone who is · person who is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 109 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, haven't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: obsession /əbˈsɛʃən/, measurement /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: internally /ɪnˈtɜːnəli/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, accumulate /əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/, comfortability /ˌkʌmfɚtəˈbɪlɪti/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like scroll, internally, satisfy.

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: Will I ever lock in? - Learn English Speaking with Video

I’ve always been too afraid to tell people how I truly feel

I can’t help but want to be everything at once

I don't know what to say, I'm just tired

I can't get over the fact that I've wasted my teenage years

There is beauty and chaos in solitude

I sometimes wish I didn't think so much

At the end of the day it's up to you

I wish I had a best friend for just one day

I hate being performative

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?