Shadowing Practice: Your First Day at Work in English | Easy workplace Conversation & Phrases for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Yes.

Welcome back, everyone.

We are so happy you are here with us today.

This is the podcast where we talk like real people, share real stories, and help you feel comfortable and confident in English.

Now, imagine this.

It's your first day at a new job.

You walk into the office and suddenly someone says, Hi, you must be the new person.

And your mind goes completely blank.

You know that feeling?

You know what's funny?

You may understand every word they say, but you still don't know what to say back.

Exactly.

And that's what we're going to fix today.

In this episode, you're going to follow a realistic first day at work from the moment you arrive at the office.

You'll learn how to introduce yourself, greet your new co -workers, ask where to go, talk to your manager, and use simple workplace phrases naturally.

And we're not going to study a long list of difficult business words.

No, we're going to learn the English you can actually use when you walk into your new workplace.

So if you've ever worried, what should I say on my first day at work, stay with us.

Because by the end of this episode, you'll have a simple set of sentences you can use with confidence.

And remember, if you enjoy learning English through real conversations like this, you can subscribe to English Conversation Hub and join us for more practical English every week.

Okay, Jake, let's imagine it's Monday morning.

Oh, Monday morning.

Your first day at a new company.

I can already feel the nervousness.

You walk into the office a few minutes early, you take a deep breath, walk through the door, and someone smiles at you.

The first thing they might say is, hi, are you new here?

And a very simple answer is, yes I am, today is my first day.

Nice and easy.

Let's practice that.

Listen first, yes I am, today is my first day.

Now repeat, yes I am, today is my first day.

One more time, a little more naturally.

Yes I am, today is my first day.

Great, now imagine the person says, welcome, what's your name?

You can simply say, I'm Daniel, nice to meet you.

Or, my name is Daniel, it's nice to meet you.

Both are natural, and here's a useful phrase, nice to meet you.

It's one of those simple phrases you can use again and again at work.

Now you try.

I'm Daniel.

Nice to meet you.

Good.

And don't worry if it doesn't sound perfect.

Exactly.

Many English learners feel nervous in situations like this.

That's completely normal.

Your goal isn't to sound perfect.

Your goal is to communicate.

Now the coworker smiles and says, Nice to meet you, Daniel.

Let me show you around.

Ah, show you around.

Very useful workplace English.

It means someone will take you around the place and help you see where everything is.

For example, let me show you around the office.

Or, can you show me around?

That's a great sentence if you are new.

Let's shadow it together.

Can you show me around?

Again.

Can you show me around?

Perfect.

But now, something happens.

Oh?

Your co -worker walks away and says, come with me, I'll introduce you to the team.

And suddenly you realize?

You're about to meet five or six new people.

Oh no, more names!

Haha!

And that's where our next Workplace Challenge begins.

Because knowing how to introduce yourself is one thing, but knowing what to say when you meet your new team is another.

So in the next part, let's walk into that meeting room and learn exactly how to introduce yourself without feeling awkward.

Okay, you're standing outside the meeting room now.

Your co -worker opens the door and says, Everyone, this is Daniel.

He's joining our team today.

And now, all eyes are on you.

Hmm, this is the moment when many learners think, what do I say?

Don't worry, you only need a few simple sentences.

You can smile and say, hi everyone, I'm Daniel, it's nice to meet you.

That's enough, you don't need a long speech.

Exactly, and if you want to add one more sentence, you can say, I'm excited to be part of the team.

That sounds friendly and professional.

Let's practice it slowly.

Hi everyone, I'm Daniel, it's nice to meet you.

Your turn.

I'm excited to be part of the team.

One more time.

I'm excited to be part of the team.

Great!

Notice that phrase, part of the team.

It's very useful at work.

Now imagine one co -worker says, Hi Daniel, where did you work before?

Hmm, good question.

You can answer very simply, I worked at a small marketing company.

Or, I worked in customer service.

And if you don't have much experience, you can say, I'm new to this field, but I'm excited to learn.

100

That's a beautiful sentence for a first day.

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Yes, it shows that you're positive and ready to learn.

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Now let's make it a real conversation.

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Okay.

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Hi, Daniel.

105

Where did you work before?

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I worked at a small software company.

107

Oh, nice.

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What did you do there?

109

I worked with customers and helped them solve problems.

110

That sounds interesting.

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Thanks.

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I'm really happy to be here.

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See?

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Simple English.

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Natural English.

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And you don't have to answer every question with a long sentence.

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Right!

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Short answers are completely okay.

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Now here's another situation.

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Your manager walks over and says, Hi Daniel, how was your morning?

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What would you say?

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Pause for a second and think.

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You could say, It was good, thanks.

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I'm a little nervous, but I'm excited.

125

Very natural.

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Or simply, It was good, thanks.

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I'm happy to be here.

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Let's shadow that one.

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It was good, thanks.

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I'm happy to be here.

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Your turn.

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It was good.

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Thanks.

134

I'm happy to be here.

135

Nice.

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Now your manager says, don't worry, we'll help you get settled.

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Get settled is another useful phrase.

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It means becoming comfortable in a new place or situation.

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For example, I'm still getting settled in my new office.

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Or it took me a few days to get settled.

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Now your manager points to a desk and says, this will be your workspace.

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And you want to ask an important question.

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Maybe, where should I put my things?

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Exactly!

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Your manager might say, You can put your bag over there.

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Then you can say, Thanks!

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Simple but useful.

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Now let's try a little challenge.

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Imagine your manager says, If you need anything, just let me know.

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What can you say?

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You can say, Sure, thank you, I will.

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Or, Thanks, I'll let you know.

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That second one is very natural.

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Repeat after me, I'll let you know.

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Again?

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I'll let you know.

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Great!

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Now you're sitting at your desk.

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You've met the team, you've put your bag down.

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Finally, you can relax.

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Well, not quite.

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Ha!

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What happened?

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Your manager sends you a message and says, Can you come to my office for a minute?

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Oh, the first day meeting.

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And now you need to know how to ask questions, understand your tasks, and respond when you don't understand something.

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That's where first day English gets really useful.

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So take a breath.

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Because in the next part, we're going into that office.

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Okay, Daniel walks into his manager's office.

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And remember, it's completely normal to feel nervous in this situation.

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Your manager smiles and says, Come in, have a seat.

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A very simple response is, Thank you.

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Then your manager says, I'd like to talk to you about your first few days.

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Now you don't need to understand every single word immediately.

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Just listen for the important information.

177

Your manager might say, Today, I'd like you to look through these documents and learn how our team works.

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And maybe you're not completely sure what to do first.

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So, what can you say?

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You can ask, what should I do first?

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Excellent.

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That is one of the most useful questions on your first day.

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Repeat after us.

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What should I do first?

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Again.

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What should I do first?

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Perfect.

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You can also ask, could you explain that again, please?

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Very useful when you don't understand something.

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And please don't feel embarrassed about asking.

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Exactly.

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Asking a question is much better than quietly guessing and making a mistake later.

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Let's imagine the manager gives you three tasks.

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Okay.

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First, check your email.

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Then, read this document.

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After that, join the team meeting at 11.

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Hmm.

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That's a lot of information.

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What if you forget the order?

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You can say, sorry, could you repeat the steps?

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Nice.

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Or, let me make sure I understand.

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Oh, I love that phrase.

205

Let me make sure I understand.

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It means you want to check that you understood the information correctly.

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Let's practice.

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Let me make sure I understand.

209

Your turn.

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Let me make sure I understand.

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Great.

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Now the manager says, first, check your email, then read the document.

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The meeting starts at 11.

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You can respond, okay, so first I'll check my email, file, then I'll read the document, and then I'll join the meeting.

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That's a great way to confirm instructions.

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Now let's make it more realistic.

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Your manager says, do you have any questions?

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Maybe you have one.

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You can say, yes, where can I find the project files?

220

Excellent workplace question.

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Your manager says, they're on the shared drive.

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And you don't know what the shared drive is.

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Don't panic, just ask, could you show me where it is?

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Perfect.

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Let's shadow it.

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Could you show me where it is?

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Again.

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Could you show me where it is?

229

Very natural.

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And here's another important phrase.

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I'm not sure.

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For example, I'm not sure how to open this file.

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Or, I'm not sure where to find that.

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These are safe, polite ways to tell someone you need help.

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Now imagine you're back at your desk.

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You open your computer and look at your email.

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You see a message from a co -worker.

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Hi, Daniel.

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Let me know if you need any help.

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That's friendly.

241

You can reply, thanks, I really appreciate it.

242

Ah, I really appreciate it.

243

Another useful workplace phrase.

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It simply means, thank you.

245

Your help means a lot.

246

Repeat, I really appreciate it.

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One more time.

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I really appreciate it.

249

Excellent.

250

Now, Daniel has another small problem.

251

What is it?

252

He doesn't know where the kitchen is.

253

Ha -ha!

254

Important information.

255

Very important.

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So he walks over to a co -worker and asks, excuse me, where's the kitchen?

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The co -worker says, it's down the hall, on the left.

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And Daniel says, thanks, I appreciate it.

259

See?

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You are now using English for real situations.

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But there's one more challenge before lunch.

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Your first team meeting.

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And this time, you're not just listening.

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You may have to speak.

265

You might need to give your opinion, answer a question, or simply say something when it's your turn.

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So, take a breath, because the team meeting is coming up next.

267

Okay, Daniel has been at the office for a few hours now.

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He has met his co -workers, spoken to his manager, and learned where everything is.

269

And now it's 11 o 'clock.

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Time for the team meeting.

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Hmm, this is where many people become nervous.

272

Especially on their first day.

273

You walk into the meeting room, sit down, and your manager says, Daniel, would you like to introduce yourself?

274

Oh, there it is.

275

The question we were waiting for.

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But Daniel is ready.

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He smiles and says, sure.

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Hi, everyone.

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My name is Daniel.

280

Today is my first day here.

281

I'm really happy to join the team and I'm looking forward to working with you.

282

That sounds confident, but the sentences are still simple.

283

Exactly.

284

You don't need big words to sound professional.

285

Let's practice one important sentence.

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I'm looking forward to working with you.

287

Your turn.

288

I'm looking forward to working with you.

289

Again, a little more naturally.

290

I'm looking forward to working with you.

291

Great!

292

Now, imagine the meeting continues.

293

Your manager explains a project, but you don't understand one part.

294

What should you do?

295

Ask.

296

Exactly.

297

You can say, sorry, could you explain that again?

298

Or, could you give me an example?

299

That's a fantastic workplace phrase.

300

Let's say the manager explains something complicated.

301

You can say, could you give me an example?

302

Repeat.

303

Could you give me an example?

304

One more time.

305

Could you give me an example?

306

Perfect.

307

Now someone asks you, what do you think about this idea?

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Maybe you have an opinion, but you're nervous.

309

You can start with, I think it's a good idea.

310

Or, I think that could work.

311

Very simple.

312

And if you're not sure, you can say, I'm not sure yet, but I'd like to learn more.

313

That sounds calm and professional.

314

Now, let's do a quick role play.

315

I'll be your co -worker.

316

And I'll be Daniel.

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Daniel, what do you think about this idea?

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Hmm, I think it's a good idea.

319

I'd like to learn more about it.

320

Nice answer.

321

Now you try.

322

What do you think about this idea?

323

Pause and answer in your own words.

324

Maybe you said, I think it's a good idea.

325

Great job.

326

The meeting finishes and everyone starts leaving.

327

Your co -worker comes over and says, how are you finding your first day?

328

Interesting question.

329

How are you finding means what do you think about your experience so far?

330

So you can say, it's going well, thanks.

331

Or, I'm enjoying it so far.

332

Very natural.

333

Let's shadow that.

334

It's going well, thanks.

335

Your turn.

336

It's going well, thanks.

337

And one more.

338

I'm enjoying it so far.

339

Excellent.

340

Now it's lunchtime.

341

And Daniel is sitting with two co -workers in the kitchen.

342

They start making small talk.

343

One co -worker asks, where do you live?

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You can answer, I live nearby.

345

Then they ask, do you usually bring lunch from home?

346

You might say, sometimes, today I bought lunch.

347

See how easy workplace small talk can be?

348

Yes, you don't need to have a perfect conversation.

349

Just answer, ask a simple question back, and keep the conversation moving.

350

For example, how about you?

351

Such a small phrase, but very useful.

352

Someone says, I usually bring lunch from home.

353

You can say, oh, nice.

354

How about you?

355

Actually, if they just answered your question, you could ask, what do you usually bring?

356

Exactly.

357

Simple questions create natural conversations.

358

Now let's pause for a quick challenge.

359

Imagine your coworker says, I usually bring lunch from home.

360

What about you?

361

Answer in one sentence.

362

Go ahead.

363

Say it out loud.

364

Maybe you said, I usually buy lunch.

365

Perfect.

366

After lunch, Daniel returns to his desk.

367

He checks his email, finishes his first small task, and realizes something.

368

What?

369

His first day isn't as scary as he imagined.

370

That's an important feeling.

371

You don't become confident because everything goes perfectly.

372

You become confident because you handle one small situation after another.

373

You say hello.

374

You ask a question.

375

You make a small mistake.

376

You ask for help.

377

You try again.

378

And, slowly, English starts to feel more natural.

379

Before we finish, let's take a quick word tour and review the most useful phrases from today.

380

We'll keep it simple, and you'll repeat each one with us.

381

Ready?

382

Let's go!

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 Practice: Your First Day at Work in English | Easy workplace Conversation & Phrases for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with Video

About This Lesson

What is the Shadowing Technique?