Shadowing Practice: Your Friends Don't Like Me - Conversation - Learn English Speaking with Video

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45 sentences
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1
Hey Ed, we're over here.
2
There you are.
3
Where's Kate?
4
I don't know.
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She never eats with us.
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Really?
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Where does she have lunch then?
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Maybe she doesn't like school dinners.
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Look, there she is.
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See you in a minute, guys.
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Charming.
12
That's a healthy pat lunch.
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Yes.
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And that's.. erm.. pizza, chips, crisps, cake...
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And an apple cake.
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That's healthy.
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So, how often do you have these meetings?
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Twice a week, but look...
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Don't worry, Ed.
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Your friends don't like me, I know.
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That's not true.
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The thing is, there's a student protest, but the teachers don't know.
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So, what's the problem?
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Well, your mum is a teacher.
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I don't tell my mum secrets.
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I know that.
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Hey, come to the next meeting.
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Are you sure?
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What about Molly?
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Oh, don't worry.
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It's cool.
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Don't say it, I know.
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That isn't completely true.
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Molly doesn't want Kate at the meeting.
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She doesn't want Kate in our group.
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But I've got a plan.
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I'm good at art and Kate's good at art.
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So this is the plan.
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One, we create fantastic posters for the protest.
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Two, Molly, Tom and Jem love the posters.
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Three, Molly, Tom and Jem love Kate.
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Simple.
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Good plan, right?
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Don't worry, it's fine.
45
It's.. uh.. totally fine.

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Real-Life Dialogue: Navigating Friendships and Secrets

The video captures a relatable scenario where Ed tries to include Kate in a student protest, even though his friends are hesitant. This conversation mirrors everyday interactions—discussing lunch habits, addressing misunderstandings, and planning solutions. It’s a perfect example of how to use casual English to build connections and resolve small conflicts, making it ideal for learners looking to learn English with videos.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Memorize

  • "Where's Kate? I don't know. She never eats with us." This simple exchange teaches how to ask about someone’s location and explain their habits, a common daily interaction.
  • "Your friends don't like me, I know." A natural way to express a perceived feeling, useful for discussing relationships.
  • "Don't worry, it's cool." A casual phrase to reassure someone, perfect for calming nerves in conversations.
  • "I've got a plan. One, we create... Two, they love... Three, they love..." A structured way to outline ideas, great for organizing thoughts clearly.
  • "That's a healthy pat lunch." (Note: Likely a typo for "packed lunch") Teaches how to comment on food, a frequent topic in social settings.

Your Shadowing Challenge: Improve Pronunciation and Flow

The shadowing technique (or shadowspeak) is a powerful way to boost your speaking skills. Here’s how to practice with this dialogue: Play a 5-second clip of the video, pause, and repeat it immediately—mimicking the tone, speed, and pronunciation. Focus on phrases like "Don't worry, Ed. Your friends don't like me, I know" to master natural intonation. Do this 3 times for each clip, then try speaking along with the video without pausing. This exercise trains your mouth to move like a native and helps you internalize conversational rhythm, making it easier to improve English pronunciation and fluency. By practicing regularly, you’ll start to sound more confident in real-life chats, just like the characters in the video.

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 →