Shadowing Practice: Zlatan called American fans soft - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Zlatan called American fans soft”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: tacos, soft, outside. This video has 19 sentences and 147 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:40. The speaker talks fast, about 223 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 3 of its 19 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| taco noun | /ˈtɑkoʊ/ | A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa. |
| knife noun | /ˈnaɪ̯f/ | A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge… |
| pitch noun | /pɪt͡ʃ/ | A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand. |
| versus | /ˈvɝsəs/ | Against; in opposition to. |
| celebration noun | /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal performance of a solemn rite, such as Christian sacrament. |
| hectic adjective | /ˈhɛktɪk/ | Very busy with activity and confusion. |
| soft adjective | /sɔft/ | Easily giving way under pressure. |
| laugh verb | /læf/ | To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and… |
| flag noun | /flæɡ/ | A piece of cloth, often decorated with an emblem, used as a visual signal or symbol. |
| celebrate verb | /ˈsɛl.ɪ.bɹeɪt/ | To extol or honour in a solemn manner. |
| score noun | /skoɹ/ | The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game. |
| throw verb | /θɹoʊ/ | To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air. |
| corner noun | /ˈkɔɹnɚ/ | The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was heading · were scoring |
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 taco, knife, pitch.
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.