Shadowing Practice: Real British English conversation: renting a flat in the UK - Learn English Speaking with Video
Ders oluşturuluyor...
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Today you're going to listen to a real-life English conversation that takes place in a British estate agent.
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That's the place where people buy and rent property, houses and flats.
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As usual, a free guide has been sent to you by email but if you haven't already given us your address,
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just click the link in the description to receive it.
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Now just listen to the conversation.
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Don't worry if you don't understand everything
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because after I'll go through what was said and include some pronunciation tips
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so that you'll sound like you were born in England.
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Stay for the end of the video and you can improve your speaking skills by taking part in the conversation yourself.
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Hi, I'm Steve.
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Let's do this.
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Hi, how can I help you today?
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Hi, I'm looking for a flat to rent in the city centre.
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Great, how many bedrooms are you looking for?
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I only need one, but two would be a bonus.
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Having said that, I definitely don't want a studio flat.
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Got it.
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Do you have a preference for something modern?
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Or would you be interested in something with a little more character, like a conversion?
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I'm easy either way, really.
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But I think I'd prefer something with a bit more character, if possible.
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Well, there's a one-bedroom flat available at the moment.
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It's recently been converted from an old bank.
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It still has some lovely original features.
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How does that sound?
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Marvellous!
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What's the rent for that one?
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It's £1,150 per month.
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That covers water and a small maintenance fee,
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which goes towards keeping the communal areas nice and clean and the general upkeep of the building.
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Right, that makes it at the top of my budget.
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What about council tax?
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Yes, you'd need to pay that separately.
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But it's in band B, which is fairly reasonable.
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I can get you an estimate based on the current rates.
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That would be helpful, thanks.
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And what type of heating does it have?
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It's got gas central heating, so it's really efficient and it keeps the place nice and warm in the winter.
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Good to know.
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And what's the area like?
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Is it quiet at night?
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It's a very peaceful area, especially for being so central.
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There's a bit of activity during the day, but it quietens down in the evening.
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You won't have any yobs making a racket outside of your windows if that's That's what you're frightened of.
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Sounds ideal.
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What about public transport?
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I don't have a car, so that's something I'd need to consider.
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There's a train station about a five minute walk away.
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And also, it's really handy for buses.
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That sounds like just the ticket.
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I can manage with that.
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And is there a bond to pay up front?
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Yes, you need to pay a deposit which is one month's rent plus you need to pay a month's rent in advance.
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You get it back at the end of the tenancy provided everything's in order.
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That's all good.
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How long is the lease?
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It's a two-year lease renegotiable after 12 months so you'd have some flexibility if you needed it.
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That sounds ideal.
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When would it be available to move in?
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It's available straight away.
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The previous renter moved out last week so it's ready when you are.
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Brilliant.
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Can I arrange a viewing?
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Absolutely.
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How does tomorrow afternoon sound?
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Tomorrow works for me.
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What time?
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How about two o'clock?
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I'll meet you outside the building.
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Perfect.
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Thanks for your help today.
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No problem at all.
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I'll see you tomorrow at two.
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Oh, and if you're really interested, I'd not hang around.
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Flats like this get snapped up in no time.
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Now let's go through some of the words and phrases
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that were used in that conversation that you might not have heard before.
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This whole conversation is based on someone wanting to rent a flat which is one of these.
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Now you may have heard these being called apartments
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which is more American English although it's fine to use the word apartment here in the UK as well.
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The customer stated that they didn't want a studio flat, which is one of these.
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You can see that the living room, bedroom and kitchen are all just in one room, only the bathroom is separate.
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You heard the customer say that they needed one bedroom.
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I only need one, but two would be a bonus.
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an extra would be a bonus.
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And that meant that having an extra bedroom would be an advantage to them, a bonus.
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The estate agents offered a conversion and he meant a flat
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that had originally been made out of a building that was built for a different purpose.
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In this case, it used to be an bank.
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To say this correctly, notice that the stress, that's the clearest part of the word conversion, is at the end.
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Conversion.
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That means we should change the vowel sound in the first part, the O, to a schwa sound.
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That's that little uh sound.
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So it's conversion, not not conversion.
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You try.
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Conversion.
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He said that this conversion had lovely original features.
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And this is a phrase that is often used by estate agents to mean
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that when it had been changed or converted into a flat, attractive things such as the original windows,
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fireplaces, that type of thing, had been kept to add to the character of the new flat.
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You heard that because of the central heating, the flat was nice and warm in the winter, which is what's known as a collocation.
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In other words, these are words that are regularly used together, like big and brave, or strong coffee, nice and warm.
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We heard you won't have any yobs making a racket outside of your windows, if that's what you're frightened of.
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Yobs is used to describe young people who are behaving badly.
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And the idiom making a racket means to make a lot of noise.
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When asked if they could meet tomorrow, the customer said, Tomorrow works for me.
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Works for me.
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Which is another way of saying that it's fine.
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Because this is stating a fact and not asking a question, notice that the pitch goes down at the end.
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It's not, works for me.
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This is a fact, works for me, works for me.
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You try, works for me.
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The customer was advised to not hang around, which means not to delay,
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but to act quickly, because the flat might get snapped up in no time,
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which is another way of saying taken by someone else.
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All of the vocabulary used as well as a quiz can
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be found in the free guide you can download in the description below.
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But now it's your turn to really build your confidence in English speaking by taking part in that conversation yourself.
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Your words will appear on screen as you need them for the best results.
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Speak out loud.
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Hi, how can I help you today?
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Great, how many bedrooms are you looking for?
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Got it.
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Do you have a preference for something modern?
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Or would you be interested in something with a little more character?
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Like a conversion?
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Well there's a one bedroom flat available at the moment.
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It's recently been converted from an old bank.
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It still has some lovely original features.
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How does that sound?
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It's £1,150 per month that covers water and a small maintenance fee
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which goes towards keeping the communal areas nice and clean and the general upkeep of the building.
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Yes, you'd need to pay that separately.
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But it's in band B, which is fairly reasonable.
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I can get you an estimate based on the current rates.
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It's got gas central heating so it's really efficient and it keeps the place nice and warm in the winter.
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It's a very peaceful area especially for being so central.
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There's a bit of activity during the day, but it quietens down in the evening.
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You won't have any yobs making a racket outside of your windows if that's what you're frightened of.
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There's a train station about a 5 minute walk away and also it's really handy for buses.
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Yes, you need to pay a deposit which is one month's rent plus you need to pay a month's rent in advance.
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You get it back at the end of the tenancy provided everything is in order.
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It's a 2 year lease, renegotiable after 12 months, so you'd have some flexibility if you needed it.
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It's available straight away, the previous renter moved out last week, so it's ready when you are.
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Absolutely.
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How does tomorrow afternoon sound?
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How about two o'clock?
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I'll meet you outside the building.
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No problem at all.
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I'll see you tomorrow at two.
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Oh, and if you're really interested, I'd not hang around.
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Flats like this get snapped up in no time.
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Now, don't hang around, but click here to improve your English.
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I'll see you next time.
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What You'll Learn from This Real British English Conversation
This video is a goldmine for IELTS speaking practice and everyday communication. You’ll master phrases for renting a flat in the UK, like "two would be a bonus" and "that covers water and a small maintenance fee," which sound natural in real-life settings. You’ll also learn to discuss practical details—budget, council tax, heating—with confidence. Plus, it’s perfect for learn english with youtube since the dialogue mirrors how native speakers actually talk, not just textbook examples.
Listen For These Sounds: Connected Speech & Reductions
Notice how "I’m looking for" becomes "I’m lookin’ for" (dropping the "g" in "looking") and "what about" sounds like "waddabout" (linking "what" and "about"). The phrase "it’s got gas central heating" often reduces to "it’s got gassentral heating" in fast speech. These shadowspeak techniques—connected sounds and reductions—are key to understanding native speakers. Practice listening for them to train your ear for real-world English.
Say It Like a Native: Rhythm & Stress
To mirror the speaker’s flow, stress key words like "marvellous," "efficient," and "ideal" to show enthusiasm. Notice how questions like "How does that sound?" rise in intonation at the end, while statements like "That makes it at the top of my budget" fall. Use a shadowing site to repeat the dialogue aloud, matching the speed and stress. This shadow speech practice will help you sound more natural, whether you’re preparing for IELTS or just chatting with locals. Don’t skip the chance to role-play—pausing the video to respond builds fluency fast.
Gölgeleme Tekniği Nedir?
Gölgeleme, başlangıçta profesyonel tercüman eğitimi için geliştirilen ve çok dilli Dr. Alexander Arguelles tarafından popüler hale getirilen, bilim destekli bir dil öğrenme tekniğidir. Yöntem basit ama güçlüdür: ana dili İngilizce olan bir sesi dinler ve hemen yüksek sesle tekrar edersiniz — konuşmacıyı 1-2 saniye gecikmeyle takip eden bir gölge gibi. Pasif dinleme veya dilbilgisi alıştırmalarının aksine, gölgeleme beyninizi ve ağız kaslarınızı gerçek konuşma kalıplarını eşzamanlı olarak işlemeye ve yeniden üretmeye zorlar. Araştırmalar, telaffuz doğruluğu, tonlama, ritim, bağlı konuşma, dinleme anlama ve konuşma akıcılığını önemli ölçüde geliştirdiğini göstermektedir — bu da onu IELTS Konuşma hazırlığı ve gerçek dünya İngilizce iletişimi için en etkili yöntemlerden biri yapar.