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Hi everyone. Welcome back to Podcast and Chill. I'm Gwen. And I'm Leo.

How are you today, Leo?

I'm good, but there is this one question that keeps bothering me.

What's that?

Do you ever practice speaking English but still feel like your mouth doesn't move naturally?

Of course, it happens to a lot of learners, especially the beginners. They can listen and understand English well, but it's hard for them to speak it.

Our dear friends, if you're also facing this problem, this episode is for you. Today we will talk about a 10-minute shadowing practice.

By doing this exercise daily, you will speak English more fluently and confidently, just like a native speaker.

Even better, this 10-minute practice is actually easy and fun.

Are you ready for it? Let's go.

This speaking problem is quite common. I think almost every English learner has to deal with this.

You're right. And it's so annoying. Think about it. You can hear the words and understand them. But when it's your turn to speak to them, you just can't.

Somehow you don't sound like native speakers.

And it doesn't feel right. It's like your brain knows what to do, but your mouth just won't want to help.

You know the words, you understand the grammar, but speaking feels hard.

That's such a perfect way to put it. And the worst part, you start comparing yourself to native speakers all the time.

You hear them speak so easily, so naturally, and then you listen to yourself and think, "Gh, why do I sound so weird?"

I get it. When we can't speak like native speakers, we usually feel like we're not good enough.

We lose confidence slowly, and that loss is the beginning of the end.

It's true. Confidence is what keeps our learning journey going. But it's hard to stay confident when you keep trying but see no improvement.

You practice for weeks, maybe months and years, and you still feel stuck in the same place.

And here's what makes it worse. We slowly stop trying to speak with people

right? You might think, "Oh, I'll practice more first. I'll get better. Then I'll talk to people." But that day never comes because you're too scared to make mistakes.

Yes. It becomes this big problem. The less you speak, the more scared you get.

The more scared you get, the less you want to speak. Do you see the cycle? It's like being afraid of water but trying to learn swimming without going in the water. However, very few learners realize this one thing. They often make some mistakes that stop them from getting better.

Right.Like we all know that practice makes perfect. We should speak more to speak better.

But some people don't like to wait when they practice. They want results right away.

Friends, remember this. You can't expect to sound like a native speaker just by practicing for a week.

And what happens when people don't see quick results? They tend to lose focus fast and give up quickly. It's like going to the gym once and wanting to look like the rock the next day.

Some do practice, but they choose the wrong materials to practice with.

That's true. They often try to copy native speakers who speak too fast for their level.

I know, right? It's like a beginner driver trying to drive like a race car driver on their first day. Of course, it's going to be hard.

Suddenly, all English learners think of English as rocket science. That's why those learners give up fast after listening to native speakers.

However, all these mistakes have the same cause. It's the way you learn the language. You only listen. You don't talk back.

That's so right. People often just wait for the language to come to them instead of the other way around.

They listen, they read, they watch movies, but they don't really join in. They're like passengers in a car instead of the driver.

The solution is quite simple, though. It's to take in the language actively. By doing this, you are the one in control. When you're in control, you can decide if you get better or get worse.And what's the best way to actively take in English or any other language? It's shadowing.

Shadowing, friends, what does this word remind you of? The dark shape that appears when you stand under the sun or light. You