Shadowing Step by Step

What This Video Is About

This video is a practical deep-dive into shadowing—speaking along with native audio in real time—to accelerate listening, pronunciation, and automatic recall. The presenter demonstrates a step-by-step routine using an Assimil course (L1 = language you know, L2 = target language). You’ll see how to move from blind shadowing (no text) to reading, speaking, thinking, and finally writing in L2, all organized into manageable daily 30-minute chunks and smart review cycles.

What You’ll Learn

• Shadowing, defined & demystified: What it is and why syncing your speech to native audio builds natural rhythm and pronunciation fast.
• A 7-step progression you can follow today:
  1. Blind shadowing (audio only)
  2. Shadow with L2 audio + L1 text
  3. Shift attention toward L2 text (use L1 as support)
  4. Shadow mainly from L2 text (peek at L1 when needed)
  5. “Walking shadow” focused entirely on L2 + brief “think in L2” warm-up
  6. Read the L2 text aloud fluently (no hesitations)
  7. Write the L2 text by hand
• How to structure a 30-minute daily session:
  • Cycle through multiple recent lessons at different depths:
    • New lesson (e.g., Lesson 38): blind shadow only.
    • Recent lessons (e.g., 35–37): listen/speak L2, read L1.
    • Mid-recent (e.g., 32–34): work both pages, focus more on L1 for meaning.
    • Older (e.g., 30–31): both pages, focus more on L2.
    • Even older (e.g., 28–29): all in L2.
• How to review if you have extra time:
  • Do comparative L1/L2 analysis on an older lesson; read another aloud for fluency; hand-write another.
• Long-term consolidation plan:
  • After finishing the book: type out the whole L2 text, compare/correct, print double-spaced, create your own interlinear notes only for uncertain words, and reread. Play the audio in the background during this phase.
• Mindset & extras:
  • Short “think-in-L2” priming (30–60 sec) before sessions, light grammar as needed, and a “shadowing march” to keep tempo and focus.

“How many repetitions per step?” (Practical guidance)

The video implies quality over fixed counts. Use these guardrails:

• Blind shadowing: 3–5 passes, or until you can keep up ~80% without breaking.
• Each anchored reading step (L1/L2 shifts): 1–2 focused passes per lesson per day.
• Fluent read-aloud: continue until you can read the whole dialogue once without hesitations.
• Hand-write: once per lesson during review cycles (you don’t need to rewrite daily).
• Overall: expect ~30 minutes/day for the cycle shown; add review blocks when you have time.

The Payoff

By following this routine you will:

• Build native-like prosody and clearer pronunciation.
• Sharpen phoneme perception and listening speed.
• Internalize patterns (grammar, collocations) without heavy translation.
• Grow confidence moving from listening → speaking → reading → writing in a tight loop.