English shadowing practice for beginners

English shadowing practice for beginners: 126 clips graded A1 and A2, each with a full transcript and word by word timing. Short lines, clear speech, and speaking practice you can do on your own.

Clips in this collection

How to do shadowing English speaking practice for beginners

English shadowing is the shortest route from listening to speaking: you play one line of real English, you say it back at the same speed, and you hear the difference. As a beginner the whole method fits in four habits.

  • Shadow one line, not one clip. A line you can repeat five times is worth more speaking practice than a video you played once.
  • Read the line, then hide it and say it. Reading English and speaking English at the same time trains reading.
  • If a line runs past eight words, slow it down before you try it. Nobody shadows a sentence they cannot hold.
  • Copy the melody before the sounds. English pronunciation starts with where the voice rises and falls, not with a perfect th.
  • Two minutes a day beats forty on Sunday. Speaking is muscle work and it wants frequency.

What A1 and A2 clips give you

Every clip on this page is graded A1 or A2, the first two CEFR levels. That is not slowed-down English, it is real English in short lines, which is the thing a beginner can actually repeat.

  • Short lines. Six to ten words is a length you can hear, hold and say back without losing the end of it.
  • Everyday vocabulary, so the work goes into pronunciation and rhythm rather than into a dictionary.
  • A full transcript with word by word timing, so you always know which word you missed.
  • Move to intermediate English shadowing once you can say most lines at full speed without stopping.

Practise these clips out loud

Open any clip to shadow it line by line in the browser. The app adds the pronunciation score, the vocabulary and your streak.

Free: 15 lines a day, the full catalogue and bilingual subtitles. Pro removes the limit.

Download on the App Store

iPhone only for now. Android is not out yet.