Shadowing works best as a routine you repeat with each new recording, not something you improvise. This guide gives you a simple sequence: understand the passage, learn it slowly, then shadow it at full speed without the text. Each step builds on the one before.

Before You Start: Pick the Right Recording

Choose a recording of one to three minutes with a clear speaker, at or just above your level. You should be able to understand most of it once you have read the transcript. If you need a dictionary for every other word, it is too hard for now. Our guide to choosing shadowing videos covers this in more detail.

Step 1: Listen for Meaning

Play the whole recording once or twice without reading anything. Do not try to catch every word. Just ask: what is this about, and what is the speaker's mood? This builds the context that makes the following steps easier.

Step 2: Read and Understand the Transcript

Now read the text. Look up words you do not know and make sure you understand every sentence. In LingoLevel you can click any word to translate it and save it to one of your dictionaries, together with the sentence it came from, so you can review it later.

Step 3: Listen With the Text

Play each sentence while reading along. Notice the gap between how the text looks and how it sounds: words that disappear, words that join together, syllables that are stressed more strongly than you expected. Many learners find this step surprising. It is where you discover what connected speech really sounds like.

Step 4: Repeat Sentence by Sentence

Play one sentence, then repeat it out loud straight away. If it is too fast, slow it down: LingoLevel lets you play at 0.6×, 0.75× or 0.9× speed. Repeat each sentence until it feels comfortable, then move to the next. Use the arrow keys or the Prev and Next buttons to step through the passage.

Step 5: Shadow With the Text

Now speak along with each sentence instead of after it, staying as close behind the speaker as you can while reading the text. At first, speaking quietly ("mumble shadowing") is fine. Focus on matching the rhythm and melody, even if some words come out unclear.

Step 6: Shadow Without the Text

Hide the text (press T in the LingoLevel player) and shadow from sound alone. This is the real exercise: you must recognise the words in the audio as they come. When you get stuck, click the hidden sentence to reveal it, check, then hide it again.

Step 7: Record Yourself and Compare

Press R to record yourself saying a sentence, then M to play it back, and compare with the original. Listen for one thing at a time: stress, pauses, a particular sound. This step shows you mistakes you cannot hear while speaking. See Record and Compare for a full checklist.

Step 8: Full Speed, Full Voice

Finally, return to normal speed and shadow the whole passage out loud, confidently, without the text. When you can do this smoothly, the recording has done its job. Move on to a new one.

How Long Does Each Recording Take?

It varies with difficulty, but expect to spend several sessions on each recording. A common rhythm is steps 1 to 4 on day one, steps 5 and 6 over the next few days, and steps 7 and 8 at the end of the week. The daily shadowing routine article turns this into a weekly plan.

Quick Tips

  • Speak out loud. Silent shadowing in your head trains listening but not your mouth.
  • Copy the melody first. If a sentence is hard, hum its rhythm before adding the words.
  • Stay relaxed. Tension makes speech choppy. Shadowing should feel like singing along, not reciting.
  • Accept imperfection. You will drop words at first. Keep going and catch up at the next pause.

Ready to try it? Start with a short video in the language you are learning, and avoid the most common shadowing mistakes.