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Biibo English

Shadowing

Listen. Repeat. Speak with confidence.

  • Real contentFrom YouTube or your files
  • Repeat & improvePractice sentence by sentence
  • Build fluencyTrack your progress

How it works

What is shadowing, and how to practise it here

Shadowing is a speaking technique: you listen to a native speaker and repeat what they say right after them, copying the rhythm, stress and intonation as closely as you can. It trains your ear and your mouth at the same time, which is why it is widely used to improve pronunciation and fluency.

Biibo English lets you shadow real videos with a transcript, one sentence at a time. You can record yourself, listen back and have a sentence scored, and every session is saved so you can see your progress over time. The same videos also have a dictation mode.

How to practise, step by step

  1. 1

    Pick a video

    Choose one from the library, including TED-Ed and VOA videos, where For you suggests videos for your level. You can also search YouTube or paste a link to a video with captions.

  2. 2

    Listen to a sentence

    The transcript is split into sentences, with IPA under the words. Slow the video down from 0.5x to 1.5x if you need to.

  3. 3

    Repeat and record

    In Manual mode, record yourself after each sentence and play it back. Auto mode plays sentence after sentence and leaves a pause for you to speak.

  4. 4

    Score a sentence

    Press Score this line to get accuracy, fluency and the words you missed. Recording is free; only scoring uses your allowance.

  5. 5

    Review the session

    When you finish, the result screen lists every sentence with its score and your most-missed words. Past sessions stay in your history.

Who it is for and what you get

  • Learners who understand but freeze when speaking

    Repeating whole sentences builds the automatic speech that a list of words cannot.

  • Anyone working on pronunciation

    Hearing your own recording next to the original shows exactly where your sounds and rhythm differ.

  • Progress you can see

    Scores and missed words are saved per session, so you can compare this week with last month.

  • Listening practice too

    Dictation at three levels uses the same videos to train you to catch every word.

Frequently asked questions

Is shadowing free?

Yes. Watching, recording and playing back are free. Scoring a sentence uses one check from your monthly allowance, which is larger on Premium.

How often should I practise shadowing?

Short, regular sessions work best: ten to fifteen minutes a day with a video at your level is more useful than one long session a week.

I'm a beginner. Can I still shadow?

Yes. Pick an easy video, slow it down, and use Auto mode first to follow along before you start recording.

What do the scores mean?

Accuracy shows how closely your words matched the sentence, fluency shows how smoothly you said it, and the missed words list shows which words to work on.

Can I practise without a microphone?

Yes. You can still listen, follow the transcript and do dictation; only recording and scoring need a microphone.