Spanish speaking practice with shadowing
Spanish shadowing means speaking along with a Spanish recording while following its words, rhythm and pauses. Begin with a captioned line you understand; repeat after the speaker before trying to speak along.
Try this line first
¿Quieres ver otra?
4:43–4:45 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “Do you want to see another one?”
In other languages: Spanisch sprechen üben (Deutsch)
Three more lines, from short to long
Try the first line twice, then choose a longer line below. Return to this guide to choose the next exercise.
Next line
No te preocupes, me dijo.
4:24–4:26 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “Don’t worry, I was told.”
Next line
No había cámaras en la sala.
1:06–1:09 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “There were no cameras in the room.”
Next line
Al ver las preguntas, me quedé en blanco.
0:56–1:00 · Opens on “After the speaker” · Free, no account
Meaning: “When I saw the questions, my mind went blank.”
Spanish shadowing for beginners: a 10-minute routine alone
Most advice on speaking Spanish without a partner says to talk to yourself and record yourself. This routine does both with the four lines above, shortest first: copy a real speaker, then change the line to say something true about you. At A1, stay with the first two steps for a few days.
- Warm up with “¿Quieres ver otra?” (“Do you want to see another one?”): listen, then record it after the speaker twice. Choose 0.75× under “More options” if the words run together.
- Record “No te preocupes, me dijo.” (“Don’t worry, I was told.”). Then say your own version out loud, “No te preocupes, me dijo …”, with who said it in the gap (mi madre, un amigo).
- Record “No había cámaras en la sala.” (“There were no cameras in the room.”). Then look around and say what is not there, in the present: “No hay … en …” (no hay means “there is no”; en la cocina, en el coche).
- Finish with the longest line, “Al ver las preguntas, me quedé en blanco.” (“When I saw the questions, my mind went blank.”). Say it after the speaker until you no longer stop at the comma, then choose “With the speaker” and say it along.
Sada compares your takes of the video lines with the captions. It does not score the sentences you make up, so say those aloud and match the speaker’s rhythm by ear.
Spanish shadowing by level: A1, A2, B1 and B2
Start from your level, not from the hardest video. The levels here are our estimate of these lines and videos, not an official rating.
- A1: start with the two shortest lines, after the speaker, not with them: “¿Quieres ver otra?” and “No te preocupes, me dijo.” Choose 0.75× under “More options” if you need it, and say each line three times before moving on.
- A2: the four lines on this page in order, shortest to longest. Then open the Spanish After Hours shadowing video (A2–B1, hand-written captions) and repeat it line by line after the speaker.
- B1: the same video, now “With the speaker” at normal speed. Then try the Easy Spanish street interviews in Lima and on plans for the day (B1) after the speaker.
- B2: no video here is above B1, so make it harder with speed: the Easy Español real-life conversations (B1) “With the speaker” at normal speed, without pausing between lines. Their captions are automatic, so listen to the original before you trust the text.
At every level: record, then open Compare and play your take against the original. Sada shows the words it heard and missed and your timing; it does not grade individual sounds.
Video and caption sources
Exercise text and ranges checked against the captions Sada uses on 2026-10-04. Captions may change; automatic captions can contain errors.
- Spanish Shadowing! Practice your Speaking & Pronunciation — Spanish After Hours · 10 min · level A2–B1 · hand-written captions
- What do you like about Lima? — Easy Spanish · 6 min · level B1
- What are you doing today? — Easy Spanish · 8 min · level B1
- B1 Spanish Shadowing Practice | Real-Life Conversations — Easy Español · 25 min · level B1
Spanish sounds to listen for
- rr and r: The rr in “perro” is a rolled trill; the single r in “pero” is one quick tap of the tongue.
- j: In “jamón” and “trabajo” it is a rough h from the back of the throat, not the English j.
- Only five vowels: a, e, i, o, u are short and steady; don’t glide them the way English does (“no”, not “noh-oo”).
- Even rhythm: Spanish gives each syllable about the same time, where English rushes unstressed ones. Copy the even beat.
How to practise
- Open an exercise from this guide. The link selects the exact line, with “After the speaker” chosen. Read it once and check that you understand it.
- Press Record. Listen first, then say the line after the 3, 2, 1 count; recording stops automatically. Press Stop if you need to end early.
- Keep the speaker’s pauses and rhythm. Use a comfortable voice; headphones help keep the original out of your recording.
- Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
- Record the same line again, changing one thing you heard. Return here for a longer line; choose “With the speaker” when you are ready to speak along.
How well does Sada hear this language?
Compare shows recognised and missed words against the captions, plus timing feedback when usable word timings are available. It does not grade individual sounds or certify your accent. Automatic captions and recognition can be wrong, including around accents, apostrophes and numbers: replay the original and your take before deciding what to change. Earlier synthetic-voice tests (2026-09-25) are not evidence of accuracy for learner recordings.
Other languages
Questions people ask
Does Sada work for Spanish?
Yes. These checked Spanish lines open with “After the speaker” selected: you hear the line, then record it and compare. Feedback depends on the captions and speech recognition; it is not a grade of individual sounds.
Are videos with automatic captions OK?
Yes, Sada works with YouTube’s automatic captions. Hand-written captions are more accurate, so start with those when a video has them.
How do I start Spanish shadowing as a beginner?
Start with a short line you understand, said after the speaker rather than with them, at 0.75× if you need it, three times before you move on. The routine on this page begins with a three-word line and ends with an eight-word one, all from one video with hand-written captions. Speak along with the speaker once a line feels easy.
Practise again tomorrow? Get one short sentence a day, ready to record in one tap.
You don't need to speak fast.
A slow line to begin with: listen to how “don’t need to” runs together, then say it at the speaker’s pace.
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