Shadow any YouTube video, in your browser

Bring your own captioned video

In a YouTube watch URL, replace youtube.com with sadaspeak.com, keeping the video ID and any start time. For example, youtube.com/watch?v=-SOVLf-g0ZM&t=140 becomes sadaspeak.com/watch?v=-SOVLf-g0ZM&t=140. This opens the starter’s video at the same sentence.

The video needs usable captions and must allow playback in Sada. You can also paste a YouTube link into your library. Prefer ready sentences? Try the short-to-long listen-and-repeat exercises.

Repeat: speak after the line ends. Shadow: speak along with the speaker. Loop: replay the line to hear it again; looping alone does not record your voice. For the two ways explained in Indonesian, read Teknik Shadowing Bahasa Inggris.

How to shadow a YouTube video with Sada

1. Open an exercise from this guide. Choose a captioned video for this guide’s topic and a line whose meaning you understand.
2. Listen and read the caption, then say the line after the speaker in Repeat mode.
3. Try saying the line with the speaker in Shadow mode, following the rhythm and pauses.
4. Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
5. Repeat the line while focusing on one difference you heard, then move to another line.

Good videos to start with

Each talk opens on one short line in Repeat mode. Say it after the speaker and compare; then Next sentence from the guide opens the next talk’s line in one tap.

Steve Jobs — Stanford Commencement AddressFirst line: “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it.” · clear, steady speech Tim Urban — Inside the Mind of a Master ProcrastinatorFirst line: “So in college, I was a government major, which means I had to write a lot of papers.” · funny, natural pace Ken Robinson — Do Schools Kill Creativity?First line: “I've been blown away by the whole thing.” · British English Amy Cuddy — Your Body Language May Shape Who You AreFirst line: “So how many of you are sort of making yourselves smaller?” · American English

YouTube channels that work well for shadowing

Channels made for learners suit shadowing: clear speech, short sentences and captions. Each card opens one line from that channel’s own video, ready to say after the speaker. To keep going, paste another video from the same channel into Sada.

• VOA Learning English — an A1–A2 line, captions written by people. Opens on “Do you like to knit or sew?” from Sew and Knit, Adverbs, Yellowstone, Open Boat 2. Practise this line
• Learn English with Bob the Canadian — an A1–A2 line, captions written by people. Opens on “What food don't you like?” from Talking about Likes and Dislikes in English - A Real English Conversation with Bob and Jen. Practise this line
• BBC Learning English — an A2–B1 line, captions written by people. Opens on “What do you like about airports?” from I enjoy flying but airports are stressful | Improve your listening with Real Easy English. Practise this line
• Speak English With Vanessa — an A2–B1 line, automatic captions. Opens on “That was very kind of him.” from Order COFFEE in English: Daily Life English. Practise this line
• TED-Ed — a B1 line, captions written by people. Opens on “So, remember to be kind to yourself.” from 4 ways to fix your attention span - Shannon Odell. Practise this line

Levels are our estimate for each line. Captions written by people are the most reliable; automatic ones work too. A channel’s other videos may not allow playback in Sada or may have no captions.

Want to sound like someone in particular?

Pick the official video of a speaker, actor or show you admire from shadow the person you want to sound like, or paste its link into Sada and practise it the same way. For films and TV shows, start with the short lines in learn English with movies and TV shows.

Which YouTube videos work best?

• One clear speaker at a time: talks, interviews, vlogs and lessons work better than films with music underneath.
• Written captions are best; automatic ones work too, and also let Sada measure your timing word by word.
• Pick a minute you mostly understand. If you miss more than half the words, the video is ahead of your level for now.

Captions will not load?

If YouTube offers Show transcript, copy its timestamped transcript and paste it into Sada’s transcript field. This only helps when a transcript exists; Sada does not create captions for an uncaptioned video. If no transcript is available or playback is blocked, choose another captioned video or use the ready starter above.

New to shadowing? Read how the technique works. To know what to listen for when you play your take beside the speaker, see how to record yourself and compare.