Shadowing is a speaking-practice technique in which you listen to a short recording and copy what you hear. Several online English courses are built around it. This guide explains the technique as the British Council's TeachingEnglish site describes it, then lists what to check before you pay for a course. It is general information, not a promise of results: how much you improve depends on where you start and how much you practise.

We have not tested any course named here, and we do not say that any course will make you fluent or help you pass an exam.

What shadowing is

Source: British Council, TeachingEnglish, "Shadowing" (africa.teachingenglish.org.uk/classroom/pronunciation/shadowing). Read in a browser. Last checked: 18 October 2026.

The page says the activity helps learners focus on the rhythm and intonation of spoken English. It helps with the pronunciation of individual words, and also with phrases and connected speech.

What you need: a short recording of one person speaking (a monologue), something you know well or that is not too difficult to understand. The page says you can do some comprehension work first, but the main aim is pronunciation rather than comprehension.

The steps on the page:

  1. Play a short piece of the audio and listen to the pronunciation, including the way the words connect.
  2. Play it again and silently copy what you hear, like a "shadow".
  3. Listen again, this time quietly saying the words, like an "echo".
  4. If you need extra help, read from a copy of the text.
  5. As a final stage, try to say the text without the audio playing. You can record yourself and play the recording back to listen to your pronunciation.

The page describes the activity for classroom use. It does not give figures for how much it improves anyone's speaking.

Before you pay for a course built around shadowing

  1. Read what the course says it includes. One example is English Speak Shadowing (englishspeakshadowing.pl), whose page describes six levels from A1 to C2, 90 shadowing topics (15 per level), grammar lessons, writing and a vocabulary list, delivered self-paced in a browser and an Android app.
  2. Check who the "speakers" are. That page says the audio uses AI-generated voices, not live teachers. If you want a person to correct you, a self-paced course is not that.
  3. Check what feedback you get. The page says automated pronunciation feedback is a practice aid, not a certified language assessment, and that the course is not live tuition or an accredited qualification. If you need a recognised qualification, look at accredited exams instead.
  4. Check the price and the levels. When we read the page on 18 October 2026 it listed a single level at 39 EUR and the full six levels at 119 EUR, both including VAT, with a 60-day refund. Prices and terms change, so read them at checkout, and note that your own currency may differ.
  5. Start with one level if you can. Shadowing is practice, so a short trial shows whether you will keep doing it.
  6. Compare with free options. The British Council steps above need only a short recording and a few minutes a day. A course adds structure, topics and a progress path.
  7. Ignore guaranteed outcomes. No course can promise a speaking level, a score or a job.

Sources: British Council TeachingEnglish, Shadowing; English Speak Shadowing, course page (details as listed there on 18 October 2026).