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  • Today we're breaking down everything you need  to know to sound natural speaking English. This  

  • is conversational English, but Americans use  an English that's pretty conversational even  

  • in business settings and more formal  settings, with reductions and idioms.

  • To help you hear what to dowe're going to show you what  

  • NOT to do. Click here or in the video  description to get a free cheat sheet,  

  • the sounds of American English, it's a great  reference tool and even I use it quite a bit.

  • We're going to jump in with conversation  one of four today, going line by line. The  

  • basic thing you're going to learn is, you do  not want to pronounce everything slowly and  

  • clearly. That is not natural American  English. It sounds a little robotic  

  • and overly formal. And when we do that, we'll  dress up for you. We want you to hear how  

  • different that is from the natural, conversational  English you'll hear when we're not dressed up.

  • Ok, here's the first conversation, then we'll  talk more about this exercise. Line by line,  

  • we'll compare fully and clearly  pronounced with a more natural English.

  • Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

  • Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

  • Hi becomes hey. Not a reduction but maybe a more  casual greeting. Tom uses Rach instead of Rachel,  

  • a reduction of my name, a common nickname.  I am becomes I'm. The word two is reduced.  

  • We have the flap T and the schwagoing to, going to. Going to Starbucks.

  • Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

  • Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

  • Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

  • Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

  • Do you want to come along?

  • Do you wanna come along?

  • Do you. Do is reduced so much that we almost don't  hear it. Just a light D sound. The vowel in you  

  • isn't quite a pure ooh either, it's a little more  relaxed heading towards the schwa, djə, djə, djə.  

  • Do you wanna. 'Want to' reduces to  'wanna'. Do you wanna, do wanna.

  • Do you want to come along?

  • Do you wanna come along?

  • Do you want to come along?

  • Do you wanna come along?

  • No. Thank you, Tom.

  • No thanks.

  • Thank you becomes thanks. One less syllable.

  • No. Thank you, Tom.

  • No thanks.

  • No. Thank you, Tom.

  • No thanks.

  • I have got too much I want to get done here.

  • I've got too much I wanna get done here.

  • I have becomes I've.

  • Got to, just one t between  those two words. Got to, got to.

  • Want to becomes wanna,  

  • Wanna. Get. We use a stop T sound here because  the next sound is a consonant. Get done. Get done.

  • I have got too much I want to get done here.

  • I've got too much I wanna get done here.

  • I have got too much I want to get done here.

  • I've got too much I wanna get done here.

  • Okay. I will be back soon.

  • Okay. I'll be back soon.

  • I will becomes I'll reduced to [ɔl].

  • Okay. I will be back soon.

  • Okay. I'll be back soon.

  • Okay. I will be back soon.

  • Okay. I'll be back soon.

  • Oh, I would love a coffee though.

  • Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

  • I would becomes I'd.

  • Oh, I would love a coffee though.

  • Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

  • Oh, I would love a coffee though.

  • Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

  • Medium?

  • That will be fine.

  • Medium?

  • That'll be fine.

  • That will becomes That'll. A two-syllable  word with stress on the first syllable. The  

  • t at the end of that is a flap t because it  comes between two vowels. That'll, that'll.

  • Medium?

  • That will be fine.

  • Medium?

  • That'll be fine.

  • Medium?

  • That will be fine.

  • Medium?

  • That'll be fine.

  • Great. See you in a bit.

  • Great. See you in a bit.

  • Great. With a stop T. This is  because it's the end of the sentence.  

  • You is more relaxed here. Not an ooh vowel but  more of a schwa. Seeya, seeya and finally bit  

  • with a stop T. Bit, bit, again because  it's coming at the end of the sentence.

  • Great. See you in a bit.

  • Great. See you in a bit.

  • These four conversations focus on three major  

  • points that make American  English sound more natural.

  • 1 - Using contractions. In generalusing contractions in spoken English  

  • is more natural than not doing a contractionIf you find in conversation you're saying I AM,  

  • I WILL, I WOULD, and so ontry to shift that to I'm, I'll,  

  • Notice that one sounds like the word ALL. All,  I'll be there soon. I'd, I'd, I'd like that.

  • 2 - Using Reductions. Many of the most  common words in American English are not  

  • fully pronounced. The word THE is usually not  pronounced. “the”, it's pronounced the. It's the  

  • best, the. The word FOR is usually pronounced  fr. This is for work. This is probably THE  

  • most important thing for sounding natural and  having easy-to-understand rhythm when speaking.  

  • If the concept is totally new to you, don't worryyou'll see us break down lots of examples here.

  • And finally,3 - T pronunciations. It's usually  not ttt, a True T. We drop it, flap it,  

  • and make it a stop of air a lot, and  you'll see examples of that here.

  • 15-second shout-out to my  channel members here on YouTube,  

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  • Let's look now at the second conversation.  

  • All of these are with my friend and  colleague Tom, discussing everyday things.

  • Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks.

  • Here, Tom said Rach instead of Rachel. Just  shortening my name, a nickname that people  

  • sometimes use. Have not becomes haven't  when we have an n apostrophe t contraction,  

  • we don't release the t. haven't instead  of haven't. Haven't. I haven't seen.

  • Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks.

  • Rachel, I have not seen you in weeks. Rach, I haven't seen you in weeks.

  • Where have you been?

  • Where've you been?

  • Where have becomes where've. Where've.

  • Where have you been?

  • Where've you been?

  • Where have you been?

  • Where've you been?

  • Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

  • Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

  • Did not becomes didn't. Didn't I. Again with anapostrophe t contraction, we don't release the t.  

  • Didn't. That. The vowel is reduced to the  schwa. The final T is a flap t because the  

  • next word begins with a diphthong. That  I'd, that I'd. I would contracts to I'd.

  • Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

  • Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

  • Florida. Did not I tell you that I would be gone?

  • Florida. Didn't I tell you that I'd be gone?

  • Yes, but you have been there all this time?

  • Yeah, but you've been there all this time?

  • Yes becomes yeah. Not reallyreduction, just a more casual word, yeah.

  • But has a stop t. So when we don't do a full  release of the true t, it's a smoother line.  

  • You have becomes you've.

  • Yes, but you have been there all this time?

  • Yeah, but you've been there all this time?

  • Yes, but you have been there all this time?

  • Yeah, but you've been there all this time?

  • Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • Oops. I messed this one up by saying  I have had in the first dialogue  

  • and we had in the second. Can you guess  what I would reduce I have had to?

  • You've got it. I've had, I've had.

  • Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • Well, I have had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • Well, we had a bunch of weddings to go to.

  • They have all been in Florida?

  • They've all been in Florida?

  • They have becomes they've.

  • They have all been in Florida?

  • They've all been in Florida?

  • They have all been in Florida?

  • They've all been in Florida?

  • I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

  • I'd swear that we've had  this conversation already.

  • I would becomes I'd. I'd swear. The d is  light. That. The vowel changes to the schwa  

  • and we end with a stop t because the  next word begins with a consonant.  

  • That, that. That we. We have becomes we've.

  • I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

  • I'd swear that we've had  this conversation already.

  • I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

  • I'd swear that we've had  this conversation already.

  • I guess it is possible I forgot.

  • I guess it's possible I forgot.

  • It is becomes it's.

  • I guess it is possible I forgot.

  • I guess it's possible I forgot.

  • I guess it is possible I forgot.

  • I guess it's possible I forgot.

  • Or I am having déjà vu.

  • Or I'm having déjà vu.

  • I am contracts to I'm.

  • Or I am having déjà vu.

  • Or I'm having déjà vu.

  • Or I am having déjà vu.

  • Or I'm having déjà vu.

  • No. You are right. We have talked about this.