Hi everyone. In this video you'll learn about word reductions in American English. Have you
ever heard this word before: tuh, tuh. I'm actually saying the word to, as in,
I'm going to the store, but instead of pronouncing the full OO vowel in to,
I reduced it to UH, tuh. Listen again, and I'll use the reduced form, tuh. I'm going to
the store. I'm going to the store. This type of word reduction is very common in spoken English,
and it is what gives English its rhythm. Native speakers will reduce words as often as they can,
so learning how to use word reductions effectively will really help your English to sound more
natural to a native speaker. In normal English intonation, the words that are most commonly
reduced are called function words. These words are usually unstressed when spoken in sentences,
so they don't receive the full pronunciation. Function words are the words that carry the
grammar in the sentence, like articles: a, an, the; conjunctions: and, but, so, if;
prepositions: on, off, under; pronouns: I, you, him, her; and helping verbs: am, be,
do, or can. You don't need to memorize all the words that can be reduced in American English,
but you should begin to listen for them when you hear native speakers talking,
and then try to imitate what you hear. I can't discuss all word reductions in this video,
so I'll review some of the more common reductions in American English. The word to will reduce to
"tuh". I want to go. I want to go. The concert is tonight. The concert is tonight. Let's meet
up tomorrow. Let's meet up tomorrow. The word for will reduce to "fer". I'd like a table for
two. I'd like a table for two. What should we eat for dinner? What should we eat for dinner?
The word your will reduce to "yer". Is this your car? Is this your car? You're doing great! Keep
it up! You're doing great! Keep it up! The word you will reduce to "yuh". What are you
doing? What are you doing? You need to do this today. You need to do this today. The word can
will reduce to "kn". I can meet you at 5:00. I can meet you at 5:00. How can this be? How
can this be? The word and reduces to "an" or "n". Peanut butter and jelly. Peanut butter and jelly.
She and I are friends. She and I are friends.
The word at reduces to "uht". Meet at nine. Meet at nine. Let's sit at the table. Let's sit at the
table. The pronouns he, him, her, his and them are sometimes reduced, and the first sound is dropped.
What did he want? What did he want? Give her this for me. Give her this
for me. She likes him. She likes him. Thanks so much for watching,
and let me know if you would like some help with word reductions in American English.