Has this even happened to you? You study a language but then you go into the real world with
native speakers and you can’t hardly understand anything? That’s what happened to me in Germany
and the Dominican Republic all the time. It was so disappointing. And if you’re studying English,
I’ve got the exercise for you to stop this from happening. If you’re listening comprehension
is already pretty good, you’ll also get tips on sounding even more natural when you speak
and you might even pick up some slang. We’re going to improve your listening
comprehension and your spoken English by going into the real world here to get a haircut.
You’re going to hear a short conversation. My sister-in-law is going to cut my hair.
Then we’ll do an in-depth analysis of what we hear which will improve your listening
comprehension and also help give you an idea of how to sound natural when you speak English.
This is an excerpt from an online course in my school, Rachel’s English Academy and I’m
going to show you how you can build on what you learn here to build your own American voice.
First, let’s hear the conversation.
Too tight?
Uhmmm
A little?
No. Leave it for now. We’ll see.
'kay.
If it feels too tight later, I’ll let you know.
So, do you have a vision?
Mm-hmm.
What is it?
I want to take with your permission, I’d like to go to here.
What do you think David? I don’t know. That might be too much.
You should try it. It’ll always grow.
I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?
Well, it won’t be too short. I think it’ll be good because it’s going to have layers
and movement.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
Okay, fine.
Okay, thank you.
Darn it.
Darn it (laugh). I just don’t have the balls.
Well, but you could grow a set.
I know, I could, but I’m too busy feeding a baby and building a business and all that.
Yep.
And now the analysis
Too tight?
Too tight? Tight? Pitch going up at the end. She was asking me a question.
Too tight?
Too tight? Notice she had a clear stop T at the end of the word tight.
Tight?
Tight. So, that sounds different than the word tie, which has the same sounds only no T.
Tight. Tie. Tight.
Tight?
The word tight is a lot more abrupt because of this stop than tie,
which has more of a curve in the voice. Too tight?
Too tight?
Umm...
A little?
Then she said “a little?” as in a little too tight? A little? Again,
her voice went up in pitch at the end.
Umm...
A little?
A little? Little is a really tough word. The double T
is a flap, so it sounds like the American D.
It might sound like the R in your language. Little. Little. Little.
A little?
It also has a dark L, and when I say this word, I don’t move the front top of my tongue
away from the roof of the mouth between the flap and the L. Little.
I go from using the front of the tongue to the back,
but I don’t actually move the front of the tongue.
A little? A little?
A little?
No. Leave it for now. We'll see.
'kay.
No. Leave it for now. Leave it for now. A couple
things to note. How did I pronounce the word for?
For now.
With the schwa. So, the schwa is absorbed by the R sound.
For. For. Leave it for. Leave it for now.
Leave it for now.
Also, a stop T in it. Less time to pronounce it. No release. It for. It for. It for.
Leave it for now.
Leave it for now. Leave it. Leave it.
One way that can help you connect these two words
is to maybe think of the V sound as beginning the word it.
Vit. Leave it. Leave it. Leave it for now.
Leave it.
Leave it for now. We'll see.
We'll see. We'll see. We'll see. How did I pronounce we will?
We'll see.
The contraction. We'll. We'll. We'll.
I made a schwa sound here, and then the dark L was the dominant sound.
We'll. We'll, uhl,uhluhl. Where the back of the tongue pulls back. We'll. We'll see.
We'll see.
I don’t lift the tip of my tongue to finish the dark L. We'll, ul.
I can leave it down. I'm just using the back of my tongue to make the dark L.
We'll see. We'll see.
We'll see.
'kay.
My sister-in-law said a really quick, 'kay. 'kay, 'kay.
'kay.
This is short for the word okay.
You’ll hear it shortened to K a lot. K. K. K.
'kay.
Now let me show you what makes exercises like these special in the academy.
You not only have the analysis but you have a soundboard where you can play with listening
and repeating. As you do this you can really improve your skills in linking, reductions,
perfecting vowels and developing a feel of American English.
Each conversation is broken down into little phrases and you can listen to them
over and over doing the play it, say it method which will really help you sound more natural.
Do you have a vision?
You can listen at a regular pace.
Do you have a vision?
And slow motion, this helps you figure out what exactly is being said, what exactly you hear,
which is so important for the flow of conversation. So let’s just try this now. I’m
going to play this three times. After each time, you repeat it back just like you hear it.
Do you have a vision?
I've found when my students work like this with the play it, say it method
that they’re able to make corrections to themselves without me even saying anything.
Their ears and their mouth, their body just starts working
together to make corrections in a way that makes them sound so natural.
Leave it for now.
So if this is something that looks interesting to you,
I’d like to go to here.
As a training tool then head over to RachelsEnglishAcademy.com
What if I hate it?
Oh, I don’t think you’re going to hate it?
Repeating like this builds those pathways in your brain, builds your understanding of the
American sound and builds your American voice. Now let’s jump back to that analysis.
If it feels too tight later, I'll let you know.
If it feels. The word feels was longer. It had that up-down swell. If it feels. If it feels.
If it feels---
The word if was really short. F-feels. F-feels.
There was almost no vowel, just a very quick ---ih, but if I had just said f-feels
and just made the F sound attaching it to the next word, she would have known what I meant.
Another stop T here, because the next word begins with a consonant. F-feels. F-feels.
If it feels--
too tight later--
Too tight later. Too tight later. So, unlike the word T-O, which can often reduce,
the word T-O-O never reduces.
It will have the -ooh as in boo vowel. If it feels too tight later.
If it feels too tight later--
What do you notice about tight? Again, a stop T. The next sound is a consonant. Too tight later.
Later. Later. How did I pronounce that T?
Too tight
later.
That T was again flap T. Later. Later. Later.
Later
I'll let you know.
I'll let you know. The word 'I'll' reduced. So it sounds like the word
'all'. I'll let you know. I'll let you know.
I'll let you know.
I think you're probably noticing the strong -ch sound instead of a T. Let you. Let you.
I'll let you know.
Let you know.
This often happens in American English when the T sound is followed by the word you or your.
Let you know.
What else about the word you? The -ooh vowel was reduced to the schwa. Let you. Let you.
I'll let you know.
I'll let you know. This is a pretty common phrase. I'll let you know.
Practice that a couple times.
I'll let you know.
I'll let you know. I'll let you know.
So, do you have a vision?
Mm-hmm.
So. I kind of drew that word out a little bit.
So,
So.This is a diphthong. The OH as in No diphthong.
OH. So, make sure that your lips do move they will round
more. So. For the second half of the diphthong.
So,
Do you have a vision?
Do you have a vision? Do you have a vision?
The -ooh vowel in do was very fast. It could even be interpreted as a schwa.
Do you have? Do you have? Do you have?
Do you have?
a vision?
Also, the word 'you' is very fast.
Do you have a vision?
And it could have been the schwa, but I think I actually am hearing a real -ooh vowel there
although it's fast. Do you have a vision?
Do you have a vision?
Have a. Have a. Here we have an ending consonant linking into a beginning vowel.
Remember, we're talking about sounds when we deal with
these rules of linking and other things, not letters.
So, even though the letter E is here, it's silent. The final sound is the V sound.
Have a. Have a. Have a. So, we can link that really nicely
into the article -ah. Have a vision?
Do you have a vision?
Vision. Here the letter S makes the -zh sound. Vision. Vision.
Vision?
Do you have a vision?
And my voice is going up in pitch at the end. I'm asking her a yes-no question.
Do you have a vision?
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. This is a common response. Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Do you have a response like that in your language?
That’s sort of just a grunt that doesn't even involve opening your mouth? Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. That's a common one in American English.
Mm-hmm.
What is it?
I want to take with your permission.
What is it? What is it? How did we say that so quickly and link things together?
First of all, the T here comes between two vowel sounds. So, I linked those words with a flap T.
What is it? What is it?
What is it?
And also, the letter S makes the Z sound in this word,
and the Z did connect into that next word.
Zit. Zit. What is it?
What is it?
What is it? So, we linked all three of these words together
by an ending consonant to beginning vowel link.
What is it? What is it?
What is it?
Try that with me and follow the same stress pattern where 'is' is the most stressed.
What is it?
What is it? What is it?
What is it?
I want to take, with your permission.
I want to take.
I want to take. So, you can probably notice that she is saying wanna, not want to.
I want to--
I want to take.
So, she's combining these words, dropping the T sound.
Want to. Want to. With the schwa at the end. I want to take. I want to take.
I want to take
with your permission.
With your permission. She's hesitating here a little bit.
With your permission. With your permission.
Because she knows she needs my permission to do this. Your permission.
How does she pronounce the word 'your'?
Your
permission.
It's reduced. Schwa R. Your. Your.
Your--
permission.
Your permission.
With your permission, I'd like to go to here.
What do you think, David?
I'd like to go to here. Okay, a couple interesting things here.
I'd like to go to here.
So, she's saying I would like. I'd.
She won't do this if I don’t give her permission, but this is what she wants to do.
I'd like--
So, she's using the contraction I would to I'd. I'd.
I'd like--
to go to here.
I'd like to go to here. Okay. The word to. It appears twice. Both times, she uses the schwa.
The first time it's a clear true T. Like to. I'd like to.
I'd like to.
T-T-T. But the second time you barely hear it. I'd like to go to here.
I'd like to go to here.
It's a light flap. So, she made a true T here
because the sound before was unvoiced, an unvoiced consonant K. K.
I'd like to go to here.
And because this sound is unvoiced, she's going ahead and making the T sound unvoiced as well.
Like to. Like to.
I'd like to.
So, it's a K sound. She's stopping the air and she's not releasing the K. Like to.
She's going straight from the stop of air into the true T sound. Like to. Like to.
I'd like to. Like to. Like to.
So, you might not even hear the K. I'd like to. I'd like to.
But the back of her tongue is moving up to the soft palette to make the K.
A native speaker will hear that as a K sound even though the K isn't released before the T.
I'd like to go to here.
What do you think, David?
What do you think, David? Okay, that was really unclear. Very mumbly. What do you think?
What do you think?
What do you think? With a flap T here, dropping the D sound and just making a flap
to connect these two words, but my flap was pretty sloppy. What do you. What do you. What do you.
What do you think?
Not a clear flap against the roof of the mouth at all. The word 'you' was reduced.
Instead of the -ooh vowel, I used the schwa. What do you think?
That is a very common phrase. What do you think?
What do you think?
What do you think? This is how you ask somebody’s opinion. What do you think?
What do you think, David?
I don't know. That might be too much.
You should try it.
Okay. Then I got really mumbly before that might be too much.
Listen to just that little bit again while I tried to figure out what I wanted to say.
I don't know. That might be too much.
I don’t know. That might be too much.
Very unclear. A native speaker would definitely understand aow as I don't know. I don't know. I
don't know. That might be too much. But I basically didn't make a D sound.
I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know.
That might be too much.
I don't know. I don't know. Would be a much clearer way to pronounce that.
I was mumbling. I didn't want to do what she wanted to do.
I felt bad about it. I was trying to figure out what to say about it.
I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. A very unclear way to say I don't know,
but Americans will certainly do that. I don't know.
I don't know. That might be too much.
And I'm continuing my mumble here. That might be too much.
That might be too much. That might be too much.
I'm really only saying an -ah or an -uh kind of vowel here.
That might
be too much.
I'm not really saying the -th, and I am not even really making a T sound.
That might be too much. Eh-Eh-Eh-Eh. That might be too much.
That might--
be too much.
That might be too much. I am making a stop T at the end of might. Might be.
That might be too much. That might be too much.
You should try it.
You should try it. You should try it.
Okay, what about the word should? She's not really making the final D sound.
Now, the L in the word should is always silent.
You should
try it.
It's not part of the sounds, but the D usually is or sometimes is,
but we often drop that in conversation,
especially when the next sound is a consonant. You shuh-shuh-shuh.
Uh. So, just the -uh vowel. You shuh. You shuh.
You should.
Try that. You shuh. You shuh. You should try it.
You should--
try it.
You should try it. You should try it.
You should try it.
Now, so often, people make a -tr sound and make it a -chr sound. Try.
But my sister-in-law actually didn't do that. She made a pretty clear tr sound. Try it. Try it.
Try it.
You should try it.
You should try it. Try it. Vowel to vowel link here, and then a stop T. Try it.
Try it.
So, she made everything there really smooth,
really connected. You should try it. You should try it.
You should try it. You should try it.
You should try it.
It’ll always grow.
It’ll. It’ll. This is just like the word little that we discussed earlier.
It’ll--
It will. And it's a flap that comes between the -ih vowel and the schwa L or the dark L here,
but you don’t need to bring your tongue back down after the flap.
You can just put it up to the roof of the mouth for the flap and then move
the back of your tongue for the dark L. It’ll. It’ll. It’ll always grow.
It’ll--
always grow.
Always grow. Always grow.
Notice she doesn't really make an L sound there. It's more just a clear al, al. Always.
Always--
Always instead of always.
So, that's a shortcut you can use for that word. Always. Always. It’ll always grow.
Always--
It’ll always grow.
I know, but,
I know, but. I know, but. Really stressing the word know, there. I know, but.
I know, but.
Stop T at the end of but. An abrupt end there.
I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?
In the meantime. In the meantime. This is a pretty common phrase.
Mean is very stressed there compared to the other words. In the. In the.
In the meantime--
In the meantime. In the meantime. This means until then.
In the meantime.
Shortcut with a phrase like ‘in the’. You have an N and the voiced -th sound.
In the meantime.
You can make the N with the top part of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth,
even with the tip of the tongue out. So the tip of the tongue
can already be making the -th shape
with the tip through the teeth. Nn the. In the.
You can make the N with the part of the tongue that's further back
while the tip of your tongue
prepares for the next sound.
This will help you make that more quickly. In the. In the meantime.
In the meantime,
what if I hate it?
What if I hate it? What if I hate it? How did I say that so quickly
and link those words together?
What if I hate it?
Well, there's only one word that was really stressed there, that was really long,
and that was the word 'hate'.
What if I hate it?
What if I hate it? The rest of the words were very fast.
And we linked together the words what and if with the flap T.
What if. What if. What if I.
What if I--
What if I. The F linked right into the I diphthong. What if I.
What if I--
What if I hate it?
What if I hate it? What if I hate it? And again, we had a flap T
linking hate and it. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.
Hate it?
And a stop T at the end of it. What if I hate it?
What if I hate it?
I think you're probably starting to notice that we very rarely make true Ts.
Okay, maybe very rarely is an exaggeration, but more often than not,
a T is either a stop T or a flap T.
What if I hate it?
Well, it won't be too short.
I think it’ll be good because it's going to have layers and movement.
Well, it won't be too short. It won't be. It won't be. What about those Ts again?
Well,
it won't be--
She is making her sentence more smooth. She's linking words together more easily
by making those stops.
Well, it won't be. It won't be too short.
It won't be--
too short.
Again, too with the OO vowel not reduced. We don’t reduce that word.
Too short.
She's stressing the word too. It won't be too short.
It's the main word, the main stressed word of that sentence.
Well, it won't be too short.
It won't be too short.
All of the words before are leading up to it, and the word after it is falling away from it.
It won't be too short.
So, she's saying, it might be short, but it won't too short.
It won't be too short. I think it’ll be good.
I think it’ll be good. Again, the ‘it
will’ contraction, it’ll. It’ll. With that flap it’ll.
It’ll be good.
I think it’ll be good.
I think it’ll be good. Think and good. Longer than I. It’ll be. I think it’ll be good.
I think it’ll be good--
cuz it's going to have layers.
Cuz it's going to have. cuz it's, it's. cuz it's.
So, she changed the word because to just cuz. Cuz.
Cuz it's,
Cuz it's, cuz it's, cuz it's. And she
linked the Z into the next word, the vowel, it's.
Cuz it's, cuz it's, cuz it's. Because it is. Cuz it's.
That's how Americans will pronounce those three words very often. Cuz it's, cuz it's.
Cuz it's--
going to have layers and.
Going to have layers and. You probably noticed 'going to' was pronounced 'gonna'.
It's going to have. It's going to have.
It's going to have
layers and.
Going to have layers and. Okay,
which word there is the most clear, the longest, the most stressed?
Going to have layers and---
Going to have layers and. Definitely the word layers. Layers and.
Layers and---
The next word, and, was reduced to just the N sound. Layers and.
Layers and--
And the Z sound connected into the word and. S pronounced as a Z here.
It's going to have layers and movement.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
Movement. Movement. Here she does make a nice true T. Movement.
Movement.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
Can you do one inch longer than that? I'm really stressing the word one.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
I don’t really agree with her, so this is what I'm asking for as the compromise.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
What did you notice about the word can?
Can you?
That was reduced. Can. This is usually how we pronounce this word.
When it's a helping verb and it's usually a helping verb,
that means it's not the main verb in the sentence. The main verb is do. So,
I'm going to reduce can. Can. Can. Can you do one inch longer? One inch longer?
Can you do
one inch longer
than that?
Longer than that. Longer than that.
Longer than that?
What about the word than? Reduced. It had the schwa. Longer than. Longer than.
Longer than--
that?
Longer than that. And again, a stop T at the end of that. Longer than that.
Longer than that?
Okay, fine.
Okay, thank you.
Darn it.
Okay, fine. She's kind of saying it quietly. She really didn't want to agree with me at all.
Okay, fine. Okay, fine.
Okay, fine.
Okay, fine. Pitch falling off. She's a little disappointed.
Okay, fine.
Okay, thank you.
And I said, okay, thank you. I reduced the word okay to just K. K, thank you.
Okay, thank you.
I'm also speaking quietly here. It was like
painful for us to come up with something we agreed on here.
We both kind of gave up more than we wanted. So, we both kind of mumbled our agreement.
Okay, fine.
Okay, thank you.
Darn it.
Darn it. Darn it is like, oh man, I'm disappointed.
That's not how I wanted that to go.
Darn it.
Darn it. She makes a stop T at the end of it.
That's because it's at the end of a thought, the end of a sentence.
Darn it.
Darn it. (laughing)
I repeat what she says. Darn it. Even though I'm not disappointed.
I just don’t have the balls.
Well, but you could grow a set.
I just don’t have the balls. Okay, a couple of things. The word just. So often, we drop the T.
We do this when the next word begins with a consonant. I just don’t. I just don’t.
I just don’t---
I just don’t. This helps up connect the word.
We drop the T when it comes between two consonants all the time. I just don’t have.
I just don’t have--
Don’t have. Don’t have. Don’t. Very quick stop here.
So, it's not a dropped T, but it's sort of a weak stop. I just don’t have. I just don’t have.
I just don’t have--
the balls.
I just don’t have the balls. I'm stressing the words don’t and
balls, and notice that the S is a Z there.
I just don’t have the balls.
Well, but you could grow a set.
Well, but you could grow a set. But you could. But you could. Again, ending T.
The word you becomes a -ch. But you. But you.
But you--
could grow a set.
And did you notice the L is silent in 'could'?
But you could
grow a set.
Grow a set. With a stop T.
Grow a set.
If you're unsure what these idioms mean, check out the lesson that goes with this video,
Vocab, Idioms, and Phrasal Verbs.
I just don’t have the balls.
Well, but you could grow a set.
I know, I could, but I'm too busy feeding a baby and--
I know, I could.
So, these two mini phrases have that up-down shape.
I know, I could. Again, the L in could is silent.
I know, I could--
but I'm too busy.
But I'm too busy. But I'm. But I'm. Connecting those two words with a flap T.
But I'm. But I'm.
But I'm--
too busy.
Too busy. Again, the word too,
not reduced. It's got the pure -ooh vowel. Too. Too. But I'm too busy.
But I'm too busy.
Did you notice the word busy has a letter S, but the S is pronounced as a Z? Busy.
Busy.
Busy. Also, the letter U
represents the -ih sound here. That doesn't happen too often. Busy. Busy.
Busy--
feeding a baby and--
Feeding a baby and. Feeding a baby and. Stressing the stressed syllable of feed.
Feeding a baby. They both have first syllable stress.
Feeding a baby, all connected with the schwa for the word 'a'.
Feeding a baby and--
Feeding a baby and. Baby and. The word and was reduced to just the schwa N sound.
So, it just kind of sounds like an N sound at the end of the word before. Baby and.
Baby and--
Feeding a baby and.
I'm too busy feeding a baby and building a business and all that.
Yep.
Building a business and all that. So, just like feeding a baby.
Feeding a baby,
Building has stress on the first syllable. Building a business.
Building a business.
Business also has stress on the first syllable.
So, again, these two words were linked together with the article a, pronounced shwa -uh.
Building a business. Business.
Just like in the word busy, the letter S here
makes the Z sound and the letter U makes the -ih vowel.
Biz. Busy. Business.
Business
Building a business and all that.
Yep.
Business and. Again, reduce the word 'and' to just the schwa N sounds,
which just sounds like an N. And all that. And all that. All that. Stop T.
And all that. Yep.
She agrees with me. She doesn't like it, but she agrees. Yep. Yep. Very abrupt.
And all that.
Yep.
Stop P, not releasing it. Yep. Yep.
This is my sister-in-law, who cuts everyone’s hair in the family.
She has very good ideas. She's very good at it,
but I tend to like my hair long, and she wanted to go just a little shorter.
Let's listen to the whole dialogue again.
Too tight?
Umm…
A little?
No. Leave it for now. We’ll see.
'kay.
If it feels too tight later, I’ll let you know. So, do you have a vision?
Mm-hmm.
What is it?
I want to take, with your permission, I’d like to go to here.
What do you think David? I don’t know. That might be too much.
You should try it. It’ll always grow.
I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?
Well, it won’t be too short. I think it’ll be good because it’s going to have layers and movement.
Can you do one inch longer than that?
Okay, fine.
Okay, thank you.
Darn it.
I just don’t have the balls.
Well, but you could grow a set.
I know, I could, but I’m too busy feeding a baby and building a business and all that.
Yep.
By the way she did end up cutting it too short. I didn’t like it.
But after it grew out after a few months I really love that haircut.
Keep your learning going now with this video and don’t forget to subscribe with notifications I
love being your English teacher. That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.