This video is designed to enhance your conversation skills and vocabulary while providing insights into American culture and broader conversation patterns.
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It’s easier to remember new vocabulary when you’re studying real English conversation. Today we’re studying 10 conversations: we’ll chat with my mom, my dad, my uncle John, we’ll visit Colorado, Michigan, and you’ll meet some of my very best friends. Let’s get started with our first conversation. This is my husband, and guess what, he hates watermelon.
Uhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
I know, but I want to try it, and you said it was the best one you’ve ever had.
I didn’t say that.
So we start here by debating what I said. If someone says you said something that you didn’t, you can say I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. The N’T ending can be pronounced several ways. I think I’m doing a really quick Stop T, I didn’t say that. I say this phrase pretty quickly, don’t I? I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. But it wasn’t too fast. It was the pace of conversational English. Let’s listen again. The clearest longer word was ‘say’. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that.
When you listen to it on a loop, it’s easier to hear all the pieces you need to simplify, isn’t it? I did not is ‘I didn’t’. SAY is the peak of that sentence. –say –say I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. You can even completely drop the T in didn’t, if this helps with the simplification. You’ll hear it again five times. Then you try it. Don’t think about the words, but think about what you hear. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. I didn’t say that. Ok, let’s go back and listen to the beginning of the conversation again.
Uhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
I know but I want to try it, and you said it was the best one you’ve ever had.
I didn’t say that.
You said ‘one of the best’?
I probably said that it’s an amazing watermelon and if you’re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.
So we’ve said a few words to describe food and if we like that food. David hates watermelon. We can say ‘hates’. We can also say ‘doesn’t like’ but it’s not as strong and David feels very strongly about watermelon. David hates watermelon. I called it an amazing watermelon. Very good. Don’t you love amazing food? We had an amazing meal. The wine was amazing!
It’s an amazing watermelon and if you’re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.
Oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
– Yeah!
– Oh!
So I kept waiting for him to cut a piece of watermelon, but he didn’t do it because he didn’t want a whole piece. He decided just to have a bite of mine. Listen to how I said that. Oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? Again, I feel like I’m speaking quickly, and I am, but also, that’s just conversational English. It is fast. Let’s listen to this one on a loop and see if we can figure out which words are the most stressed, and where you can simplify.
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
I hear more stress on OH, you’re, and ‘bite’ and ‘mine’. oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
Notice how all the words run together smoothly with no breaks. That’s an important characteristic of American English. The contraction “you are” to “you’re” is pronounced “yer”. That’s how it’s almost always pronounced in conversational English, that’s a common reduction. yer, yer. Oh yer, oh yer.
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
The words ‘just going to have a’ we have a few reductions there. The T in JUST is dropped We do that when the next word begins with a consonant. The vowel reduces to the schwa. IT’s not ‘just’, it’s ‘jus’. GOING TO becomes ‘gonna’. HAVE A is ‘have a’. All of these words are lower in pitch, flatter, and said very quickly. ‘just going to have a’ ‘just going to have a’‘ just going to have a’ ‘just going to have a’ This is what happens in conversational English. oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? ‘Bite of mine’ becomes ‘bite a’ mine’.
The word ‘of’ is reduced to the schwa, and the T in BITE is a Flap T linking the two together. Bite of mine, bite of mine. Again, these changes are typical of conversational English. They’re a part of what helps us make English fast. A T is a Flap T when it comes between two vowels or diphthongs, and that’s true even in two different words when the T links the two words. Bite of mine. oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine? Ok, let’s move on.
David will try the watermelon. Will he be convinced that this is an ‘amazing’ watermelon?
What? No!
It’s awful.
No, David was not convinced. He called it ‘awful’. I’ve also heard him use the term ‘disgusting’. What foods do you think are awful or disgusting? Put them in the comments.
What? I don’t get it!
The melon-iness. It’s…
Is it the texture? Or the…
No. Just the flavor.
Our friend off camera asked if it was texture or taste. The texture of the food is how it feels in your mouth, or in your hands. It can be hard, soft, mushy, crunchy, slippery, smooth, and so on. Some people might not like a food for its texture more than it’s taste. David said, in this case, it was not the texture, it was the taste, the flavor.
– Is it the texture? Or the taste?
– No. Just the flavor. It’s like uh… – I don’t know.
– It’s such a good one. You guys are crazy. Like you literally had to spit it out?
Let’s talk for a second about the word ‘literally’ and how it’s used. In British English it sounds more like three syllables. Literally. Literally. In American English it sounds like four, and we flap the T. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Now, this word is over used in American English. The meaning has morphed as a result. It’s used often for emphasis.
For example, I once heard someone say: I was so tired, I literally slept all day. Now, I know that person didn’t sleep all day. She slept a lot of day, certainly she was very tired. But she did not literally sleep all day. She did not actually sleep from sun up to sun down. She slept a lot that day. So she’s using ‘literally’ here for emphasis. I can also picture someone saying, “I literally fell out of my chair when I heard the news.”
This would in no way mean that someone did literally fall out of a chair, it just adds emphasis to say how amazed they were, how caught off guard they were. I’m going to put a link in the video description to some articles about the word ‘literally’ and how its use has changed and its meaning has changed. Now, how did I use it? like, you literally had to spit it out?”
There I am using it to mean ‘actually’. I’m not just adding emphasis. I’m asking, you had no other options than to actually, physically spit it out? He claims he didn’t.
Like, you literally had to spit it out?
Can you do it again without spitting it?
I don’t want any more try. Ever.
– I’m done trying.
– You’ll never be convinced again?
No, this is one of the best you’ve ever had and I had a vomit reaction.
Is there an agreement here?
He said he had ‘a vomit reaction’. Another way to say vomit is to say throw up, which is a phrasal verb, which means your food comes back up out of you. He had a vomit reaction to watermelon. This guy really hates watermelon.
– It’s an excellent melon.
– It’s a tasty one.
So there we just heard two other opinions, and two other descriptors: excellent, and tasty. Everyone else seems to really like this watermelon.
I thought it was a very good watermelon. I only like watermelon really this time of year, when they’re the real sweet, juicy ones. I find, you know, watermelon in the off season to be pretty terrible.
More descriptors: very good, sweet, juicy. Also, terrible. In the off season in the US, when they’re imported from farther away. I’m all in favor of this watermelon. She is all in favor of this watermelon. She thinks it’s a great one. We often use the term ‘all in favor of’ when we need to challenge something, or part of something.
For example, I’m all in favor of less screen time for kids, but when we’re flying, I do let him use my iPad. Or, I’m all in favor of exercising more, but I can’t make myself do it five times a week. I’m all in favor of– I’m all in favor of this watermelon. My friend Jacob used the phrase ‘farther afield.’ You can also say ‘further afield’. This means not the nearest, closest, or most obvious place.
For example, we didn’t find a solution to the problem with our preliminary research, so we’ll have to look further afield. OR, there isn’t a pet adoption agency in our neighborhood, so we’ll have to look further afield. As Jacob used it, the watermelon was not grown there on a local farm, but brought in from somewhere further afield, somewhere else in Virginia.
But now they also buy things from the produce auction, including from further field. So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon but from the produce auction and I found it pretty delicious. I thought it was good.
Two more positive descriptors for the watermelon: delicious, and good. So let’s review our descriptors. The people who liked it said it was amazing, one of the best I’ve ever had, excellent, tasty, very good Words to describe not linking it were: hate, awful, vomit reaction, disgusting, and terrible. Okay, now this video is not over, but since I’m hungry, right now, I’m going to ask you for one of your favorite foods. Put it in the comments below. If a recipe is involved, put a link to a YouTube video where someone is making that. I love watching YouTube videos of people making food, like Pasta Grannies and Joshua Weismann. Ok, now that we got that taken care of, let’s review this whole short conversation again. Notice the descriptive words for food, and think about how you would talk about your very favorite and least favorite foods in English.
Uhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
I know, but I want to try it. You said it was ‘the best one I ever had’.
I didn’t say that. You said ‘one of the best’. I probably said that it’s an amazing watermelon and if you’re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.
Oh, you’re just going to have a bite of mine?
– Yeah!
– Oh! What? No! That is awful. What? I don’t get it! The meloniness, it’s…
– Is it the texture? Or the taste?
– No, just the flavor. It’s like a… – I don’t know.
– It’s such a good one. You guys are crazy. Like you really had to spit it out? Can you do it again without spitting it? No, I don’t want any more try. Ever. – I’m done trying.
– You’ll never be convinced again? No, this is one of the best you’ve ever had. And I had a vomit reaction. Is there an agreement here? – It’s an excellent watermelon.
– It’s a tasty watermelon. It’s a tasty watermelon. I thought it was a very good watermelon. I only like watermelon really this time of the year when they’re the real, sweet, juicy ones. I find, you know, watermelon in the off season to be pretty terrible. I’m all in favor of this watermelon.
I’m grateful the everyone like the watermelon. I bought the watermelon at the woods edge farm stand which is about a mile from here. It started out as a guy just selling stuff that he grew in a greenhouse, greens and vegetables, but now, they also buy things from the produce auction, including from father field. So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon but from the produce auction and I found it pretty delicious. I thought it was good.
Now, a throwback to when my first son was a newborn.
Well, I had a big change in my life this year. So in this American English pronunciation
video, you’re going to meet someone very special, and we’re going to study real life
American English.
This is my son, Stoney. He was born in January so he’s almost 4 months old. So far, his life consists mostly of eating and sleeping, although not sleeping too much, which is why I look so tired. And also, meeting friends and family.
Here he is meeting his grandma and grandpa, my husband’s parents.
Yeah.
He has two fingers.
You’re gonna to get a mouthful of skin!
Did you notice how my mother-in-law reduced ‘going to’ to gonna? Americans do this all the time. Two syllables, very relaxed. GUN-nuh. Do that with me. GUN-nuh. Gonna, gonna.
You’re going to get a
You’re going to get a mouthful of skin!
Oh, he definitely knows they’re there.
Did you notice the contractions grandma used?
Americans use contractions all the time in speaking. First, ‘they’re’. This is the contraction of THEY ARE. Often in conversation,
Americans will reduce this contraction so it sounds like ‘thur’, thur. But here, Grandma used the full pronunciation, they’re. When it’s fully pronounced, it sounds just like two other words: THERE and THEIR. Here, she said THEY’RE THERE, talking about his
fingers. Two different words, but they sound the same. Listen again.
Oh, he definitely knows
they’re there
So did you guys have good traffic down?
Oh we did. Wonderful traffic.
I reduced ‘did’ here: “So did
you guys” became “So d’you guys”.
I reduced ‘did’ to just the ending D, and when the D sound is followed by ‘you’
or ‘your’, it combines with the Y sound and becomes J. ‘Did you guys’ becomes
‘joo guys’. ‘Joo’ guys have good traffic? Listen again.
So did you guys have [4x]
“Did you” is a very common word combination in conversational English. Pay attention as you study English and see if you notice this reduction. Try using it yourself. “Joo”
see that? “Joo” know that? Joo, joo. It can also be reduced further to ‘juh’,
with the schwa. “Juh” see that? “Juh” know that?
How is it to hold him?
Oh, how is it?
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I don’t know. It’s beyond description!
How is it to hold him? What do you notice about the word ‘him’ in this phrase?
How is it to hold him?
The H was dropped, hold’im, hold’im, and the two words linked together with no gap
in between. This is a very common conversational pronunciation of function words that begin with H like him, her, his, have, has, and
had.
How is it to hold him?
Oh, how is it? go
Mm-hmm.
Oh, I don’t know. It’s beyond description!
Oh! Hi!
Come on in!
You might not have understood this phrase:
Come on in. It was all very linked together.
Come on in!
Two consonant to vowel links. Cuh-mah-nin.
Come on in. You can use this phrase when welcoming someone to your house. Come on in. Listen again.
Come on in!
Hi, baby. Ow. He’s still so little!
Hi Stan!
Hey! Oh! Stoney! You little nipper, you!
This is your grandpa. I brought you some toys.
Oh boy! I bet you did.
I bet you did. Earlier in this video, you learned that when D is followed by ‘you’, you can combine D and Y to make a J sound, ‘jew’. There is a similar rule: when T is followed by ‘you’ or ‘your’, you can combine T and Y to make CH: now ‘you’ will sound like ‘chew’. Or, you can leave in the Y sound, “chyoo”. Also, like I did here, you can reduce the vowel to the schwa, “chuh”: betcha, or betchya. You’ll hear this a lot. Listen again.
I bet you did.
In the beginning, he didn’t do much. So we just sat around and stared at him! This was okay with us. It never got boring!
Are you going to smile?
Another ‘gonna’. Are you gonna smile?
Are you going to smile?
Are you going to
smile?
Huh?
We did get a couple of his first smiles on camera.
The first four months have been so fun. He’s changing a lot, kicking, and he has even started talking!
His head’s kind of big, so he has a hard time holding it up. Some people have asked me about his name, Stoney. It’s not very common in America. In fact, most people say they’ve never heard of it, or never known anyone named Stoney. It’s just like the word ‘stone’, with the ST consonant cluster.
What do you think about your name? Do you like it? I think he’s not sure yet. It has
the ST consonant cluster, the OH diphthong, the N consonant, Stone-, so it’s just like
‘stone’. And then a little unstressed ‘ee’ at the end. Stoney.
You already know Stoney if you’re subscribed to my mailing list. If you’re not subscribed, sign up now. You get a free weekly newsletter
with English lessons, and also photos and stories from my life. Also, if you’re not
on the list and you sign up now, you get access to a free, 10-day mini-course in accent reduction sent right to your inbox. So, sign up here.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
Can you say bye, Stoney? Do you want to say ‘bye’ to everybody? Do you want to say
‘bye’? What do you think? He likes funny noises. Boo-boo-boo-boo. But not right now,
because he’s too tired. Bye everybody! Bye everybody!
And now you’ll meet my parents on top of a mountain.
Today’s topics: Words that reduce. At, for, that’s, can, and, was, and probably.
This…
Oh.
There we go.
So, we’re at 12,335 feet. Now, yesterday morning, when I got on a plane, I was at about 1 foot, there at New York’s LaGuardia airport. So no wonder I had such a hard time catching my breath on this hike.
So for the metric fans of Rachel’s English, this is almost 4,000 meters.
It’s pretty high.
Americans speak with a mix of long and short syllables. It’s what helps make speech clear to us. Short syllables are often reductions—words where we’ve changed or dropped a sound to help us say them faster.
Let’s discuss three reductions in the passage you just saw.
The first is the word AT. AT has the AA vowel. But usually we reduce that in a sentence to the schwa, at. I can make that very fast, at. It’s abrupt because I’m making a Stop T. That’s because the next word begins with a consonant. At twelve, at, at, at twelve, we’re at twelve. When I make the word ‘at’ very short, it makes the word ‘twelve’ more important. This is what makes English clear. Listen again.
at 12
At 12,335 feet. Now, yesterday morning, when I got on a plane, I was at about 1 foot
Another ‘at’ example: I was at about 1 foot. I was at about. I was at about. Do you hear how ‘I’ and ‘bout’ are clearer? The middle three syllables are all less clear: was at a, was at a. Though it may seem wrong to make some syllables less clear, it actually makes speech overall more clear to Americans, because American English depends on this contrast of long and short syllables. Was at a, was at a.
Practice that with me. Was at a, was at a, was at a. You really need to simplify the sounds and mouth movements, and take some of the energy and volume out of the voice to make these syllables this fast. Yes, do that. Was at a. I was at about. Listen again.
I was at about
1 foot, there at New York’s LaGuardia airport. So no wonder I had such a hard time catching my breath on this hike.
So for the metric fans of Rachel’s English…
The reduction of the word ‘for’. For. In a sentence, you’ll usually hear it as ‘fer’. How fast can you make it? Practice. Fer, fer, fer. Listen again.
For the metric fans
for [5x] the metric fans of Rachel’s English, this is almost 4,000 meters.
It’s pretty high.
Finally, the word ‘that’s’ was reduced to ‘ts’. TS pretty. TS pretty high, ts.
This is the same reduction we would use for ‘what’s’ or ‘it’s’. At the end of the video, follow the link for more information on the TS reduction.
That’s pretty high.
Ts [6x] pretty high.
Ts pretty high.
Very high.
As you can see.
Very cold and windy.
Yeah.
We just heard two more reductions. The word ‘can’, a helping verb here, was reduced to kn. How fast can you make that? Practice with me: kn, kn, kn. Can see. Listen again.
You can see
Can
You can see.
Very cold and windy.
And the ‘and’ reduction: nn, nn. Practice with me. Nn, nn. Make it fast. Cold n, cold, cold n windy.
Very cold and windy.
Cold and
Very cold and windy.
Yeah. It’s very interesting landscape.
Mom, what did that sign say about this area?
It said that this was once a vast plain.
Mom reduced ‘was’. She said wuz instead of was. It’s less clear, isn’t it? Was, was. That this was once, wuz. That’s exactly what we want for these unimportant words. Listen again.
It said that
this was,
was
It said that
this was,
was
It said that this was once a vast plain, that was pushed…
Another reduced was, wuz, wuz. That was pushed.
That was
pushed and thrust upward by tremendous pressures of the earth.
Wow.
Yeah. You can see some patches of snow over there.
Did you catch that ‘can’ reduction? Can, you can, you can see, can, can.
Yeah. You
can [3x] see some patches of snow
you can see some patches of snow over there.
Where?
Right over there.
Oh yeah.
They’re very dirty.
Right.
That’s all that’s left from last year’s snowfall. And they’ll probably get snow here within the next couple of weeks.
Did you hear how my dad said probably? He reduced it to ‘prolly’.
Probably
And they’ll probably get snow
A real-life example of the word ‘probably’ – At the end of the video, follow the link for information on reducing this word.
You can see some patches of snow over there.
Where?
Right over there.
Oh yeah.
They’re very dirty.
Right.
That’s all that’s left from last year’s snowfall. And they’ll probably get snow here within the next couple of weeks.
I hope you enjoyed this cold mountaintop study of real-life American English. I know it seems strange to pronounce things quickly, not fully, but reductions are an important part of American English. Follow the links here, or in the description below, for more information on the reductions we studied today.
Now, we’ll go from the cold of the mountains to summer vacation.
This is my uncle Frank
Hey!
Uncle Frank brings his boat every year so that we can try skiing.
Did you notice the reductions of the word ‘that’ and ‘can’? These two function words will often reduce. ‘That’ becomes thut, with either a flap or a stop T, depending on the next sound. And ‘can’, when not the main verb in the sentence, becomes kn, kn. So that we can. So that we can. So that we can try skiing. ‘Try’ and ‘skiing’, the two content words in this sentence, are clearly much longer than
‘so that we can’
These four function words are low in pitch and very fast. Listen again.
So that we can try skiing.
Sure appreciate that uncle Frank.
Well, I’m glad to bring it.
Glad to bring it. Here, Frank reduced the word ‘to’ to the flap T and the schwa sound: de, de, de, glad de, Glad to bring it. Listen again.
Well, I’m glad to bring it.
This boat is 17 years old, and I was beginning to wonder earlier in the week if I was going to bring it back again.
Here Frank reduced the phrase ‘going to’ to ‘gonna’. A very common reduction in American English. If I was going to bring it back, gonna, gonna. If I was going to bring it back. Listen again.
I was beginning to wonder earlier in the week if I was going to bring it back again,
if I was going to bring it back again,
but it seems like people are still kind of interested in skiing, so.
We love it.
Love it. Did you hear how I connected the V sound to the word it? One of the easiest ways to link in American English pronunciation, is the case when one word ends in a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel or diphthong. You can practice the connection between words by putting the ending consonant on the next word: vit, vit, vit, love it, love it, love it. This will help to eliminate gaps between words. In American English, we want to link all the words in one thought group. Listen again.
We love it.
We’ll see if it’ll go a couple more years.
Yep. I hope it does.
So Jace, you going to go skiing today?
Another ‘gonna’.
You going to go skiing today?
Yeah, I am.
Have you been before?
No.
This is the first year.
Yup.
Are you nervous?
Mmm, a little. Yeah.
It might take a couple tries, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away.
Right away. Did you notice how I linked the ending T of ‘right’ to the beginning vowel sound of ‘away’. This means that the T comes between two vowels, so it becomes a flap T, or, a D sound. So, ‘right away’ sounds just like ‘ride away’. Listen again.
If it doesn’t happen right away.
Ok, ok, ok. Ok.
Meg, are you going to try skiing?
Another ‘gonna’. Also notice, I’ve reduced the word ‘are’ to er, er, er. Listen again.
Meg, are you going to try skiing?
I don’t think so. I tried it when I was ten, and I was traumatized because I fell, and it hurt.
Oh, yeah.
So, I think I’m just going to stick to a bystander.
Haley, have you skied before?
I’ve done sit skiing before, when I was, like, six.
Wait, yeah, what is that?
What is. Just like with ‘right away’, we’re connecting the ending T in ‘what’ to the beginning vowel of the word ‘is’. So the T turns into a flap T, or D sound. What is, what is. Listen again.
What is that?
It’s got the skis
Yeah?
And there’s a chair in the middle and you just sit.
Really?
Yeah.
I’ve never even heard of that.
Heard of. Another linking consonant to vowel heard of, heard of. Notice that I am reducing the word ‘of’ to the schwa-V sound: uv, uv, duv, duv, heard of.
I’ve never even heard of that.
I haven’t either.
I’ve done it.
Done it. Another great example of linking ending consonant to beginning vowel. Done it, done it.
I’ve done it.
So, I’m nervous to do this.
I think you’ll be just fine.
I think so too. I’m ready.
Here, Haley reduced the contraction ‘I’m’, to simply the M consonant. I’m ready. Of course, with that reduction, she linked it to the next word, mmready. Listen again.
I’m ready.
This is my cousin Brooke.
Brooke, how are you enjoying your vacation?
I’m having a great time on my vacation. It’s a lot of fun.
What’s the highlight of your vacation so far?
I think the highlight of vacation so far is spending time with you, Rachel.
Oh. That’s so sweet.
Ani, did you make that necklace?
Yeah.
Can you hold it up for me?
Another reduction of ‘can’: kn, can you, can you.
Can you hold it up for me?
This?
Yeah. It’s really pretty.
It’s really pretty. A reduction of ‘it’s’ to the TS sound. It’s really, it’s really.
It’s really pretty.
Where’d you make that?
At the craft shop.
The craft shop? Let me see?
Have you ever heard someone say ‘lemme’? I’ve dropped the T in ‘let’, and connected it to ‘me’. Let me, let me, let me see that.
Let me see?
What’s it say?
Giggle. Giggle.
Giggle? Oh, it does say giggle. That’s a hard word. It has those gg sounds, and a dark L. Giggle.
Hey Brad.
What are you doing? Doing some advertising?
We’re doing a little advertising, yeah.
Hey, Rach, I love that shirt. Where did you get that?
Well, I made it.
Made it. Linking ending consonant to beginning vowel. Made it.
Well, I made it.
Oh, now, what is this?
It says ‘I love English’ in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Oh my gosh, that’s so great. Where can I get one?
Actually, you can get one right here.
RachelsEnglish.com!
Yeah, do you want to be on my website, Brad?
Wanna. Here, I use the ‘wanna’ reduction for ‘want to’. Do you wanna.
Yeah, do you want to be on my website, Brad?
Kinda.
Kinda. Here, Brad reduced ‘kind of’ to kinda. So the word ‘of’ is pronounced with just the schwa, no consonant sound. Kinda.
Kinda. [3x]
Ok! This is my cousin Brad.
Hi!
Brad, B-R-A-D, it has the ‘aa’ as in ‘bat’ vowel. And remember, cousin: spelled with an S, pronounced, zz, like a Z.
Now, it’s game time. Here, we’ll all tell the score keeper if we made our bet or not. Made it. Listen for how we all link those two words together, made it, no gap.
K, who made it?
I made it.
Roberta.
I made it.
Rachel.
I made it.
(You can cut me out)
Made it.
Made it.
Yes, I also made it.
Uncle Dale, did you make that fire?
I helped with it, yeah.
It’s a nice-looking fire.
Well thanks.
Hey everybody, this is my uncle Dale. He lives in Texas.
Houston, Texas.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
Hey guys. It’s fall, and I’m here with my friend Laura.
Hey!
You’ve probably seen some of our other baking videos. Every fall, I come up to Massachusetts, where Laura lives, and we make a variety of things. One year we made a pumpkin pie, which we’re making this year, but not in the video. But this year, we’re going to focus on apple dumplings. Not apple fritters. So, if you want to learn how to make apple dumplings, you should probably look it up because this is not really a recipe video. But this is a real-life English video where you get to study English conversation happening as it actually does.
So, you’re going to do the apples?
Yep.
Okay. I’ll make the pastry.
As always, there are lots of reductions to study in American English. Did you notice ‘gonna’? This is how Americans pronounce ‘going to’ much of the time. Listen again.
So, you’re going to do the apples?
Yep.
Okay. I’ll make the pastry.
I used this reduction with another reduction, yer. The ‘you are’ contraction, you’re, is reduced this way in a sentence. Yer. Yer gonna. Repeat that. Yer gonna, yer gonna. Let’s hear it again.
So, you’re going to do the apples?
Yep.
Okay. I’ll make the pastry.
The ‘I will’ contraction, I’ll, is often reduced. Then it sounds more like ‘all’, all. I’ll make. Repeat that with me. I’ll, I’ll make. Listen again.
I’ll make the pastry.
Wait. Is this a cup?
Yes. It is.
You sure?
Yep.
Okay.
I’m using this one, just…
Wait. Just let me see them.
A couple of things to notice about this sentence: The T in the word ‘just’ was dropped. We often drop the T when it comes between two consonants, as it does here. Juss-let, juss-let. Next, ‘let me’ became ‘lemme’. The T was totally dropped. The two words ‘let me’ are often pronounced together this way. Lemme see, lemme try. Repeat that with me. Lemme, lemme, lemme see. And finally, the reduction of ‘them’ to ‘um’. This is another common reduction. Repeat that with me. Um, um. I have a video on this reduction. See it by clicking here or in the description below. Let’s do the sentence slowly together:
Juss-lemme-see-um.
Listen again.
Just let me see them.
Yeah, they’re the same.
The ‘they are’ contraction, they’re, can also be reduced. Rather than fully pronouncing ‘they’re’, it’s ‘thur’. The TH sound and the R sound. Thur. Try that. Thur, they’re the same. Listen again.
Yeah, they’re the same.
Okay?
I just feel more comfortable using the one that says it’s a cup.
Okay.
The word ‘comfortable’ looks like it should have four syllables, but most Americans pronounce it with three. I pronounced it COMF-der-ble. I made a video on just this word already, you can see it by clicking here or in the description below. COMF-der-ble. Listen again.
I just feel more comfortable
using the one that says it’s a cup.
Okay.
Now Laura, for how many years did you train as a pastry chef?
Fifteen.
Wow.
Yeah.
That’s a lot of training.
Well, but, wait. Fifteen minus the fifteen years that I didn’t train.
Neither of us are professionals here.
No.
I know it looks like we are with our methods.
Neither, neither, this word can be pronounced both ways. Sometimes people think one way is British and one way is American, but either one sounds just fine in American English.
Okay. Where is the new flour?
In the bag.
I had a fan write in and tell me that I don’t follow the rules for the pronunciation of the word ‘the’.
Oh really? What are the rules?
Well, and I noticed just then that I did not use it correctly.
The rule is, if the word after ‘the’ begins with a consonant sound, pronounce it ‘the’, with the schwa vowel, uh, uh, the. If the word after ‘the’ begins with a vowel or diphthong, then pronounce it ‘the’, with the EE as in SHE vowel, ee, ee, the.
Um, the. It should be a schwa before, before a consonant. So, I said, “where’s the new”, but I said “where’s theeee new”, and I said ‘theee’, and you’re really only supposed to do that before vowels. But, since that person pointed it out, I noticed that I do that quite a bit.
So it’s not like it would be strange.
It’s not strange. Because no one has ever said, Rachel, shouldn’t that be ‘the’. Like, no native speaker has ever noticed.
Right. And I didn’t even think about it when you just said it.
No. No one thinks about it.
If you ever say ‘thuh’ instead of ‘thee’, people probably won’t notice. Also, make sure to always keep this word short, whether it’s with the schwa or the EE vowel, the, the.
This is a very large bag of flour. Okay. Now, I’m just curious, how much of it can I spill. I’m guessing quite a bit.
We have a vacuum.
Okay. Oh, crap.
Crap. This is a word you can use when you mess something up. To mess something up is an idiom meaning, to do something the wrong way, or to cause an outcome other than what you intended. I turned left instead of right — I messed up. ‘Crap’ is like a cuss word, but less offensive. Still, you don’t want to use it in a professional setting, and some people might be offended by it. I think it’s fine to use in a casual setting among friends. Crap, crap. This is the less offensive version of the word ‘shit’.
Oh, crap.
What was the article in that Mark was reading about trans fats?
I don’t know.
The Atlantic?
I don’t think so. He’s been on this kick for a while, so.
Oh, okay.
Let’s go back and study the phrase “I don’t know.” Notice how Laura dropped the T altogether: I don’t know. I don’t know. In the phrase ‘I don’t think so’, there was a little break in the sound before ‘think’, I don’t think so, the sign of a Stop T. But in ‘I don’t know’, there was no stop, no T at all. This is a common pronunciation of this phrase. I don’t know. I don’t know. Listen again.
I don’t know
The Atlantic?
I don’t think so. He’s been on this kick for a while, so.
Oh, okay.
I like how you just used the idiom ‘to be on a kick’.
The idiom to be on a kick means to be enthusiastic about something for a period of time. “I’m on a yoga kick” means, I don’t typically do a lot of yoga, but recently I’ve done it a lot and enjoy it. Or you could say, I’m on a salad kick. I’ve been eating a lot of salad lately. Here, Mark is on a trans fat kick. He’s careful not to eat trans fats. Listen again.
He’s been on this kick for a while, so.
Oh, okay.
Oh, whoops.
Before, I said ‘crap’ when I messed up. Here, I said ‘whoops’ , which, just like ‘oops’, is an exclamation for recognizing a mistake. This term is not offensive in any way, and can be used in any context. Oh, whoops, with the same vowel as ‘book’ or ‘could’. Whoops, whoops. Listen again.
Oh, whoops.
How’s it going, Laur?
It’s going. Last half.
Nice.
And we’re done. Look at those beauties.
So Laura, you’re working on the sauce?
Another ‘you are’ yer reduction. I dropped the NG sound and made an N sound on the end of ‘working’.
So Laura, you’re working on the sauce?
Workin, working. Native speakers do this quite a bit, especially with the most common ING verbs, but I do caution my students against overuse. Pronounce ING words with the NG sound most of the time.
So Laura, you’re working on the sauce?
Yeah. It’s a syrup for the top of the dumplings.
Syrup.
A little butter in there. A lot of sugar.
So I’m rolling the pastry. And then we’ll put an apple inside.
Another reduction of a contraction, we well. We’ll. Pronounce this as ‘wul’ in a sentence. It’s faster than ‘we’ll’. And we want an unstressed word like this to be very fast, wul. Repeat that with me, wul, wul.
And then we’ll put an apple [3x] inside. I’m … they’re not as pretty as they’re supposed to be. But, I think the flavor will be just as good.
As you listen to the next section, listen for all the reductions ‘and’ to ‘nn’ or ‘an’. No D sound. This is how we usually say this word in a sentence.
Cinnamon and sugar. Then an apple half. And then more cinnamon and sugar. And then fold it up. It’s a little sticky.
It’s been a half hour.
‘It has’ reduces to ‘it’s’. How was it pronounced in that sentence?
It’s been a half hour.
Simply the TS cluster. Ts been, ts been. Repeat that with me. Ts been. Ts been a half hour. It’s, that’s, and what’s, all reduce to the TS cluster. Check out the video I made on this topic by clicking here or in the description below.
It’s been a half hour. Oh wow!
Bubbling.
Oh my god. Those look good! I’ve never made this before. Wow. Yummy.
For real.
Sure smells good. Mm. It tastes just like apple pie.
Mm-hmm.
Really good. Thanks guys. Alright, Laura! Thank you so much for helping me make this video.
You’re welcome.
And, until next year, with Laura, at our baking weekend, that’s it guys, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
We’ll keep going with food. In this one, you’ll meet my uncle John.
In this American English pronunciation video, my uncle John is going to teach you how to make a Peach Melba.
In this scene, my uncle is going to be listing things. He’s going to be giving steps. Listen to how he introduces each step.
Want to make peach melba? You make a raspberry currant sauce, that’s what this is. And you start with the currant sauce at the bottom, and then you add some peaches, and then you want ice cream, you add some ice cream.
Is that vanilla?
Yup vanilla. And then a little more sauce.
Another layer.
And more peaches.
Wow! Many layers!
Add in the whipped cream,
Voila!
A lot of ‘and’ and ‘and then’. Let’s look at the pronunciation.
what to make peach melba you make a raspberry currant sauce that’s what is it
And you start with the–
And you start— and—, nd— the word ‘and’ reduced, nd—
Schwa N
And you start—, and you start—, and you start with the…currant sauce at the bottom.
Bonus reduction, the word ‘at’. At the—, at the—, at the—, at the bottom…
At the—, quick schwa, stop T
Currant sauce at the bottom—, at the bottom-, at the bottom—
And then you add—
And then you add—
And then—, and then—,
And, and, and— again, the word ‘and’ reduced.
And then you add—, and then you add-, and then you add some peaches,
And then—
And then—
And then—
Again, schwa N. And then—
And then—
And then—
And then—
If you want ice cream, you add some ice cream.
Is that vanilla?
Yeah, vanilla.
And then a little more sauce…
And then—
And then—
And then a little more sauce, another ‘and’ reduction,
And then a little more sauce…
And then a little more sauce…
And then a little more sauce…
Notice the word ‘little’ is pronounced with a Flap T
Little, ra- ra- ra- ra, little. This is a tricky word. And I do have a video on how to pronounce this word so check the description below or click here.
And then a little more sauce…
Another layer!
Then more peaches.
Wow! Many layers!
Add in the whipped cream,
Voila!
Voila is a French word but we do use it sometimes in American English.
Voila or voila!
And when we use it in American English, the pronunciation is changed a little bit so it fits in more with American sounds.
Voila! Voila!
With that lower American placement. And it means ‘there it is’, ‘here it is’ and you might say that when you’re finished with something and you’re showing it to people.
Voila! or as some Americans may pronounce it, voila!
Voila!
And what’s the —— in French?
Peach melba.
Voila!
– Wow, look at that!
– Bon Appetit!
I had a Pêche melba in at Rick’s Cafe’ in Morocco that
was to die for.
That was to die for. Okay, ‘to die for’. This is an idiom we use when something is just exceptional, so good. We use it a lot with food, tastes: Oh, it was to die for! It was so delicious!
—was to die for!
—was to die for!
—was to die for!
Now she does not reduce the word ‘to’. To die for. She is clearly pronouncing each word, stressing it, bringing even more emotion in. So that we understand just how good this Peach Melba was. And you can reduce that word ‘to’: to die for— to die for—. We usually reduce the word ‘for’ but we don’t hear because it’s going to be the final word in the thought. So we don’t want to reduce it to fur like we so often do in conversation. Leave it ‘for’. To die for.
—was to die for!
-Oh really?
-It was wonderful!
Is that what gave you the idea to make it?
Is that what gave you? Is that what gave you?
Notice I dropped the TH in ‘that’ and connected it to the word before: Is that? Is that?
Is that what gave—
Is that what gave—
Is that what gave you the idea to make it?
No, we’ve been making it got a long time.
Ok, well, there you go, Teresa!
He made a monster!
He made a monster! What do I mean by that? We can use the word monster to mean really big. Have you ever heard of a monster truck? When I say he made a monster, I mean he made a very big portion of peach melba.
He made a monster!
In Casablanca, in the movie, there is a Rick’s Cafe. And people kept coming to Morocco—
And—, and—, there’s another word ‘and’ reduced. The D is dropped. We almost never say the D in the word ‘and’.
And—, and—, and people kept coming to Morocco!
Coming to Morocco—
To Morocco— the word ‘to’ reduced: coming to Morocco.
Coming to Morocco—
Coming to Morocco—
Coming to Morocco and asking for Rick’s Cafe!
There’s another and reduction: —and asking, —and asking.
—and asking, —and asking, —and asking for Rick’s Cafe.
-in Casablanca.
-But Casablanca was filmed in the United States.
So a rich American woman decided she was going to make a Rick’s Cafe.
She was gonna make—, she was gonna make— ‘Going to’ reduced to ‘gonna’: she was gonna make—
she was gonna make— she was gonna make— she was gonna make a Rick’s Cafe.
And it’s very nice!
Oh really? That’s fun!
Maybe a few more peaches, actually no, no more peaches.
Actually— actually—. This word is supposed to be pronounced with the CH sound: actually. And four syllables: ac-tu-ah-lly. But you will notice that very often, the CH sound is changed to the SH sound. This is because we often drop the T when it comes between two other consonants. So the CH sound changes to the SH sound. Actually. Actually. So I’m reducing it to three syllables, this is a common and an easier pronunciation. I encourage you to try it: ack- shal- lee. So the middle syllable is the SH sound and then the Dark L Shull: shull— shull— shull— Actually. Actually.
Actually no— Actually no— Actually no, no more peaches.
-No more peaches.
-Just a little more sauce, and then, a little cream.
Little, litte, little.
That word’s popping up a lot in this conversation. A little more, a little less, a little bit.
Just a little more sauce and then a little cream. I’m getting pretty bossy here, aren’t I?
Pretty with a Flap T. I’m getting pretty bossy. What does that mean to be bossy? Notice I’m not saying please or thank you, I’m just telling him what to do. That’s pretty bossy, that’s pretty rude. Luckily, I noticed I was doing it.
I’m getting pretty bossy here, aren’t I?
Everyone, this man right here, is my cousin Ken. His daughter, Luisa, and you’ve met Stoney before. Ken, do you have anything you want to say?
-Voila!
-You just want to make faces!
Wanna make faces. ‘Want to’ reduced to ‘wanna’.
You just want to make faces!
Also the word ‘just’. I dropped the T there. Why? Because it came between two other consonants. Just want to— just wanna—, just wanna— dropping that T between two other consonants makes a smoother transition between sounds, and we love connected speech in American English.
You just wanna— You just wanna— You just want to make faces!
Thank you so much, John!
– You’re welcome!
– That looks amazing!
Delicious!
Thanks so much to my family for being in this video.
If you’re interested in making a Peach Melba, I noticed my good friend Hilah, over at Hilah cooking, has a recipe. Click here or see the description below.
And now, let’s travel!
Today we’ll study some travel vocabulary phrases together as you come with me for a weekend at the Standard hotel in New York City. You’ll learn phrases and vocabulary that you might use at a hotel, like ‘amenities’ or ‘incidentals’. We’ll order room service together and enjoy some amazing views.
First, let’s check in.
Hi! Um, I booked online. Rachel Smith. And then about an hour after I booked, I booked an upgrade.
I’m using the verb here to ‘book’. I’m sure you’re very familiar with the noun version of this word, book, but it’s also a verb which means to reserve something. I booked a hotel room, you could also book a table at a restaurant. This means you’ve made a reservation. You could book a venue for your wedding, or a concert venue could book an act or band. The bar around the corner booked my friend’s band for Friday.
Here, OO makes the UH as in PUSH vowel. Book. Uh. Book. So both the noun ‘book’ and the verb ‘book’ are pronounced exactly the same.
Hi! Um, I booked online. Rachel Smith. And then about an hour after I booked, I booked an upgrade.
I used the term ‘upgrade’. This means to improve on something. To get a higher quality. For example, if you’ve had your cell phone for a while, and it’s a bit slow, you might want to get an upgrade. Here, I’m using it as a noun. On a flight, you might be upgraded from an economy to a first class seat. Here, I’m using it as a verb. Upgrade.
In this case, I booked a hotel room, and then the system asked me if I wanted to upgrade. The offer seemed like a good deal to me, so I did upgrade. A paid a bit more money for a bigger, better room.
And then about an hour after I booked, I booked an upgrade. Because it sounded very enticing, what was being offered.
Do you see how pregnant I am here? I’m 8 months pregnant, and this was the last weekend that my doctor said I could travel away from home. So we took Stoney to my in-laws, that is, David’s parents, and took this short trip. In the US, you might hear people call this a babymoon. That is, a relaxing trip you take before before it’s harder to travel because you have a baby. This is related to the term ‘honeymoon’, which is a trip you take alone with your partner right after you get married.
You booked for a water-view, de luxe king, correct?
Yes. South-facing.
Here, we’re using some terms that you might use when describing a room. We booked a king, which means it has a king-sized bed in it. King and California King are the two largest-sized beds.
She used the term water-view. This simply means what you can see from your room. You might have city-view, park-view, water-view, ocean-view, garden-view, street-view. This hotel is close to the Hudson River.
I used the term ‘south-facing’. This means when you’re in your room looking out the window, which direction are you looking? I knew I wanted to be south-facing because just north of the hotel are some taller buildings. I didn’t want to look directly at another building, so I upgraded to a south-facing room.
You might also see a room described as a corner room, which of course means you’re on the corner of the building, and you might get views in two different directions.
You booked for a water-view, de luxe king, correct?
Yes. South-facing.
If I could just see a form of ID and a credit card for the reservation.
Sure.
When checking into a hotel, there’s a good chance that they’ll ask for a form of ID, like she did. That would be something official with your picture and name on it, like a driver’s license or passport. ID is short for ‘identification.’ They’ll also usually want a credit card from you so they can make charges to the room if you damage or take anything.
If I could just see a form of ID and a credit card for the reservation.
Sure.
So I see that initially, you kind of deposit down for the room so we would just need the card for incidentals.
Okay, no problem.
Incidentals. This is the word they use for anything in addition to the cost of the room. For example, if you eat or drink from the mini-bar in your room, they will keep track of that and charge it to your card after you leave.
So we would just need the card for incidentals.
Okay, no problem.
And it doesn’t…it’s not ready yet by chance, is it?
It is!
Oh, perfect!
She asks, “have you stayed here before?”
Oh, no. I’ve not. It’s been on my bucket list.
Bucket list. Have you heard this term before? It means something you want to do within your lifetime. For example, visiting Paris is on my bucket list.
Oh, no. I’ve not. It’s been on my bucket list. So I’m glad that it’s happening.
Yes.
This initial here, here, and a signature there. And if you can just add this gentleman’s name right there.
Sure.
There might be something you have to initial or sign when checking into a hotel. Initial, of course, means you just put RS instead of your whole signature, Rachel Smith.
This initial here, here, and a signature there. And if you can just add this gentleman’s name right there.
We finish checking in and head up to our room.
Room number 814, we have a card as a key. Very dark elevator.
So this is why I don’t want to be north-facing. It’s because then you’re just looking at a building.
North-facing, south-facing. It can be very handy to know the details of the room you want when booking a hotel. Let’s go find the room.
There’s the river. And there’s the city. And there’s The High Line. How cool is that?
The Highline is a park in NYC that was built on top of an abandoned raised train line. I’ll also talk about The Whitney, which is an art museum.
That’s The Whitney, right there. Have you ever been to The Whitney, David? The new one?
Yeah. And that’s the little rooftop spot there. Maybe we’ll…maybe we should go. They have um, pay-as-you-wish entrance on Friday evenings. Alright, well, let’s settle in.
“Settle in” is a phrase that means to unpack, to get comfortable, to arrange your things in a new place. After a big move, it can take some time to settle in. Whenever we stay somewhere, even if it’s just for a night or two, I like to spend some time settling in when we first arrive to make the stay more comfortable.
Alright, well, let’s settle in.
That night, our friend Renee dropped by and we ordered room service. Generally you can reach the front desk by pressing 0. The front desk is there in the lobby, where we checked in. You call them with all your needs and questions.
Room service is for the restaurant in the hotel that can make and bring food to your room.
Hi! Is this where I call to place a room service order?
Thank you.
It was the front desk, not room service.
Thank you for calling room service. How can I help you?
Hi! I’m in room 814. And I’d like to order two orders of fries and does that come with ketchup?
Yeah!
Okay.
And also, two orders of a good pickle.
Okay.
Do you want anything to drink with that?
Um, anyone thirsty?
No. I think we’re good.
If you ask someone if they want something, or offer them something, and they say “I’m good” or “we’re good”, that’s like saying “no thank you.” That person does not want it.
Anyone thirsty?
No. I think we’re good.
They told me it would be a 30-minute wait.
Okay, I am 8 months pregnant, if that helps boost me forward.
Okay, not a problem.
Okay, I’m just kidding. Thank you!
Bye!
I mean I’m not kidding. I am 8 months pregnant, if that makes a difference.
Luckily, the food came quickly.
Wow. That’s a lot of fries.
That is a lot of fries.
Ooh. I didn’t expect them to be so little.
I think we could’ve gotten by with one order.
Nope.
No?
No. I’m so glad we have two.
Mini mayonaise.
All the best to go with the mini ketchup.
Mini ketchup.
And then 2 good pickles.
Okay, what did you think of yours?
I give it an 8 out of 10.
I think I’m going to give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.
Oh, so low.
Do you do this too? We rated how much we liked the pickle on a scale of 1-10. 1 is always the lowest, and 10 the highest, the very best of the best.
So I didn’t love the pickle. Still, there’s something very luxurious about eating French fries in your hotel room at 10:30 at night.
Many hotels have an ice machine. This one was labeled an ice dispenser. So almost every hotel room in America has an ice bucket that you can take to the machine to fill up. This one also had tongs to serve ice into glasses.
David and I had such a relaxing stay here enjoying slow days. Before we leave, let’s go over a few more words and phrases that might be useful to you as you travel, as you stay in hotels.
First, when you check into a hotel, you will find the front desk in the lobby, and you can probably find a luggage cart there to help you get all your luggage to your room.
The opposite of checking in is checking out. Check out, of course, is when you leave the hotel room and you give back your key. Two phrasal verbs for your travel vocabulary: check in, check out. Here, I called the front desk to ask what time check out was. I also had to report an issue about the room.
Hi Freddie! I am wondering what time check out is tomorrow morning?
It is 12 pm.
Okay, perfect.
Uh, my other question is I’m in room 814 and the drain to the bathtub doesn’t seem to close all the way.
That’s great! We’re actually going to head out in a minute. Is it okay if we’re not here?
Okay, thank you so much.
I used the phrasal verb ‘head out’. This means to leave. We were just getting ready to leave our room for a walk. Head out.
That’s great! We’re actually going to head out in a minute. Is it okay if we’re not here?
Okay, thank you so much.
We don’t even need to try to get a late check out ’cause check out’s noon. It’s perfect.
This particular hotel does have a mini bar. So that is place where they’re going to have some food and snacks for you. They have some glasses for us, nice. And there’s also a refrigerator. Mini-bar usually refers to refrigerator. refrigerator. And this one is fully stocked so that means it came with all sorts of goodies ready for us. Now, usually, if you eat or drink what comes here in hotel, it’s quite expensive. Much more expensive that just running out and buying it yourself.
Another neat thing that this particular hotel room has is a shower bathroom. So it’s this whole room, floor, ceiling, it doesn’t matter if they get the whole thing wet, a big bath tub, and then there are some slats that look out into the room so you can still see the view as you take your shower. This hotel room also has a safe. Many, many hotel rooms do so you can put passports or money, valuables, whatever, in this safe when you leave.
One thing that people are often interested in when choosing a hotel is the list of amenities. Amenities would be things like a gym or a pool or room service. Other things that you get in addition to your room or special things that you might get in your room. Many hotels come with a little card like this. This one says ‘Privacy Please’ and you hang this on your door knob to let them know: I don’t want anyone to come in and work on my room. Or on the other side: I do want someone to come in, change out my towels for clean to81wels, maybe vacuum. So this card says “Privacy Please” but you might also see “Do Not Disturb”. Thank you guys for traveling with me to New York city this weekend. I also have a video that I made on travel phrases that you may use when checking in at an airport. Be sure to check that out. Are there other travel vocabularies or phrases videos that you’d like to see? Please let me know in the comments below. Big thanks to David and Renee for being in this video with me.
And now let’s go on a road trip together.
Today we’ll study phrases and idioms and we’ll do a little listening comprehension quiz as we study conversation that came up on a road trip I took with my two kids, my husband, and our friend Steve.
Alright, let m buckle up.
Did everybody buckle up?
Yup!
Steve?
We’re buckled in.
I did buckle up.
Buckle up – that’s a phrasal verb that means to put on your seatbelt. I noticed with my kids’ car seats, sometimes I use the phrase buckle in. Hold still so I can buckle you in. Then I’ll buckle up.
Did everybody buckle up?
Yup!
Steve?
We’re buckled in.
I did buckle up.
Buckle up, buckle down. The meaning of the phrase buckle down is completely unrelated. It means to really focus on something, to work hard on it. I need to buckle down and study for this exam. I don’t feel like doing my homework. Just buckle down and get it done.
Now, about 4 minutes into the car ride, Stoney started asking if he could watch a video. He knows he gets to watch one with his headphones when Sawyer needs to take his nap, to help keep the car quiet. The next 20 seconds of video won’t have subtitles, so see if you can understand what we’re saying. There’s going to be a one-question quiz at the end of the 20 seconds: How long is the car ride?
Ok, do you know the answer? How long is the car ride? David said it once, more clearly, and then I repeated it, less clearly, I said it faster.
Two hundred and seventy one, that’s all.
So 271 miles. So that’s why we’re going to be driving after lunch.
271 miles.
Oh, I hope this slow down doesn’t last too long.
One thing you hope you never have on a road trip with two small children is a delay.
I hope we don’t hit many delays.
The GPS says that it’s clear sailing. Knock on wood, it’ll stay that way.
Okay, clear sailing. Knock on wood, guys.
David used two phrases there. ‘Clear sailing’ and ‘knock on wood’. ‘Clear sailing’, we use this not just with sailing, but also driving to mean nothing in the way, no obstacles, nothing to delay us on a trip. But we also use it in general to mean no problems or obstacles with a situation. It doesn’t just have to be transportation. It could be with something like completing a project. For example, now that we got the new budget approved, it should be clear sailing to finish the project. That is, we foresee no problems, no issues, and no obstacles arising.
The other phrase he used was ‘knock on wood’. Both of these phrases are really common. Have you heard them before? ‘Knock on wood’ is a superstitious expression. If you comment out loud on something that’s going well, you might say ‘knock on wood’ as a way to say: And I hope things keep going well. I hope my having mentioned it doesn’t mean it ends! For example, Hey Rachel, how’s the baby sleeping? He sleeps through the night, knock on wood.
I’ve run out of gas more than once on a road trip. Actually, years ago, I made a video on another road trip where I did run out of gas. I’ll link to that video at the end of this video, there’s a lot to learn about American English in that lesson.
David and I have also run out of gas on a road trip before. Run out is a phrasal verb with more than one meaning. It can mean to do an errand that won’t take very long. Can you run out and get some milk? Or, I’m going to run out and pick up the kids from school.
But it also means to deplete something, to have nothing left. I ran out of time, I couldn’t finish the test. We ran out of gas on the highway.
So now, I pay more attention to how much gas we have.
How we doin’ on gas?
Just over 3 quarters.
Mmkay.
How we doing on. I dropped the word ‘are’ there. This is somewhat common in casual English after ‘how’. How you doing? How we doing on gas? How we doing on time?
How we doin’ on gas?
Have you ever taken a road trip with two small kids?
So, Stoney’s asking when we’re getting out of the car. How long have we been in the car?
We’ve been in the car for about 12 minutes.
Ten?
Ten minutes.
We have about 5 hours.
5 hours?
Mmhmm.
After “Are we there yet?”, maybe the most common thing a kid says on road trip is: I’m hungry.
I’m hungry. I’ve got to eat lunch in here?
No, we’ll probably eat lunch somewhere outside of the car.
Mom, where are we going to eat? Because I’m really hungry.
You’re very hungry? Well, we’re probably not going to eat for about an hour, and it will be a quick, quick bite so we can get back on the road.
Quick bite. Have you ever heard the word ‘bite’ to mean meal or snack? A bite is singular, it’s a noun. Mmm, this is so good. Do you want a bite? It’s also sometimes a verb, I have to tell my one-year-old: Don’t bite me. But we also use it to mean food in general. I said: It will be a quick bite so we can get back on the road. a quick bite. A meal that you hope doesn’t take long. I’m going to grab a quick bite and then stop by. You might also hear it in the phrase: A bite to eat. Hmmm it’s almost lunch time. do you want to get a bite to eat? I don’t mean one bite of food, of course. I mean a meal.
David, do you remember when we were in Italy? And you couldn’t figure out the gas pump?
What was the deal with that?
It’s just different from what we’re used to in the– finally, some other guy pulled up to fill up the–
Yeah, yeah. Pity on me. But I don’t remember what was so different.
I don’t either, but we should, we should take the camera out when we will up and explain how it works. Because that’s intimidating I feel like, when you’re in another country, you’re not totally sure how something like that works.
Yeah.
Ok, so a quick rundown about getting gas in the US. Rundown, one word, this is a noun. It means an analysis, a summary. As two words, it’s a phrasal verb with various meanings. But I said, let’s do a quick rundown about getting gas in the US. Let’s do a quick summary. There are 2 kinds: self and full. Self means you pump your own gas. And full means someone else pumps your gas for you and you don’t have to get out of your car. It’s short for full service. And the gas pumps will be marked ‘self’ or ‘full’. Now, almost everywhere in the US is self serve. Except for New Jersey where it’s all full and also some spots in Oregon and a few towns elsewhere. If you’re at a self-serve spot, and you use a credit or debit card, you just insert it, you’ll usually have to enter your zipcode, select the grade, that is the quality or purity of the gas you’re using, and sometimes you have to flip up part of the pump. If you’re paying cash, you usually have to do that before you start pumping. So you’ll find the cashier inside, tell them how much you want and what is your pump number. You can say something like “Twenty dollars on four.”
Now, when you’re on a long road trip, there’s a chance you’re going to have to stop for food. We found a service plaza, that’s something that caters only to people coming on and off the highway, and the idea is that it’s faster than getting off at an exit and driving to a restaurant. But it’s pretty easy to get pretty terrible food there.
Are your beans and rice good?
How’s your burrito?
Honestly, the first bite was really bland.
Oh no. Okay.
Bland. That is, tasteless, not flavorful, not very good. You can also use this to describe a person. He’s got a bland personality. That means he’s not very interesting, pretty boring. Luckily, I made Sawyer some really tasty corn puree so he was happy.
Now, if we’re not eating food, often, we’re talking about food.
We tried to go to Loco Pez last night and it was so on fire.
It was like it– I don’t know. But it was something.’
They were slammed.
So we had to bail and we went to Cedar Point which was totally empty.
Did you enjoy it?
It was okay. I didn’t think it would– we were not blown away, were we, babe?
What’s that?
We weren’t blown away, were we? I wasn’t.
No.
Loco Pez, that’s a local restaurant in Philadelphia, Mexican inspired food, Spanish inspired name with the old American twist and pronunciation. Did you hear some of the words we used to describe this restaurant?
And it was so on fire.
On fire. No, the restaurant was not burning down, it was very busy, very popular. We can use this term to mean really good. Maybe you’re at a family wedding and your uncle is dancing all night, he’s got great moves, you could say, he’s on fire. You could say this in sports too, basketball, someone just keeps making shot after shot, you could say, she’s on fire!
We tried to go to Loco Pez last night and it was so on fire.
It was like it– I don’t know. But it was something.’
They were slammed.
David said, they were slammed. So that means really busy. Actually, you may have already learned that in the video I did earlier this month on ways to say you’re busy. That was one of the terms we learned! Slammed.
So we had to bail.
I said we had to bail. That means we had to give up, we had to do something different than what was planned. We were going to eat there, but it was so busy, we had to bail and go somewhere else.
And we went to Cedar Point which was totally empty.
Did you enjoy it?
It was okay. I didn’t think it would– we were not blown away, were we, babe?
What’s that?
We weren’t blown away, were we? I wasn’t.
No.
And the place we went, we were not blown away. Blown away is a good thing. You get blown away by something that exceeds expectation.
Just dropped off our friend, going to head home, the final 3 minutes of the drive. It went well. Everyone’s in one piece. No blown out tires. One tipped camera, however.
Was that..what’s her name?
Yeah.
What is her name?
If you can’t think of someone’s name, you can call her what’s-her-name, notice I’m dropping the H in there. What’s her– what’s her name? Or what’s his name? Again, dropping the H, what’s his– what’s his name? What’s her name? What’s his name?
Was that..what’s her name?
Yeah.
What is her name?
We made it! Good road trip, everybody? Yay!
Two more conversations now. Come as I do a work day on a farm.
In this American English pronunciation video, you’re going to come to a work day at this beautiful farm. We’ll also study pronunciation of the letter T, using ‘kinda’, and the reduction of the words ‘because’ and ‘to’.In this video, we’re going to take a look at some stop T endings. When a word ends in a T that’s not a part of a consonant cluster, that T will often be a stop. For example, the word ‘out’ will often be ‘out’, ‘out’. But when that word is followed by another word that begins with a vowel, it will often be a flap T because now it comes between two vowels when linked together. So, for example, in the phrase ‘out of’. That T will go from being a stop in the word ‘out’ to being a flap in the phrase ‘out of’. These are general guidelines. You will hear people clearly pronounce the full true T at the end of the word ‘out’ sometimes. It all depends on the habit of the speaker, and how clearly the speaker is enunciating.>> What is the assignment today? What is. Flap T. Listen again.
What is the assignment today?
Well, you can pull up some landscape fabric,
Okay.
Or take this, break this down.
Uh-huh.
Or carry some wood over to the trees.
Okay. >> Or help take this structure down.
Okay. Great.
Or snip some herbs.
Snip some herbs. That sounds like the most fun out of everything that you just said.
Did you notice how I dropped the T sound in the phrase ‘just said’. Sometimes, we’ll drop the T when it comes between two other consonant sounds. For example, the word ‘exact’. We will say an ending true T there. But when we add -ly, it’s not uncommon to drop the T: exactly, exactly, just said. Listen again.
Everything that you just said.
Hi Michelle.
Hi Rachel.
What project are you working on there?
I’m tearing this down. I’m destroying it.
You’re doing a good job.
Thanks. Kinda fun. You should join in.
I should help, instead of videotape, right?
It’s ok. We’re doing a pretty good job.
Did you notice how Michelle said ‘kinda’. She reduced the word ‘of’ to just the schwa vowel and attached it to the word ‘kind’. Kinda, kinda. Listen again.
Kinda fun. Kinda fun. Kinda fun. You should join in.
For the record, I didn’t only make a video. I did also help.
It’s stuck!
Michelle, let me help you with that.
Hey, thanks Rachel.
It’s a good thing I’ve been working out lately.
Working out. Stop T. Working out lately. Listen again.
Working out lately.
Edgar is documenting me documenting.
Documenting you documenting me.
It’s a meta-documentary going on there.
Notice how HaQuyen leaves off the T in ‘documentary’.
Do you know why you’re doing that?
Why am I doing it? Am I reducing it?
Well, it’s, T is a weird letter, and sometimes after N we do drop it. Like, in words like ‘center’, we’ll say ‘cenner’. Interview …
‘Innerview’. >> ‘Innerview’. Documentary.
‘Documennary’.
Exactly.
Rachel, why’d you take off your hat and jacket?
Because I got hot.
Did you notice how I reduced the word ‘because’ to ‘cuz’, ‘cuz’. Because I got hot. Listen again. >> Because I got hot. because I got hot. Because I got hot.
Also, did you notice that stop T: hot, hot. >> Because I got hot. Because I got hot. Because I got hot. Do you remember that awesome video I made on ‘hot’ back in the summer?
Uh, no, I don’t.
You actually don’t need to respond. I’m going to put a link to it then.
How can I help, Rachel?
Well, we’re about to need to take all the plants that have grown on this out.
Did you notice how I said ‘about to’. And I reduced the word ‘to’ to the true T and the schwa sound. The reason why I didn’t make it a flap T is because the word before ended in a T. So in this case, when we reduce the word ‘to’, we need to keep the true T. About to. About to. Listen again.
We’re about to need to take
We’re about to need to take
We’re about to need to take all of the plants that have grown on this out.
Edgar, how much time did we save you by coming to the work day?
You saved at least a month.
Oh, wow! That’s great.
Great. There I released the T, making the ending T a true T sound. Listen again.
That’s great.
What are you going to do with that extra month?
Think I’ll work some more!
Get other stuff done.
Get other stuff done. Thanks for having us out.
Out. There I made the ending T a stop T. Listen again.
Thanks for having us out.
Thanks for having us out.
Thank you for coming. You guys were great.
Our pleasure.
Ready? Okay.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English!
He was quiet for the whole take, I can hardly believe it. Thank you.
In this one, I’m making some Vietnamese food with friends and you’ll see a lot of contractions.
In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to learn some Vietnamese cooking, and you’re going to study contraction of the verb TO BE. One thing to note about these contractions is that no extra syllable is added. We’ll go over the pronunciations. You’ll notice that some of them have two different pronunciations. That’s because there can be a reduced pronunciation. I do recommend that you use the reduced pronunciation. Any time you can make a short word shorter it’s going to add better rhythmic contrast to your speech.
So, I am. I’m. I’m. You are. This can be ‘your’ or, better yet, let’s reduce it, ‘yer’. Notice how quick it is. When we reduce it, it’s going to be very, very fast, and it must be linked to the next word. ‘We are’ can be ‘we’re’, or ‘we’re’, or, better yet, wur, wur. Reduced. ‘They are’ can be ‘they’re’, or, reduced, thur. He is, she is, it is. This will be come he’s, she’s, it’s. Notice that the S in ‘it’s’ is pronounced as an S sound, unvoiced. That’s because the sound before is the T, also an unvoiced sound. It’s, it’s. However, the S in ‘he’s’ and ‘she’s’ is a Z sound. That’s voiced, because the sound before, a vowel, was voiced. He’s, she’s, it’s. TS can be a tough sound, and I do have a video on how to make that sound. So let’s take a look at some contractions in everyday conversation.
Alright, Annie. So after you peel the cucumber, you’re going to slice the cucumber into rounds. And then you’re going to flatten the rounds, and slice them lengthwise again to make it into a nice julienne.
Did you notice the contraction of ‘you are’ to ‘yer’? Yer, you’re going to. Listen again.
Alright, Annie. So after you peel the cucumber, you’re going to slice the cucumber into rounds. And then you’re going to flatten the rounds, and slice them lengthwise again to make it into a nice julienne.
How’s this, HaQuyen?
It looks good, looks good, it’s good.
How’s this? How’s, how’s, zz, zz, with a Z sound. It’s good. It is, it’s, it’s, with that TS sound. Listen again.
How’s this, HaQuyen?
It looks good, looks good, it’s good.
Well, if we look at the way Mark’s chopping his mushrooms, we can see that he’s doing quite a good job of it.
Thanks, HaQuyen.
Mark’s, Mark’s. The last sound of Mark’s name is the K sound, unvoiced. So the apostrophe S is also unvoiced. Ks, ks, Mark’s, Mark’s. We also heard ‘he’s’, where the apostrophe S is a Z sound. He’s, he’s, he’s doing. Listen again.
Well, if we look at the way Mark’s chopping his mushrooms, we can see that he’s doing quite a good job of it.
Thanks, HaQuyen.
That’s because she’s a good teacher.
Here, Natalie, speaking of HaQuyen, said that’s, that’s, that’s because, with the TS sound. She’s, she’s a good teacher. She’s a, she’s a, where the apostrophe S is a Z sound. Listen again.
That’s because she’s a good teacher.
Well, I’m going to dice up this cucumber as I was instructed.
I’m going to keep dicing the mushrooms.
Here, both Annie and Mark said I’m gonna. So, they have contracted I AM and also reduced ‘going to’ to ‘gonna’. I’m gonna. Notice how ‘I’m’ is the most stressed syllable in that fragment. I’m gonna. That’s because ‘going’ is a helping verb here, not the main verb. The main verb is stressed. For example, Annie said ‘I’m gonna dice’. I’m gonna dice, Stressing ‘dice’. Listen again.
Well, I’m going to dice up this cucumber as I was instructed.
I’m going to keep dicing the mushrooms.
Hey Annie, when are the noodles going to be ready?
They’re going to be ready in about 10 minutes.
They’re gonna. Did you hear how Annie reduced ‘they’re’ to thur, thur, thur, they’re gonna. They’re gonna be ready. Listen again.
Hey Annie, when are the noodles going to be ready?
They’re going to be ready in about 10 minutes.
I think we’re all set with the basil.
Thanks, Lori.
We’re all set. Did you hear Lori’s reduction of ‘we’re’ to wur, wur, wur, we’re all set. All set is a common idiom meaning ready, or not in need of anything. Here, she is saying the basil is ready for the dish. I use it often at a restaurant, for example, when a waiter asks if there is anything more I need. Nope, I’m all set, I’ll say. Listen again.
I think we’re all set with the basil.
Thanks, Lori.
I love HaQuyen. She’s such an effective teacher.
That’s true. HaQuyen, thanks so much for teaching us how to make all this amazing food.
Thanks for coming and joining me to eat all this wonderful food.
Any time. We will eat your food any time.
Yes, we will.
Love it.
She’s, she’s, she’s such, with the apostrophe S pronounced as a Z. That’s, that’s true, with the TS sound. Listen again.
I love HaQuyen. She’s such an effective teacher.
That’s true. HaQuyen, thanks so much for teaching us how to make all this amazing food.
Thanks for coming and joining me to eat all this wonderful food.
Any time. We will eat your food any time.
Yes, we will.
Love it.
I’m crushing it over here, as you may be able to see.
He’s crushing it.
I’m adding noodles.
I’m adding tofu.
I’m waiting for shrimp.
I’m adding bean sprouts.
I’m. Lots of I’m in this clip. Also Mark used the idiom ‘to crush’ — meaning he thinks he is doing an excellent job of making a summer roll. There are lots of different ways to use the word ‘crush’. For example to say you have a crush on someone means you like that person, you have romantic interest in that person. Let’s listen again to all these I’m contractions.
I’m crushing it over here, as you may be able to see.
He’s crushing it.
I’m adding noodles.
I’m adding tofu.
I’m waiting for shrimp.
I’m adding bean sprouts.
That chicken’s looking good.
That chicken’s looking good. Natalie contracted ‘chicken is’ to chicken’s, that chicken’s looking good. And it was good. It was delicious! Listen again.
That chicken’s looking good.
There is onion in there.
There’s no onion in there.
I…
That one’s mine.
Wait, where’s the onion? Oh, spring onion.
There’s no onion in there, where’s the onion. There’s, where’s. Both of these words end in the R sound, a voiced consonant, so the apostrophe S is a Z sound. There’s, there’s. Where’s, where’s. There’s no onion, where’s the onion. Listen again.
There is onion in there.
There’s no onion in there.
I…
That one’s mine.
Wait, where’s the onion? Oh, spring onion.
Annie, hold it up.
Look at that. That’s absolute perfection.
It does look great.
You’ve got to love Annie’s enthusiasm. That’s absolute perfection. That’s, that’s, again, with the TS sound. Listen again.
Annie, hold it up.
Look at that. That’s absolute perfection.
It does look great.
Oh god, my dogs are barking.
Why is that, Hillary?
We’ve been walking around all day.
Not to mention all the dancing you did last night.
Oh, it was amazing.
My dogs are barking. This is a great idiom to mean your feet are tired. My dogs are barking. Notice how the word ‘are’ is reduced to er, er, er, My dogs are, my dogs are. My dogs are barkin’. Notice also the ING is pronounced as an IN. My dogs are barkin’ instead of dogs are barking. You may find this happening sometimes with certain phrases or idioms. Listen again.
Oh god, my dogs are barking.
Why is that, Hillary?
We’ve been walking around all day.
Not to mention all the dancing you did last night.
Oh, it was amazing.
I hope this has made you more aware of just how often we use this kind of contraction. Watch this video a time or two. Then watch an American TV show or movie, and see if you can notice these ‘to be’ contractions. Write them down as you watch and practice the phrases. Using contractions will really help your speech sound more natural.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
Guys, that was fantastic.
Which one of these conversations was your favorite? Let me know in the comments. I love sharing my life with you, sharing the English language with you. Be sure to subscribe with notifications ON so you never miss a lesson, I love being your English teacher. That’s it and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
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