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

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

To help you hear what to do,  we're going to show you what  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

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

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

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

Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

Hi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.

Hey Rach, I'm going to Starbucks.

Do you want to come along?

Do you wanna come along?

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

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

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

Do you want to come along?

Do you wanna come along?

Do you want to come along?

Do you wanna come along?

No. Thank you, Tom.

No thanks.

Thank you becomes thanks. One less syllable.

No. Thank you, Tom.

No thanks.

No. Thank you, Tom.

No thanks.

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

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

I have becomes I've.

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

Want to becomes wanna,  

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

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

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

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

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

Okay. I will be back soon.

Okay. I'll be back soon.

I will becomes I'll reduced to [ɔl].

Okay. I will be back soon.

Okay. I'll be back soon.

Okay. I will be back soon.

Okay. I'll be back soon.

Oh, I would love a coffee though.

Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

I would becomes I'd.

Oh, I would love a coffee though.

Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

Oh, I would love a coffee though.

Oh, I'd love a coffee though.

Medium?

That will be fine.

Medium?

That'll be fine.

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

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

Medium?

That will be fine.

Medium?

That'll be fine.

Medium?

That will be fine.

Medium?

That'll be fine.

Great. See you in a bit.

Great. See you in a bit.

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

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

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

Great. See you in a bit.

Great. See you in a bit.

These four conversations focus on three major  

points that make American  English sound more natural.

1 - Using contractions. In general,  using contractions in spoken English  

is more natural than not doing a contraction.  If you find in conversation you're saying I AM,  

I WILL, I WOULD, and so on,  try to shift that to I'm, I'll,  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to my subscribers on Facebook, your support means  a lot, funds these videos, and gets you perks like  

exclusive audio lessons. Click join, click  join to learn more. Thank you so much.

Let's look now at the second conversation.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where have you been?

Where've you been?

Where have becomes where've. Where've.

Where have you been?

Where've you been?

Where have you been?

Where've you been?

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

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

Did not becomes didn't. Didn't I. Again with an n  apostrophe t contraction, we don't release the t.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes, but you have been there all this time?

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

Yes becomes yeah. Not really a  reduction, just a more casual word, yeah.

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

You have becomes you've.

Yes, but you have been there all this time?

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

Yes, but you have been there all this time?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They have all been in Florida?

They've all been in Florida?

They have becomes they've.

They have all been in Florida?

They've all been in Florida?

They have all been in Florida?

They've all been in Florida?

I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

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

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

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

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

I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

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

I would swear that we have  had this conversation already.

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

I guess it is possible I forgot.

I guess it's possible I forgot.

It is becomes it's.

I guess it is possible I forgot.

I guess it's possible I forgot.

I guess it is possible I forgot.

I guess it's possible I forgot.

Or I am having déjà vu.

Or I'm having déjà vu.

I am contracts to I'm.

Or I am having déjà vu.

Or I'm having déjà vu.

Or I am having déjà vu.

Or I'm having déjà vu.