They're one of the best ways for you to improve listening comprehension and

learn tricks to sound more natural when speaking English, like using specific reductions.

This January, you're getting five all new Ben Franklin videos

where we do a full analysis of real American English conversations.

Today's topic: grocery shopping.

Let's get started with this analysis.

First, the whole conversation.

I just got my first weird look.

But you know what? At the end of the day,

- it doesn't matter. - I know.

At the end of the day, it's the students who matter.

That's right.

- Ok green beans. - Ooo.

- Cranberries. Fresh. - Oh yeah.

Oh, and I was hoping that we wouldn't have to buy a huge bag.

How many do we need?

Now, The analysis.

I just got my first weird look.

I just got my first weird look.

The words that I hear being the most stressed there are just, weird, and look.

They're a little bit longer: So I just got my first weird look.

Let's talk about the pronunciations of T here. They're interesting.

First, we have a stop T in 'got my'.

This is how we usually pronounce an ending T when the next word begins with a consonant.

Got my-- So it's not: gah my-- gah my-- with a continuous flow of sound

but it's: got my-- got-- an abrupt stop for the word, then the word 'my'.

Got my- We stopped the air in our throat and that signifies the stop T.

Got my--

Got my-- Got my-- Got my--

The other two T's are also ending T's but now they're part of a cluster, the ST cluster

and it's very common when a T is between two other consonants, to drop that T.

So if you look, when we link the two words together, which we always do

with a thought group, the T's now come between two consonants.

So we will drop them. This is so common with ST ending clusters.

When the next word begins the consonant, we drop it.

So the word 'just' is a very common word and when it is followed by a consonant word, we drop that T sound.

So instead of 'I just got' it becomes 'I just got'

Just got- The S sound right into the G.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Do you think you've heard Americans doing this?

It's really common.

Just got-

Just got- Just got- Just got my first weird look.

And for 'first weird', we pronounce that: first weird- firsts weird-

Right from the S into the W

and this helps us link the two words more smoothly,

and we always like a smooth line in American English.

First weird look. First weird look. First weird look.

But you know what? At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

She's speaking really quickly here:

But you know what? At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

So even though she's speaking really quickly,

some of the syllables are a little bit longer and that's what helps make it clear to a native listener.

Let's just look at the first sentence: But you know what?

'Know' and 'what' both a little bit longer, we have a stop T at the end of 'what'.

But you know what?

The intonation goes up at the end, it's a yes/no question.

But you know what? But you know what? But you know what?

What about 'but' and 'you'?

She pronounces that so quickly: but you- but you-

She actually drops the T which isn't that common in general

but in this phrase, which is pretty common,

But you know what? Or You know what?

We say that quite a bit and in a phrase that's more common,

we tend to do even more reductions because of the familiarity.

We know that it will still be understood.

So it's very common to pronounce this phrase: But you know what?

But you- But you- But you- But you-

These two words linked together, said very quickly, become just the B sound and the schwa,

buh- buh- buh-

then the Y sound, and the schwa, a common reduction of the word 'you'.

But you- But you- But you- But you know what?

But you know what? But you know what? But you know what? At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

'End' a little bit longer.

At the end--

At the end--

Of the day--

It doesn't ma--tter.

So those syllables are a little bit longer

which provides a little contrast with her very fast speech, her very fast unstressed words.

And we do need this contrast of stressed and unstressed to sound natural in American English.

So let's look at the unstressed words 'at' and 'the'.

At the end of the day-

At the end of the day-

At the end of the day-

It's actually 'at the' and the vowel is so fast.

This can either be the whole AH vowel or it can be the schwa:

but- but- but- or at- at- at- at-

At the end of the day--

At the end of the day---

At the end of the day--

It doesn't really matter. What matters is that it said incredibly quickly.

We have a stop T so the word 'at' is cut off a little abrupt.

You stop the air in your throat and the E here is pronounced as the EE as in she vowel

because the next word begins with a vowel or diphthong sound.

If the next word began with a consonant sound,

then it would be: the- which is what we get here.

Here, it's pronounced as the schwa because the next sound is a consonant sound.

So we have 'the end' and 'the day'.

But of course it's not pronounced that clearly, is it?

Because this isn't an important word, so it's: at the-- at the-- at the-- at the--

at the end of the day-- at the end of the day-- at the end of the day--

'Of' and 'the' becomes: of the-- of the--

The whole word 'of' is reduced to just the schwa, which we link on to the word 'the'.

of the-- of the-- of the--

end of the day--

end of the day--

at the end of the day--

end of the day-- the end of the day-- end of the day--

So making these less important words really quickly helps provide the contrast we need.

Practice that with me.

at the- at the- at the-

of the- of the- of the-

at the end of the day-- at the end of the day--

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

The words 'it' and 'doesn't' also said pretty quickly.

Another stop T here.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter. Now I think I hear the T here being totally dropped as well.

This is pretty common. We either drop the T or we make it sort of a nasal stop sound to signify the NT:

doesn't-- nt-- nt-- nt-- nt--

But here, I think she's just making the N sound glide right into the M sound:

doesn't matter--

And because of that smooth connection, there's no stop.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

The word 'it' very quick stop after 'it'

but these two words are still said pretty quickly: it doesn't-- It doesn't matter.

And then the stressed syllable ah with the AH vowel in 'matter' and then we have a flap T: matter.

- It doesn't matter. - I know.

- It doesn't matter. - I know.

- It doesn't matter. - I know.

I know. I know.

So I said this at the same time she was saying doesn't matter.

I know.

It's a two-word phrase and stress is on the word 'know'

but the pitch of the whole phrase is smooth. It's not: I know.

But it's this smooth line connecting.

I know.

It's the smooth change in pitch. This rise and fall of intonation

that makes one of the characteristics of American English.

Smooth transitions. We want the words to be linked.

We want the change in intonation to be smooth so that nothing's choppy.

I know.

I know. I know. I know.

At the end of the day--

At the end of the day--

Now here I definitely reduce the vowel to the schwa: but at- Stop T.

At the end of the day--

Again, the whole phrase is very smooth.

At the end of the day-

with 'end' and 'day' being a little bit longer, also having that peak in intonation.

Again, the letter E here makes the EE as in she vowel because the next word begins with a vowel sound.

And here it makes the schwa because the next word begins with a consonant.

So we have: at the-- at the end--

and then I also drop the V sound and make just the schwa.

of the--

of the-- of the-- of the--

These two words said very quickly: of the day--

At the end of the day--

At the end of the day-- At the end of the day--

At the end of the day, it's the students who matter.

It's the students who matter.

And here 'stu-' is the most stressed syllable of that phrase. Ma-- also a little stressed.

Again, we have a flap T here: matter-

It's the students who matter.

It's the- said quickly: it's the- it's the- it's the-

it's the stu-- it's the stu-- it's the stu--

Stu-- dents who-- dents who-- dents who--

Students-- Students-- Students--

Then these two syllables more quickly.

Ma-- another little stretch.

It's the students who matter. Aaahhhh--

Smooth change in intonation with peaks on the stressed syllables.

It's the students who matter.

It's the students who matter.

It's the students who matter.

That's right.

That's right. That's right. That's right.

The TH sound here not terribly clear.

She's not bringing the tongue tip through the teeth for it but she's

pressing the tongue tip on the backs of the teeth where the top and bottom teeth meet.

that's- that's- that's- that's- that's- That's right.

It allows us to make that sound a little bit more quickly: That's right.

That's right. That's right. That's right.

Now here, we have the TS cluster into the R.

All of these sounds are pronounced. we get ts-- and then er--

That's right. That's right.

But this is a stop T where we cut off the air,

the pitch doesn't fall down slowly.

We have an abrupt stop. Right-- right-- That's right.

Right-- right-- right--

Okay, green beans.

Okay, green beans.

'Green' most stressed word in that phrase and the pitch is all smooth.

Okay, green beans.

The pitch goes up, energy builds towards the stressed word, and then it falls away: beans-- afterwards.

Green beans.

Green beans.

Green beans.

While I say that, Laura says: Oooh. Oooh. Oooh.

Just a little exclamation you make when you notice something

or something's important, you want to call attention to it or if you get

excited about something. Oooh. Look at that.

- Green beans. - Oooh.

- Green beans. - Oooh.

- Green beans. - Oooh.

Cranberries.

Cranberries.

Cranberries. Cranberries.

Stress is on the first syllable there. That's a three syllable word,

so the first syllable is 'cran' and the last two syllables are: berries- berries- berries-

They're a little less clear, a little bit more mumbled,

that's how unstressed syllables sound.

Cranberries.

Cranberries.

Cranberries.

Cranberries.

Fresh.

Fresh.

Fresh.

What do you notice about the intonation of that word?

Fresh.

It moves up and down.

And that is the shape of a stressed syllable.

Fresh.

Fresh.