2 Hour Masterclass: Speak Fast & Understand Natives | Practice English Listening

Welcome to this.

English master class.

You are going to learn phrasal verbs, idioms  and expressions to help you sound like a native.

You'll learn how to speak fast and pronounce  all your new vocabulary just like a native.

And this will help you understand  fast speaking natives as well.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

Of course, I'm Jennifer Nell.

Let's get started.

Here's how this master class will work.

You'll listen to a sentence three times, and  you need to write down exactly what you hear.

And after you'll learn how to use  the expression just like a native.

Let's get started.

With the.

First listening exercise.

Claire, let's get a move on.

Claire, let's get a move on.

Claire, let's get a move on.

So how did you do with that clip?

Did it sound fast?

He said Claire.

Let's.

Get a move on 1st.

Let's talk about.

Let's this is a contraction of let us let's.

Let's native speakers always say let's and this  is the imperative verb tense which is used for.

Orders or instructions?

So this is given as an instruction.

Let's get ah now native speakers.

It sounds like we speak fast.

Because we take individual words.

We don't add pauses and we  pronounce them as one word.

Get ah, sounds like get a, get a, get a move on.

You have the on move.

Now on is a vowel.

So we can transfer that sound and we  can say these two like one word move on,  

von move on, move on, move on.

Now what does this mean?

Let's get a move on.

This is an idiom, and it means to  begin moving faster or quickly.

It's the same as saying.

Hurry.

Or.

Hurry up, you could say to your friend.

The Movie.

Starts in less than one hour.

Let's get a move on.

Let's hurry.

Let's move faster.

Or you can say if we're going to finish the  project on time, we need to get a move on.

So now you know how to combine your  sounds so you can speak faster.

And you know what this expression means.

So it's your turn to practice.

I want you to imitate my  pronunciation, and I want you to.

Say it out.

Loud and I'll say it three times.

Let's get a move on.

Let's get a move on.

Let's get a move on.

Claire, let's get a move on.

Let's. Get a move on.

Let's get a move.

On Let's Try This Again, I'll  play the clip three times.

Just give me a shot when you're done.

Just give me a shot when you're done.

Just give me a shout when you're done.

How'd you do it?

This one just give.

Me. A shout.

When you're done, let's talk about  how to combine those sounds together.

Give me Do you know what a native speaker says?

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.

Now we can also take that article off and add it  and say Gimme A, Gimme a yeah, Gimme a native.

Speakers also.

Reduce.

Sounds so we say them very.

Unstressed.

So instead of saying.

Your which is very stressed.

I need to open my mouth wide your.

I can just.

Say your your and the sound is unstressed.

It's more my throat your.

Now let's talk about what this means.

Give me a shout.

What does this mean?

Maybe you know what the verb.

To.

Shout, which means ah.

To.

Shout.

But what about, ah, shout as a noun?

Well, this simply means call me  because a shout is a phone call.

So give me a shout is the same as saying call me.

So if I'm leaving the house or the office, I  could say to the people there, give me a shout.

If you need anything I'm leaving, but call  me if you need anything, give me a shout.

This is commonly used with a when clause.

Give me a shout when you land.

So notice when plus present.

Simple.

When you land, give me a shout.

When you land, call me when you land.

In this case it was give me a shout.

When you're done, you are done.

So to be done.

This means to be finished.

So this means the task is complete.

I could text you or give you a shout  and say I'm done with the report.

I'm finished with the report,  the report is complete.

I could also say I'm done working on the report.

So notice you need your gerund verb.

I'm done working on the report.

Or I could simply say I'm done.

So now it's your turn to practice.

I'll say it three times and I  want you to repeat it out loud.

Just give me a shout when you're done.

Just give me a shout when you're done.

Just give me a shout when you're done.

Just give me a shout when you're done.

If he pops out, give me a shout.

I'll give you a shout when we're done.

Let's try this again.

I'll play the clip three times.

Sorry, give me a SEC.

Sorry, give me a SEC.

Sorry, give me a SEC.

How'd you do it?

This one?

I'm sorry.

Give me a SEC.

This should have been easy  for you because you just.

Learned Give me Gimme and  give me a Gimme a Gimme a now.

What does suck?

Mean, give me a suck.

What's a suck?

It is.

Short.

For second, we take the word  2nd and we shorten it to SEC.

Notice that K sounds suck.

Give me a SEC.

Give me a SEC.

We use this to say give me a short period of time.

So that might be a few seconds or  it could also be a few minutes.

I could say give me a SEC to find your file.

And then I take hopefully just three to five,  

maybe 10 seconds to find  your file and you're waiting.

Give me a SEC to find your file.

This is commonly used to get someone's attention  to and to ask if they have time right now.

So you could knock on my door and  say, Jennifer, do you have a SEC?

So you're asking me, do you have a few minutes?

Do you have a few seconds?

Do you have a SEC?

Or maybe you could text.

Your colleague and say where are you?

The meeting started 5 minutes ago.

And then you reply back and  say I'll be there in a SEC.

I'll be there in a short period of time.

Now it's your turn to practice this one.

I'll say it three times.

I'm sorry, give me a SEC.

I'm sorry, Give me a SEC.

I'm sorry, give me a SEC.

Sorry, give me a SEC do.

You have a SEC.

I'll be there in a SEC.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll play the clip three times.

And I still haven't figured it out.

And I still haven't figured it out.

And I still haven't figured it out.

Did this one sound fast to you?

It was.

Pretty fast, he said.

And I still haven't figured it out.

Again, it sounds fast because we're taking  individual words and combining them together.

Figured it out.

Sounds like figured it out.

So you need to take.

The end sound from one word  and transfer it to the next  

figured it out and then it has to sound like one.

Word Figured it out.

Figured it out.

Figured it out.

Figured it out to figure.

Something out.

Most students know what this means.

It means to understand.

Or solve.

Something as a question I could ask you.

Have you figured it out now?

I can also add yet.

Have you?

Figured it out.

Yet.

This is in the present perfect.

Verb tense.

So if you use he or she as the  subject you need to change,  

have to has, has he, has she figured it out yet?

To reply positively, you can  say I have figured it out.

You can add already.

I have already figured it out.

And then for.

He or she, he or she has already figured  it out when you reply positively.

This is a completed pass action, but there's a  result in the present, so maybe the result is.

So now the client won't fire  us because I've figured it out,  

I've solved the issue or the problem,  but in the clip it was negative.

I haven't figured it out.

And then you can add yet at the end for he or  she you need hasn't, which is the contraction.

He hasn't figured it out yet.

This shows that it's an ongoing process.

You're still trying to figure it out,  

but did you notice that the speaker  said I still haven't figured it out.

So the speaker didn't use yet.

They used still and notice that placement.

It's subject.

I still and then haven't or if it's he  or she, he still hasn't figured it out  

using still instead of yet.

It emphasizes that it's ongoing.

And it also.

Emphasizes the difficulty of  the task, so it sounds like.

He's. Struggling with this you might say.

We've been working on this bug for  hours and we still haven't figured.

It out.

So it really emphasizes the struggle.

I could reply back and say, OK,  

give me a shout when you figure it out  because remember you need the present.

Simple.

After that when statement give me a shout when.

You figure it out.

Or I could be less patient and put pressure on  this person and say, well, let's get a move on.

The client will be here in an hour.

Now it's your turn to practice.

I'll say it three times and  you need to repeat after me.

I still haven't figured it out.

I still haven't figured it out.

I still haven't figured it out.

And I still haven't figured it out.

If you haven't figured it out yet.

No one's figured it out yet.

Are you enjoying this lesson?

If you are, then I want to tell you  about the Finally Fluent Academy.

This is my premium training program where  we study native English speakers from TV,  

the movies, YouTube and the news.

So you can improve your listening  skills of fast English, expand your  

vocabulary with natural expressions,  and learn advanced grammar easily.

Plus.

You'll have me.

As your personal coach, you can look in  the description for the link to learn more.

Or you can go to my.

Website and click on Finally Fluent Academy.

Now let's continue with our lesson.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

It was a cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk.

Did you get this one?

I said it was a cakewalk.

Let's talk about was, ah, you can combine  these together and it sounds like was SA.

So notice I'm linking the  sounds and I'm taking that.

Was, but it's a voiced.

Sound.

So I'm going to transfer that  sound to ah, so you hear SA.

SA was a, was a.

It was a.

Cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk.

This thing was a cakewalk.

Right.

What does this mean to be a cakewalk?

This means that something is simple or effortless.

You might be familiar with the  idiom to be a piece of cake.

When you describe something as a piece  of cake, it means simple or effortless.

This is the same idiom, it's just  slightly changing it to be a cakewalk.

Piece of cake.

Hopefully you would.

Say learning English becomes a  cakewalk when you have a great teacher.

If you agree, then put cakewalk, cakewalk.

Put cakewalk in the comments.

Remember that you have to conjugate your verb  to be with the subject and the time reference.

This was a cakewalk in the past, simple.

This is a cakewalk in the present simple.

This will be a cakewalk in which  verb tense the future simple and  

this has been a cakewalk which  verb tense the present perfect.

And also remember the article,  it's always a cakewalk.

This was a cakewalk.

Let's try this again, a little more advanced.

I'll say it three.

Times.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

Did you hear this one?

I said it's a Band-Aid fix.

Of course it's is our contraction of  it is it's it's Band-Aid is 2 words.

But to pronounce them like one, I'll  take that D and transfer it to the vowel.

Band-Aid, Band-Aid, Band-Aid, Band-Aid fix.

A Band-Aid fix is a temporary  solution to a problem.

Understand this expression.

You need to know what a Band-Aid is.

This is a Band-Aid.

This is the.

Brand name for bandage, but  the brand name is Band-Aid,  

and native speakers just refer  to bandages as band aids.

I put.

Band aids on it, but.

Remember this means a temporary  solution to a problem.

You could say filling the  potholes is a Band-Aid fix.

This entire Rd.

needs to be repaved.

But it's just a Band-Aid fix.

Now, there are many temporary solutions  to help you improve your English,  

but not all of them are permanent.

For example, relying on ChatGPT to  write for you is a Band-Aid fix.

Remember the article our noun is ah fix, and  then Band-Aid is an adjective ah Band-Aid fix.

And although a Band-Aid fix means a temporary  solution, you can't say say a Band-Aid solution.

You must always say a Band-Aid fix, because  that's the word choice in this expression.

Let's try this again, a little more difficult.

I'll say it three times.

You can't rest on your laurels.

You can't rest on your laurels.

You can't rest on your laurels.

Did you get this one?

I said you can't rest on your laurels.

Native speakers often pronounce T as a flap T,  

which means we don't push out that puff of  air because it forces us to take a pause.

You can't.

So I don't say you can't.

I say you can't.

You can't Reston.

So here you hear that T because I'm  linking the two words together and  

I'm transferring the T sound onto  the vowel Reston ton Reston Reston.

Your is pronounced in spoken  English as an unstressed your.

Your you can't rest on your your laurels.

This could be a hard word to  pronounce depending on your  

native language because we have  an R and an L Lore OLS lore OLS.

So divide the sounds until you're comfortable with  

each sound lore OLS and then  you can pronounce it as one.

Laurels, Laurels.

The expression is to rest on your laurels.

We use this to say that you shouldn't become too  comfortable or stagnant with past achievements.

Past successes.

You should set new goals.

You should push yourself further.

You shouldn't rest on your laurels.

For example, the author wrote an international  bestseller but then rested on her laurels.

So she had a past accomplishment, past success  with this international bestseller that she wrote.

But because she rested on her laurels,  it means that she didn't set new goals.

She didn't push herself further,  

so she didn't write anything after  that international bestseller.

She just remained successful based on her past  success, but didn't achieve any new success.

Let's think about.

This in a language learning context.

Maybe you have a past success  with a high score on an exam.

It's amazing that you got a  band 9 on your IELTS last year,  

but you can't just rest on your laurels.

So this sounds like after your  amazing accomplishment, your band 9,  

you stopped trying to improve, you  stopped trying to improve even more.

You just rested on your laurels.

You had that past success and  you thought you were done with  

language learning, which of course isn't the case.

So to help motivate this friend  who's resting on their laurels,  

you can say subscribe to J for his English and  keep improving, keep learning, keep growing.

Don't rest on your laurels.

Let's let's write this one more time,  the most advanced listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

I'm going out for a bit.

I'm going out for a bit.

I'm going out for a bit.

Did you get this one?

I said I'm going out for a bit.

Of course I'm is our contraction of  I am I'm, I'm, I'm going out again.

We have that flap T because  I'm not going to say out.

I'm going out.

I'm going out now.

Many Native speakers will combine all three  of these together and they'll pronounce for as  

more of an unstressed fur, fur a fur a bit,  fur a bit, and again, that flat T on bit.

Because I'm not saying bit for a bit for a bit.

You can still link them  together even if you say for or.

A Native speaker commonly  says Fer for a bit for a bit.

Now, sometimes native speakers  will pronounce the T In this case,  

because it's at the end of a  sentence, there's a period.

So we have to take a pause  anyway for a bit for a bit.

I'm going out for a bit.

To go out, this means to temporarily  leave your current location,  

most commonly your home, for a bit.

Is a time reference and it means  for a small amount of time.

Sorry guys, I have to go out for a bit.

This is a common way that  someone will say they're leaving.

I'm going out for a bit now.

Where are they going?

Well, remember it's more of a  they're going out temporarily.

So perhaps they're going to run errands,  

go grocery shopping, meet a friend, or go  to the movies any small amount of time.

We also commonly use this as a suggestion to say,  

let's leave the house and do  something more interesting.

We've been watching Netflix.

All day, let's go out.

Let's.

Go out for a bit.

Let's go out tonight.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you  

can practice these pronunciation  changes and practice fast English.

So I'll say each sentence again three times,  

and after each sentence, I want you  to repeat the sentence out loud.

Here we go.

It was a cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

It's a Band-Aid fix.

You can't rest on your laurels.

You can't rest on your laurels.

You can't rest on your laurels.

I'm going out for a bit.

I'm going out for a bit.

I'm going out for a bit.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

It's not a big deal at all.

It's not a big deal at all.

It's not a big deal at all.

Did you get this one?

I said it's not a big deal at all.

It's it's a contraction of it is not a.

We can combine these together, but  notice we have a T between two vowels.

So a native speaker is going to pronounce  that as a soft D and say nada, nada.

It's nada.

It's nada, big deal.

And then we can do the same with  at with that T and then all I can  

put them together and then I'll  pronounce that T as a soft D.

And it sounds like at all, at all, at all, at all.

It's not a big deal at all.

Let's talk about what this means to.

Be a big deal.

This describes something that's  important, serious, or significant.

We use this in both positive  and negative situations.

For example, when you do something and  the consequences are serious in a bad way,  

getting caught plagiarizing is a big deal You.

Could be.

Expelled.

So here the consequences are  serious in a negative way.

You could be expelled, which means  permanently removed from your.

School.

Is that that big of a deal?

Yes, it's a big deal.

But we also use this in a positive way.

Getting a promotion is a big deal.

You can finally buy a house.

So here the promotion is important and  significant for the impact will have on your life.

It's a.

Big deal.

No big deal.

It's a huge deal.

Now remember, our example was in the negative.

It's not a big deal at all.

So we can use this in two ways.

First, to say that something isn't  serious, significant, or important.

For example, missing the party isn't a big deal.

Your friend will understand.

So the consequence of that action?

Missing the party isn't very  important or significant or serious.

It's really not a big deal.

It's not a big deal now.

We also use this as a reply when someone offers  appreciation or their thanks for something we did.

Your friend could say thanks for  agreeing to help me move this weekend.

I really.

Appreciate.

It and you can reply back and  say it's not a big deal at all.

I'm happy to help.

Now, if you want to sound  really American and casual,  

you can reduce that entire sentence to two words.

No biggie, no biggie.

So no biggie represents, it's not  a big deal, no biggie, no biggie.

It's really common with native  speakers in a casual, informal way.

So I could show my appreciation to you and say  

thank you so much for liking  this video and subscribing.

Don't forget to do those two things and  then you can reply back and say no biggie,  

no biggie, it's not a big deal at all.

I'm happy to.

So put that in the comments.

No biggie, no biggie, no biggie.

Put that in the comments.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

So what are you into?

So what are you into?

So what are you into?

I said.

So what are you into?

What?

Are can combine together and  that R can sound very reduced.

What are what are what are so in what are what are  what are So basically I'm forming a contraction in  

spoken English, although this does not exist as  a contraction is what we do in spoken English.

So what are you can become more of an unstressed.

Ya or ya ya ya?

Almost identical in pronunciation.

What are ya inta?

So you can take into and change it to inta.

I didn't do that personally, but many native  speakers do, so be prepared to hear to as TA.

So what are you into?

What are you into?

This is a casual way to ask someone about their  interests or preferences, so definitely add this.

To your vocabulary.

It will help you sound like  a Native American speaker.

So what exactly are you into, Jesse?

To reply, you can say I'm to be into, I am.

I'm into plus a noun.

I'm into music, art, yoga, photography,  hiking, biking, or whatever other activity  

that you're into is also very common  to answer what are you into just with?

A verb of.

Preference and simply say I like music, I  love yoga, I adore photography or whatever.

Your.

Interest or preference is.

So what are you into?

What about you, sleeveless?

What are you into?

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

Can we play it by ear?

Can we play it by ear?

Can we play it by ear?

Did you get this one?

I said.

Can we play it by ear?

Ken is an auxiliary verb.

It's there to ask the question,  When is an auxiliary verb?

We pronounce it as kin.

Kin unstressed because the main verb  is what you hear play, Can you play?

Can you play?

We can combine play and it together.

I'll take that.

Y and I'll use it to connect.

Play it yet?

Play it.

Play it.

But you say it as one word.

Can we play it by ear?

Do you know what this means  when you play something by ear,  

it means that you make decisions as they  happen rather than planning in advance.

If your friend or spouse asks you  what should we do this weekend?

And you don't want to make plans, you  just want to decide as it's happening.

So you wait until dinner to.

Decide.

What you're going to have for dinner, rather  than planning it in advance the day before,  

you can say, let's just play it by ear.

Let's just play it by ear, You're  right, let's play it by ear.

Or someone asks what are you going to do  

on vacation because they know  you have a vacation planned.

You can reply back and say we have a few  tours planned and we'll play the rest by ear.

The rest being the rest of your vacation.

We'll play the rest by ear.

We'll decide what we want to do in  the moment, based on how we feel,  

based on where we are, based on the  situation, rather than deciding in advance.

What about you?

When you're planning a vacation, do  you prefer to have a full itinerary,  

which means every day all the activities you're  going to do on that day are decided in advance?

That's a full itinerary.

Or do you prefer to play it by ear?

No plans, you're just going to decide  what to do based on how you feel.

Or perhaps #3 a little bit of both.

So put in the comments.

Your preference, 1-2 or three?

As for me, I would probably  choose #2 just to play it by ear.

I like being more spontaneous.

But my husband, Kevin, he is  definitely a full itinerary person,  

which I learned the first time  we planned a vacation together.

So now we do #3 we do a little bit of both.

So we both are more satisfied.

What about you?

Share yours in the comments.

I don't know, play it by ear?

Why?

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Did you get this one?

Maybe a little more challenging, I said.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Turns out I can combine those  together and it sounds like.

Turns out.

So I'm using that S to glide to the  next word, but I say it as one word.

Turns out turns out I bought a so bot is  pronounced bot so I can combine those together.

Boda boda just like got a native  speakers commonly say gotta.

Well, you can do the same thing with.

Bought a boda?

Boda knock the K is silent and  off because they go together.

Knock off it's one word.

I'm going to use that knock off cough.

So I'm going to pronounce the final K on knock,  

and I'm going to pronounce it  on off, knock off, knock off.

Let's.

Talk about.

What this means Turns out to turn out.

This is an extremely common phrasal verb and  is used in many expressions in daily speech,  

so definitely add it to your vocabulary.

In this context, turns out is used to say  that something is surprising or unexpected,  

so I did not expect this situation.

Turns out it was spam.

So let's say you were supposed to work late  tonight and you knew about this last week.

You've planned your your entire.

Week.

To work late today, you've  made plans and arrangements,  

but then your boss says, oh, actually,  you don't have to work late tonight.

We finished the project.

So you can say, oh, turns out I don't have  to work late tonight because it's unexpected.

It's surprising.

It's not what you thought turns out  grammatically there should be a subject here.

It turns out I don't have to work late tonight,  but this is called a dummy subject in English.

Where the subject?

It doesn't actually represent anything,  is just the existence, the situation.

Because it's a dummy subject in spoken English,  

we often drop it and just say turns  out I don't have to work late tonight.

But in written English, a subject  is required grammatically.

Let's talk about a knockoff.

What is this?

Because turns out I bought a knockoff.

What's a knockoff?

A knockoff is a copy or an imitation of of  something, usually a product or service.

Knockoffs are very common with  designer brands, so the original is a.

Louis.

Vuitton handbag, which has a very distinct  look to it, but there are a lot of knockoffs.

They're fake.

They're fake Louis Vuittons and from a  distance you probably can't tell at all,  

but when you examine the quality  of the material it's very obvious.

O in this situation, maybe it's my friend.

Bought a Louis.

Vuitton, but turns out it was a knockoff.

At least designer or knockoff.

It's just buy another knockoff.

That's actually a cubic zirconia knockoff.

Now let's do an imitation  exercise so you can practice  

all of these pronunciation changes  that take place in spoken English.

I'll say each sentence again three  times, and after I see the sentence,  

I want you to repeat the sentence out  loud and imitate my pronunciation.

Here we go.

It's not a big deal at all.

It's not a big deal at all.

It's not a big deal at all.

So what are you into?

So what are you into?

So what are you into?

Can we play it by ear?

Can we play it by ear?

Can we play it by ear?

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Turns out I bought a knockoff.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

Our first listening exercise, I'll.

Say it three times.

Thanks for your help, you rock.

Thanks for your help.

You rock.

Thanks for your help.

You rock.

Did you get this one?

I said thanks for your help.

You rock very easy, right At a  natural pace Native speakers we  

reduce sound so for becomes Fer  thanks Fer your becomes your.

Thanks for your thanks for your help your help.

Thanks for your help.

Now let's review a common.

Mistake that I hear.

Beginner students make and  sometimes even advanced students.

You can say thank you or thanks.

You cannot say thanks you or thank and notice.

In our example we have.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for your help.

What is your help?

This is a noun, so we have Thanks.

For plus.

Noun.

You can also use Thanks for plus  gerund because for is a preposition.

So what?

Would thanks for your help be  in the gerund form, do you know?

Thanks for helping me.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for helping me and you.

Rock.

This is a.

Very natural.

Way to say you're great.

You're awesome.

I use this in the comments section to  reply to your lovely comments all the time.

But don't say you are rock.

It is not to be rock, it is to Rock You.

Rock You.

Rock, you're awesome.

You're really great.

You.

Rock put that.

In the comments.

You Rock, You rock.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for helping me.

Thanks, Billy.

You rock.

You rock.

Thanks honey.

Let's try this again, a little more difficult.

I'll say it three times.

She's starting to rub off on you.

She's starting to rub off on you.

She's starting to rub off on you.

Did you get this one?

I said.

She's starting to rub off on you.

She's is our contraction.

She is she's she's starting.

Tuh.

So instead of two.

You can use an unstressed tuh.

She's starting to rub.

Off because.

Rub off is a phrasal verb.

They go together.

I can take that B.

Sound and connect it to the next word.

But I have to combine them together.

I have to say them as one word.

Rub off, off, rub off, rub off.

I can also take that on and add it together.

So I'm saying those 3 words as one rub off fawn.

So here I'm taking the F from  off and I'm adding it on fawn.

Rub off fawn, rub off on, rub off on you.

What does this mean?

To rub off on someone is when someone's  behavior or personality effects someone else.

Let's.

Take Janice and let's say Janice  loves helping other people.

Now let's say Fernando spends a week working  

with Janice and now Fernando  starts helping other people.

You could say Janice rubbed off on Fernando.

Here we have it.

In the past, simple rubbed, rubbed, rubbed  off on Janice, rubbed off on Fernando.

Now you could also take the specific  personality trait or characteristic,  

in this case, Janice's helpfulness,  which is a noun, Janice's helpfulness,  

because the helpfulness belongs  to Janice, so it's possessive.

Janice's helpfulness rubbed off on Fernando.

So that specific character trait of Janice.

Transferred to Fernando because  they spent time together.

Marcus is really rubbing off on you.

Finally, I'm rubbing off on you.

My deviousness has finally rubbed off on you.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

He rubs me the wrong way.

He rubs me the wrong way.

He rubs me the wrong way.

Did you get this one?

I said he rubs me the wrong way.

Notice this expression uses the verb to rub,  and our last expression used the verb to.

Rub.

But they have completely different meanings  

and that's why this is a more  advanced listening exercise.

Because maybe you understood the words,  

but you don't know what this means  to rub someone the wrong way.

This is to annoy someone but with out intending  

to remember Janice from our last  example and she was very helpful.

But maybe for some reason she  just rubs you the wrong way.

She annoys you but there's nothing  that she does to annoy you.

Just maybe your personalities clash.

They don't go together.

So if you're planning a social gathering you  might say is it OK if we don't invite Janice?

She rubs me the wrong way.

An entire person.

Like poor Janice can rub you the wrong way,  

but it also could be something  specific that someone said or.

Did and overall.

You like Janice, but just that one thing  she said or did rubbed you the wrong way.

For example, your comment  just rubbed me the wrong way.

So maybe she said something in a  meeting that really annoyed you,  

but you know she did not intend to annoy you.

Hear your comment.

This is a noun.

Your comment rubbed the past.

Simple.

Of the verb to.

Rub and notice that soft D.

Rubbed Rubbed me.

Rubbed me the wrong way is.

It me but do I rub you the wrong way?

Not J guy rubs me the wrong way.

She rubs everyone the wrong way but pop.

Our final listening exercise and the  most advanced, I'll say it three times.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

Did you get this one?

I said I had a hunch he'd quit.

Notice for pronunciation.

I had a.

I had a had a so I combine  had a together as one word.

I had a hunch.

He'd quit.

Now, did you hear that?

The.

He'd he'd.

Quit.

Well, that D represents what  word would he would quit.

He'd quit.

He'd quit very.

Difficult. For students to hear native speakers understand it

based on context and based  on grammatical structure.

It would sound awkward without it.

So we know it's there even though  we can't really hear it either.

When you have a hunch, a hunch is the noun  and then the verb that goes with it is have.

So to have a hunch, this is when you  think or predict that something is  

going to happen, but it isn't based on facts,  it's based on your intuition, your feeling.

So you could say I have a hunch.

She'll.

Accept our invitation.

Now if someone replies back and says.

Why?

All you would say is.

Because I have a hunch, I have a feeling I  have a gut feeling and notice the grammar here.

I have a hunch this is the present  

simple and then she'll accept she  will accept that's the future simple.

I have a hunch she'll accept our invitation  because you're making a prediction about.

The future, but you could use this.

In the past, like our listening exercise.

I had a hunch last week in the past.

So that's the past.

Simple.

Last week I had a hunch that he would quit so.

Would is the.

Past simple of the verb will, I had a hunch  that he'd quit, and using that is optional.

You don't need it.

You could simply say I had a hunch he'd quit.

I had a hunch.

Just a hunch I.

Had a hunch, but I wasn't certain.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you can  practice speaking fast, just like a native.

I'll say each sentence again  three times, and this time I want.

You to repeat each.

Sentence out loud.

Here we go.

Thanks for your help.

You rock.

Thanks for your help.

You rock.

Thanks for your help, you rock.

She's starting to rub off on you.

She's starting to rub off on you.

She's starting to rub off on you.

He rubs me the wrong way.

He rubs me the wrong way.

He rubs me the wrong way.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

I had a hunch he'd quit.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

Are you all set?

Are you all set?

Are you all set?

I said, are you all set?

Notice that EU becomes more  of an unstressed ya or ya.

So it's a very subtle difference.

Uh, ah ya ya.

Native speakers will use.

Both are ya are ya are ya all set?

And notice I don't push out that T.

So set all set.

Now what does this mean to be all set?

This simply means to be ready.

So you can use this all the  time in your daily speech.

So I could ask you, Are you ready  for your presentation tomorrow?

And you can reply back with those  two words, all set, all set.

The full form would be I am all set.

And then you can just reduce that  to all set, which means I'm ready.

I'm ready for my presentation tomorrow.

We commonly use this to  confirm that someone is ready.

To. Leave.

Leave a house, leave a  restaurant, leave any location.

Are you ready to go?

And you can reply back with those two  words all set, which means I'm ready to go.

All set.

All set.

Let's try this again, a little more challenging.

I'll say it three times.

My weeks off to a rocky start.

My weeks off to a rocky start.

My weeks off to a rocky start.

Did you get this one?

I said my.

Weeks off to a rocky start.

Notice that contraction weeks that  is week is my week is my weeks my  

weeks off and instead of saying to AH, I  can combine those together with A2 wah.

So I use that.

To glide to to my weeks off to a rocky start.

The reason why this is more difficult is  because you may not know the expression.

The expression is to be off  to A and then adjective start,  

and in this example my adjective is  rocky, my weeks off to a rocky start.

Rocky means difficult or uncertain.

He and I got off to a rocky start.

All right, sure, Tonight got off to.

A weird rocky start.

We often use this adjective  rocky to describe relationships.

It could be a romantic relationship,  a relationship with family or friends,  

or a relationship with your.

Boss or Co worker your.

Friend might come to you upset  and say our relationship is a  

little rocky right now and she wants your advice.

But.

Remember, you can use any adjective with this  expression, so hopefully you'll use a +1 my weeks.

Off to an.

Amazing.

Start and notice because my  adjective starts with a vowel,  

my article becomes and an amazing start off to.

A great start.

So we're off to a good start.

And you can use this expression as  a reply to how's your week going.

So why don't you practice this right now?

How's your week going?

And I want you to put in the comments my  weeks off to a adjective start and you choose  

the adjective, put that in the comments  and hopefully it's a positive adjective.

Let's try this again, I'll.

Say it three times.

What do you have on the go today?

What do you have on the go today?

What do you have on the go today?

Did you get this one?

I said.

What do you have on the go today?

Have you heard that native speakers pronounce?

What do you as Wadia?

Wadia.

We combine all those sounds together, Wadia.

An alternative?

Is whatcha, whatcha?

And I use both of them equally.

So it's important that you  know both of them as well.

And this question is how a native speaker  will commonly ask, what are you doing today?

So the expression is have on the go.

What do you have on the go today?

What are you doing today?

Now instead of have on the go.

Native speakers will also say what?

Do you have going on?

So on the go is one option.

Going on is another option.

What do you have going on today?

Hey girl, What?

Do you got going on today?

So to answer, maybe you could say today I'm.

Studying J4's English lessons,  is that what you have?

Going on today, let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

Did you nod off in the presentation to did you nod  

off in the presentation to Did you nod off  in the presentation to did you get this one?

I said did you nod off in the presentation to  

Native speakers will combine  did you and say did you did?

You.

So you hear a just sound, did you?

Or we can reduce that to did  ya or did ya so that uh or ah.

So all three options are common.

Nod off.

Is a phrasal verb, so we'll.

Pronounce it as one word.

Nod off.

So notice I'll take that D.

Sound and I'll connect it on the off,  but I have to combine it together.

Nod off, nod off, nod off to nod.

Off.

This means that you.

Fall asleep accidentally when you're not  supposed to, like during a presentation.

So hopefully you're not nodding  off during this lesson right now.

Or maybe you nodded off on the bus.

I nodded off on the bus and missed my stop.

Has that ever happened to you?

Or maybe you see one of  your coworkers nodding off.

I think.

Sarah nodded off.

Someone should wake her up  before her boss sees her.

You just nod off and knock it off.

So I nodded off a little.

Nodded off Ross, you were snoring.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so  you can practice your pronunciation.

I'm going to say each sentence again,  

and I want you to repeat the sentence  aloud and imitate my pronunciation.

Are you all set?

Are you all set?

Are you all set?

My weeks off to a rocky start.

My weeks off to a rocky start.

My weeks off to a rocky start.

What do you have on the go today?

What do you have on the go today?

What do you have on the go today?

Did you nod off in the presentation too?

Did you nod off in the presentation too?

Did you nod off in the presentation too?

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

Let's get started.

I'll say it three times.

I got a lot on my plate.

I got a lot on my plate.

I got a lot on my plate.

Did you get this one?

I said I got a lot on my plate now got a native  speakers pronounce this as gotta gotta, I gotta.

I got a lot on my plate.

The expression is to have a lot on one's plate.

Have you heard this?

It's very common.

When you have a lot on your  plate, it means you're very busy.

You have many different tasks to complete.

Now notice in my spoken expression I used got.

I got a lot on my plate.

I got a lot on my plate because native  speakers commonly replace have with  

got in spoken English in a casual informal way.

But in written English or more formal  professional English, it's best to use have.

So let's see some examples.

I could say give the project to Isabel.

Amar already has a lot on his plate.

Now of course, our verb is have, so you need to  conjugate it with the subject and time reference.

In this case, Amar, third person  singular Amar has in the present simple.

And notice Amar has a lot on his plate because  the expression requires a possessive his plate.

We also use this expression to talk  about a time we were busy in the past.

So you have to conjugate that verb.

We had a lot on our plate  because the subject is we.

So now I need our plate.

And then you can use a past simple time  reference last week with the conference.

I got a lot of my plate right now.

We just got a lot of my plate.

I got a lot on my plate.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

How'd you do?

I said.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

Take up is our phrasal verb, and  notice I pronounced it as one  

taking up, taking up because the  preposition belongs to the verb.

Native speakers may drop that taking that G  sound and it sounds more like taken taken,  

but then you have to connect the  preposition taken up, taken up.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

You may hear that.

And did you get sewing?

Because of course the pronunciation is the same  as, so there's no sewing, though adding an ING.

So sewing is the activity, but the  pronunciation is the same as the word.

So let's talk about this phrasal verb.

When you take up an activity or  a hobby, it simply means start.

And this is one of the reasons that students you  

don't understand native speakers  because our vocabularies are.

Filled with phrasal verbs.

Idioms and expressions like this one.

So remember our last expression?

I have a lot on my plate.

Let's combine these together.

I'd love to take up sewing, but I  already have so much on my plate at work.

Of course, take is a verb,  so you need to conjugate it.

I could say Max took up guitar  last year and he's already amazing.

What about you?

Are you thinking of taking up notice?

You need that gerund thinking of taking up?

Are you thinking of taking  up a new activity or hobby?

Share that in the comments below We'll.

Take up yoga or jogging or, you know,  we'll be organized Taking up dressmaking.

Yeah, I am.

Well, Missus B and I did take  up synchronized swimming.

Let's try a more advanced.

Test.

I'll say it three times.

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

I said have you nailed down the dates yet?

And the reason why this is  more advanced is because  

I'm using an expression you may not be familiar.

With.

For pronunciation, I said have you,  

but a lot of native speakers reduce you to  just a ya ya have ya have ya have ya nailed.

So you might hear that now nailed.

Notice in the past simple that Ed is a very  soft D nailed nailed, but we have nailed down.

So because I have AD sound on  down and these two go together,  

I'll pronounce it as one and you'll  only hear 1D sound nailed down.

Nailed down.

So it's pronounced exactly the same as nail down.

But if you say it to.

The other that.

D is used for both, same with dates yet notice  how that's blends into the for yet dates yet.

And it sounds like one word, dates yet dates.

Yet the phrasal verb here  is to nail something down,  

and that's when you firmly  establish or confirm something.

So just think of it as 100% confirmed.

I could say I'm not signing the  contract until we nail down the terms.

Once the terms are nailed  down, they're 100% confirmed.

So you can think of them as official.

So then I'm comfortable signing the  contract in a more everyday context,  

you might say let's nail down our  vacation plans by the end of the week.

And once your plans are nailed down,  

they're 100% confirmed so you can  get excited about your vacation.

Now notice my question.

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

What verb tense is that?

It's the present perfect and I'm using the present  perfect because this is an unfinished timeline.

If the person says no, it's still  possible for them to nail down the  

dates to confirm the dates  because it's unfinished.

To reply, you can say no, not yet because  we use yet with the present perfect.

No, I haven't nailed down the dates yet.

Or you could say.

Yes, I nailed down the dates Pass  simple to show a completed pass action.

Or you could say yes I have nailed down the dates.

This is the present perfect.

It's a completed pass action  with a result in the present.

Once we nail down our mission.

I'm just nailing down the specifics.

I'll nail it down this week.

Let's do one more, even more advanced.

I'll say it three times.

You can't dodge his calls forever.

You can't dodge his calls forever.

You can't dodge his calls forever.

Did you get this one?

I said you can't dodge his calls forever.

Now notice can in spoken English.

I'm not going to pronounce that hard.

Can't with the.

T.

You can, can.

Can't dodge.

Notice here the D is silent, the middle  D Dodge, dodge, dodge his calls forever.

Now what does dodge mean to dodge?

This is when you purposely avoid or ignore.

So he's calling but I'm not  answering, I'm purposely ignoring it.

I'm dodging his call.

So to you I might say you can't  dodge speaking in public forever.

You can't purposely avoid it or ignore the  activity At some point you just have to do it.

Now notice I use dodge speaking  because you can dodge something,  

his call, or you can dodge doing something.

So the verb in ING Dodge speaking.

We sometimes use this.

In a more positive way, I might say  great job dodging that question.

So maybe you were asked an inappropriate  question in an interview or a meeting,  

but then you strategically  avoided answering that question.

So I might say great job dodging that question.

She's dodging calls.

Why have you been dodging my calls?

She's dodging my phone calls.

Now. Let's do an imitation exercise.

I'm going to say each sentence again three  times, but I'm going to leave enough time  

for you to repeat the sentence out  loud and imitate my pronunciation.

Let's do that now.

I got a lot on my plate.

I got a lot on my plate.

I got a lot on my plate.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

I'm thinking of taking up sewing.

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

Have you nailed down the dates yet?

You can't dodge his calls forever.

You can't dodge his calls forever.

You can't dodge his calls forever.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

Looks like we're back to square 1.

Looks like we're back to square one.

Looks like we're back to square one.

I said looks like we're back to square one.

Did you get that one?

Let's talk about the pronunciation changes.

Notice the contraction were were.

This is we are as a contraction were Now  notice how unstressed my pronunciation is.

It sounds like were not we're were.

This is how native speakers  say it at a natural pace.

We're back, we're back.

We're back.

We're back to.

This sounds like TA in real English.

TA.

We're back to.

We're back to square one.

We're back to square one.

Now what?

Does this mean to be back to square one?

Well, square one on a board game  is the beginning of a board game.

So when you're back to square one, it  means you're back to the beginning.

And you're back to the beginning.

The start because you tried  something and it didn't work,  

so you had a failed attempt  and you have to try again.

Looks like we're back to square one.

It looks like we have to start again from the  beginning because our first attempt failed.

Our next listening exercise,  I'll say it three times.

I don't know if we can trust  her, she's pretty wishy washy.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

I said.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

First, let's talk about  don't know at a natural pace.

This sounds like don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know, don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know if we can notice here we  can trust when can is the auxiliary verb.

So it's not the main verb.

We reduce this to can, can and  it's very unstressed sound.

I don't know if we can, if we can trust, if  we can trust and notice you hear trust more  

because it's the main verb and can,  which sounds like can is very short.

Can can trust, can trust.

I don't know if we can trust.

Her.

Now here we can get rid of that H sound  and it just sounds like, uh, trust her.

But then you combine it to the word  before Trust her, trust her, trust her.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's this is a contraction for she is.

She's pretty wishy washy.

What does wishy washy mean?

To be wishy washy, This is when you have  no clear or consistent ideas or decisions.

We generally use this as an adjective to  describe someone who changes their mind,  

changes the decision that they make frequently.

So that's why you don't know if you can trust  

her because she says she's going to  come to your party or help you move.

But because she's wishy washy tomorrow,  she might change her mind and say, oh,  

actually, I'm not coming to the party  or I'm not going to help you move.

But then maybe the next day.

She changes her mind again and  she does come to your party.

She's wishy washy.

I don't know if I can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

Our next listening exercise,  I'll say it three times.

You got to give him props.

He's a real trooper.

You got to give him props.

He's a real trooper.

You got to give him props.

He's a real trooper.

I said you got to give him props.

He's a real trooper.

You got to got to sounds like  gotta you gotta you gotta give him.

Same thing we saw with her.

Get rid of the age and it will sound  like him but you can combine it to  

the word before give em, give em  give em you gotta give em props.

He's this is a contraction.

He is.

He's a real trooper.

Now what does this mean to give someone prompts?

This is when you give someone  respect, credit or recognition.

So let's say a Co worker of  yours gets a really big client.

Well, if you want to give your  coworker credit or recognition,  

you could say, oh, we got to give them.

Props.

And then you can celebrate his big achievement.

Let's talk about he's a real trooper.

When you describe someone as  a trooper to be a trooper,  

this is someone who perseveres  through hardship or difficulty.

So they persevere, they keep going.

They don't give up, they  don't quit, they persevere.

And This is why you've got to give  them props because he didn't quit  

even though it was difficult,  because he's a real trooper.

Our next listening exercise,  I'll say it three times.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

I said our successes and failures were writ large.

Notice our I did not pronounce this as  our I said are are a very reduced sound.

Are our successes, our successes,  our successes and failures here.

And when and comes between  two nouns or even 2 verbs,  

we reduce it to our successes  and successes and failures.

Coffee and tea successes and failures.

Our successes and failures were writ.

Did you spell this starting with?

AR.

Or with AW, the West is silent,  

just like in the word right, the West  is silent, but in spelling it's there.

In pronunciation it isn't writ large.

What does writ large mean?

This is an adjective that  simply means to be very obvious.

So our successes and failures were very obvious.

Why is that?

Perhaps we work for a public company, and when  we fail, the general public knows we failed.

But also, when we succeed, the  general public knows we succeeded  

because our successes and failures are writ large.

They're very obvious.

Are you ready for your last listening exercise?

I'll say it three times.

With a few tweaks, it'll be good to go.

With a few tweaks, it'll be good to go.

With a few tweaks, it'll be good to go.

I said with a few tweaks, it'll be good to go.

Did you hear that contraction?

It'll it will sounds like it'll it'll.

It's a very soft sound.

It's easy to miss that will,  it'll, it'll, it'll be, it'll be.

But without it, the sentence  wouldn't be grammatically correct.

If I said it be, That isn't correct.

It will be, it'll be, it'll it'll, it'll be.

Good to go.

Just like we saw before, to is a reduced.

Sound an unstressed sound.

To good to go, to to go, to  go, good to go, good to go.

What does this mean with a few tweaks?

Tweaks are changes, small changes.

So let's say you're writing a report  and your boss or Co worker wants you  

to remove this section and add this information.

That would be a tweak.

A tweak you need to make, a small change.

A tweak with a few tweaks, with a  few changes, it'll be good to go.

When something is good to go,  good to go, it means it's ready.

And we use this in two contexts, ready to  leave or ready to start doing something.

So let's say you and your  friend are going to the movies.

Your friend could text you and say good to go.

Are you ready to leave?

And in this.

Case it could be Are you ready to  leave your house to meet me at the  

movies Good to go, good to go We use this a.

Lot as native.

Speakers in this context,  it'll it'll be good to go.

Something can also be good to go in the  context of it's ready to start doing something.

For example, the new website  will be good to go on Monday,  

which means the new website will be ready ready  to start doing something ready to start receiving  

visitors ready to be available to the public.

The new website will be good to go on Monday.

Now the new website as a subject is  it so if you already know you're.

Talking.

About the website, you can  say it'll it'll be good to go.

Now let's do an imitation exercise  so you can practice with these  

natural pronunciation changes and  practice these new expressions.

I'll say each sentence again three times in a  row, and I want you to imitate my pronunciation.

Try to say it just like me.

Get all those pronunciation changes.

And I want.

You to say this out loud so you can do  this as many times as you like to practice.

Looks like we're back to square one.

It looks like we're back to square 1.

Looks like we're back to square one.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

I don't know if we can trust her.

She's pretty wishy washy.

You got to give him prompts.

He's a real trooper.

You got to give him prompts.

He's a real trooper.

You got to give him prompts.

He's a real trooper.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

Our successes and failures were writ large.

With a few twinks, it'll be good to go.

With a few twinks, it'll be good to go.

With a few twinks, it'll be good to go.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

We need to nip this in the bud.

We need to nip this in the bud.

We need to nip this in the bud.

Did you get this one?

I said We need to nip this in the bud.

Now let's talk about need.

Notice that I didn't pronounce  the D need because if I do that,  

it forces me to take a pause, which slows me down.

So if you don't pronounce that D at the  end, you'll be able to speak faster.

We need.

TA TA.

Notice how to becomes more of an unstressed TA.

We need to nip to nip to nip this sin.

So notice here we have this in and again  I can connect those together and I can  

take that S sound and I can add it to the  beginning of N because it begins in a vowel,  

this sin, and it sounds like one  word, this sin, this sin, the bud.

You need to nip this in the bud.

Now, what does this mean?

When you nip something in the bud,  it means you stop something before  

it becomes serious or permanent,  and that's something that you want  

to stop is a negative behavior or  a problem or some sort of issue.

I use this expression with my little Kitty Sasha.

When she was just a kitten, she  used to scratch at the furniture.

Now obviously this is a negative  behavior that I want to stop.

And if I let her keep scratching, then it will  become a permanent habit, a permanent behavior.

So I needed to nip her scratching in the bud.

I needed to nip it in the bud.

So maybe there's an issue or a problem  that you want to nip in the bud.

For my students, I would say you need to  nip your fear of public speaking in the bud,  

which means you need to stop  it when it's just a small fear.

Because if you let it grow  and grow and grow and grow,  

it's going to be a lot more difficult to overcome.

So you need to nip your fear  of public speaking in the bud.

So if you're with me, put that in the comments,  Nip fear in the bud, nip fear in the bud.

Put that in the comments.

And I certainly hope that my  channel and these lessons.

Help you do that?

I just want to nip any problems in the bud.

I nip this thing in the bud going  to nip this thing in the bud you.

Need to nip this in the bud.

Let's try this again with  another listening exercise.

I'll say it.

Three times.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

Did you hear what I said?

I said don't blow his comment out of proportion.

Don't is a contraction of do not don't.

It'll help you speak faster and again,  drop that T so you don't take a pause.

Don't.

Blow.

Blow is.

Blow is.

So notice on his I drop that H  and I combine those two together.

Don't blow.

Is.

Comment out of you can reduce those into one  sound outa don't blow his comment outa proportion.

You're blowing this way out of proportion.

Now let's talk about the meaning here.

When you blow something out of proportion,  

you make an event or a problem seem  more serious than it is in reality.

So let's say you have a job interview  and is going to be in English.

But remember, you nipped fear in the bud, so  you're not afraid to speak in public, right?

But imagine that you didn't nip fear in  the bud and you're stressing and you're  

anxious and you're nervous, but the  event is going to a job interview in  

English and you make it seem like  this big, terrible, scary event.

So you could say don't blow it out of proportion.

Or if you're telling a friend how  nervous you are about this job interview,  

your friend could say to you, you're  blowing this way out of proportion.

Now notice here I added way out of proportion.

It's very common to add way  to make it sound stronger.

So to emphasize it, you're blowing  this way out of proportion.

Blow it way out of proportion.

But you're blowing this way out of proportion.

Let's try this.

This again.

I'll say it three times.

My client really chewed me out.

My client really chewed me out.

My client really chewed me out.

How'd you do it?

This one, I said.

My client really chewed me out.

Now let's talk about.

Chewed.

Notice this is an Ed verb, a past simple  verb, but the pronunciation is a soft D.

Chewed the the.

Now again, we can drop that sound when we're  

connecting it to other words  so you don't really hear it.

My client really chewed me out and notice how  I Take Me Out and I combine them together.

Now I use.

A soft ya.

Sound to combine two vowels me out yaout  so I add a ya in front of out yaout,  

but I combine it with me so it  sounds like one word meow meow.

So you don't hear it when  you're speaking at a fast pace.

But if you slowed it down you would  hear the very slight ya in front of out.

My client really chewed me out.

Your boss just chewed me out.

The expression is to chew.

Someone out and this is when you tell someone  angrily that they've done something wrong.

So this is not a positive thing.

Now notice the difference between these sentences.

I chewed my assistant out.

The client chewed me out.

So notice the difference.

In the first one, I chewed my assistant  out, I'm giving the angry comments.

The second one, my client chewed me out.

I'm receiving the angry comments now.

Sometimes my students, maybe even you, sometimes  my students chew me out in the comments section.

They tell me angrily that I've done something  wrong in the video, so please don't chew me out.

Put that in the comments.

I won't chew you out.

I won't chew you out.

Please don't chew me out.

It's not very pleasant to read  negative comments, so don't do it.

Chew me out about something.

Morock chewed out.

I've been chewed out before.

Wanted me to chew.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three.

Times we're not laying anyone off.

We're not laying anyone off.

We're not laying anyone off.

Did you get this one?

I said We're not laying anyone off.

Now notice.

Where?

This is a contraction.

We.

Are and notice how unstressed it is?

Where were, where where not where not.

Now as a contraction, you  could also say we aren't.

So both of those contractions are common.

I just chose to use where we're not.

We're not laying anyone off.

Now notice how I can combine anyone off.

Off starts with a vowel and  anyone it ends on an N sound.

So I can take that N and just add  it in front of the vowel Anyone off  

noff anyone off and it sounds more  like 1 sound to lay someone off.

This is when a company stops  employing someone because the  

company doesn't have the money or  the work to employ that person.

Any so your manager or your boss could say to you,  sorry our sales are down South, we have to lay you  

off, which means that they don't have the money to  keep paying you so they can't employ you anymore.

Talking about laying people off.

First I had to lay them off.

I had to lay off 27 robots.

To lay someone off is the active form.

It's the subject doing the action.

But it's also very common to use the sentence  structure to *** **** off or to be laid off.

And this is when you are receiving the action.

So this is when you lose your job because your  company doesn't have the money or the work.

And remember we use get for the transition  from not laid off, so employed to laid off.

So the transition from employed to  unemployed, that's to *** **** off.

Now to be laid off, that's simply  talking about your current state.

So now you are unemployed.

I wasn't fired from my job.

I was laid off.

I got laid off.

Wait, we're going to *** **** off?

Now let's do an imitation exercise so  you can practice these pronunciation  

changes and you can practice speaking  fast, just like a native speaker.

So I'll say each sentence again three times,  

and I want you to repeat the sentence  out loud and imitate my pronunciation.

Here we go.

We need to nip this in the bud.

We need to nip this in the bud.

We need to nip this in the bud.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

Don't blow as common out of proportion.

My client really chewed me out.

My client really chewed me out.

My client really chewed me out.

We're not laying anyone off.

We're not laying anyone off.

We're not laying anyone off.

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

They've been bickering all day.

They've been bickering all day.

They've been bickering all day.

Did you get this one?

I said.

They've been bickering all day.

Let's talk about the pronunciation changes.

Notice I have they've This  is a contraction they have.

They've, they've, they've.

Native speakers use contractions in  spoken English almost 100% of the time,  

so you need to be very, very comfortable hearing  

the contraction because it affects the  grammar of the sentence You need to have.

They have been bickering  because that shows the grammar,  

and the grammar is the present perfect continuous.

So if you didn't have that, it  would be grammatically incorrect.

They've been bickering all day.

Now notice I said been been  a very unstressed been.

This is how we pronounce the past participle  of the verb be been in American English.

I don't speak British English, but  I believe in British English they  

pronounce it more stressed being, but  in American English we don't do that.

We just say bin, bin.

They've been.

They've been bickering all day.

Now, to understand fast English outside  of the classroom, you need to hear the  

individual words, but you also have to  understand the meaning of the words.

So let's talk about the verb to.

Bicker.

This is when you argue about  things that are not important.

The concept of bickering is extremely  common and everyone does it.

And we usually do it with people  we spend the most time with.

Our family, our spouses, husbands  and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends.

Our.

Close friends, our Co workers  that we spend a lot of time with.

Anytime you spend a lot of time with  someone, it's common that you'll bicker.

But it's different from fighting because  when you're fighting with someone,  

usually there's a strong emotion involved.

But when you bicker, you don't  really have that emotion.

It's less serious because the things you're  

arguing about, fighting about,  are not actually important.

Like I said, this can be very  common in the workplace when  

you spend a lot of time with your coworkers.

So maybe you're in a meeting and you've been  

discussing an issue for hours with your  coworkers, but people start bickering.

They start arguing about  things that aren't important.

You could say we.

Didn't.

Get anything done today because we bickered  all meeting, we are getting bicker.

Yeah, we bicker.

Either.

Yeah, well, we were bickering  because they were bickering.

Your kids are bickering.

Let's try this again with  another listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

That street's pretty sketchy.

That street's pretty sketchy.

That street's pretty sketchy.

How'd you do with this one?

I said that.

Streets pretty sketchy.

Did you hear that streets the S?

Well, that is the verb to  be in a contraction form.

The street is the streets.

The streets pretty sketchy.

Again, it's extremely important  that you hear these contractions  

for grammar because we need  the verb to be grammatically.

The sentence would sound very awkward  

if you didn't have it because it  would be grammatically incorrect.

That street's.

Pretty sketchy Sketchy, sketchy sketchy.

Sketchy.

Let's talk about to be sketchy.

That street is our verb to be, to be sketchy.

This is used to.

Say that something is not completely safe.

So by saying that street is pretty sketchy, I'm  saying that street doesn't look completely safe.

I don't think that street is safe.

So I'm saying we shouldn't go down that street.

We should avoid that street.

Now, why would I say this street is sketchy?

This is an adjective that  native speakers use a lot.

If I say a street's sketchy, it's most  likely because it's dark or lacks lighting.

There aren't a lot of people around,  

there's broken glass or broken windows, or there  are a lot of abandoned buildings on that street.

It could be all of those reasons, or it could be  

just one of those reasons for me to  say that street doesn't look safe.

That street, it's.

Pretty sketchy I could say.

Let's.

Take another St.

This one looks sketchy, so I  can also use the verb look look.

Sketchy, but I have to conjugate it.

This street looks sketchy.

Or let's say your friend or your husband  or your wife came to you and said, hey,  

I heard this amazing business proposal today.

All we need to do is invest $1000  and we're guaranteed $100,000.

And you could say that.

Sounds sketchy, so notice here the verb is.

To sound sketchy and you're  saying the idea the plan  

business proposal doesn't sound completely safe.

We also use this to describe people.

He's a sketchy guy or he's sketchy.

She's sketchy in this case.

You're saying the person isn't?

Safe, which means you can't trust the person.

So with people, it's a way of saying  I don't think I can trust him.

She's sketchy, he's sketchy.

Seems a little sketchy.

You're kind of sketchy laundry  to some sketchy laundromat.

Let's try another listening exercise.

I'll. Say it three.

Times.

You must have seen it.

You must have seen it.

You must have seen it.

Did you get this one?

You must have seen it.

But notice I didn't actually say.

Have I reduced that entirely to  just, uh, you must, uh, you must,  

uh, I could also reduce it to more of an of sound,  which is very commonly done by native speakers.

You must of, you must of.

You must have seen it.

Notice.

For seen it, I use that that N sound  to connect the two words together.

Seen it, seen it, seen it.

So you hear it in front of it.

It sounds like NIT, but if you say those  two words together, it blends together.

Seen it, seen it.

You must have seen it.

Now let's talk about the.

Grammar of this must is a modal verb,  

and grammatically you need must plus  base verb, which is the verb without to.

So grammatically you need must have.

In written English you must use must have  seen it, because that's grammatically correct.

But in spoken English it will  sound like must ah or must of.

But in written English, if you wrote you must  ah or of it would be incorrect grammatically.

So just remember what I'm.

Explaining is first spoken English.

You must have seen it 200 times.

You must have seen it two you.

Must have seen them here.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA?

I said.

What's the ETA?

Of course we have once.

That's a contraction of.

What is?

What's?

What's the?

Now, because ETA, it begins with a vowel sound EI.

Could say either.

The OR the because we do a more stressed  the when the next word starts in a vowel.

But this isn't a rule that native  speakers follow all the time.

But if I did a more.

Stressed E in the IT would really blend together  

with ETAVTA and it would almost  sound like it's just one word.

The TA because I wouldn't  really repeat the E on ETA.

The TA I believe in my example when  I did the listening test I think.

The first.

Time I did it more of the ETA,  

and the second time I did it more of  the ETA and the sounds blended together.

Let's listen to that again and see what I did.

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA now?

Ultimately, either way that you.

Pronounce it the ETA or the ETA is.

Fine, now you're probably  wondering, well, what's ETA?

This stands for.

Estimated time of arrival.

So your ETA, the ETA, or someone  something's ETA is the estimated  

time of arrival for that someone or  something when it's expected to arrive.

So let's say we're talking about a.

Project and your boss wants to know  when this project will arrive in his.

Inbox or on his desk?

He could say.

What's the?

ETA and he could just say the if it's obvious.

You're talking about the project,  he could say what's your ETA?

Because you're the one submitting the project.

Or he could say.

What's the project's ETA?

So the ETA belongs to the project.

So you need that possessive  What's the project's ETA?

And they all have the same  meaning we commonly use.

This with friends or coworkers, family members  to let them know when we're going to arrive.

So let's say you were supposed to  be at your family's house at 7:00.

O'clock for dinner, but you're.

Running late.

You could send them a text  message and say running late.

Google says my ETA is 642  or 15 minutes now Google.

Says because when you put something in a GPS.

Google will tell you, or whatever you use.

Google will tell you when  you're expected to arrive.

That's your ETA.

What's their ETA?

ETA ETA 11 minutes.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you  can practice your pronunciation as well.

So I'm going to say each  sentence again and then I want.

You to repeat.

The sentence out loud and try to imitate  my pronunciation as closely as possible,  

and I'll say each sentence three times.

Let's do that right now.

They've been bickering all day.

They've been bickering all day.

They've been bickering all day.

That's St's, pretty sketchy.

That's St's pretty sketchy.

That's St's.

Pretty sketchy.

You must have seen it.

You must have seen it.

You must have seen it.

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA?

What's the ETA?

Amazing job.

Now let's complete another listening exercise.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Did you get this one?

I said.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Of course I'm is a contraction.

I am, I'm.

And notice how in awe sounds like one word.

Inna inna, I'm in a rut.

In a rut.

The expression here is to be in a rut.

Now, you can also say to be stuck in a rut.

Stuck is optional.

When you're in a rut, it means you've been doing  an activity like your job or a hobby or a task.

You've been doing it too long and  you feel like you need to change.

Why are you in a rut?

Same thing every day, knowing  exactly what to expect.

That's our breath.

So let's say every day you  work all day you eat dinner,  

but then at night, every night you watch Netflix.

That could be.

Your rut.

We watch Netflix every night.

We're stuck in a rut.

We're in a rut.

Are we in a rut?

So to help you get.

Out of that rut, you just need  to do something different.

So you might say, let's go.

To the park.

Tonight, so instead of watching  Netflix, you go to the park.

You enjoy the beautiful day to help you get.

Out of your rut?

You're a rider, ruts are normal.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

How'd you do with?

This one I said my boss is stuck in his ways.

Notice how boss is.

We see it as one word, bosses.

Bosses.

It's the exact same pronunciation as  the plural form of the noun bosses.

I have two bosses, but here with the  verb to be my boss is stuck in his ways.

It's the exact same pronunciation.

The expression to be stuck in  one's ways, notice ways is.

Plural.

And it's one possessive.

My boss is stuck in his.

Ways.

This is when someone is unwilling to change how  they do things or how they think about things.

Kind of stuck in his ways.

For example, my boss won't let me work remotely.

He's stuck in his ways.

Because he's too stuck in his ways.

Gloria, this is good for him.

So he has a specific way of thinking  about how work should be done,  

and he's unwilling to change his thinking.

Now, the same expression can also use  the verb set to be stuck or to be set  

in one's ways, and it has the exact same meaning.

Oh, you're young me.

I'm set in my ways.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

Need a hand.

Need a hand, Need a hand.

This one was easy, right?

I said need a hand and notice need.

Ah, sounded like one word.

Need a need a hand.

Need a hand?

Grammatically, this is missing the auxiliary  verb and the subject Do you need a hand?

But native speakers commonly drop  that and just say need a hand.

And this is the same as saying need any help?

Do you need any help?

Exactly the same meaning now to  answer and to accept that help.

You could say sure I could use a hand and this  is the same as sure I could use some help.

Hey tomorrow I could really use a hand in here.

And if you want to request the assistance  using this expression, you can say.

Can you give?

Me a hand, can you give me a hand and  this is the same as can you help me?

Can you help me?

Hey, Rach, can you give me a hand with this box?

And you can give me a hand  right now by liking this.

Video.

Subscribing to my channel and  sharing this video with your friends.

That would really give me a hand.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

How can I get my foot in the door?

How can I get my foot in the door?

How can I get my foot in the door?

Did you get this one?

I said how can I get my foot in the door?

Do you know this expression to  get ones or a foot in the door?

This is.

Used when you join an organization, a company.

You take a specific.

Job that's at a low level, but you're  doing that because you hope that low  

level will turn into a higher position  that's getting your foot in the door.

You've already got a foot in the door.

For example, I'm a journalist, but I took a job  as a receptionist to get my foot in the door.

I was. Just trying to get one foot in the door.

But you have to be careful.

With this strategy because you.

Don't want to say  

I took this job five years ago to get my  foot in the door, but now I'm stuck in a rut.

That would mean that you're still  a receptionist five years later.

So you haven't moved up.

So your strategy of taking a lower position to get  your foot in the door hasn't been very successful.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so  you can practice your pronunciation.

I'll say each sentence again and I want  you to repeat the sentence out loud.

Let's do that now.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

Maybe I'm just in a rut.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

My boss is stuck in his ways.

Need a hand?

Need a hand?

Need a hand how can I get my foot in the door?

How can I get my foot in the door?

How can I get my foot in the door?

Did you enjoy this lesson?

Do you want me to make more lessons?

Just like this.

If you do, then put foot in the door.

Put foot in the door in the comments.

So I know you enjoyed this lesson and remember you  can give me a hand by liking this video, share it  

with your friends and of course, subscribe so  you're notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And expanding your vocabulary is such an  important part of improving your listening skills.

But I have this video where you can learn  

lots more natural expressions to  help you improve your listening.

So I recommend you watch this lesson right now.