Understand FAST English Conversations [Advanced Listening Practice]

By the end of this lesson, you're going to be  able to understand fast English a lot easier,  

and you're going to add natural expressions to  

your speech to help you sound  like a native English speaker.

Welcome back to JForrest.

English.

I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Here's how this lesson will work.

I'm going to say a sentence three times,  

and you need to write down exactly  what you hear in the comments.

After, I'll explain the pronunciation  changes that take place in fast English,  

and I'll also explain the  advanced expressions that I used.

So let's start your first listening test.

I'll say it three times.

Careful with the blender, it's a little finicky.

Careful with the blender, it's a little finicky.

Careful with the blender.

It's a little finicky.

I said careful with the blender.

It's a little finicky.

First, let's talk about the pronunciation changes.

You can see here it's this is a contraction.

It is, it's, it's a little, it's a little.

So we pronounce that as a soft D  little, the little the little little.

Now some native speakers will drop those sounds  entirely and it will just sound like Lil Lil.

And then we connect it with, ah, a little alo alo.

I personally pronounce the  soft d's a little, a little.

It's a little finicky.

Finicky is probably a new word in your vocabulary.

So let's focus on the sounds.

Finn, ick E Now we're going to put the  syllable stress on the first sound.

Fin.

Finicky.

Finicky.

Finicky.

What does this mean?

Well, finicky.

This is an adjective to be finicky, and this  

means that something requires  a lot of attention to detail.

So the example is using a blender, a common  household appliance that's easy to use.

But if this blender is the key,  

it means that to use it successfully you  have to really pay attention to detail.

Maybe you have to make sure the  lid is on in just a precise way,  

or press the buttons in a very specific  way in order for the blender to operate.

Likely because the blender is very old  or there's a problem with the blender.

It's finicky.

It's a little finicky.

Because it being so finicky with me,  these machines are really finicky.

Sure, it's being finicky.

Now let's talk about grammar for a second.

Because notice the sentence started with careful.

Careful.

Technically, you need the verb be.

Be careful, be careful.

But native speakers will commonly drop verbs when  they're not required to understand the sentence.

So if I said to a native speaker careful,  

they're not going to be confused  because there's no verb be.

They understand what it means  without the verb careful.

Be careful.

They're both correct, and a native  speaker will most likely just say careful.

Let's try this again with  another listening exercise.

I'll say it three times.

She's a finicky eater.

She's a finicky eater.

She's a finicky eater, I  said She's a finicky eater.

This was easy for you, right?

Because it's the same word.

Finicky, finicky.

So hopefully you could clearly hear that now.

But the meaning in this context is different.

We're not saying she's an eater.

That requires a lot of tension to detail.

A finicky eater is an eater  who is difficult to please.

Now, why would an eater be difficult to please?

Because there are probably many  things that she doesn't like or she  

has a lot of specific preferences  about how her food is prepared.

This adjective is commonly used to describe  children because most children are finicky eaters.

If you have kids, you can probably relate to this.

And you were once a child,  so I don't know about you,  

But As for me, I was definitely a finicky eater.

When I was a kid, I only liked about 5 things,  and there was a long list of things I didn't like.

If you can relate to, that put  me to me too in the comments.

Me too.

So I know that you were also a finicky eater.

Good luck with my finicky appetite.

Let's try this again.

I'll say this sentence three times.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

I said.

The audience was hanging on her  every word for pronunciation.

Notice how on her sounds like honor, honor, Honor.

Because we frequently drop the H sound on her  and then I connect those two words together.

Honor.

I can also connect that with every  honor, every honor, every honor, every.

What does this mean to hang on one's every word?

This is an expression, and it  means that you listen very closely,  

very attentively, very carefully.

Now with expressions, you need to  make sure you have every single word.

So here it's on her every word.

So if you said the audience was hanging on her  word and you forgot to use every, it wouldn't  

make sense because with expressions, you have  to use every single word of the expression.

So if you are listening to this lesson  very closely, you're taking notes,  

you're actively participating, then you,  my friends, are hanging on my every word.

But if, as you're watching this video,  you're also checking your e-mail or making  

dinner or doing something else, then  you're not hanging on my every word.

So I hope you're hanging on my every word.

If you are, put that in the comments,  Jennifer, I'm hanging on your every word.

And that means you're paying very  close attention to what I'm saying.

You're hanging on is every word.

Everybody hangs on your every word.

They all hang on my.

Every word.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

She has me wrapped around her finger.

She has me wrapped around her finger.

She has me wrapped around her finger, I said.

She has me wrapped around  her finger for pronunciation.

Notice wrapped the Ed is pronounced as a  soft T wrapped, wrapped, wrapped around.

Now because I'm combining this with around,  

I can take that sound wrapped around wrapped  around and I can combine them together.

Remember I said we commonly  get rid of the H sound on her?

So I can do that here as well, and  then I can connect it together wrapped  

around to have someone wrapped around your finger.

Or we commonly say little finger wrapped around  your finger wrapped around your little finger.

There's no difference.

So little is optional in this expression, and this  is when you have complete control over someone.

This happens in situations where perhaps this guy  

is totally in love with this girl  and he's just infatuated with her.

And because of that she has  complete control over him.

And no matter what she says, he just does it.

So he does her laundry for her.

He drives her to work every day.

She has him wrapped around her little finger.

Laugh, he wrapped around my finger.

Neck please.

I've got doctor Re wrapped around my finger.

Boy, Archie, Veronica's got you  wrapped around her little finger.

Let's do this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

I can't get anything past you.

I can't get anything past you.

I can't get anything past you, I  said I can't get anything past you.

For pronunciation, notice we have get  anything, so we have a T between 2 vowels.

So I can pronounce that as get anything,  

get anything, get anything, and then  I'll combine those two sounds together.

I can't get anything past you now.

What does this mean?

To get something past someone or you can  also say to get something by someone.

They're exactly the same.

It's just an option you can use past or by.

This is when someone doesn't  notice something important.

But notice in my example I  can't get anything by you.

I used it in the negative.

Let's imagine an example.

Let's say a customer is in a restaurant,  and that customer ordered an expensive  

bottle of French wine, but the restaurant  tried to serve him cheap American wine.

Now, because I can't get anything by you,  

it means that you notice the  details when they're important.

So it means that you noticed that  this isn't the wine you ordered,  

and you'll say, wait, this  isn't the wine I ordered.

And then the waiter could say, I can't get  anything by you can't get anything past this guy.

Can't get anything past you, can I?

Never could get anything past you can I?

Amazing job improving your listening skills of  

fast English and also adding these  advanced expressions to your speech.

Now let's improve your pronunciation.

Let's do an imitation exercise.

I'm going to say each sentence again three times,  

and I want you to repeat each sentence out  loud so you can imitate my pronunciation.

Let's do that now.

Careful with the blender, it's a little finicky.

Careful with the blender, it's a little finicky.

Careful.

With the blender, it's a little finicky.

She's a finicky eater.

She's a finicky eater.

She's a finicky eater.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

The audience was hanging on her every word.

She has me wrapped around her finger.

She has me wrapped around her finger.

She has me wrapped around her finger.

I can't get anything past you.

I can't get anything past you.

I can't get anything past you amazing  job with this lesson and remember to  

practice that imitation exercise many  times to improve your pronunciation.

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

to speak English fluently and confidently.

And why don't you keep improving your  vocabulary with this lesson right here?