Learn English | Learning English with FRIENDS! | English Lesson—FRIENDS Christmas episode | Part 1

It's my favorite time of year, Christmas time.

I love the festive feeling. I mean, look at this a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments.

Yes please.

Today we're going to celebrate the Christmas season by taking a friend's episode

from Christmas time and using it to learn English.

Actually, we're going to take this episode and take little bits from it for the next three Rachel's English videos.

All December we are learning English with this episode.

What's fun about this episode is in it Rachel quits her job.

So, we're also going to be seeing some words some phrases used to describe your job,

quitting your job looking for a new job.

Here's the scene we'll study today.

Rachel.

Yeah.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Okay. Fine. Gunther, you know what, I am a terrible waitress.

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Because I don't care.

I don't care. I don't care which pot is regular and which pot is decaf. I don't care where the tray spot is.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore. I’m going to give you my weeks notice.

What?

Gunther, I quit.

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

And now with the analysis.

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel, first syllable stress and the pitch goes up.

Ra-chel and the pitch goes up because he's trying to get her attention.

It's like saying Rachel do you hear me.

Pitch goes up Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

yeah

then she does a really breathy response.

Yeah. Yeah.

Up-down shape.

The breathiness just sort of shows exasperation and that she's kind of over it,

She's kind of over this job.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

And then this next set group is pretty long.

What do you hear as the most stressed syllables?

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

It's longer so there are a few. I'm hearing re-mind

the stress syllable of that first word the verb remind me to review with you,

review some on that verb as well which pot is decaf and which pot is regular.

So, the two verbs and then the difference between coffees,

decaf and regular and we do have a few reductions.

We actually have a dropped D here in the stressed word, in the stressed syllable.

It's not uncommon to drop a D between two constants especially when the first one wasn't N like this.

So, it's remin' me, remin' me and this is a pretty common two-word phrase.

Remind me to do this. Remind me to call mom. Remind me to pick up the dry-cleaning.

Remind me... Re-mind me.

I diphthong N and then write into the M with no D, remin' me.

Remind me...

Remind me...

Remind me...

Now, the word to is not reduced and that's not very natural.

It's pronounced with the true T and the OO vowel.

Remind me to review with you

and when I was trying to think about why he would do this fully pronounced.

It is still unstressed, so the stress is right but by not reducing that word it sounds a little bit more formal

and this character is supposed to be a little bit odd

and so by not doing a reduction that's one way to develop that character,

but it is still unstressed.

Remind me to review, me to re... Me to re... Me to re....

These three syllables all flatter in pitch compared to the up-down shape

of the stressed syllables mind and view.

Remind me to review

Remind me to review

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Review with you which pot is decaf then these five words all a little bit lower in pitch.

Less of the up-down shape of stress.

Review with you which pot is decaf...

Review with you which pot is decaf...

Review with you which pot is decaf...

The two words pot and is are linked.

Which pot is... Which pot is with the flap T and that's really common when one word ends

in a T, a vowel or diphthong and T and the next word begins with a vowel or diphthong,

very common to link with a Flap T.

Pot is, pot is, pot is, pot is decaf.

... pot is decaf

...pot is decaf

... pot is decaf

Decaf is short for decaffeinated. Decaffeinated coffee.

So, in the whole word de-caffeinated

its caf that stressed but when we shorten it for some reason the stress changes and it's de-caf

it's not decaf but it's de-caf so the stress changes now we have first syllable stress.

Also, the vowel changes it's the E vowel

in the word decaffeinated it's a SCHWA de-caffeinated,

but we can't ever have a SCHWA in a stressed syllable and so the vowel changes de-caf

de-caf

...decaf

...decaf

...decaf and which is regular.

Decaf and which is regular. So, in the word and the D is dropped.

That reduction happens almost every single time you'll hear this word.

Sometimes the vowel reduces he doesn’t, but he does drop the D in decaf, and which one is regular.

...decaf and which is regular

...decaf in which is regular

...decaf in which is regular

Decaf an' which is regular.

Regular and his pitch does go up a little bit at the end.

That's not super common for statements but it does sometimes happen.

Here he might be doing it to soften what he's saying.

You know, he's basically saying

you messed up and I need to teach you how to do this it could also be used to say

in a way I can't believe that you don't know the difference why would I have to teach you this which is regular

...which is regular

...which is regular

... which is regular

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Okay.

The second syllable stressed there. It's a little bit harder to hear because the audience is laughing but okay.

K is the one with the up-down shape, okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay. Fine.

Fine. Fine. A little flatter fine shows a little bit of exasperation.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine. Gunther,

Gunther, Gunther

and it goes up in pitch first syllable stress Gun-ther.

She goes up in pitch because she's not done talking. She has something to say

and we all know it's important. So, let's hear what she has to say.

Gunther,

Gunther,

Gunther, you know what?

You know what? What's the stress there?

...you know what?

...you know what?

...you know what?

You know what?

You know what?

Dah, dah, dah. Know and what are both longer and the word you is said very quickly.

It's actually reduced it's not you it's yu, yu, yu know what

and everything links together really smoothly you know what and that phrase ends with a stop T.

There's not a release of air.

...you know what?

...you know what?

...you know what? I am a terrible waitress.

In this next sentence what are the stressed syllables?

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

So, I and terr the most stressed.

Am and a lower in pitch flatter everything links together smoothly.

I am a terr.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

Actually, I take that back I and am don't link together really there's a little lift there.

I am a terrible waitress and by separating those it brings a little bit more stress to it.

I am a terrible waitress. So, by separating it off

it makes it even more clear brings even more prominence to her,

what she is saying about herself, I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

Imma, Imma, Imma lower in pitch flatter terrible lots of stress there.

There's a true T and she gives it a little bit extra air to bring even more stress.

Whenever we exaggerate a beginning consonant it brings more stress to that word, I am a terrible.

I am a terrible...

I am a terrible...

I am a terrible...

Terrible, three syllable word with first syllable stress.

...terrible

...terrible

...terrible waitress.

Waitress, waitress,

two syllable word, first syllable stress.

Do you notice anything about the T.

Listen to just this word.

...waitress.

...waitress.

...waitress.

It actually sounds like a CH waichress, waichress.

...waitress.

...waitress.

...waitress.

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Okay, and in the next sentence what's our stress?

What are our most stressed syllables?

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Do you know why, lots of stress on why and again stress on terr, terrible

and a little bit on waitress, waitress, So, these first three words flatter in pitch;

less important that energy leads up to that peak and why.

Do you know why...

Do you know why...

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Do you know why I am a terrible.

Actually, I wrote this with a contraction, but I don't hear that as I'm, I hear that as two syllables

I am, I am a, I am a, I am a,

but they all link together really smoothly I am a, I am a. They're all unstressed, flatter in pitch.

Not I am a, that would be all three stressed but it's I am a, I am a, I am a

I am a...

I am a...

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible and then we get a big up-down shape.

Lots of stress after those three flatter words with the stressed word, the adjective terrible.

...terrible

...terrible

... terrible waitress?. Because I don't care.

What are our most stressed syllables in this next phrase.

Because I don't care.

Because I don't care.

Because I don't care.

Because I don't, because I don't care.

I and care are the most stress, but all of these words are clearly pronounced.

Because can be reduced it's not.

She actually puts a quick E vowel

so if you look it up in the dictionary this would be an I or maybe a SCHWA

but sometimes when people are being extra clear or even just out of habit

these little unstressed syllables that have the letter E in them

can be pronounced with the E vowel be, be, be, because, because.

Because

Because

Because

Because second syllable stress K,

UH as in butter Z cuz, cuz and there is some up-down shape to that too because, because.

Because

Because

Because I don't care.

How is the word don't pronounced?

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I'm actually going to put an up-down shape of stress on that too.

I really think she's stressing each one of these words for emphasis I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.

All of those to me feel long and with a little bit of that up-down shape.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I'm hearing a really subtle stop T there. I don't care, I don't care, and that tiny lift

signifies the T, the stop T.

Okay, now we get I don't care two more times. Let's listen to the pronunciation.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care. I don't care.

I don't care. I don't care.

There I is less stressed, and it's

more smoothly connected as one thought instead of each word being stressed.

Stress on don't and more stress on care.

I don't care, dah, dah, dah.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care and again a very subtle quick lift here signifying the stop T. It's definitely not,

I don't care but it's I don't care, I don't care. I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care which pot is regular.

I don't care which pot is regular I don't care again stress on that word.

I don't care which pot is re-gular and again there was that subtle lift that signifies that stop T.

It's not completely dropped. That would be I don' care, I don' care, don' care.

We do drop that T sometimes especially if the next word begins with a vowel

or a diphthong but when it's a consonant it's much more common

to make a quick stop T I don't care; I don't care which pot is regular.

I don't care which pot is regular.

I don't care which pot is regular.

I don't care which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

I don't care which pot is pot is, pot is, pot is.

Do you notice just like the other character she is linking those two words with a flap T.

Pot is, pot is, which pot is regular and then she really stretches which doesn't she?

Which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

Does she connect these two words with a flap T again?

Listen.

...which pot is decaf.

...which pot is decaf.

...which pot is decaf.

Yes, she does. That's a flap T connecting pot is, pot is, pot is.

...which pot is decaf.

...which pot is decaf.

...which pot is decaf.

The word and she does do a full reduction, So, she reduces the D and the vowel

n, n, n, n, n.

I say to my students it can sound like this word in said very quickly regular 'n, regular n' which.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

...which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

You know this is the third time now that we're seeing and hearing the word pot and I want to point out

it's the letter O and that causes some people to round their lips and sort of shut it down

but it's more open.

It's the AH as in father vowel pot, AH, AH, pot, pot.

...which pot is...

...which pot is...

...which pot is decaf

Decaf, a little bit of stress on that stressed syllable D, decaf.

...decaf

...decaf

...decaf. I don't care where the tray spot is.

I don't care and another break here, I don't care.

She does a little lift and again there's a stop T there, I don't care.

Most of the stress on care.

I don't care.

I don't care.

I don't care where the tray spot is.

Where the, where the, where the, flatter lower in pitch unstressed then we have

tray spot is and she connects spot and is with a flap T.

Ending T coming after a vowel or diphthong followed by a vowel or diphthong linking that with a flap T.

...where the tray spot is.

...where the tray spot is.

...where the tray spot is.

Now, what is tray spot.

This is not a very common phrase, common thing. I guess that what she's referencing

is probably something that came up earlier in the episode

that the tray that she's supposed to take

drinks out on has a particular spot and she was not putting it in its particular spot.

...where the tray spot is.

...where the tray spot is.

...where the tray spot is.

Also, just like pot we have the letter O but it's the AH as in father vowel.

...tray spot is.

...tray spot is.

...tray spot is. I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

Then she says two more phrases, but she links them all together into one thought group.

Every word smoothly connects to the next word.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

I just don't care this is not, a little bit of stress there, not what I want to do.

So, care and do get a lot of stress. Notice the word not. Again, the letter O it's the AH as in father vowel.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

Let's look at the first part of this thought group. I just don't care,

dah, the pitch, the melody everything is rising. The energy rising up towards that peak of stress on care.

I just don't care.

Again, a stop T there.

Now, the T in just is actually totally dropped

and this is really common with this word and any word that ends in an SC cluster

or a T cluster of any kind when the next word begins with a consonant.

We usually drop the T,

very common to drop the T between consonants and just link the two words together,

I jus' don't, jus' don't, right from the S into the D.

I just don't care.

I just don't care.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

This is lower in pitch, this is not, this is not said more quickly

and again they link together just like every word in this thought group.

This is, this is, this is not.

This is not...

This is not...

This is not...

This is not with a stop T.

Now, why is this a stop T?

Pot and spot, those words linked in with a Flap T.

That's because the next word began with a vowel or diphthong.

Here, the next word begins with a consonant sound W.

So, that ending T is a Stop T.

This is not what I want to do.

This is not what I want to do.

This is not what I want to do.

This is not what I want to do.

Listen to just the words what I want to.

...what I want to...

...what I want to...

...what I want to...

Said very quickly these are unstressed, flatter in pitch, less clear.

What I, these two words link together with a Flap T, what I, what I.

Want to, that gets reduced, that gets changed to wanna what I wanna, what I wanna, what I wanna.

…what I want to...

...what I want to...

...what I want to...

Listen to those four words together again and then there's going to be a little break.

Try to repeat it back so you'll hear it three times and then you try to say it

and try to match exactly what she's doing.

There's a lot of simplification you might want to pronounce more than she is, try not to, just repeat.

...what I want to...

...what I want to ...

...what I want to do.

And then all of that links into the next word, the stressed word do

with that longer length and that up-down shape.

...do

...do.

...do. So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

Okay. In this next sentence what do you hear as the peak of stress for the whole sentence.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't, little bit of stress there.

So, I don't but then even more stress on. So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

Definitely the peak of stress is do and all of the words lead up to that

and then all of the words after that kind of fall away from that peak of energy,

that peak of volume, that peak of stress.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

So, I don't think, so I don't think up. Again, I would write that as a really light quick Stop T.

So, and I said really quickly.

Not that clear. I don't think I hear an O diphthong in so.

So, I don't think...

So, I don't think...

So, I don't think...

It's more just like sou, sou, sou I don't, sou I don't, sou I don't.

I guess I would right that as the SCHWA so, so, so I don't, so I don't, so I don't

linking together really smoothly, really quickly.

So, I don't think...

So, I don't think...

So, I don't think...

These first two words unstressed then we have think I should.

Let's listen to just those three words.

...think I should...

...think I should...

...think I should...

Think I should, think I should, think I should, think I should.

A little bit more length on think.

Think I should, think I should, think I should linking together really smoothly.

The word should is like just an SH and a SCHWA.

The next word begins with the D and so these really combine, wouldn't make the D twice.

Single D sound and it really goes with the stressed feeling.

So, you could almost just think of the D in should as being dropped should do, should do, should do.

...think I should do it anymore.

...think I should do it anymore.

...think I should do it anymore.

Should do it anymore.

What do you think we're going to hear with this T when we study it.

It's the end of a word.

The sound before is a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel.

I should do it anymore.

I should do it anymore.

I should do it anymore.

Do it anymore.

Did you guess the Flap T? You were right. it any, it any, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.

The tongue just flaps against the roof of the mouth.

So, we have a lot of stress on do, some stress on don't, some stress on think

and then the other words are said really quickly.

We have some reductions. This contrast is really important in American English.

It's one of the characteristics that makes it sound American.

...do it anymore.

...do it anymore.

...do it anymore.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

Okay. In this next sentence what are the most stressed words?

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

'm going to give you my week’s notice.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

So, basically she's saying she quits, and she'll work one more week.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

Okay, before the first stressed word give what do we have?

I'm going to...

I'm going to...

I'm going to...

I am going to become muh, muh.

I actually did another video on this about how extreme this reduction is.

We lose the I, we lose the G,

so this did become this is common to be reduced to gonna,

going to becomes gonna but sometimes when the contraction I am comes before

we actually replace the beginning G with the M so it's just monna, monna, monna, monna, monna.

I'm going to...

I'm going to...

I'm going to give you my week’s notice.

I'm going to give, I'm going to give, I'm going to give.

I am going to, those are five syllables and they get reduced to two, monna, monna, monna.

I'm going to give...

I'm going to give...

I'm going to give...

I would write that in IPA with the M consonant,

UH as in butter and then the end in the SCHWA, monna, monna, monna, monna give.

I'm going to give you...

I'm going to give you...

I'm going to give you my week's notice.

I'm going to give you my.

You and my lower in pitch, unstressed and then week's notice, stress on weeks and notice

falls off in pitch from that, week's notice.

I'm going to give you my week's notice.

I'm going to give you my week's notice.

I'm going to give you my week's notice.

The T in notice is a Flap T because it comes between two vowels

and it does not start a stressed syllable.

...week's notice.

...week's notice.

...week's notice.

What?

Okay. So, I've just listened to him saying this about a thousand times

to try to determine if I thought I heard a little escape of air before the W, what.

I think I do hear a really, really light one.

That's not very common anymore, it's something my mom does, and my friend said her mom does it.

We love our moms. They're in their seventies and it's not really that current to speak that way anymore.

So, by making that little escape of air

is again making him just a little bit different like when he didn't reduce to before

and is maybe part of his character.

Maybe this guy in actual conversational English

would be making just a pure W sound what, what but instead it's what, what, AH, AH

and the vowel is closer to the AH as in father vowel

whereas I think it's more common to make it the UH as in butter vowel.

Both are acceptable pronunciations, but the difference is what versus what, UH, UH, what.

What?

What?

What?

And he does a little light release of a True T.

Again, not the most common way to pronounce that T.

It would be more common to make that a stop what, what.

What?

What?

What?

Gunther, I quit

Okay what is our stress of this sentence?

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gun, the stressed syllable of his name Gunther, I quit and then the verb.

So, the two middle syllables less stressed, lower in pitch

Gun-ther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

And she does do a True T release here

making that word even more clear, making it an even stronger statement.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Gunther, I quit.

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

Okay. Then Chandler with his asides, so funny.

What's the stress here?

It's under his breath, it's a little bit less clear

but we can still hear the contrast between stressed and unstressed.

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

Does this mean, a little bit of stress on mean.

Does this mean we're going to have to start pay-ing for coffee?

Mean, pay and co.

We have some reductions. Let's look at the first two words does this.

Does this...

Does this...

Does this...

So, the word does would be written in IPA fully pronounced D, UH as in butter, Z

and the word this voiced TH as in sit and S.

Does this but what he did here is something that you'll hear in conversational English.

Does this mean, does this mean.

We drop the first sounds of does we take the Z and we replace the TH,

zis, zis, zis, zis mean, zis mean, zis mean smoothly linked together.

Does this mean?

Does this mean?

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

We're going to have to start.

We're going to have to start

then we have a bunch of words that are lower in pitch, unstressed compared to pay, we're going to.

Going to is reduced, gonna, gonna have to start, gonna have to start.

Going to have to start.

Going to have to start.

Going to have to start.

have to, have to, have to, have to.

So, this is being pronounced HAHF.

The V sound gets turned to an F because of the next sound being a True T.

When these two words go together that happens a lot.

True T but then SCHWA-

have to, have to, have to, have to.

We're going to have to start, we're going to have to start.

...we're going to have to start...

...we're going to have to start...

...we're going to have to start...

And then stress on pay, we're going to have to start pay-ing.

...we're going to have to start paying...

...we're going to have to start paying...

...we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

Paying for coffee and then we have one final reduction.

The word for pronounced fer, such a common reduction, fer, fer, paying fer coffee.

...paying for coffee?

...paying for coffee?

...paying for coffee?

And it goes up in pitch because it's a yes/no question

even though he's not expecting an answer. It's just a joke.

...paying for coffee?

...paying for coffee?

...paying for coffee?

Rachel quits her job. Let's listen to this whole conversation one more time.

Rachel.

Yeah.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Okay. Fine. Gunther, you know what, I am a terrible waitress.

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Because I don't care. I don't care. I don't care which pot is regular and which pot is decaf.

I don't care where the tray spot is. I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore.

I’m going to give you my week’s notice.

What?

Gunther, I quit.

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

If you love Learning English with TV we do have a whole playlist for that, check it out

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