Speaking English Conversation | Why Play it, Say it WORKS

Has this even happened to you? You study a  language but then you go into the real world with  

native speakers and you can’t hardly understand  anything? That’s what happened to me in Germany  

and the Dominican Republic all the time. It was  so disappointing. And if you’re studying English,  

I’ve got the exercise for you to stop this from  happening. If you’re listening comprehension  

is already pretty good, you’ll also get tips  on sounding even more natural when you speak  

and you might even pick up some slang.  We’re going to improve your listening  

comprehension and your spoken English by going  into the real world here to get a haircut.

You’re going to hear a short conversation.  My sister-in-law is going to cut my hair.  

Then we’ll do an in-depth analysis of what  we hear which will improve your listening  

comprehension and also help give you an idea  of how to sound natural when you speak English.  

This is an excerpt from an online course in  my school, Rachel’s English Academy and I’m  

going to show you how you can build on what you  learn here to build your own American voice.

First, let’s hear the conversation.

Too tight?

Uhmmm

A little?

No. Leave it for now. We’ll see.

'kay.

If it feels too tight later, I’ll let you know.

So, do you have a vision?

Mm-hmm.

What is it?

I want to take with your  permission, I’d like to go to here.

What do you think David? I don’t  know. That might be too much.

You should try it. It’ll always grow.

I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?

Well, it won’t be too short. I think it’ll  be good because it’s going to have layers

and movement.

Can you do one inch longer than that?

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

Darn it.

Darn it (laugh). I just don’t have the balls.

Well, but you could grow a set.

I know, I could, but I’m too busy feeding a  baby and building a business and all that.

Yep.

And now the analysis

Too tight?

Too tight? Tight? Pitch going up at  the end. She was asking me a question.

Too tight?

Too tight? Notice she had a clear  stop T at the end of the word tight.

Tight?

Tight. So, that sounds different than the  word tie, which has the same sounds only no T.

Tight. Tie. Tight.

Tight?

The word tight is a lot more abrupt  because of this stop than tie,  

which has more of a curve in the voice. Too tight?

Too tight?

Umm...

A little?

Then she said “a little?” as in a  little too tight? A little? Again,  

her voice went up in pitch at the end.

Umm...

A little?

A little? Little is a really  tough word. The double T  

is a flap, so it sounds like the American D.

It might sound like the R in your  language. Little. Little. Little.

A little?

It also has a dark L, and when I say this word,  I don’t move the front top of my tongue

away from the roof of the mouth  between the flap and the L. Little.

I go from using the front  of the tongue to the back,  

but I don’t actually move  the front of the tongue.

A little? A little?

A little?

No. Leave it for now. We'll see.

'kay.

No. Leave it for now. Leave it for now. A couple  

things to note. How did I  pronounce the word for?

For now.

With the schwa. So, the schwa  is absorbed by the R sound.

For. For. Leave it for. Leave it for now.

Leave it for now.

Also, a stop T in it. Less time to pronounce  it. No release. It for. It for. It for.

Leave it for now.

Leave it for now. Leave it. Leave it.

One way that can help you connect these two words  

is to maybe think of the V sound  as beginning the word it.

Vit. Leave it. Leave it. Leave it for now.

Leave it.

Leave it for now. We'll see.

We'll see. We'll see. We'll see.  How did I pronounce we will?

We'll see.

The contraction. We'll. We'll. We'll.

I made a schwa sound here, and then  the dark L was the dominant sound.

We'll. We'll, uhl,uhluhl. Where the back of  the tongue pulls back. We'll. We'll see.

We'll see.

I don’t lift the tip of my tongue  to finish the dark L. We'll, ul.

I can leave it down. I'm just using the  back of my tongue to make the dark L.  

We'll see. We'll see.

We'll see.

'kay.

My sister-in-law said a really quick, 'kay. 'kay, 'kay.

'kay.

This is short for the word okay.

You’ll hear it shortened to K a lot. K. K. K.

'kay.

Now let me show you what makes exercises  like these special in the academy.  

You not only have the analysis but you have a  soundboard where you can play with listening  

and repeating. As you do this you can really  improve your skills in linking, reductions,  

perfecting vowels and developing  a feel of American English.

Each conversation is broken down into  little phrases and you can listen to them  

over and over doing the play it, say it method  which will really help you sound more natural.

Do you have a vision?

You can listen at a regular pace.

Do you have a vision?

And slow motion, this helps you figure out what  exactly is being said, what exactly you hear,  

which is so important for the flow of  conversation. So let’s just try this now. I’m  

going to play this three times. After each time,  you repeat it back just like you hear it.

Do you have a vision?

I've found when my students work like  this with the play it, say it method  

that they’re able to make corrections to  themselves without me even saying anything.  

Their ears and their mouth, their body just starts working  

together to make corrections in a way  that makes them sound so natural.

Leave it for now.

So if this is something that  looks interesting to you,

I’d like to go to here.

As a training tool then head  over to RachelsEnglishAcademy.com

What if I hate it?

Oh, I don’t think you’re going to hate it?

Repeating like this builds those pathways in  your brain, builds your understanding of the  

American sound and builds your American voice.  Now let’s jump back to that analysis.

If it feels too tight later, I'll let you know.

If it feels too tight later, I'll let you know.  

If it feels. The word feels was longer. It had  that up-down swell. If it feels. If it feels.

If it feels---

The word if was really short. F-feels. F-feels.

There was almost no vowel, just a very  quick ---ih, but if I had just said f-feels  

and just made the F sound attaching it to the  next word, she would have known what I meant.  

Another stop T here, because the next word  begins with a consonant. F-feels. F-feels.

If it feels--

too tight later--

Too tight later. Too tight later. So,  unlike the word T-O, which can often reduce,  

the word T-O-O never reduces.

It will have the -ooh as in boo  vowel. If it feels too tight later.

If it feels too tight later--

What do you notice about tight? Again, a stop T.  The next sound is a consonant. Too tight later.  

Later. Later. How did I pronounce that T?

Too tight

later.

That T was again flap T. Later. Later. Later.

Later

I'll let you know.

I'll let you know. The word 'I'll' reduced. So it sounds like the word  

'all'. I'll let you know. I'll let you know.

I'll let you know.

I think you're probably noticing the strong  -ch sound instead of a T. Let you. Let you.

I'll let you know.

Let you know.

This often happens in American English when the  T sound is followed by the word you or your.

Let you know.

What else about the word you? The -ooh vowel  was reduced to the schwa. Let you. Let you.

I'll let you know.

I'll let you know. This is a pretty  common phrase. I'll let you know.  

Practice that a couple times.

I'll let you know.

I'll let you know. I'll let you know.

So, do you have a vision?

Mm-hmm.

So. I kind of drew that word out a little bit.

So,

So.This is a diphthong. The  OH as in No diphthong.

OH. So, make sure that your  lips do move they will round  

more. So. For the second half of the diphthong.

So,

Do you have a vision?

Do you have a vision? Do you have a vision?

The -ooh vowel in do was very fast. It  could even be interpreted as a schwa.

Do you have? Do you have? Do you have?

Do you have?

a vision?

Also, the word 'you' is very fast.

Do you have a vision?

And it could have been the schwa, but I think I  actually am hearing a real -ooh vowel there

although it's fast. Do you have a vision?

Do you have a vision?

Have a. Have a. Here we have an ending  consonant linking into a beginning vowel.

Remember, we're talking about  sounds when we deal with  

these rules of linking and  other things, not letters.

So, even though the letter E is here, it's  silent. The final sound is the V sound.

Have a. Have a. Have a. So,  we can link that really nicely  

into the article -ah. Have a vision?

Do you have a vision?

Vision. Here the letter S makes  the -zh sound. Vision. Vision.

Vision?

Do you have a vision?

Do you have a vision?  

And my voice is going up in pitch at the  end. I'm asking her a yes-no question.

Do you have a vision?

Do you have a vision?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. This is a common  response. Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Do you have a response like  that in your language?

That’s sort of just a grunt that doesn't  even involve opening your mouth? Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. That's a common  one in American English.

Mm-hmm.

What is it?

I want to take with your permission.

What is it? What is it? How did we say that  so quickly and link things together?

First of all, the T here comes between two vowel  sounds. So, I linked those words with a flap T.

What is it? What is it?

What is it?

And also, the letter S makes  the Z sound in this word,  

and the Z did connect into that next word.

Zit. Zit. What is it?

What is it?

What is it? So, we linked all  three of these words together  

by an ending consonant to beginning vowel link.

What is it? What is it?

What is it?

Try that with me and follow the same stress  pattern where 'is' is the most stressed.

What is it?

What is it? What is it?

What is it?

I want to take, with your permission.

I want to take.  

I want to take. So, you can probably notice  that she is saying wanna, not want to.

I want to--

I want to take.

So, she's combining these  words, dropping the T sound.

Want to. Want to. With the schwa at the  end. I want to take. I want to take.

I want to take

with your permission.

With your permission. She's  hesitating here a little bit.

With your permission. With your permission.

Because she knows she needs my permission  to do this. Your permission.

How does she pronounce the word 'your'?

Your

permission.

It's reduced. Schwa R. Your. Your.

Your--

permission.

Your permission.

With your permission, I'd like to go to here.

What do you think, David?

I'd like to go to here. Okay, a  couple interesting things here.

I'd like to go to here.

So, she's saying I would like. I'd.

She won't do this if I don’t give her  permission, but this is what she wants to do.

I'd like--

So, she's using the contraction  I would to I'd. I'd.

I'd like--

to go to here.

I'd like to go to here. Okay. The word to. It  appears twice. Both times, she uses the schwa.

The first time it's a clear  true T. Like to. I'd like to.

I'd like to.

T-T-T. But the second time you barely  hear it. I'd like to go to here.

I'd like to go to here.

It's a light flap. So, she made a true T here

because the sound before was unvoiced,  an unvoiced consonant K. K.

I'd like to go to here.

And because this sound is unvoiced, she's going  ahead and making the T sound unvoiced as well.

Like to. Like to.

I'd like to.

So, it's a K sound. She's stopping the air  and she's not releasing the K. Like to.

She's going straight from the stop of air  into the true T sound. Like to. Like to.

I'd like to. Like to. Like to.

So, you might not even hear the  K. I'd like to. I'd like to.

But the back of her tongue is moving up  to the soft palette to make the K.

A native speaker will hear that as a K sound  even though the K isn't released before the T.

I'd like to go to here.

I'd like to go to here.

What do you think, David?

What do you think, David? Okay, that was  really unclear. Very mumbly. What do you think?  

What do you think?

What do you think? With a flap T here,  dropping the D sound and just making a flap

to connect these two words, but my flap was pretty  sloppy. What do you. What do you. What do you.

What do you think?

Not a clear flap against the roof of the  mouth at all. The word 'you' was reduced.

Instead of the -ooh vowel, I used  the schwa. What do you think?

That is a very common  phrase. What do you think?

What do you think?

What do you think? This is how you ask  somebody’s opinion. What do you think?

What do you think, David? 

What do you think, David?

I don't know. That might be too much.

You should try it.

Okay. Then I got really mumbly  before that might be too much.

Listen to just that little bit again while I  tried to figure out what I wanted to say.

I don't know. That might be too much.

I don’t know. That might be too much.  

Very unclear. A native speaker would definitely  understand aow as I don't know. I don't know. I  

don't know. That might be too much. But  I basically didn't make a D sound.

I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know.

That might be too much.

I don't know. I don't know. Would be a  much clearer way to pronounce that.

I was mumbling. I didn't want  to do what she wanted to do.

I felt bad about it. I was trying to  figure out what to say about it.

I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.  A very unclear way to say I don't know,

but Americans will certainly  do that. I don't know.

I don't know. That might be too much.

And I'm continuing my mumble  here. That might be too much.

That might be too much. That might be too much.

I'm really only saying an -ah  or an -uh kind of vowel here.

That might

be too much.

I'm not really saying the -th, and I  am not even really making a T sound.

That might be too much. Eh-Eh-Eh-Eh.  That might be too much.

That might--

be too much.

That might be too much. I am making a  stop T at the end of might. Might be.

That might be too much. That might be too much.

That might be too much. That might be too much.

You should try it.

You should try it. You should try it.

Okay, what about the word should? She's  not really making the final D sound.

Now, the L in the word should is always silent.

You should

try it.

It's not part of the sounds, but  the D usually is or sometimes is,  

but we often drop that in conversation,

especially when the next sound is  a consonant. You shuh-shuh-shuh.

Uh. So, just the -uh vowel. You shuh. You shuh.

You should.

Try that. You shuh. You  shuh. You should try it.

You should--

try it.

You should try it. You should try it.

You should try it.

Now, so often, people make a -tr sound  and make it a -chr sound. Try.

But my sister-in-law actually didn't do that. She  made a pretty clear tr sound. Try it. Try it.

Try it.

You should try it.

You should try it. Try it. Vowel to vowel  link here, and then a stop T. Try it.

Try it.

So, she made everything there really smooth,  

really connected. You should  try it. You should try it.

You should try it. You should try it.

You should try it.

It’ll always grow.

It’ll. It’ll. This is just like the word  little that we discussed earlier.

It’ll--

It will. And it's a flap that comes between the  -ih vowel and the schwa L or the dark L here,

but you don’t need to bring your  tongue back down after the flap.  

You can just put it up to the roof of  the mouth for the flap and then move  

the back of your tongue for the dark  L. It’ll. It’ll. It’ll always grow.

It’ll--

always grow.

Always grow. Always grow.

Notice she doesn't really make an L sound there.  It's more just a clear al, al. Always.

Always--

Always instead of always.

So, that's a shortcut you can use for that  word. Always. Always. It’ll always grow.

Always--

It’ll always grow.

I know, but,

I know, but. I know, but. Really stressing  the word know, there. I know, but.

I know, but.

Stop T at the end of but. An abrupt end there.

I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?

In the meantime. In the meantime.  This is a pretty common phrase.

Mean is very stressed there compared  to the other words. In the. In the.

In the meantime--

In the meantime. In the meantime.  This means until then.

In the meantime.

Shortcut with a phrase like ‘in the’. You  have an N and the voiced -th sound.

In the meantime.

You can make the N with the top part of the  tongue touching the roof of the mouth,

even with the tip of the tongue  out. So the tip of the tongue  

can already be making the -th shape

with the tip through the  teeth. Nn the. In the.

You can make the N with the part  of the tongue that's further back  

while the tip of your tongue

prepares for the next sound.

This will help you make that more  quickly. In the. In the meantime.

In the meantime,

what if I hate it?

What if I hate it? What if I hate  it? How did I say that so quickly  

and link those words together?

What if I hate it?

Well, there's only one word that was really  stressed there, that was really long,  

and that was the word 'hate'.

What if I hate it?

What if I hate it? The rest of  the words were very fast.

And we linked together the words  what and if with the flap T.

What if. What if. What if I.

What if I--

What if I. The F linked right into  the I diphthong. What if I.

What if I--

What if I hate it?

What if I hate it? What if I hate  it? And again, we had a flap T  

linking hate and it. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

Hate it?

And a stop T at the end of  it. What if I hate it?

What if I hate it?

I think you're probably starting to notice  that we very rarely make true Ts.

Okay, maybe very rarely is an  exaggeration, but more often than not,

a T is either a stop T or a flap T.

What if I hate it?

Well, it won't be too short.

I think it’ll be good because it's  going to have layers and movement.

Well, it won't be too short. It won't be.  It won't be. What about those Ts again?

Well,

it won't be--

She is making her sentence more smooth.  She's linking words together more easily  

by making those stops.

Well, it won't be. It won't be too short.

It won't be--

too short.

Again, too with the OO vowel not  reduced. We don’t reduce that word.

Too short.

She's stressing the word  too. It won't be too short.  

It's the main word, the main  stressed word of that sentence.

Well, it won't be too short.

It won't be too short.

All of the words before are leading up to it,  and the word after it is falling away from it.

It won't be too short.

So, she's saying, it might be  short, but it won't too short.

It won't be too short. I think it’ll be good.

I think it’ll be good. Again, the ‘it

will’ contraction, it’ll.  It’ll. With that flap it’ll.

It’ll be good.

I think it’ll be good.

I think it’ll be good. Think and good. Longer  than I. It’ll be. I think it’ll be good.

I think it’ll be good--

cuz it's going to have layers.

Cuz it's going to have.  cuz it's, it's. cuz it's.

So, she changed the word  because to just cuz. Cuz.

Cuz it's,

Cuz it's, cuz it's, cuz it's. And she  

linked the Z into the next  word, the vowel, it's.

Cuz it's, cuz it's, cuz it's. Because it is. Cuz it's.

That's how Americans will pronounce those three  words very often. Cuz it's, cuz it's.

Cuz it's--

going to have layers and.

Going to have layers and. You probably  noticed 'going to' was pronounced 'gonna'.

It's going to have. It's going to have.

It's going to have

layers and.

Going to have layers and. Okay,  

which word there is the most clear,  the longest, the most stressed?

Going to have layers and---

Going to have layers and. Definitely  the word layers. Layers and.

Layers and---

The next word, and, was reduced to  just the N sound. Layers and.

Layers and--

And the Z sound connected into the  word and. S pronounced as a Z here.

It's going to have layers and movement.

Can you do one inch longer than that?

Movement. Movement. Here she does  make a nice true T. Movement.

Movement.

Can you do one inch longer than that?

Can you do one inch longer than that?  I'm really stressing the word one.

Can you do one inch longer than that?

I don’t really agree with her, so this is  what I'm asking for as the compromise.

Can you do one inch longer than that? 

What did you notice about the word can?

Can you?

That was reduced. Can. This is  usually how we pronounce this word.

When it's a helping verb and  it's usually a helping verb,  

that means it's not the main verb in  the sentence. The main verb is do. So,  

I'm going to reduce can. Can. Can. Can you  do one inch longer? One inch longer?

Can you do

one inch longer

than that?

Longer than that. Longer than that.

Longer than that?

What about the word than? Reduced. It had  the schwa. Longer than. Longer than.

Longer than--

that?

Longer than that. And again, a stop T  at the end of that. Longer than that.

Longer than that?

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

Darn it.

Okay, fine. She's kind of saying it quietly. She  really didn't want to agree with me at all.

Okay, fine. Okay, fine.

Okay, fine.

Okay, fine. Pitch falling off.  She's a little disappointed.

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

And I said, okay, thank you. I reduced  the word okay to just K. K, thank you.

Okay, thank you.

I'm also speaking quietly here. It was like  

painful for us to come up with  something we agreed on here.

We both kind of gave up more than we wanted.  So, we both kind of mumbled our agreement.

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

Darn it.

Darn it. Darn it is like,  oh man, I'm disappointed.  

That's not how I wanted that to go.

Darn it.

Darn it. She makes a stop T at the end of it.

That's because it's at the end of a  thought, the end of a sentence.

Darn it.

Darn it. (laughing)

I repeat what she says. Darn it.  Even though I'm not disappointed.

I just don’t have the balls.

Well, but you could grow a set.

I just don’t have the balls. Okay, a couple of  things. The word just. So often, we drop the T.

We do this when the next word begins with  a consonant. I just don’t. I just don’t.

I just don’t---

I just don’t. This helps up connect the word.

We drop the T when it comes between two  consonants all the time. I just don’t have.

I just don’t have--

Don’t have. Don’t have. Don’t.  Very quick stop here.

So, it's not a dropped T, but it's sort of a weak  stop. I just don’t have. I just don’t have.

I just don’t have--

the balls.

I just don’t have the balls. I'm  stressing the words don’t and  

balls, and notice that the S is a Z there.

I just don’t have the balls. 

Well, but you could grow a set.

Well, but you could grow a set. But you  could. But you could. Again, ending T.

The word you becomes a -ch. But you. But you.

But you--

could grow a set.

And did you notice the L is silent in 'could'?

But you could

grow a set.

Grow a set. With a stop T.

Grow a set.

If you're unsure what these idioms mean, check  out the lesson that goes with this video,

Vocab, Idioms, and Phrasal Verbs.

I just don’t have the balls.

Well, but you could grow a set.

I know, I could, but I'm too  busy feeding a baby and--

I know, I could.

I know, I could.

So, these two mini phrases  have that up-down shape.

I know, I could. Again, the  L in could is silent.

I know, I could--

but I'm too busy.

But I'm too busy. But I'm. But I'm.  Connecting those two words with a flap T.  

But I'm. But I'm.

But I'm--

too busy.

Too busy. Again, the word too,  

not reduced. It's got the pure -ooh  vowel. Too. Too. But I'm too busy.

But I'm too busy.

Did you notice the word busy has a letter  S, but the S is pronounced as a Z? Busy.

Busy.

Busy. Also, the letter U  

represents the -ih sound here. That  doesn't happen too often. Busy. Busy.

Busy--

feeding a baby and--

Feeding a baby and. Feeding a baby and.  Stressing the stressed syllable of feed.

Feeding a baby. They both  have first syllable stress.

Feeding a baby, all connected with  the schwa for the word 'a'.

Feeding a baby and--

Feeding a baby and. Baby and. The word and  was reduced to just the schwa N sound.

So, it just kind of sounds like an N sound  at the end of the word before. Baby and.

Baby and--

Feeding a baby and.

Feeding a baby and.

I'm too busy feeding a baby and  building a business and all that.

Yep.

Building a business and all that.  So, just like feeding a baby.

Feeding a baby,

Building has stress on the first  syllable. Building a business.

Building a business.

Business also has stress on the first syllable.

So, again, these two words were linked together  with the article a, pronounced shwa -uh.

Building a business. Business.

Just like in the word busy, the letter S here  

makes the Z sound and the  letter U makes the -ih vowel.

Biz. Busy. Business.

Business

Building a business and all that.

Yep.

Business and. Again, reduce the word  'and' to just the schwa N sounds,

which just sounds like an N. And all  that. And all that. All that. Stop T.

And all that. Yep.

She agrees with me. She doesn't like it,  but she agrees. Yep. Yep. Very abrupt.

And all that.

Yep.

Stop P, not releasing it. Yep. Yep.

This is my sister-in-law, who cuts  everyone’s hair in the family.

She has very good ideas. She's very good at it,

but I tend to like my hair long, and she  wanted to go just a little shorter.

Let's listen to the whole dialogue again.

Too tight?

Umm…

A little?

No. Leave it for now. We’ll see.

'kay.

If it feels too tight later, I’ll let  you know. So, do you have a vision?

Mm-hmm.

What is it?

I want to take, with your  permission, I’d like to go to here.

What do you think David? I don’t  know. That might be too much.

You should try it. It’ll always grow.

I know, but in the meantime, what if I hate it?

Well, it won’t be too short. I think it’ll be good  because it’s going to have layers and movement.

Can you do one inch longer than that?

Okay, fine.

Okay, thank you.

Darn it.

I just don’t have the balls.

Well, but you could grow a set.

I know, I could, but I’m too busy feeding a  baby and building a business and all that.

Yep.

By the way she did end up cutting  it too short. I didn’t like it.  

But after it grew out after a few  months I really love that haircut.

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love being your English teacher. That’s it and  thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.