How to Pronounce GIVE ME THAT - 'Gimme' - American English Pronunciation

In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to go over the pronunciation

of the phrase ‘give me that’.

You’ve probably noticed the reduction of ‘give me’ to ‘gimme’. Today we’re

going to go over the phrase ‘gimme that’. Thank for you for the suggestion.

First let me say that this is a phrase that you will hear, but be careful about using

it. It’s not a very polite phrase. May I please have that? Or, could I have that? Would

be more polite.

The first and third syllables of this phrase are stressed, but the first one is still really

fast. DA-da-DA, gimme that. We start with the G consonant, so the back of the tongue

reaches up and touches the soft palate, gg. Gi-. Then we have the IH as in SIT vowel,

so the front of the tongue arches up towards the roof of the mouth. Gi-, gim-. Then we

go into the M consonant. That means we skip the V sound. The lips close for the M, gim-,

gimm-e. Then they part for the EE vowel, which is unstressed, and very fast, -e, -e, -e.

The jaw barely drops, the tongue arches up towards the roof of the mouth. Gimme, gimme.

Notice how the second syllable is lower in pitch, is less energized than the first syllable.

Gimme, Gimme.

Now we have the word ‘that’, which sometimes reduces. It doesn’t reduce here. It’s

at the end of a sentence, and we don’t want to reduce it. So we have the voiced TH sound,

where the tongue comes through the teeth. Just the tip. Th. That. Then the AA as in

BAT vowel. Drop your jaw and lift your tongue in the back, AA. We’ll see a lot of the

tongue since it’s higher in the back. Then, as the jaw comes up, the tongue will also

come up for the T, that. I’m making this a Stop T, gimme that, which means I don’t

release it -- gimme that -- but I just stop the air. Gimme that, gimme that.

Let’s watch up close and in slow motion.

Tongue arches up in the front for the IH. The lips come together for the M. The teeth

part just a bit for the EE, and the tongue comes through the teeth for the TH. Then the

jaw drops and the tongue lifts in the back for the AA vowel. It’s hard to see because

of the teeth, but the tongue then flips up for the Stop T.

Tongue arches up in the front for the IH. The lips come together for the M. The teeth

part just a bit for the EE, and the tongue comes through the teeth for the TH. Then the

jaw drops and the tongue lifts in the back for the AA vowel. It’s hard to see because

of the teeth, but the tongue then flips up for the Stop T.

Note: don’t write ‘give me’ like this, but it’s ok to say. Gimme.

Can you gimme the report by Friday? Gimme something big to work on.

If there’s a word or phrase you’d like help pronouncing, please put it in the comments

below.

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That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.