How To Say Common English Expressions! | 💬 Small Talk PART 1

Well hey there! I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!

嘿！我是mmmEnglish的Emma

In this lesson, we'll go over the pronunciation of some

在這堂課中，我們將介紹幾個

really common English expressions that native speakers

英語母語者在首次會面時常用的語句之發音

use when they first meet someone.

英語母語者在首次會面時常用的語句之發音

Hello, how are you?

哈囉！你好嗎

I am well, thank you.

我很好，謝謝

Do you have plans today?

今天你有什麼計畫？

Would you like to get a coffee with me?

要不要跟我去喝杯咖啡？

I'm afraid I can't today.

我今天恐怖不行

Perhaps we could meet another time.

也許我們可以改天再約

That's not a problem.

那沒問題

I suggest you call me when you are available.

你有空的話打電話給我

Did you understand that whole conversation?

以上整段對話你都理解嗎

I think that you probably did

我猜你理解

and I also think that most native English speakers

但大部分你遇到的英語母語者實際上都不是這樣講話的

that you come across, they don't actually speak like that,

但大部分你遇到的英語母語者實際上都不是這樣講話的

right?

對吧？

If only everyone spoke as clearly and with such

要是每個人講話都這麼清楚又發音標準就好了

good pronunciation.

要是每個人講話都這麼清楚又發音標準就好了

But let's take a look at a more realistic conversation,

但我們來看一下比較真實的對話

something a little similar to what you'd

比較像你在現實生活會聽到的

hear in the real world.

比較像你在現實生活會聽到的

Hey how you going?

如何？

Hey, not too bad.

還不賴

What are you up to today, do you want to grab a coffee?

你今天要幹嘛？要來杯咖啡嗎

I'd love to but I'm a bit busy today.

想啊，但今天忙

I've got a few things on later.

我等下要忙一些事

That's cool.

How about you give me a call when you're free?

了解

那你有空打給我

So native English speakers have a habit of

英語母語者講話時習慣精簡並縮讀

reducing and contracting words when spoken

英語母語者講話時習慣精簡並縮讀

and we linked sounds together when we speak

我們講話時會連音

so it's really difficult to know where one word ends

所以想判斷句中某個單字何時開始或結束並不容易

and another word starts. It's especially common

所以想判斷句中某個單字何時開始或結束並不容易

尤其是當我們用很口語的表達方式時

when we use everyday expressions,

really common ones. We use them so much

太常用了以致於我們會在發音上偷懶

that we get lazy with our pronunciation.

太常用了以致於我們會在發音上偷懶

But that can make it really hard for English learners like

對各位在學英語的人而言可能會很難

you who are practising with conversation that's like this

尤其若平時對話練習的素材是像上方這段

but most of the time this is the actual situation.

不過通常下方這段的講話方式才是實際情況

So in this lesson I'm going to go over some common

所以這堂課我會帶到一些常用且自然的英語語句

and natural English expressions that you'll hear

所以這堂課我會帶到一些常用且自然的英語語句

and maybe even use yourself every single day.

可能你每天都聽得到，甚至你自己就有在用

By the time that we're done, you'll have a better idea

在完成這堂課時你就會更明白

what these expressions mean and how to respond

這些語句代表的意思以及該如何回應

but you'll also know how they're pronounced naturally

另外你也會學到英語母語者講這些語句時的自然發音

by native English speakers.

另外你也會學到英語母語者講這些語句時的自然發音

And it could be quite different to what you think

可能會跟你想的不太一樣

and make sure that you hang around until the

記得要堅持到影片結尾

end of the lesson because I've got a surprise for you

因為我準備了驚喜和額外的練習語句

and a few bonus expressions to practise with me.

因為我準備了驚喜和額外的練習語句

Let's start at the beginning. There are lots of different

讓我們從頭開始。英語中有許多不同的問候語

English greetings. Things that we say when we first

有些是初次見面時說的

meet someone.

有些是初次見面時說的

Good morning. How are you? All of those things.

早安。你好嗎？之類的

But let's focus on 'How's it going?'

現在我們針對How's it going?來探討

So this is kind of a strange one.

這句是有點怪

How's what going? I'm not going anywhere.

什麼要去哪？我沒有要去哪裡啊

'How's it going' is a really common greeting.

How's it going?是非常普遍的問候用語

It's an informal way of asking someone how they are.

這句是用來向人問好的非正式講法

So you might even say this to your boss,

若你與上司處得不錯

if you get on well together.

那你甚至可以對他用這句

But you probably wouldn't use it in formal situations

但在正式場合你大概不會想用這句

You would use it when you call your friend.

你打電話給跟你朋友時就會用這句

Say "Hey, how's it going?"

你會說，嘿！How's it going?

If you ran into your neighbour at the supermarket,

例如你在超市遇到你的鄰居

they might say to you "How's it going?"

他們可能會對你說How's it going?

It's informal it's friendly and it's used all the time.

這是非正式用語，語氣友善且經常使用

So let's take a closer look at the pronunciation.

那我們來琢磨一下這句的發音

So firstly, we don't pronounce the full verb 'is',

首先，我們不會發出動詞is完整的音

we combine 'how' and 'is' together

我們會將how與is組合起來縮讀

to make a contraction 'how's'.

我們會將how與is組合起來縮讀

It's really unnatural to say 'How is it going?'

在這情境下完整說出how is it going的每個字並不自然

in this context so make sure you use the contracted

所以你要像英語母語者那樣用縮讀來講

form like native English speakers would.

所以你要像英語母語者那樣用縮讀來講

So notice how the letter S is pronounced

注意到字母S變成是發/z/的濁音了嗎？

as the voiced /z/ sound, right?

注意到字母S變成是發/z/的濁音了嗎？

Next trick. When a word starting with a vowel

下一個撇步

當一個字以母音開頭，且它前一個字字尾是子音

follows a consonant sound, any consonant sound

but in this case /z/

譬如此例中的子音是/z/

then we can link those sounds together.

那我們就可以連音

Not

不是how's it

Bit

而是howsit

They should push together those sounds 'how's it'

要把這些音黏在一起

and finally you may not hear a native speaker

最後，英語母語者不見得會發going結尾那個g的音

pronounce the final G here in 'going'.

最後，英語母語者不見得會發going結尾那個g的音

So this expression is really casual you'll often just hear it

這句的語氣很隨意

所以你常會聽到人家講的時候發/n/而不是/ŋ/

pronounced with /n/ at the end instead of

So that's 'goin' instead of 'going'

goin'而非going

So let's put it all together.

現在整句一起唸

'How's it going?'

The intonation goes down at the end.

這句句尾的語調是下抑

You try it!

你試一下

Awesome! That sounds really good!

好極了！很好！

Alright let's try another now.

好，我們來試看看另一句

When this happens all the time, a time when you're

這情況時常發生

當別人介紹你給對方認識時

getting introduced to someone new.

Someone that you've never actually met before

你與對方從未謀面

but you know a lot of information about them.

然而你卻知道許多關於對方的資訊

So maybe it's the husband of your colleague

也許是你同事的先生

and your colleague talks about her husband all the time.

且你同事時常提起她先生

You don't know them, you've never met them before

你不認識對方，你與對方之前從未見過面

but you know of them. You know some information

但你聽說過對方

你知道對方的一些事情

about them.

Well then when you meet them it's really common to say

那麼當你與對方碰面時，一般很常說

"I've heard a lot about you"

（久仰大名）

It's a really nice way of saying my friend tells me

這個方式很好

用來表示你常聽朋友提起對方

about you all the time.

I feel like we know each other already.

我覺得我們好像早就認識了

Really friendly and it's so common

這句很友好且常用

and it's a very polite response.

也是很有禮貌的回應

I've heard a lot about you.

So for example

舉個例子

"Hey this is my friend from uni that I always talk about."

嘿，這就是我常提到的那位大學同學

Ah, yeah I've heard a lot about you!

啊，是的，久仰大名

So nice to meet you.

很高興見到你

Let's take a closer look at the pronunciation.

我們來琢磨一下這句的發音

'have' at the start of the sentence.

have在句子開頭

It usually joins together with the subject

通常與主詞連貫在一起

in spoken English so it becomes a contraction.

所以在英語口說中就縮讀

for example.

Not 'I have' but 'I've'.

不說I have，而是說I've

Make sure you have that consonant sound

注意到子音還是要正確發出聲來

coming out right it's one that you sometimes forget

結尾的子音你有時候會忘記

isn't it? On the end.

結尾的子音你有時候會忘記

Now the H of 'heard',

此處heard的h發音常常是輕省的

it often gets a little lost here.

此處heard的h發音常常是輕省的

It's like the sound from the end of 'I've'

I've結尾的/v/直接連到heard的母音

links directly to the vowel in 'heard'

I've結尾的/v/直接連到heard的母音

Now these words all pull together, don't they?

這幾個字都緊靠在一起了，對不對？

You can hear those sounds coming together

你可以聽到這些音一起發出來

and in fact we hear the flap T there as well.

實際上我們也聽到彈音T

Well in my Australian accent you do and it's also

在我的澳洲腔是如此

在美國腔也經常是如此

really common to hear that in American accents as well.

But the T almost sounds like a /d/ sound

這裡的T發音幾乎就像是/d/

and that happens often in English when the letter T

就像這邊這個例子一樣，英語中

is between two vowel sounds like here.

這個音常出現在當T夾在兩個母音之間時

Now even though the letter T is at the end of the word

即使這邊的T是位於lot的結尾

'lot' it's followed by a vowel sound and in spoken English

但緊接著的是個母音，且在英語口說中，

these words would pull together

這幾個字黏在一起

so you get a T between two vowel sounds.

於是就產生一個夾在兩個母音之間的T

It makes /d/ sound.

發音就會像/d/

With that T at the end, you'll hear a stop T.

你會聽到這個在結尾的T發塞音

So I don't fully release the air after that T

我並沒有完全釋放氣流來發出完整的T的音

to make a complete T sound. Not

我並沒有完全釋放氣流來發出完整的T的音

不說about，而是幾乎像在說abou

but

Don't release the air.

別釋出氣流

Let's try it all together now.

現在整句一起唸

Your turn.

輪到你了

I've heard a lot about you.

Now if you said that to someone, it's really common

若你向對方這麼說

for them to say back to you

一個普遍的反應會是

all good things I hope,

（希望都是好事）

like "I hope that everything you heard about me was

希望你聽說的關於我的都是正面的好事

positive".

希望你聽說的關於我的都是正面的好事

So be ready for that. You might even decide to say "Yeah

所以做好準備，你甚至會回應說：

對！當然都是好事

Of course all good things!

I've heard all good things about you!"

我聽說許多關於你的好事

All right so we've broken the ice a little there but now

好的，現在算已經破冰了

但談話方向如何發展？

where do we go? What next?

What are you up to? Up?

什麼上面？

What are you up to?

If you've ever been confused by this expression,

如果你曾對這句感到困惑

you're not alone,

你並不孤單

it's even confusing for me when I think about it.

當我認真去想它時，連我都感到困惑

'What are you up to' is another way of saying

它是「你在做什麼？」的另一種講法

它是「你在做什麼？」的另一種講法

what are you doing now?

If you're curious about what your friend is doing,

若你好奇你朋友在做什麼

you could say "Hey, what are you up to?"

你可以說What are you up to?

Or you can use it with another time expression

也可以加上時間點以詢問關於未來的計畫

to ask about future plans.

也可以加上時間點以詢問關於未來的計畫

Do you have any plans tonight?

你今晚有什麼計畫嗎？

What are you up to on the weekend?

Do you have any plans on the weekend?

週末有什麼計畫嗎？

So this expression has a couple meanings.

於是這句的意思就可以有變化

So when we start looking a little closer at the

若我們仔細來檢視這句的發音

pronunciation, it gets really interesting.

會很有意思

Now remember that flap T from before .

記得剛才提到的彈音T

Here it is again.

它又出現了

In spoken English, 'what' and 'are' come together.

英語口說中，what與are連貫在一起出現

The two vowel sounds make the the T sound

這兩個母音使T的發音轉為/d/

turn into a D.

這兩個母音使T的發音轉為/d/

The word R is unstressed here so it reduces right down

are的發音則是弱化，輕到變成中央母音(schwa)

to become the schwa sound.

are的發音則是弱化，輕到變成中央母音(schwa)

And 'you' also reduces down as well.

you的發音也弱化

We hear the schwa.

於是我們又聽到了中央母音

So 'what are you' becomes

what are you講很順變成

And you'll hear that question all the time

你會在英語口語中時常聽到這個問句

in spoken English.

你會在英語口語中時常聽到這個問句

It's kind of confusing, isn't it? But understanding

有點令人困惑，是不是？

但瞭解這些字如何發音，

how these words are spoken will help you to understand

有助於理解更多英語母語者

more native English speakers.

But let's get back to this question.

我們回到這個問句來

So the unstressed schwa and the

輕讀的這個中央母音與up裡的母音/ʌ/很相近

vowel sound that you hear in 'up' are very, very similar.

輕讀的這個中央母音與up裡的母音/ʌ/很相近

So they actually pull together.

因此實際上它們連貫在一起

So you really just hear 'you' as the

所以其實you這個字你只會聽到/jə/的音

所以其實you這個字你只會聽到/jə/的音

sound.

Crazy huh?

見鬼啦～

And you wonder how sometimes it's really difficult

你一定覺得有時候真的很難理解英語母語者

to understand native English speakers, right?

你一定覺得有時候真的很難理解英語母語者

You have a go.

你試試

Now it's important to note that there are a lot of

值得注意的是

各地腔調之間的差異可能很大

different variations between accents

so you may hear

所以你可能會聽到

where the ch consonant sound is used.

發的是ch子音

Try it.

試試看

So this is such a common expression in English.

這是英語中很普遍的用語

If you hear a whole lot of mumbling at the

若你在與英語母語者的會話開頭聽到一堆這種鬼話

start of a conversation with a native English speaker,

若你與英語母語者在對話開頭聽到一堆這種鬼話

don't freeze because they are probably just using

別愣住，因為他們大概只是在講這幾句普遍用語

these really common expressions

別愣住，因為他們大概只是在講這幾句普遍用語

and being lazy about it.

但是懶所以講話含糊

So for you, understanding how the natural expression is

你要知道，自然的口語用法與書面文字哪裡不同

different from the written words

你要知道，自然的口語用法與書面文字哪裡不同

is really, really important.

了解這點極為重要

Now to answer this question,

要回答這個問題

you would simply explain what you are doing

你只要告知你當下在做什麼

at that moment or your future plans

或是你未來的計畫，若問句中有提到某個時間點的話

if there was a time reference.

或是你未來的計畫，若問句中有提到某個時間點的話

But if you're not doing anything particularly interesting

不過如果你沒有要做什麼特別的事

or you don't really have anything planned

或你也沒什麼計畫

then how do you answer this question?

那你怎麼回答這個問題呢？

You say..

你就說...

Now it's hard to believe that even these quick responses

很難相信甚至連這些簡答都還能再精簡

actually reduce down.

很難相信甚至連這些簡答都還能再精簡

So we don't hear the T in 'not'

這個not結尾的T並沒有發出聲音

Again that -ng when spoken quickly at the end of a word

還有這個結尾的ng講很快時也一樣

it sounds more like just

發音更近於nothin'

instead of

而不是發nothing

You might also say

你也可以說...

or

So this is the unstressed form of 'just' and it sounds like

這是just的弱讀，聽起來像jus

So this also helps to explain that the activity that you're

這也解釋了你當下正在從事的活動

doing at that moment, it's not really important

其實並沒有很重要

and notice as well that I've completely dropped

注意到我把代名詞與助動詞都完全省略掉了

the pronoun and the auxiliary verb.

注意到我把代名詞與助動詞都完全省略掉了

I didn't say "I am just finishing this email"

我並沒說I am just finishing this email

I could but often native speakers will drop this

這麼說是沒錯，但若非必要，

母語人士常會省略掉那部分

information if it's unnecessary.

So the question that was directed at me

我被問到的問題是

"What am i up to?"

What am I up to?

I don't really need to clarify that in my answer.

我沒必要在我的回答中闡明

I'm talking about myself right?

我說的是我自己吧？

So I dropped it, it's not that important.

所以我就省略掉，不是很重要

So tell me what did you think of this lesson?

告訴我，你覺得這堂課如何？

I hope that it was useful for you.

希望對你有幫助

In a minute,

等一下

I'm going to take you on a bit of an adventure

我將帶你去我工作室外進行冒險活動

outside of my studio to practise some more

我將帶你去我工作室外進行冒險活動

來練習常用語句，一些我超常講的用語

common expressions - ones that I use all the time.

But before I do, I want you to add some common

但在那之前

請你加幾個英語日常用語

everyday English expressions that you want me

是你要我在將來的課程中涵蓋的

to include in a lesson just like this in the future.

If there is any that you want to understand more then

若有你想進一步了解的

add them into the comments below

那就寫在下方留言好讓我製作課程

so that I can make a lesson.

那就寫在下方留言好讓我製作課程

Hi!

嗨！

I'm ready to practise!

我已經準備好練習了

Okay! Hey I've got an idea. Why don't we practise

好的！嘿，我有個主意

我們何不去外面練習？我以前從沒在外面拍片過

outside? I've never really filmed outside before but

it's probably going to be really windy, bit of traffic,

可能風會很強，車有點多

but I've been meaning to do it for a while.

但我想這麼做已經有一陣子了

Do you want to try it?

你想嘗試嗎？

Let's just give it a go, yeah?

我們就試一試吧，好嗎？

Sure!

當然！

Alright so, 'give it a go' is something that I use

Give it a go是我超常使用的語句

all the time.

Give it a go是我超常使用的語句

It means to try something new, right?

表示嘗試新事物

Like right now, I've never filmed outside before

就像此刻。我之前從未在外面拍片過

and I'm not really sure how it's going to turn out but

我不太確定事情會變怎樣

I want to just see how it goes anyway.

但我還是想要看看結果會是如何

I would say all the time give it a go.

我總是會說give it a go

So depending on who you talk to,

端看你是在跟誰講話

you might hear people say "I'll give it a shot"

你可能會聽到人家說

or "I'll give it a try" or "I'll give it a crack"

All of these expressions that have really

之類意思相近的語句

similar meanings. For me I always say "give it a go"

若是我的話，我都是說give it a go

It's really easy to just roll off the tongue. I'm going to

脫口就說出來了，很順

我來說明在講這些字時如何自然地連貫在一起

talk about how all of these words kind of push together

when they're spoken naturally because

我來說明在講這些字時如何自然地連貫在一起

you will never hear someone say "let's give it a go"

你永遠不會聽到有人說let's、give、it、a、go

but instead "give it a go"

而是會聽到give it a go

and so what's happening is all of the words that end

事情是這樣的，這些結尾是子音的字

in the consonant sounds, are actually linking to the ones

其實全都連接到下個字的母音

that follow that are vowel sounds.

其實全都連接到下個字的母音

So instead of

所以不講give、it

而是講give it

and notice how it's unstressed so it reduces down

注意到it弱讀，弱化為中央母音

to the schwa sound.

注意到it弱讀，弱化為中央母音

And also that T is a stop T which means that I'm not

還有這邊這個T是塞音

但並不完整地發音，不釋放氣流

fully pronouncing it, I'm not letting the air go afterwards.

I'm not saying

我不說

but

而說

So it's stopping, I'm not releasing the air.

氣流閉塞在那，我不釋放

So that article,

而冠詞a發音弱化為中央母音

its a schwa and it reduces right down.

而冠詞a發音弱化為中央母音

You might even hear that T, that flap T

你甚至會聽到這個T發彈音

sounding more like a D there because naturally in my

更接近D的發音

因為依我的腔調和我自然的發音

pronunciation, with my accent,

it'll reduce to that flap T sound.

它會弱化成彈音T

instead of

而非

那你何不give it a go？試試吧

So why don't you give it a go? Try it.

Let's give it a go.

Right now, let's go.

我們立刻出發

Hang on a second I've got to get my phone.

稍等一下，我得拿我手機

Okay now let's go give it a go.

好了，現在我們去give it a go吧

稍等一下，我要接這通。嗨，媽媽

I'm going to take this. Hi mum.

Hey. Can I give you a call back?

嘿，我可以給妳回電嗎？

I'm a bit busy. Yep.

我有點忙

Alright I'll talk to you soon.

好，我很快會聯繫妳

Hang on a sec, I'm not coming to dinner tonight.

稍等一下，我今晚不過去吃晚餐

I'll come over tomorrow. Okay. See you.

我明天再過去。好的，再見

Alright so that, I said "hang on a sec"

好，我說了Hang on a sec

and I say that all the time.

我超常講這句

It's a really casual informal way of saying

這是一種很隨意且非正式的講法

just wait a moment. It's a little bit more, you know,

用來表示稍候片刻。這是有點...就是...

because we're friends and we're just hanging out,

因為我們是朋友，我們只是閒逛

it's much easier, you know and much more relaxed

用這句容易多了，而且也比較放鬆

to use that expression so 'hang on a sec'

那麼，hang on a sec

What's a sec?

什麼是sec？

Well a 'sec', is it's a short version of the word 'second'

sec是second這個字的簡化

so we're going to focus on the first three words

我想要著重在前三個字

So they kind of all come together, don't they?

它們有點全都湊在一起，對吧？

When I say them quickly.

我講得很快的時候

And that's because the consonant sounds at the end

那是因為這幾個字字尾的子音

of these words links straight to the vowel sounds

直接連到緊接其後的母音

that follow.

直接連到緊接其後的母音

So the 'a', the article links straight on behind.

連接著就在後面的冠詞a

It's just a schwa, it's unstressed.

它是個中央母音，弱讀

It's really soft and flat.

很柔和平順

Try it with me.

跟我一起試試看

Nice one!

很好！

Let's try another!

我們來試試另一句！

With those clouds, we might be running out of time.

從那雲層來看，我們可能快沒時間了

We've got time for one more but let's do

我們還有時間再學一句，那就學...

'running out of time

running out of time（快沒時間了）

because we are, look at these clouds.

此刻便是如此，你看看這雲層

It's a really common expression, it's an idiom

這句很普遍，你可能已經學過這個慣用語

that you might already know but we're going to focus on

但我們現在要在發音方面深入探討

the pronunciation so first up we've got a contraction.

首先碰到的是縮讀

'We are', the auxiliary verb 'are'

We are，助動詞are與主詞合在一起，we're

comes together with the subject 'we're'

We are，助動詞are與主詞合在一起，we're

So instead of saying 'we are' - it sounds quite sort of

與其很正式地講we are、聽起來相當生硬

stiff and formal

與其很正式地講we are、聽起來相當生硬

but you know if you're speaking more naturally

你其實可以像英語母語者那樣講得自然點

just like a native English speaker would, you would

你其實可以像英語母語者那樣講得自然點

probably just contract those two things together.

大可將這兩個字縮讀即可

然後在running的字尾

And then at the end of 'running' usually what happens

通常英語母語者都偷懶

with native English speakers is instead of pronouncing that

不發出結尾的那個/ŋ/

sound at the end, they get really lazy

and they'll just pronounce the

他們只會發/n/

Then we've got 'out of time'.

接著我們來看out of time

Now if they're pronounced really clearly you can hear

若每個字都很清晰地發音，你應該會聽到所有的字

all of those words but instead

但相反地

when spoken naturally you'll hear

講話自然的時候，你會聽到

'out of' becomes

out of變成outta

And thats, you'll see the flap T there. You'll see

這邊你會聽到彈音T

that will reduce, that will become the /d/ sound.

你會發現發音縮減，變成了像是/d/

That's my accent anyway. The Australian accent,

我的腔調就是這樣

澳洲腔會有彈音T，這點跟美國腔一樣

will use the flap T, same with the American one,

you might hear people say

你可能會聽到人們說

but most commonly

但最普遍的是

And 'time' is a stressed word there,

而time在此是個重讀字

so we hear it really clearly.

所以我們可以清楚地聽到它

or

或

Why don't you try it?

你何不試試？

Well I hope you enjoyed that lesson. It's been fun

希望你喜歡這節課

taking you outside and I think we're going to keep going

帶你到外面滿有趣的，我想我們會繼續這麼做

with this we're going to keep giving it a go.

我們將繼續giving it a go

If you enjoyed this lesson, then make sure you

如果你喜歡這堂課

subscribe to the channel by clicking that

記得要按這邊的按鈕訂閱頻道

subscribe button over there and if you're ready to

如果你準備好跟我一起學習新課程

check out some new lessons with me,

如果你準備好跟我一起學習新課程

例如關於發音或英語自然用語的課程

some pronunciation lessons or lessons about

natural English expression,

例如關於發音或英語自然用語的課程

then check out these ones right here

那就點閱這邊的課程

and I'll see you in the next lesson!

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