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Fluent Speech

A pronunciation guide to help you understand native speakers

Fluent Speech

Understanding native speakers

Native Speakers and Fluent Speech

When native speakers speak fast their pronunciation often changes in order to connect words more easily.

This mini guide is to help you recognise words in fluent speech and also includes a few tips to help you with common problems associated with native-speakers and pronunciation.

When English learners listen to native speakers it can be very difficult to understand what is being said, even with simple phrases.

Example 1: A native speaking quickly says “bad guy”. The English learner hears “ba'guy” and is surprised to learn that the letter d is not pronounced.

Example 2: A Spanish speaker learns the word “heart” in class then hears a English person say it. Very often they won’t recognise the word. They find that the letter r is often not pronounced and that the vowel sound is long.

Below you will find some of the most important tips to help you understand fluent speech.

Disappearing Consonants - Elision

If a word ends in d or t and the next word starts with a consonant, then the d or t disappears. This can also happen with other consonants.

For example:

That guy -> tha'guy (a very short pause replaces the t)

Bad time -> ba'time (a very short pause replaces the d)

Connecting Vowels/Consonants

When a word ends in a vowel and the following word starts with a consonant or vice versa, they simply connect. This can be confusing when there are three or four words following this rule.

For example:

A bit of money -> Abitə money (“A bit of” connects together and sounds like one word)

An extra set of keys -> Anextrasetof keys (all the words connect and sound like one word)

Prepositions and Short Words

The pronunciation of many prepositions and other short words change in fast speech making it difficult to recognise the word. The vowel sound often changes to the schwa sound (ə).

For example:

Give it to me -> give it tə me

This is for you -> This is fə you

This is for your friend -> This is fə yə friend

Him/Her/He

It can be difficult to recognise these words in fast speech as you can hear below.

For example:

Give him a raise -> Giveimə raise (The h disappears)

Can he do it?-> Cani do it? (The h disappears)

Tell her to come -> tellə to come (The h disappears and the vowel changes to a schwa sound.)

Going to/Want to/Got to

There is a very common change in pronuciation when these three expressions are said fluently, especially in informal speech.

Example:

I'm going to see them -> I'm gonə see əm

I want to work -> I wanə work

We've got to go -> We've gorə go

Should/would/could...have done

There is an interesting pronunciation change when speakers use the construction 'could/would/should/might/must/can't have done...'. The word 'have' changes to the schwa sound - (ə).

For example:

He should have gone -> He should ə gone

They can't have been ill -> They can't ə bin ill
Notice also how 'been' changes to 'bin'.

I would have called her -> I would ə called ə
Notice the change in 'her' too.

A lot of/A better/a bit of - 't' between vowels

The letter 't' between vowels is often pronounced as an 'r' or is even omitted at times, although in these case a small pause is left.

For example:

A better place -> A berə place

A lot of money -> A lorə money

Great Britain -> Great Bri'ən
Notice how there is a short pause instead of the 't'.

Do and Did in Questions

The auxiliary verbs do and did can almost disappear in some questions.

For example:

What do you need? -> Whatchə need?

How did you get there? -> Howdyə get there?

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