Contractversation Going on a Date American English Pronunciation

What movie do you want to watch?
What movie do you wanna watch?

What’s the difference between these two phrases?

In this American English pronunciation video,

you’re going to learn a little bit more about the character of American English.

Contractions and reductions go a long way in making you sound more American

but sometimes, I have a hard time convincing my students of this.

They think, “If I pronounce everything fully and clearly, it will be better.”

But the problem with that is, it can end up sounding very formal,

sometimes even robotic, not at all natural.

You’re going to hear the following conversation twice,

once with no contractions, no reductions, and only True T pronunciations.

It will sound formal and stilted.

Then, you’ll hear the conversation as Americans would speak.

I hope you hear the huge difference that reductions,

contractions, and habits like the Flap T can make.

What movie do you want to watch?
What movie do you wanna watch?

The first time through, Tom made a True T at the end of ‘what’. What movie, what movie.

The second time he made that a stop T because the next sound is a consonant.

What movie, what movie. That makes it a little more smooth.

The first time Tom said, ‘want to’,

making a full T at the end of ‘want’ and fully pronouncing ‘to’.

The second time he combined these into ‘wanna’. Less choppy than ‘want to’.

What movie do you want to watch?
What movie do you wanna watch?

I cannot watch a movie, I have got a date.
I can’t watch a movie, I’ve gotta date.

The first time I said ‘cannot’, the second time I contracted that, ‘can’t’, can’t.

Notice I’m not releasing the T ‘can’t’, but rather, can’t.

I cut off the air flow to make it a stop ending, can’t, to make it different from ‘can’,

where the voice would continue. Can’t watch, can’t watch.

I contracted ‘I have’ to ‘I’ve’.

Then I made a Flap T between ‘got’ and ‘a’, ‘gotta’, gotta.

That linked those two words together and helped to smooth it out, Got a, gotta.

I cannot watch a movie, I have got a date.
I can’t watch a movie, I’ve gotta date.

Who is the date with?
Who’s the date with?

Here Tom made one simple adjustment using the contraction ‘who’s’.

Who is the date with?
Who’s the date with?

You would like to know!
You’d like to know!

Here I’m contracting ‘you would’ to ‘you’d’, you’d.

Also the word ‘to’: I’m reducing that to ‘to’, with the schwa.

This helps me make it shorter so I have more rhythmic contrast

between stressed and unstressed syllables.

You would like to know!
You’d like to know!

Are not you going to tell me?
Aren’t you gonna tell me?

The first time Tom said, ‘are not’. Basically, no one does that.

We all use the contraction. Because the contraction was followed by the word ‘you’,

Tom made that a CH sound instead of a T, ‘aren’t you’, aren’t you.

You don’t have to do this but you will hear many native speakers do it, aren’t you.

Then Tom took ‘going to’ and reduced it to ‘gonna’.

Are not you going to tell me?
Aren’t you gonna tell me?

He is a social worker.
He’s a social worker.

Here I simply contracted ‘He is’ to ‘He’s’.

He is a social worker.
He’s a social worker.

Could not we all watch the movie together?
Couldn’t we all watch the movie together?

Here Tom contracted ‘Could not’ to ‘Couldn’t’.

Again we’re not releasing the T in this N’T contraction: couldn’t we, couldn’t we.

Could not we all watch the movie together?
Couldn’t we all watch the movie together?

I do not think he would want to.
I don’t think he’d want to.

‘Do not’ contracted to ‘don’t’. Again, no release of that T, don’t think, don’t think.

And ‘he would’ contracted to ‘he’d’, he’d.

Also the second time I did not say ‘want to’ with two ‘T’ sounds, want to, want to.

Just one ‘T’ sound.

I do not think he would want to.
I don’t think he’d want to.

Does not he like movies?!
Doesn’t he like movies?!

Here we contract ‘does not’ to ‘doesn’t’, doesn’t.

Again with that N’T not making a T sound, doesn’t, n, n, doesn’t he.

Does not he like movies?!
Doesn’t he like movies?!

It is not that, he just would not want to.
It isn’t that, he just wouldn’t want to.

Listen to all those True T’s that changed. ‘It isn’t that’, Flap T, Stop T, Stop T.

‘Is not’ is contracted to ‘isn’t’, isn’t. In ‘just’ I dropped the T.

We often do that between consonants.

And here it’s between the ‘S’ of ‘just’ and the ‘W’ of ‘wouldn’t’.

Of course I contracted ‘would’ and ‘not’ to ‘wouldn’t’.

The T in ‘want’ and the T in ‘to’ are blended together and we get just one True T,

want to, want to.

It is not that, he just would not want to.
It isn’t that, he just wouldn’t want to.

We have got other plans.
We’ve got other plans.

‘We have’ is contracted to ‘we’ve’.

The T in ‘got’ is turned into a Flap T because it comes between two vowels,

and we use it to link ‘got’ and ‘other’, got other, got other.

We have got other plans.
We’ve got other plans.

But we would have a great time!
But we’d have a great time!

The T in ‘but’ becomes a Stop T because the next word begins with a consonant,

but we, but we.

‘We would’ is contracted to ‘we’d’

and notice how quick and light the ‘D’ in ‘we’d’ and the ‘H’ in ‘have’ are.

But we’d have a great time!
Great time, you only hear that ‘T’ once.

But we would have a great time!
But we’d have a great time!

I would not be the third wheel, promise!
I wouldn’t be the third wheel, promise!

‘Would not’ is contracted to ‘wouldn’t’ and we don’t release that ‘T’.

I would not be the third wheel, promise!
I wouldn’t be the third wheel, promise!

Tom, should not you go have a date night with your wife?

Tom, shouldn’t you go have a date night with your wife?

‘Should not’ sounds much better than the contraction ‘shouldn’t’.

T not released like all the other N’T contractions.

The ‘T’ in ‘date’ and ‘night’: both stops, because the next sounds are consonants.

‘Your’ is reduced to ‘yer’, your wife.

Tom, should not you go have a date night with your wife?

Tom, shouldn’t you go have a date night with your wife?

Tom, should not you go have a date night with your wife?

Tom, shouldn’t you go have a date night with your wife?

That would be better.
That’d be better.

‘That’ and ‘would’ contract to become ‘that’d’.

So the ending ‘T’ in that is a Flap T, and we add the schwa-D, that’d.

In ‘better’ I made those Flap T’s because they come between two vowels, ‘better’.

That would be better.
That’d be better.

She is at rehearsal tonight.
She’s at rehearsal tonight.

‘She is’ is contracted to ‘she’s’, she’s at.

The word ‘at’ reduces to the schwa and stop T, at, at, at, at rehearsal.

She’s at rehearsal.

She is at rehearsal tonight.
She’s at rehearsal tonight.

Oh, I get it.
Oh, I get it.

‘Get it’ we connect those two words with the Flap T at the end of ‘get’, get it, get it.

It’s much more smooth.

Also notice the final ‘T’ in ‘it’ is a stop T, get it, get it, get it.

Oh, I get it.
Oh, I get it.

You should not invite yourself on dates, though.

You shouldn’t invite yourself on dates, though.

‘Should not’ becomes ‘shouldn’t’, no released T.

The ending ‘T’ of ‘invite’ was made a stop T, invite.

That’s because the next word began with a consonant, invite yourself.

You should not invite yourself on dates, though.

You shouldn’t invite yourself on dates, though.

You should not invite yourself on dates, though.

You shouldn’t invite yourself on dates, though.

It is not polite.
It’s not polite.

It’s not polite, contracting ‘it’ and ‘is’.

And did you notice the Stop T at the end of ‘polite’?

It is not polite.
It’s not polite.

You are right. Sorry. I will see you later.
You’re right, sorry. I’ll see ya later.

‘You’ and ‘are’ contract to ‘you’re’, which Tom reduced to ‘yer’, you’re right.

‘I’ and ‘will’ become ‘I’ll’ reduced to ‘I’ll’ and the vowel in ‘you’ is relaxed a bit,

so it’s closer to the schwa.

I’ll see ya, I’ll see ya later. ‘Later’ with the Flap T.

You are right. Sorry. I will see you later.
You’re right, sorry. I’ll see ya later.

Have fun!
Have fun!

‘Have fun’: no options for contractions or reductions here.

But can you believe that in every other sentence

there was something we could change to make it sound more American,

using a contraction or reduction, or a Stop or Flap T.

Now let’s listen to the whole conversation, once without these tips and once with.

What is your sense of the overall character?

Formal -
T: What movie do you want to watch?

R: I cannot watch a movie, I have got a date.
T: Who is the date with?

R: You would like to know!
T: Are not you going to tell me?

R: He is a social worker.
T: Could not we all watch the movie together?

R: I do not think he would want to.
T: Does not he like movies?!

R: It is not that, he just would not want to, we have got other plans.

T: But we would have a great time! I would not be the third wheel, promise!

R: Tom, should not you go have a date night with your wife? That would be better.

T: She is at rehearsal tonight.

R: Oh, I get it. You should not invite yourself on dates, though, it is not polite.

T: You are right. Sorry. I will see you later. Have fun.

Informal -
T: What movie do you wanna watch?

R: I can’t watch a movie, I’ve gotta date.
T: Who’s the date with?

R: You’d like to know!
T: Aren’t you gonna tell me?

R: He’s a social worker.
T: Couldn’t we all watch the movie together?

R: I don’t think he’d want to.
T: Doesn’t he like movies?!

R: It isn’t that, he just wouldn’t want to, we’ve got other plans.

T: But we’d have a great time! I wouldn’t be the third wheel, promise!

R: Tom, shouldn’t you go have a date night with your wife? That’d be better.

T: She’s at rehearsal tonight.

R: Oh, I get it. You shouldn’t invite yourself on dates, though, it’s not polite.

T: You’re right, sorry. I’ll see ya later. Have fun!

To keep going with this, go back and listen to the conversation

when it sounded American and natural.

Turn it into a Ben Franklin exercise

and then practice the conversation with a friend, or by yourself.

If you’re not sure what a Ben Franklin exercise is, click here or look in the description.

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