Start Understanding Native Speakers

Why is spoken English so difficult to understand?

Can you understand your English teacher but not understand most native speakers?

Teachers usually speak more slowly and clearly to help you understand what they are saying.

However, when speaking naturally, native speakers blend and reduce words when they speak. This makes understanding difficult.

Spoken English and written English are really different. To learn about the differences, I recommend this video: Speaking English is EASIER than you Think! where I talk about these differences and give you examples to help you understand spoken English.

One of the reasons it is difficult to understand native speakers is because they often blend words together when they speak. By learning how they do this, you can improve your understanding of spoken English.

The Spoken English Reduction Guide will help you understand English as it is spoken by native speakers.

Spoken English Reduction Guide

The guide contains 28 reductions with 30 example sentences. The guide is completely free. There is also an audio file available for purchase that you can use along with the guide.

The free PDF guide contains 28 common speech reductions written as they sound when spoken. The PDF also includes 30 example sentences.

The sentences below have been written in their full forms with no reductions. Refer to the PDF to see the reduced forms.

Except for contractions (I’ll, don’t, etc.), we do not usually write words the way they are spoken. Seeing the written reductions in the PDF guide will show you what you are hearing.

Spoken English reductions follow patterns. By learning these patterns, you can improve your ability to understand native speakers.

How to Use the Free Guide

You can use the guide with or without purchasing the optional audio.

1. Open the free PDF and compare the full forms with the reduced forms. Notice how words blend together and how some sounds change or disappear.
2. Click the blue words in the guide to watch related videos and hear examples.
3. Listen for these reductions when watching videos or having conversations in English. You don’t need to use every reduction yourself—recognizing them can help you understand what you hear.

GET YOUR FREE REDUCTION GUIDE HERE

Practice with the Optional Audio

The audio is available separately if you’d like to hear all 30 example sentences and practice along with them.

1. Listen once without looking at the guide. How much can you understand?
2. Listen again while reading the full sentences below.
3. Open the PDF and compare the reduced forms as you listen again. Repeat as often as you find helpful.
4. If you’d like to practice speaking, pause after each sentence and repeat it, paying attention to how the words connect.

Spoken English Reduction Guide

Downloadable audio available at my Ko-fi shop

You will hear the following sentences in the audio file.

1. What are you going to do this weekend?
2. What do you want to do this summer?
3. When do you have to be at the airport?
4. She has to work. 
5. I am kind of tired. 
6. I feel sort of sick. 
7. I have a lot of work. 
8. I ate lots of chicken last night. 
9. We have got to get ready to go.
10. I have got to eat.
11. Did you eat lunch?
12. Which one do you want?
13. I should have studied harder.
14. Would you like to join us?
15. I want to go to Iceland.
16. I have to go to the store.
17. What did you eat for lunch?
18. What are you going to do after class?
19. What do you want to eat for lunch?
20. Where do you want to go for lunch?
21. Tell her I will be there at seven.
22. Georgie had to make his own breakfast.
23. When do you want them?
24. He told him about the problem.
25. What did you eat for lunch?
26. Let us have chicken and beer. 
27. I had to wake up at seven a.m. today. 
28. I have to go to the store.
29. Catch you later!
30. Did you study?

Seeing and hearing these sentences will help you increase your understanding of spoken English. Understanding how words are blended together when spoken with relaxed speech will help you improve your listening skills.

Improve your Speaking with Shadowing

Practicing shadowing will help you increase your ability to speak English smoothly and at a natural speed. I wrote this to help you learn about shadowing:

The Shadowing Technique.

I also have some popular YouTube videos for practicing shadowing. Here’s the full shadowing playlist.

Shadowing English Speaking Practice for Fluency: In this video, you’ll also learn about one of the most common words in the English language and how to use it in various situations.

More Practice

Listening Practice to Help You Understand Native Speakers: 10 more sentences with common reductions. It includes both reduced and non-reduced forms. The audio product on Ko-fi contains a file with these sentences too and can be yours for $2.

Never stop exploring!