Learn English Conversation the EASY Way (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=r2Ryt7fj7V8)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\nVideo Transcript:<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s easier to remember new vocabulary when you\u2019re studying real English conversation. Today we\u2019re studying 10 conversations: we\u2019ll chat with my mom, my dad, my uncle John, we\u2019ll visit Colorado, Michigan, and you\u2019ll meet some of my very best friends. Let\u2019s get started with our first conversation. This is my husband, and guess what, he hates watermelon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.<\/span>
\n I know, but I want to try it, and you said it was the best one you\u2019ve ever had.<\/span>
\n I didn\u2019t say that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo we start here by debating what I said. If someone says you said something that you didn\u2019t, you can say I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. The N\u2019T ending can be pronounced several ways. I think I\u2019m doing a really quick Stop T, I didn\u2019t say that. I say this phrase pretty quickly, don\u2019t I? I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. But it wasn\u2019t too fast. It was the pace of conversational English. Let\u2019s listen again. The clearest longer word was \u2018say\u2019. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhen you listen to it on a loop, it\u2019s easier to hear all the pieces you need to simplify, isn\u2019t it? I did not is \u2018I didn\u2019t\u2019. SAY is the peak of that sentence. \u2013say \u2013say I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. You can even completely drop the T in didn\u2019t, if this helps with the simplification. You\u2019ll hear it again five times. Then you try it. Don\u2019t think about the words, but think about what you hear. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. I didn\u2019t say that. Ok, let\u2019s go back and listen to the beginning of the conversation again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.<\/span>
\n I know but I want to try it, and you said it was the best one you\u2019ve ever had.<\/span>
\n I didn\u2019t say that.<\/span>
\n You said \u2018one of the best\u2019?<\/span>
\n I probably said that it\u2019s an amazing watermelon and if you\u2019re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo we\u2019ve said a few words to describe food and if we like that food. David hates watermelon. We can say \u2018hates\u2019. We can also say \u2018doesn\u2019t like\u2019 but it\u2019s not as strong and David feels very strongly about watermelon. David hates watermelon. I called it an amazing watermelon. Very good. Don\u2019t you love amazing food? We had an amazing meal. The wine was amazing!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s an amazing watermelon and if you\u2019re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.<\/span>
\n Oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n \u2013 Yeah!<\/span>
\n \u2013 Oh!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo I kept waiting for him to cut a piece of watermelon, but he didn\u2019t do it because he didn\u2019t want a whole piece. He decided just to have a bite of mine. Listen to how I said that. Oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? Again, I feel like I\u2019m speaking quickly, and I am, but also, that\u2019s just conversational English. It is fast. Let\u2019s listen to this one on a loop and see if we can figure out which words are the most stressed, and where you can simplify.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\noh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI hear more stress on OH, you\u2019re, and \u2018bite\u2019 and \u2018mine\u2019. oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNotice how all the words run together smoothly with no breaks. That\u2019s an important characteristic of American English. The contraction \u201cyou are\u201d to \u201cyou\u2019re\u201d is pronounced \u201cyer\u201d. That\u2019s how it\u2019s almost always pronounced in conversational English, that\u2019s a common reduction. yer, yer. Oh yer, oh yer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\noh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe words \u2018just going to have a\u2019 we have a few reductions there. The T in JUST is dropped We do that when the next word begins with a consonant. The vowel reduces to the schwa. IT\u2019s not \u2018just\u2019, it\u2019s \u2018jus\u2019. GOING TO becomes \u2018gonna\u2019. HAVE A is \u2018have a\u2019. All of these words are lower in pitch, flatter, and said very quickly. \u2018just going to have a\u2019 \u2018just going to have a\u2019\u2018 just going to have a\u2019 \u2018just going to have a\u2019 This is what happens in conversational English. oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? \u2018Bite of mine\u2019 becomes \u2018bite a\u2019 mine\u2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe word \u2018of\u2019 is reduced to the schwa, and the T in BITE is a Flap T linking the two together. Bite of mine, bite of mine. Again, these changes are typical of conversational English. They\u2019re a part of what helps us make English fast. A T is a Flap T when it comes between two vowels or diphthongs, and that\u2019s true even in two different words when the T links the two words. Bite of mine. oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine? Ok, let\u2019s move on.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDavid will try the watermelon. Will he be convinced that this is an \u2018amazing\u2019 watermelon?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat? No!<\/span>
\n It\u2019s awful.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo, David was not convinced. He called it \u2018awful\u2019. I\u2019ve also heard him use the term \u2018disgusting\u2019. What foods do you think are awful or disgusting? Put them in the comments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat? I don\u2019t get it!<\/span>
\n The melon-iness. It\u2019s\u2026<\/span>
\n Is it the texture? Or the\u2026<\/span>
\n No. Just the flavor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOur friend off camera asked if it was texture or taste. The texture of the food is how it feels in your mouth, or in your hands. It can be hard, soft, mushy, crunchy, slippery, smooth, and so on. Some people might not like a food for its texture more than it\u2019s taste. David said, in this case, it was not the texture, it was the taste, the flavor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u2013 Is it the texture? Or the taste?<\/span>
\n \u2013 No. Just the flavor. It\u2019s like uh\u2026 \u2013 I don\u2019t know.<\/span>
\n \u2013 It\u2019s such a good one. You guys are crazy. Like you literally had to spit it out?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLet\u2019s talk for a second about the word \u2018literally\u2019 and how it\u2019s used. In British English it sounds more like three syllables. Literally. Literally. In American English it sounds like four, and we flap the T. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally. Now, this word is over used in American English. The meaning has morphed as a result. It\u2019s used often for emphasis.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor example, I once heard someone say: I was so tired, I literally slept all day. Now, I know that person didn\u2019t sleep all day. She slept a lot of day, certainly she was very tired. But she did not literally sleep all day. She did not actually sleep from sun up to sun down. She slept a lot that day. So she\u2019s using \u2018literally\u2019 here for emphasis. I can also picture someone saying, \u201cI literally fell out of my chair when I heard the news.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis would in no way mean that someone did literally fall out of a chair, it just adds emphasis to say how amazed they were, how caught off guard they were. I\u2019m going to put a link in the video description to some articles about the word \u2018literally\u2019 and how its use has changed and its meaning has changed. Now, how did I use it? like, you literally had to spit it out?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThere I am using it to mean \u2018actually\u2019. I\u2019m not just adding emphasis. I\u2019m asking, you had no other options than to actually, physically spit it out? He claims he didn\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLike, you literally had to spit it out?<\/span>
\n Can you do it again without spitting it?<\/span>
\n I don\u2019t want any more try. Ever.<\/span>
\n \u2013 I\u2019m done trying.<\/span>
\n \u2013 You\u2019ll never be convinced again?<\/span>
\n No, this is one of the best you\u2019ve ever had and I had a vomit reaction.<\/span>
\n Is there an agreement here?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe said he had \u2018a vomit reaction\u2019. Another way to say vomit is to say throw up, which is a phrasal verb, which means your food comes back up out of you. He had a vomit reaction to watermelon. This guy really hates watermelon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u2013 It\u2019s an excellent melon.<\/span>
\n \u2013 It\u2019s a tasty one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo there we just heard two other opinions, and two other descriptors: excellent, and tasty. Everyone else seems to really like this watermelon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI thought it was a very good watermelon. I only like watermelon really this time of year, when they\u2019re the real sweet, juicy ones. I find, you know, watermelon in the off season to be pretty terrible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMore descriptors: very good, sweet, juicy. Also, terrible. In the off season in the US, when they\u2019re imported from farther away. I\u2019m all in favor of this watermelon. She is all in favor of this watermelon. She thinks it\u2019s a great one. We often use the term \u2018all in favor of\u2019 when we need to challenge something, or part of something.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor example, I\u2019m all in favor of less screen time for kids, but when we\u2019re flying, I do let him use my iPad. Or, I\u2019m all in favor of exercising more, but I can\u2019t make myself do it five times a week. I\u2019m all in favor of\u2013 I\u2019m all in favor of this watermelon. My friend Jacob used the phrase \u2018farther afield.\u2019 You can also say \u2018further afield\u2019. This means not the nearest, closest, or most obvious place.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor example, we didn\u2019t find a solution to the problem with our preliminary research, so we\u2019ll have to look further afield. OR, there isn\u2019t a pet adoption agency in our neighborhood, so we\u2019ll have to look further afield. As Jacob used it, the watermelon was not grown there on a local farm, but brought in from somewhere further afield, somewhere else in Virginia.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut now they also buy things from the produce auction, including from further field. So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon but from the produce auction and I found it pretty delicious. I thought it was good.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTwo more positive descriptors for the watermelon: delicious, and good.\u00a0 So let\u2019s review our descriptors. The people who liked it said it was amazing, one of the best I\u2019ve ever had, excellent, tasty, very good Words to describe not linking it were: hate, awful, vomit reaction, disgusting, and terrible. Okay, now this video is not over, but since I\u2019m hungry, right now, I\u2019m going to ask you for one of your favorite foods. Put it in the comments below. If a recipe is involved, put a link to a YouTube video where someone is making that. I love watching YouTube videos of people making food, like Pasta Grannies and Joshua Weismann. Ok, now that we got that taken care of, let\u2019s review this whole short conversation again. Notice the descriptive words for food, and think about how you would talk about your very favorite and least favorite foods in English.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUhm, David hates watermelon, he thinks.<\/span>
\n I know, but I want to try it. You said it was \u2018the best one I ever had\u2019.<\/span>
\n I didn\u2019t say that. You said \u2018one of the best\u2019. I probably said that it\u2019s an amazing watermelon and if you\u2019re going to try it again, now is the time time to try it.<\/span>
\n Oh, you\u2019re just going to have a bite of mine?<\/span>
\n \u2013 Yeah!<\/span>
\n \u2013 Oh! What? No! That is awful. What? I don\u2019t get it! The meloniness, it\u2019s\u2026<\/span>
\n \u2013 Is it the texture? Or the taste?<\/span>
\n \u2013 No, just the flavor. It\u2019s like a\u2026 \u2013 I don\u2019t know.<\/span>
\n \u2013 It\u2019s such a good one. You guys are crazy. Like you really had to spit it out? Can you do it again without spitting it? No, I don\u2019t want any more try. Ever. \u2013 I\u2019m done trying.<\/span>
\n \u2013 You\u2019ll never be convinced again? No, this is one of the best you\u2019ve ever had. And I had a vomit reaction. Is there an agreement here? \u2013 It\u2019s an excellent watermelon.<\/span>
\n \u2013 It\u2019s a tasty watermelon. It\u2019s a tasty watermelon. I thought it was a very good watermelon. I only like watermelon really this time of the year when they\u2019re the real, sweet, juicy ones. I find, you know, watermelon in the off season to be pretty terrible. I\u2019m all in favor of this watermelon.<\/span>
\n I\u2019m grateful the everyone like the watermelon. I bought the watermelon at the woods edge farm stand which is about a mile from here. It started out as a guy just selling stuff that he grew in a greenhouse, greens and vegetables, but now, they also buy things from the produce auction, including from father field. So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon but from the produce auction and I found it pretty delicious. I thought it was good.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNow, a throwback to when my first son was a newborn.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWell, I had a big change in my life this year. So in this American English pronunciation<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nvideo, you\u2019re going to meet someone very special, and we\u2019re going to study real life<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAmerican English.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis is my son, Stoney. He was born in January so he\u2019s almost 4 months old. So far, his life consists mostly of eating and sleeping, although not sleeping too much, which is why I look so tired. And also, meeting friends and family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere he is meeting his grandma and grandpa, my husband\u2019s parents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYeah.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHe has two fingers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYou\u2019re gonna to get a mouthful of skin!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDid you notice how my mother-in-law reduced \u2018going to\u2019 to gonna? Americans do this all the time. Two syllables, very relaxed. GUN-nuh. Do that with me. GUN-nuh. Gonna, gonna.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYou\u2019re going to get a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYou\u2019re going to get a mouthful of skin!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, he definitely knows they\u2019re there.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDid you notice the contractions grandma used?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAmericans use contractions all the time in speaking. First, \u2018they\u2019re\u2019. This is the contraction of THEY ARE. Often in conversation,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAmericans will reduce this contraction so it sounds like \u2018thur\u2019, thur. But here, Grandma used the full pronunciation, they\u2019re. When it\u2019s fully pronounced, it sounds just like two other words: THERE and THEIR. Here, she said THEY\u2019RE THERE, talking about his<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nfingers. Two different words, but they sound the same. Listen again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, he definitely knows<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nthey\u2019re there\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo did you guys have good traffic down?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh we did. Wonderful traffic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI reduced \u2018did\u2019 here: \u201cSo did<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nyou guys\u201d became \u201cSo d\u2019you guys\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI reduced \u2018did\u2019 to just the ending D, and when the D sound is followed by \u2018you\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nor \u2018your\u2019, it combines with the Y sound and becomes J. \u2018Did you guys\u2019 becomes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u2018joo guys\u2019. \u2018Joo\u2019 guys have good traffic? Listen again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo did you guys have [4x]<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cDid you\u201d is a very common word combination in conversational English. Pay attention as you study English and see if you notice this reduction. Try using it yourself. \u201cJoo\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nsee that? \u201cJoo\u201d know that? Joo, joo. It can also be reduced further to \u2018juh\u2019,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nwith the schwa. \u201cJuh\u201d see that? \u201cJuh\u201d know that?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHow is it to hold him?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, how is it?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMm-hmm.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n