Speaker 1: Hey there, it's Michael here and welcome back to speak
naturally in a minute from Happy English. I'm here every
Sunday with a quick one point lesson to help you
improve your pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. And if you want
to watch this lesson, just look for Happy English Michael
on YouTube. In fact, the idea for today's lesson came
from a listener's question on YouTube. It's all about reductions
in language learning. Reduction means shortening or softening sounds when
we speak. It's what makes English sound smooth and natural.
One really common example is when we say the phrase
I'm trying to, it usually sounds like I'm trying to
I'm trying. There are three things happening here. First, I'm
is pronounced as Then we drop the G of trying,
so it sounds like trying. And third we drop the
T in the word two and pronounce it as a
I'm trying to I'm trying to. Here are some examples
in context. I'm trying to finish this report, I'm trying
to get up earlier, and these days I'm trying to
learn Japanese. It's quick, relaxed, and totally natural, especially in
everyday conversation and songs. You'll hear this kind of reduction
all of the time in American English, like what we
studied last Sunday, let me, gimme and gemm. So the
next time you say I'm trying to relax your mouth
and let it flow, I'm trying to taugh. That's the
rhythm of real American English. Hey, thanks for listening, and
remember to follow and subscribe so you won't miss the
next Happy English podcast and next week's Speak Naturally in
a minute. Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.