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Real English Conversation – Study Idioms and Reductions

In this American English pronunciation video, my uncle John is going to teach you how to make a Peach Melba.

In this scene, my uncle is going to be listing things.

He’s going to be giving steps.

Listen to how he introduces each step.

Want to make peach melba? You make a raspberry currant sauce, that’s what this is.

And you start with the currant sauce at the bottom, and then you add some peaches,

and then you want ice cream, you add some ice cream.

Is that vanilla?

Yup vanilla.

And then a little more sauce.

Another layer.

And more peaches.

Wow! Many layers!

Add in the whipped cream,

Voila!

A lot of ‘and’ and ‘and then’.

Let’s look at the pronunciation.

Want to make peach melba? You make a raspberry currant sauce, that’s what this is.

And you start with the

And you start— and—, nd— the word ‘and’ reduced, nd— Schwa N

And you start—, and you start—, and you start with the…

currant sauce at the bottom.

Bonus reduction, the word ‘at’. At the—, at the—, at the—, at the bottom… At the—, quick schwa, stop T.

Currant sauce at the bottom—, at the bottom, at the bottom— And then you add—

And then—, and then—,

And, and, and— again, the word ‘and’ reduced.

And then you add—, and then you add, and then you add some peaches, And then—

Again, schwa N.

And then—

If you want ice cream, you add some ice cream.

Is that vanilla?

Yeah, vanilla.

And then a little more sauce,

And then—

And then a little more sauce,

another ‘and’ reduction,

And then a little more sauce…

Notice the word ‘little’ is pronounced with a Flap T.

Little, ra ra ra ra, little.

This is a tricky word.

And I do have a video on how to pronounce this word so check the description below

or click here.

And then a little more sauce…

Another layer!

Then more peaches.

Wow! Many layers!

Add in the whipped cream,

Voila!

Voila is a French word but we do use it sometimes in American English.

Voila or voila!

And when we use it in American English, the pronunciation is changed a little bit so it fits in more with American sounds.

Voila! Voila!

With that lower American placement.

And it means ‘there it is’, ‘here it is’ and you might say that when you’re finished with something and you’re showing it to people.

Voila! or as some Americans may pronounce it, voila!

Voila!

And what’s the —— in French?

Peach melba.

Voila!

Wow, look at that!

Bon Appetit!

I had a Pêche melba in at Rick’s Cafe’ in Morocco that was to die for.

That was to die for.

Okay, ‘to die for’. This is an idiom we use when something is just exceptional, so good.

We use it a lot with food, tastes: Oh, it was to die for! It was so delicious!

—was to die for!

Now she does not reduce the word ‘to’ To die for. She is clearly pronouncing each word stressing it, bringing even more emotion in.

So that we understand just how good this Peach Melba was.

And you can reduce that word ‘to’: to die for— to die for— We usually reduce the word ‘for’ but we don’t hear because it’s going to be the final word in the thought.

So we don’t want to reduce it to fur like we so often do in conversation.

Leave it ‘for’. To die for.

—was to die for!

Oh really?

It was wonderful!

Is that what gave you the idea to make it?

Is that what gave you? Is that what gave you?

Notice I dropped the TH in ‘that’ and connected it to the word before: Is that? Is that?

Is that what gave— Is that what gave— Is that what gave you the idea to make it?

No, we’ve been making it got a long time.

Ok, well, there you go, Teresa!

He made a monster!

He made a monster!

What do I mean by that?

We can use the word monster to mean really big.

Have you ever heard of a monster truck?

When I say he made a monster, I mean he made a very big portion of peach melba.

He made a monster!

In Casablanca, in the movie, there is a Rick’s Cafe.

And people kept coming to Morocco— And—, and—, there’s another word ‘and’ reduced.

The D is dropped. We almost never say the D in the word ‘and’.

And—, and—, and people kept coming to Morocco!

Coming to Morocco—

To Morocco— the word ‘to’ reduced: coming to Morocco.

Coming to Morocco—

Coming to Morocco and asking for Rick’s Cafe!

There’s another and reduction: —and asking, —and asking.

—and asking, —and asking, —and asking for Rick’s Cafe.

in Casablanca.

But Casablanca was filmed in the United States.

So a rich American woman decided she was going to make a Rick’s Cafe.

She was gonna make—, she was gonna make— ‘Going to’ reduced to ‘gonna’: she was gonna make— she was gonna make— she was gonna make— she was gonna make a Rick’s Cafe.

And it’s very nice!

Oh really?

That’s fun!

Maybe a few more peaches,

actually no, no more peaches.

Actually— actually—.

This word is supposed to be pronounced with the CH sound: actually.

And four syllables: actuahlly.

But you will notice that very often, the CH sound is changed to the SH sound.

This is because we often drop the T when it comes between two other consonants.

So the CH sound changes to the SH sound.

Actually. Actually

So I’m reducing it to three syllables, this is a common and an easier pronunciation.

I encourage you to try it: ack shull lee.

So the middle syllable is the SH sound and then the Dark L Shull: shull— shull— shull— Actually. Actually.

Actually no— Actually no— Actually no, no more peaches.

No more peaches.

Just a little more sauce,

and then, a little cream.

Little, litte, little

That word’s popping up a lot in this conversation.

A little more, a little less, a little bit.

Just a little more sauce and then a little cream.

I’m getting pretty bossy here, aren’t I?

Pretty with a Flap T. I’m getting pretty bossy.

What does that mean to be bossy?

Notice I’m not saying please or thank you, I’m just telling him what to do.

That’s pretty bossy, that’s pretty rude.

Luckily, I noticed I was doing it.

I’m getting pretty bossy here, aren’t I?

Everyone, this man right here, is my cousin Ken.

His daughter, Luisa, and you’ve met Stoney before.

Ken, do you have anything you want to say?

Voila!

You just want to make faces!

Wanna make faces. ‘Want to’ reduced to ‘wanna’.

You just want to make faces!

Also the word ‘just’. I dropped the T there. Why?

Because it came between two other consonants.

Just want to— just wanna—, just wanna— dropping that T between two other consonants makes a smoother transition between sounds and we love connected speech in American English.

You just wanna— You just wanna— You just want to make faces!

Thank you so much, John!

You’re welcome!

That looks amazing!

Delicious!

Thanks so much to my family for being in this video.