TO BE Contractions

TO BE Contractions

In this American English pronunciation video,

we’re going to learn some Vietnamese cooking,

and you’re going to study contraction of the

verb TO BE.

One thing to note about these contractions

is that no extra syllable is added. We’ll

go over the pronunciations. You’ll notice

that some of them have two different pronunciations.

That’s because there can be a reduced pronunciation.

I do recommend that you use the reduced pronunciation.

Any time you can make a short word shorter

it’s going to add better rhythmic contrast

to your speech.

So, I am. I’m. I’m. You are. This can be ‘your’

or, better yet, let’s reduce it, ‘yer’. Notice

how quick it is. When we reduce it, it’s going

to be very, very fast, and it must be linked to

the next word. ‘We are’ can be ‘we’re’, or

‘we’re’, or, better yet, wur, wur. Reduced.

‘They are’ can be ‘they’re’, or, reduced, thur.

He is, she is, it is. This will be come he’s,

she’s, it’s. Notice that the S in ‘it’s’ is

pronounced as an S sound, unvoiced. That’s

because the sound before is the T, also an

unvoiced sound. It’s, it’s. However, the S

in ‘he’s’ and ‘she’s’ is a Z sound. That’s

voiced, because the sound before, a vowel,

was voiced. He’s, she’s, it’s. TS can be a

tough sound, and I do have a video on how

to make that sound. So let’s take a look at

some contractions in everyday conversation.

Alright, Annie. So after you peel the cucumber,

you’re going to slice the cucumber into rounds.

And then you’re going to flatten the rounds,

and slice them lengthwise again to make it

into a nice julienne.

Did you notice the contraction of ‘you are’

to ‘yer’? Yer, you’re going to. Listen again.

Alright, Annie. So after you peel the cucumber,

you’re going to slice the cucumber into rounds.

And then you’re going to flatten the rounds,

and slice them lengthwise again to make it

into a nice julienne.

How’s this, HaQuyen?

It looks good, looks good, it’s good.

How’s this? How’s, how’s, zz, zz, with a Z

sound. It’s good. It is, it’s, it’s, with

that TS sound. Listen again.

How’s this, HaQuyen?

It looks good, looks good, it’s good.

Well, if we look at the way Mark’s chopping

his mushrooms, we can see that he’s doing

quite a good job of it.

Thanks, HaQuyen.

Mark’s, Mark’s. The last sound of Mark’s name

is the K sound, unvoiced. So the apostrophe

S is also unvoiced. Ks, ks, Mark’s, Mark’s.

We also heard ‘he’s’, where the apostrophe

S is a Z sound. He’s, he’s, he’s doing. Listen

again.

Well, if we look at the way Mark’s chopping

his mushrooms, we can see that he’s doing

quite a good job of it.

Thanks, HaQuyen.

That’s because she’s a good teacher.

Here, Natalie, speaking of HaQuyen, said that’s,

that’s, that’s because, with the TS sound.

She’s, she’s a good teacher. She’s a, she’s

a, where the apostrophe S is a Z sound. Listen

again.

That’s because she’s a good teacher.

Well, I’m going to dice up this cucumber

as I was instructed.

I’m going to keep dicing the mushrooms.

Here, both Annie and Mark said I’m gonna.

So, they have contracted I AM and also reduced

‘going to’ to ‘gonna’. I’m gonna. Notice how

‘I’m’ is the most stressed syllable in that

fragment. I’m gonna. That’s because ‘going’

is a helping verb here, not the main verb.

The main verb is stressed. For example, Annie

said ‘I’m gonna dice’. I’m gonna dice, Stressing

‘dice’. Listen again.

Well, I’m going to dice up this cucumber

as I was instructed.

I’m going to keep dicing the mushrooms.

Hey Annie, when are the noodles going to

be ready?

They’re going to be ready in about 10 minutes.

They’re gonna. Did you hear how Annie reduced

‘they’re’ to thur, thur, thur, they’re gonna.

They’re gonna be ready. Listen again.

Hey Annie, when are the noodles going to

be ready?

They’re going to be ready in about 10 minutes.

I think we’re all set with the basil.

Thanks, Lori.

We’re all set. Did you hear Lori’s reduction

of ‘we’re’ to wur, wur, wur, we’re all set.

All set is a common idiom meaning ready, or

not in need of anything. Here, she is saying

the basil is ready for the dish. I use it

often at a restaurant, for example, when a

waiter asks if there is anything more I need.

Nope, I’m all set, I’ll say. Listen again.

I think we’re all set with the basil.

Thanks, Lori.

I love HaQuyen. She’s such an effective

teacher.

That’s true. HaQuyen, thanks so much for

teaching us how to make all this amazing food.

Thanks for coming and joining me to eat

all this wonderful food.

Any time. We will eat your food any time.

Yes, we will.

Love it.

She’s, she’s, she’s such, with the apostrophe

S pronounced as a Z. That’s, that’s true,

with the TS sound. Listen again.

I love HaQuyen. She’s such an effective

teacher.

That’s true. HaQuyen, thanks so much for

teaching us how to make all this amazing food.

Thanks for coming and joining me to eat

all this wonderful food.

Any time. We will eat your food any time.

Yes, we will.

Love it.

I’m crushing it over here, as you may be

able to see.

He’s crushing it.

I’m adding noodles.

I’m adding tofu.

I’m waiting for shrimp.

I’m adding bean sprouts.

I’m. Lots of I’m in this clip. Also Mark used

the idiom ‘to crush’ – meaning he thinks

he is doing an excellent job of making a summer

roll. There are lots of different ways to

use the word ‘crush’. For example to say you

have a crush on someone means you like that

person, you have romantic interest in that

person. Let’s listen again to all these I’m

contractions.

I’m crushing it over here, as you may be

able to see.

He’s crushing it.

I’m adding noodles.

I’m adding tofu.

I’m waiting for shrimp.

I’m adding bean sprouts.

That chicken’s looking good.

That chicken’s looking good. Natalie contracted

‘chicken is’ to chicken’s, that chicken’s

looking good. And it was good. It was delicious!

Listen again.

That chicken’s looking good.

There is onion in there.

There’s no onion in there.

I…

That one’s mine.

Wait, where’s the onion? Oh, spring onion.

There’s no onion in there, where’s the onion.

There’s, where’s. Both of these words end

in the R sound, a voiced consonant, so the

apostrophe S is a Z sound. There’s, there’s.

Where’s, where’s. There’s no onion, where’s

the onion. Listen again.

There is onion in there.

There’s no onion in there.

I…

That one’s mine.

Wait, where’s the onion? Oh, spring onion.

Annie, hold it up.

Look at that. That’s absolute perfection.

It does look great.

You’ve got to love Annie’s enthusiasm. That’s

absolute perfection. That’s, that’s, again,

with the TS sound. Listen again.

Annie, hold it up.

Look at that. That’s absolute perfection.

It does look great.

Oh god, my dogs are barking.

Why is that, Hillary?

We’ve been walking around all day.

Not to mention all the dancing you did

last night.

Oh, it was amazing.

My dogs are barking. This is a great idiom

to mean your feet are tired. My dogs are barking.

Notice how the word ‘are’ is reduced to er,

er, er, My dogs are, my dogs are. My dogs

are barkin’. Notice also the ING is pronounced

as an IN. My dogs are barkin’ instead of dogs

are barking. You may find this happening sometimes

with certain phrases or idioms. Listen again.

Oh god, my dogs are barking.

Why is that, Hillary?

We’ve been walking around all day.

Not to mention all the dancing you did

last night.

Oh, it was amazing.

I hope this has made you more aware of just

how often we use this kind of contraction.

Watch this video a time or two. Then watch

an American TV show or movie, and see if you

can notice these ‘to be’ contractions. Write

them down as you watch and practice the phrases.

Using contractions will really help your speech

sound more natural.

That’s it, and thanks so much

for using Rachel’s English.

Guys, that was fantastic.