A Star is Born

Today you’re transforming your spoken English by studying a scene from the movie A Star Is Born.

When you study this way, you’ll be able to understand American movies and TV effortlessly without subtitles.

Today we’re going to really slow down some of the speech

so you can focus on how one word just slides into the next.

Now the T in last, this is different. It’s actually totally dropped. Last night. Right from the S into the N.

We’re going to be doing this all summer, June through August, stick with me every Tuesday,

they’re all great scenes, and there’s going to be so much to learn that can transform the way you speak

and understand English. And as always, if you like this video, or you learn something,

please like and subscribe with notifications.

You’re going to watch the clip, then we’re going to do a full pronunciation analysis together.

This is going to help so much with your listening comprehension

when it comes to watching English movies in TV. But there’s going to be a training section.

You’re going to take what you’ve just learned and practice repeating it, doing a reduction,

flapping a T just like you learned in the analysis. Okay, here’s the scene.

Hi, Ally.

Hi.

I’m Phil. We met last night?

Yeah. I remember… » Jack sent me to pick you up and take you to the gig.

Oh. My god. Um, but, I gotta– , I gotta work, I c–, can’t go.

He’s really looking forward to this.

I appreciate that. But, um.

I can’t leave. So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

Uh, please tell him: Thank you, but no thank you.

Uh… » Okay? Say it just like that.

And now the analysis.

Hi, Ally.

Hi.

Okay so we start off with three stressed words, and they all have that up-down shape.

Hi, Ally.

Hi.

Aahhh. Notice it’s not flat. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. That up-down shape is really important in American English.

It’s what we do with stressed syllables. Hi, Ally. Hi. Now, hi, is one syllable. Hi.

Ally is two syllables it’s the first syllable that’s stressed. Ally.

It has the exact same shape as Hi, but the second unstressed syllable, just

sort of falls into the line of the voice on the way down.

Ally. Ally.

Ally.

Ally.

Ally.

Hi, Ally. Hi.

Hi, Ally.

Hi, Ally.

Hi, Ally.

Hi.

I’m Phil.

I’m Phil. I’m Phil.

Which one of those has the up-down shape?

I’m Phil.

I’m Phil.

Definitely Phil. The word I’m, we barely even hear it.

I am becomes I’m, but when we are speaking in a sentence, we might reduce that to just the M sound,

or a schwa M. I’m Phil. I’m Phil.

I would say it has more of a schwa M feel, unstressed. Instead of I’m, I’m, mmmm, I’m Phil.

I’m Phil.

I’m Phil.

We met last night?

We met last night? We met– a little bit of that shape. We met last night.

And night has stress too, but since it’s going up in pitch, the stress is sort of a scoop up,

rather than a shape up down. We met last night.

And do you notice how… We’re gonna play that in slow motion for you. Do you notice how it’s so smooth?

Everything connects.

We met last night?

We met last night?

Uuhhh…

I love slowing down speech because that’s when we really get to feel the melody and notice how sloppy

everything is as far as linking together. No definition between words.

The word we is unstressed, it doesn’t really sound like we, does it? It’s more like wih, wih.

We met–

So I would actually write that with the IH as in sit vowel, not the EE vowel. We met last–

okay now, how, T’s are, a true T sounds like this, ttt, we stop the air, we release it.

Every time we do that, it breaks up the line a little bit, because we have to stop the air and release.

So if I made the T in met, a true T, and the T in last, a true T, it would sound like this.

You know what, if I made the T in night a true T. The phrase would sound like this: we met last night.

We met last night. That’s not how he’s doing it at all. We met last night?

We met last night?

We met last night?

All of those true Ts change. Met is a stop T.

We met last– that means there’s a little tiny break, but we don’t take the time to do a release. So we stop the air,

and that stop shows to us that it’s a T. We met last–

We met last–

And so we hear it as a T. Now, the T and last, this is different. It’s not a stop T. It’s actually totally dropped.

We very often drop a T when it comes between two other consonants.

So even if it’s not in the same word, even if it’s linking two words, and the T ends up between two consonants,

we will drop it. So all these words it ends in an ST cluster, last, first, just,

be aware that when they come before a word that begins the consonant, we will almost always drop that T.

We met last night. Last night. Right from the S into the N. And then we have another stop T here.

So the rule for stop T is we usually make a T a stop T when the next word begins with a consonant like here,

or at the end of a thought group, like here. So it’s not: we met last night.

No. We just don’t do true T’s like that. It’s: We met last night?

We met last night?

And the pitch goes up at the end. Even though it’s a statement, he makes the pitch go up and gives it a

sort of questioning intonation because he’s not sure if she remembers that.

And so he’s asking it as a question, as if to say do you remember we met last night?

Instead, it’s just: we met last night?

We met last night?

We met last night?

Yeah. I remember–

The intonation going up shows it’s a question asking for confirmation, and she gives her confirmation.

Yeah. I remember.

Yeah. I remember–

Yeah. I remember–

Yeah. I remember–

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lots of pitch change there. Yeah. Yeah. Up-down shape.

Yeah.

I remember–

I– she really draws that out longer than you normally would as she’s thinking. I remem–

and then we almost don’t even hear BER because he’s interrupted her and she kind of just drops that syllable.

I remem–

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent–

If she does say this syllable, it’s very very, quiet. I don’t really hear it.

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent-

But we do have that up-down shape of stress with the EH vowel on the stressed syllable there.

I remem– I remem– I remem– I remember.

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent–

I remem– » Jack sent me to pick you up and take you to the gig.

Now let’s listen to his phrase and see what we think these peaks of stress are.

Uuuhhh what has that shape? What feels like the most stressed syllables here?

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me– A little bit of shape on that one. Jack sent me, Jack sent me to pick you up.

I would say out of those three stressed syllables, up has that most up-down shape, is the most stressed.

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me to pick you up and take you to the gig.

And take you– a little bit of stress there, to the gig.

And more stress there.

And take you to the gig.

And take you to the gig.

And take you to the gig.

A gig is a performance.

Hey, can you come out tonight?

No, sorry. I’ve got a gig.

I’m playing at a bar down the street. We’re doing a jazz set.

For example, you may have heard the phrase gig economy in the news, talking about economics.

This has to do with a shift from being an employee to being a contractor, and working on a gig by gig basis.

For example, someone who drives a car for a Lyft or Uber,

that would be considered somebody in the gig economy.

They’re not employees there. They choose what rides they want to pick up when.

Gigs are used a lot with musicians as well.

I’ve even heard it used as a verb.

Are you gigging tonight?

And take you to the gig.

And take you to the gig.

And take you to the gig.

So those are our most stressed words here.

Let’s go ahead and look at the reductions because we do have some reductions.

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me to pick you up–

Jack sent me–

I’m going to call that a stop T.

Sometimes, in NT, we drop the T.

Jack sen me, Jack sen me, but I hear it more as: Jack sent me, sent me, Jack sent me.

I’m exaggerating the stop there, but I definitely hear that as a stop T. Jack sent me to– The word ‘to’ reduces.

It’s got more of a flap T sound and a schwa. Sent me to– rararararara– Jack sent me to– Jack sent me to–

Jack sent me to–

Pick you up. Pick you up. Stressed, unstressed, stressed. And the word ‘you’ isn’t pronounced you,

he changes that vowel to the schwa. Pick yuh up–

And the schwa just links very smoothly into the UH as in butter vowel for up.

Pick you up.

Pick you up. Pick you up. Jack sent me to pick you up–

Sent me to pick you up– His lips come together for the P, you can look at that.

But he doesn’t release them. Pick you up– pick you up–

Pick you up–

and take you to the gig.

They come together but then rather than releasing the air, he goes right into the next word which is and,

and he does reduce that, nnnnn, I would write that schwa N.

N absorbs the schwa, so it’s not un un un, it’s just nnnn, and take you–

And take you to the–

And take you to the–

You and to, they both reduce, don’t they? These three words are unstressed.

You to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– They’re flatter in pitch, they’re a little bit less clear,

so you becomes: yi yi. I don’t have to move my jaw at all for that. I don’t have to move my lips at all for that.

Yih, yih, yih. My tongue is the only thing that moves.

You to– And even as I go into the word ‘to’ reduced, I don’t have to move anything but my tongue.

And take you to the–

You to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the–

I can do all of that, linking smoothly into the unstressed word the, I can do all of that without moving my jaw

or lips. You to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– you to the– It’s all just the tongue.

So you wouldn’t be simplifying your mouth movements as much as possible, so that you can make this string of

unstressed words with the reductions as simply as possible, as quick as possible,

because that’s an important part of the contrast of American English.

You to the gig. You to the gig. You to the gig.

Gig is the word that has the energy.

You to the gig.

The T in take is a true T.

And it’s a true T because it starts a stressed word.

If a T starts a stressed syllable, and it’s not part of a TR cluster, it will be a true T.

If it’s part of a TR cluster it might end up sounding like CH, but here, it’s not, so it’s just: take, take, take.

A light true T.

Take you to the gig.

Take you to the gig.

Take you to the gig.

Now, I hope you guys are noticing really how smoothly everything links together.

And we have reductions that help us do that. We have this continuous sound.

Sometimes it’s scooping up, sometimes it’s falling down, that’s the melody,

but it never feels separate within one thought group, it always feels connected.

So if you’re used to speaking with words more separate, this could be a challenge for you.

Also most people have a hard time simplifying and making these unstressed words as quickly as they can.

Let’s just take the word ‘and’ for example.

You know it’s not ‘and’ , you know it’s ‘an’, but a lot of students will go: and, and, and, but actually, it’s nnn,

it’s even faster. As fast as you can possibly make it. And take, and take, and take, and take you to the gig.

And take you to the gig.

Oh. My god.

Oh. My god. Oh. Really clear up-down shape. Oh. My god.

God is what’s stressed, the word ‘my’ just falls in on the way up. My god. Oh. My god.

Oh. My god.

Um–

Um– Um– That’s the thinking vowel, that UH as in butter sound.

We usually do it just as uh or um with an M at the end.

Um–

but-

But– but– but–

Do you notice that stop T? She doesn’t say but. She says but, but, abruptly stopping the air.

She probably puts her tongue into position for the T, but, and stops the air, but doesn’t release.

But–

I gotta–

I gotta– I gotta– Not very clear, right?

So grammatically, this is a combination of these words, ‘I have got to’,

we combined ‘got to’ into ‘gotta’, and we dropped ‘have’. This is a common way to talk.

You would never want to write this, but to say this is okay. I gotta– I gotta– I gotta–

I gotta–

I gotta– I gotta– The Ts are Flap Ts.

The tongue just flaps up against the roof of the mouth. It’s certainly not: got to, got to, gotta, gotta, gotta.

I would say this is the AW as in law vowel, and then the ending unstressed is the schwa.

I gotta– I gotta– And the AI diphthong for ‘I’ links really smoothly into that.

I gotta– I gotta– no break.

So the stress would be on the stress syllable of go– gotta. I gotta– I gotta–

I gotta-

I gotta work.

I gotta work. She repeats herself, it sounds exactly the same. I gotta, again, flap T,

I gotta work, and then the voice goes back up for the stressed word, work.

I gotta work.

And the K of work releases right into the AI diphthong. Work I. Work I. And that’s an unstressed word,

so it’s flatter down here. Work I, work I.

Work, I– work, I– work, I

c–, I can’t go.

She makes a little K sound here, but then repeats herself.

Work, I c–, I can’t go.

Let’s listen to just this phrase on repeat. Tell me about the middle word ‘can’t’.

Tell me about that T after you listen to it.

I can’t go.

Wow, I don’t really hear it at all. I don’t really hear a stop. I can’t go. I barely even hear the N.

So the T, I would say, is dropped, the N pretty unclear, uuuhhh, stress is on can’t,

but even though it’s stressed, it’s not fully pronounced.

So the word can’t has the K consonant, AA as in bat vowel. When that’s followed by N,

we go through a sound before the N, like the schwa, or the UH as in butter.

However, you want to think of it, it’s the back of the tongue relaxing. Caauhh–

before the tongue lifts in the front for the N. Can– Caauhh–Caauhh– I definitely hear that transition,

those two sounds. The N is very weak though, the T is dropped. I can’t go. I can’t go. I can’t go.

I can’t go.

Da-DA-da. And then the word ‘go’ falls in on the way down of the pitch, it’s got less energy.

I can’t go.

He’s really looking forward to this.

Okay, let’s look at his phrase. What are the most stressed syllables here?

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really– I would say there, looking forward to this. And the rest is a little bit less clear,

a little bit more unstressed.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

So the word ‘he’s’ just builds up to it. The second unstressed syllable of ‘really’ just falls in on the way

down. He’s really looking forward this. Uuhhhh. That’s the melody you want in your voice,

and you want all of that connection.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

He’s really looking forward to this.

When you have the audio at the end of this video, you have the chance to train. There will be slow-motion.

So you’ll have different opportunities to work with the audio in a different way.

And if it’s at all difficult for you to connect everything, you’ll really want to do this slow motion.

That’s gonna help you focus on the linking.

He’s really looking forward to this.

Are you noticing how I’m pronouncing to? Let’s go listen to him do it.

Forward to this.

Forward to this. Forward to this. Forward to this.

It’s really pretty unclear, isn’t it?

Forward to this.

We have a word that ends in a D. Often when that’s followed by the word ‘to’, we just drop the T all together,

and we just link a schwa on to the end. Forward to this. And that’s what he’s doing.

Forward to this. Forward to this. Forward to this. TH, super unclear. Forward to this. This this this this this.

Forward to this.

Forward to this.

So if you listen to just these last three words, it all sounds pretty unclear, but in the context of the whole

phrase, I wouldn’t notice that as being unclear. It’s only when isolated.

So when you take these unclear words or syllables and you put them in the context of everything,

they don’t sound unclear anymore, they just sound like part of the natural rhythm of the sentence.

Forward to this.

I appreciate that.

What’s our most stressed syllable in this phrase?

I appreciate that.

I appre– I appreciate that. Definitely ‘pre’ you can even see her eyes open a little bit more wide on that syllable.

I appreciate that.

And these words all linked together really smoothly. I a– the AI diphthong, when that word is linking into word that

begins with a vowel or diphthong, you can feel like it begins with a Y. That glide consonant

might help you connect the two words more smoothly. I appreciate– appreciate–

four-syllable word with second-syllable stress. This C is the SH sound. Shh– preciate– appreciate that.

And we have a stop T because the next word begins with a consonant. Appreciate that.

And she does a stop T here as well at the end of the thought group. Also the next word begins

with a consonant. Appreciate that

I appreciate that.

But, um.

But– but– another stop T. But, um.

But, um. But, um. Appreciate that. But, um.

I can’t leave.

I can’t leave. I can’t leave. All of these words have a little bit of a stressed feel to them.

I can’t leave.

I can’t leave.

So he’s been told by his employer not to leave without her. So he’s not taking no for an answer.

He says, okay, well I’ll wait. I can’t leave. I can’t leave. Let’s look at our N apostrophe T contraction here.

How do you feel that it’s pronounced?

I can’t leave.

Very, very subtle T. I’m not really sure if I feel it as a stop or as totally dropped.

I can’t leave. I can’t leave. I can’t leave.

I can’t leave.

It almost sounds dropped. So what’s the difference between can and can’t if you’re dropping the T?

The difference is in the pronunciation of the vowel.

If it was the word can, the vowel would be reduced to the schwa, and it would be kin,

because that’s what we do with can when it’s not the only verb in the sentence. I can leave. I can leave.

Now, can has the feel of can, can, can. But when the vowel feels more fully pronounced, I can leave.

I can an an an an, then we know it’s can’t. So it’s tricky, because we feel like the T is the difference

between these two words, but actually, in pronunciation, we don’t really hear full T.

Almost never would that be pronounced with a true T. Maybe a stop T, maybe a dropped T,

almost never a true T. So the difference between can and can’t is more in the vowel than in the T, believe it or not.

I can leave. That’s this word, can, can. I can’t leave. I can’t leave. I can’t leave.

I can’t leave. That’s this word. More of the up-down shape of stress.

I can’t leave.

So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

So I’ll be in my– little bit of stress there. So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

Stop T.

So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

So I’ll, So I’ll, everything links together smoothly. The word I is with the AI as in Buy diphthong.

The contraction ‘I will’ is sometimes pronounced aisle with an L at the end, but usually,

it sounds more like the word all, instead of aisle, all, all, all, all be, all be. I’ll be in my car.

I’ll be in my car.

right down the street.

Car right. These two words link together, single R sound. You don’t need to try to make it longer

to show that there are two R’s there. It can just be one R linking them together. Car right. Car right. Stop T

because the next word begins with a consonant. Car right. Car right down the street.

Car right down the street.

Right down the street.

Right down the street.

Uh, please tell him.

Uh, Uh, Uh. Again, that thinking vowel, UH as in butter. I feel like every language has their own

sounds they make when they’re thinking. Uh, Uh, really open and relaxed. That’s the American vowel. Uh.

Uh, Uh, Uh, please tell him.

Please tell him. Please tell him. Most of the stress on please, she really wants to emphasize this.

Please tell him. And then the other two words come in as we go down. We do have

a true T in tell because it starts a stressed word, even though it’s not as stressed as please.

Please tell him. Do you notice what I’m doing with H? She drops the H, doesn’t she?

Fairly common to drop the H in words like him, her, his. Please tell him. Tell him. Um-um-um,

so not him, um, um, um, um, um, I would probably write that with the schwa. Please tell him.

Please tell him.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Going up in pitch because she’s not done, that is not the end.

She doesn’t just want him to be told thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

but no thank you.

But no thank you. No thank you. And then this comes down in pitch. Thank you.

The upward intonation shows we’re not done. Thank you, but no thank you.

That’s like a polite way to decline something. Thanks, but no thanks. I’m okay. Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you. This is a tough word. We’ve got the unvoiced TH, she doesn’t make it super clear,

especially the first time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. The K linking right into the U diphthong. Thank you. Thank you.

What is the vowel there? It’s AA as in bat followed by an NG sound.

The N in ‘thank’ isn’t at the front of the mouth, like an N, but it’s at the back of the mouth like an NG. Ng–

Thank you.

Thank you.

So when AA is followed by N, it’s not really like an AA. It becomes more like an AY diphthong, like in the word say.

Tha– tha– thank you. Thank you, but no thank you. But, stop T because the next word begins with the consonant.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

Thank you, but no thank you.

And then he says uh, or maybe it’s but, I’m not sure, it’s very fast. Uh. Uh. Uh. Uh.

Uh.  » Okay?

Uh.  » Okay?

Uh.  » Okay?

Okay? Okay? Okay?

Then she says the word okay, she drops the first syllable, that’s pretty common. Kay, kay, kay, kay? Pitch goes up.

Okay? Okay?

It’s like saying okay? Will you do this for me? Okay? Okay?

Okay? Okay?

Okay? Say it just like that.

Now this last sentence. Let’s listen to it and really try to pay attention to the intonation.

What’s the most stressed word here?

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that. The word ‘say’. So she starts by really stressing that,

and then the rest of the words kind of come down after that. Say it just like that.

Stop T. Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Okay we also have a stop T in it, say it, because the next word begins with a consonant.

The T in just, totally dropped, because the next word begins with an L, it’s part of a cluster,

Say it just like that. Can you do it that smoothly?

When you’re working with the slow motion audio, do repeat it back in slow motion.

Feel that stickiness between the words. Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Say it just like that.

Let’s listen to this whole conversation one more time.

Hi, Ally. » Hi.

I’m Phil. We met last night?

Yeah. I remember… » Jack sent me to pick you up and take you to the gig.

Oh. My god. Um, but, I gotta– , I gotta work, I c–, can’t go.

He’s really looking forward to this.

I appreciate that. But, um.

I can’t leave. So I’ll be in my car right down the street.

Uh, please tell him: Thank you, but no thank you.

Uh… » Okay? Say it just like that.

Now for the fun part, you’ll look at the notes we took together and you’ll hear a part of the conversation

on a loop three times. Then there’s a space for you to repeat. For example, you’ll hear this:

Maybe so, sir. Maybe so, sir. Maybe so, sir.

Then you’ll repeat it: maybe so, sir. Try to imitate everything about this exactly so when you see this,

then you’ll repeat it. Maybe so, sir.

That’s from Top Gun: Maverick which was the first movie we studied in this summer series.

You’ll also have the opportunity to listen and repeat in slow motion.

This will be important for you if you’re more of a beginner, or if you’re having a hard time focusing

on linking or the melody. Maybe you’ll want to do it both ways, but the important thing is here is your opportunity

to take what you learned and put it into your body and your own habit.

That’s what’s going to transform your speaking. You might do well to work with the audio section of this video

every day for a week. Imitating the rhythm and the simplifications will get easier each time you do it.

If you can’t keep up with the native speaker, do the slow-motion imitation. Okay, here’s our audio training section.

Don’t forget to come back and do this audio again tomorrow and the next day.

You want to build habits here, so you don’t need to think about it so much when you’re speaking in conversation,