Shadowing Practice: American English Pronunciation | Do we say "what're"? 🤨 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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Today, let's look at a couple of very common sentences that all start with the phrase, what are.
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So, when we have what are at the beginning of a sentence like this, we're always going to change are to just er.
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What are?
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What are those?
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Now, there's two little changes that happen here, actually.
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The first change is that we change ah into just nothing, right?
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We just take off the AH in R.
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Then we change the T into a tap.
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That's the symbol for a tap in the IPA.
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So it goes like this.
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Water.
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Water.
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Water.
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It's actually really similar to the word water, but the first vowel is different.
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Water.
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What are those?
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What are those?
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What are those?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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So again, we're going to take off the ah in R and we'll turn the T into a tap.
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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Now here, you also gets changed.
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Instead of you, it's more like ya.
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What are ya?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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Here at the end of doing, we might sometimes change the ng sound into just a regular n.
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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This is really common and very casual speech.
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Some people feel that it's not very standard.
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I say it a lot myself.
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you waiting for?
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What are you waiting for?
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So here, same changes to what are, what are, same change to you, into ya, what are ya.
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Now, waiting, waiting, waiting.
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We're going to change this by changing the ng to an n, waitin'.
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Now, because we have this n, this t wants to turn to a glottal stop.
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What are you waitin' for?
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Waitin'.
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Waitin'.
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What are you waitin' for?
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What are you waiting for?
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Waitin't.
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Waitin't.
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What are you waiting for?
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What are you waiting for?
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What are you waiting for?
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What are they talking about?
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What are they talking about?
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Again, we'll change the ng sound to a ng sound.
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What are they talking about?
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What are they talking about?
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At the end of the sentence here, if you end the sentence with a vowel plus T, we normally change that T into a glottal stop in fast speech.
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So it becomes, what are you talking about?
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Now this is, of course, a question mark here, but this is the symbol for glottal stop.
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So what are they talking about?
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What are they talking about? About.
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I'm just cutting off that sound in my throat instead of actually saying T. About. about.
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You can hear the difference.
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What are they talking about?
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Finally, what are they looking at?
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What are they?
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So here, what are.. we'll have a tap there, that's not an R, that's a tap symbol for the tap sound.
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What are.. what are they looking at?
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Again, we'll change that ing into in.
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Lookin.
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What are they looking at?
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And finally, we'll have the glottal stop symbol at the end.
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What are they looking at?
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What are they looking at?
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What are they looking at?
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Now, I also want to say that this is written as what are, but it's read as what are.
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In American English, we never really write w-h-a-t-apostrophe-r-e.
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We don't really write that.
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We say what are all the time as if it was written like that, but in our writing standard of English,
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we always just write what are instead of using this written contraction.
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So what are those is read what are those.
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I'll read the rest too.
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What are you doing?
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What are you doing?
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What are you waiting for?
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What are you waiting for?
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What are they talking about?
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What are they talking about?
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What are they looking at?
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What are they looking at?
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Let me know in the comments what other English sounds you want me to analyze, and I'll see you in the next video.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will dive into the nuances of American English pronunciation, specifically focusing on the contraction "what're." You will learn how to effectively use this phrase in everyday conversation by practicing a series of common sentences. By the end of this session, you will be more comfortable with informal speech patterns and able to recognize how pronunciation can shift in casual dialogue. This practice is crucial for enhancing your overall English speaking practice skills, making you sound more natural and fluent.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • What are: A phrase that often contracts in casual speech.
  • Ya: A contracted form of "you" commonly used in spoken English.
  • Doing: Can be pronounced as "do'n" in informal contexts.
  • Waiting: Informally pronounced "waitin'" in casual speech.
  • Tap: A lighter pronunciation of the "t" sound in certain contexts.
  • Glottal stop: A consonant sound used when dropping certain syllables.
  • Casual speech: Informal communication where pronunciation may vary significantly.
  • Water: Noted for its variations based on regional dialects and speech habits.

Practice Tips

To maximize your improvement using the shadowing technique, listen carefully to the pace and rhythm of the speaker in the provided material. Here are some targeted exercises to enhance your English speaking practice:

  • Start by listening to the phrases multiple times. Focus on the transitions between words, especially where contractions are used.
  • Repeat each sentence immediately after hearing it, mimicking the speaker's tone and pace. This is a key aspect of the shadowspeak method.
  • Pay special attention to the dropping of certain sounds, such as "ah" in "are" or the "ng" in "doing." These subtle changes are critical for sounding natural.
  • Experiment with altering your pronunciation. Try saying "What are you doing?" as "What're ya doin’?" and practice using the shorter forms.
  • Engage in IELTS speaking practice by discussing the sentences aloud with a partner or recording yourself to assess your pronunciation and fluidity.

Remember, consistent practice using the shadow speak method will help you gain confidence in your speaking abilities and reduce the anxiety often associated with conversational English.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.