Advanced Track
Textbooks talk slower than people do. This lesson trains your ear for the reductions and run-together speech you'll actually hear — and gives you the phrases to ask for a repeat when you need one.
A note on this lesson's audio: every clip is recorded at real, natural conversational speed, using the reductions as written — not slowed down or over-enunciated. The whole point here is exposure to how people actually talk.
Part 1
Six reductions you'll hear constantly in real conversation. Each one has a full, "textbook" form underneath it — the reduction isn't sloppy speech, it's just the normal spoken version.
"I'm gonna call you later." going to
"Do you wanna come?" want to
"I gotta go." have got to
"Whaddya think?" what do you
"I'm kinda tired." kind of
"Lemme check." let me
Part 2
Live/text concept — no audio, discussed with your instructor.
When native speech runs together, chasing every individual word is how you fall behind. Instead: catch the overall idea first — who, what, roughly when — and let the details fill in as you keep listening. You don't need to decode "whaddya" the instant you hear it if you've already caught that someone's asking for an opinion.
This is the strategy behind Part 4's practice passage below: listen once for the gist, then again for the specific answers in Part 5.
Part 3
Delivered at normal, clear pace — these are what you say back when you missed something, not reduced speech to decode.
1 · Clarification Phrase
"Sorry, could you say that again?"
The all-purpose version — polite, works in almost any setting.
2 · Clarification Phrase
"What was that last part?"
Use when you caught the beginning but lost the end.
3 · Clarification Phrase
"Did you say Friday?"
Confirming one specific detail rather than asking for the whole thing again.
4 · Clarification Phrase
"Could you speak a little slower, please?"
Direct and completely acceptable — a native speaker would rather slow down than have you guess.
Part 4
Listen once for the gist. Then listen again and use Part 5 to check three specific details.
Full Passage
"So I'm gonna head out soon, but lemme know if you wanna grab coffee later. I gotta finish this report first — it's kinda a lot, honestly — but I should be done by like three. Whaddya think, does that work for you?"
Five reductions from Part 1 all show up here, run together at real speed.
Part 5
Try each one yourself first, then press play or check the key to confirm.
Exercise A — Write out the full form
Full Forms
| "I'm gonna call you later." | "I am going to call you later." |
| "Do you wanna come?" | "Do you want to come?" |
| "I gotta go." | "I have got to go." |
| "Whaddya think?" | "What do you think?" |
| "I'm kinda tired." | "I am kind of tired." |
| "Lemme check." | "Let me check." |
Live/text exercise — no separate audio. Play the Part 1 clips above to check your ear against each answer.
Exercise B — Answer from the passage
1 · Question
What does he need to finish before he can leave?
Answer: Revealed
2 · Question
What time does he expect to be done?
Answer: Revealed
3 · Question
What does he suggest doing together afterward?
Answer: Revealed
Exercise C — Free Response
Exercise C · Free Response
Retell the Part 4 passage in your own words, out loud, using at least two reductions from Part 1.
Live/text exercise — no audio. Bring it to your next live session.
Part 6
Deliberately left live and unscripted — your instructor reads you an unseen natural-speed passage of their own choosing (travel plans, a weekend recap) so you can't have pre-read it. Nothing to pre-record here on purpose.
Live Exercise
Your instructor will speak a short, unscripted passage at real conversational speed. Listen for the gist first, then answer a few follow-up questions about what you heard.
Live/text exercise — no audio.
Pass Standard
To pass Advanced Lesson 7, correctly identify at least four of the six reductions from Part 1 in full form, use at least one clarification phrase naturally when you miss something, and answer the gist and detail questions from a live unscripted passage.
Retake Note
If the live passage felt like a wall of noise, that's a gist-first habit that hasn't kicked in yet, not a vocabulary problem — you already know these words in their full form. Go back to Part 1 and Part 4, and practice catching the overall idea before worrying about every individual sound.