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Have you ever felt that English native speakers talk too fast? You might know many common English phrases when you see them in a book, but recognising them in a real conversation can be quite a challenge.
If you feel that your English is not bad, but you’re struggling to understand even very simple phrases in listening, it’s not your fault. It’s just that spoken English is so different from the written one.
Why is it so hard to hear and understand the most common English phrases?
It might sound surprising but it is much harder to hear the words you already know: native speakers pronounce them in a very relaxed way, just because they have to pronounce them VERY OFTEN.
In spoken English, words are not pronounced separately. Instead, words blend together, sounds change, and some letters disappear completely.
For example, a simple question like “What do you want to do?” often sounds more like “Whatcha wanna do?”
These are all features of connected speech – a completely natural process which greatly influences how we understand spoken English.
So, this quiz will show you if you can catch some very common English phrases by ear and understand what they mean.
Give it a try right now.
Levels tested: Intermediate, Advanced
Topics tested: Listening
Time to complete: 10-15 minutes
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