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“I Can’t Understand When Americans Talk Fast! Please Help!”

Posted On: July 18, 2015

Can you understand English spoken in your country, but it becomes hard to understand when Americans talk fast?

 

Have you been confused when listening to Americans speak English? 


Are you confused because listening to other Indians or others from your country speak English is easy, but listening to Americans is a big problem? 


For those who say yes, you may wonder, “How can I improve my listening comprehension of American English?”  


Others have asked, “How will I listen to and understand American language?” (American English) 

For those with limited interaction with native speakers, here are a few ideas:  

Hollywood movies 
Actually, I am not a big fan of using Hollywood movies to learn natural English conversation because movies, television shows and other programs are often highly rehearsed. They are not natural conversation. However, Hollywood movies can be helpful for shadowing exercises. For more on shadowing, click here. 

 

American Songs 
When I suggest American songs as an idea to improve comprehension, most ‘freak out’ thinking it will be way too tough. I do not suggest very fast songs, but songs where singers sing at a pace close to the pace people speak. Two songs you can try to listen to are “The Gambler” and “Operator.” 

 

Podcasts 
Actually, even better than Hollywood movies, which are rehearsed, I suggest podcasts of two or more people speaking in unrehearsed, conversational English. While there are many great English as Second Language teachers online who create podcasts, these podcasts are more instructional. I have noticed in my work in India, when I have used these kinds of podcasts, the learners I work with are impatient. They tend to prefer to listen to actual people talking (not in a class format), and see how much they understand and comprehend. 

Example of radio interviews that you may like to listen to: 
UST Global partners with Xerox to increase STEM graduates 
Tech Talks  –  Follow on YouTube for latest episodes 

Radio 
Many radio shows (including the ones listed above) not only archive old shows, but live stream their programs in real time. I suggest to synchronize your clocks to listen to live streaming morning radio talk shows to the city or time zone that you will be moving to in the U.S. I talk more about that in the video below and share links to radio stations you can access online. 

Weather reports 
In the US, every area has two or more local tv stations. Find the local television stations of your area, usually NBC, CBS or ABC. Local news has a local weather segment. Usually this segment will introduce listeners to the local geography of the area as well as local ways of speaking. 



Listen/Watch Weather Reports:
Detroit Weather Report
Dallas Weather Segment 
Mississippi Weather 
Las Vegas Temperatures  

Related Posts:
How Understanding American Songs Helps in Understanding Fast Speech

Common Questions Used in American Conversations (Video)  

Updated July 2015, April 2017, May 2020, April 2022

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