At the Gym
Sam spots Alex at the gym. Between sets they trade the softest sounds in American English: lemme, gimme, and -ing endings that melt into -in'. · NATURAL · Real American Listening
Step 1 — Listen (no transcript yet)
Listen once or twice without reading. Just follow the story: who is speaking, where, and what changes?
Real voices for this lesson. Slow plays the same voices at 75% speed.
…or listen with your device voice:
Step 2 — Comprehension questions
Answer from memory first. Each question trains a named skill.
Step 3 — Reveal the transcript
In the transcript: ReductionDifficult wordIdiom
📄 Show Transcript
Sam: Hey, Alex! Lemme finish this set and I'll spot you.
Alex: No rush. I'm just warmin' up. How's the shoulder doin'?
Sam: Sorta sore, but better than last week. Gimme that towel, would ya?
Alex: Here ya go. You gonna try the heavy weights today?
Sam: Nah, I'm takin' it easy.
Sam: My trainer says I gotta rest it two more days.
Alex: Smart. Hey, a bunch of us are grabbin' smoothies after. You in?
Sam: Count me in. I'm starvin'. But I gotta shower first — two minutes.
Alex: We'll be by the front desk. Don't keep us waitin'!
Step 4 — Difficult expressions
Lemme finish this set and I'll spot you.
Count me in. I'm starvin'.
Nah, I'm takin' it easy.
Step 5 — Pronunciation & reductions
American English shrinks unstressed words. This is what the speakers really did with their mouths:
You read:
Lemme finish this set
You hear:
LEM-me finish this set
'Let me' → 'lemme'. The two words fuse into one trochee — you'll hear it dozens of times a day in America.
You read:
How's the shoulder doin'?
You hear:
How's the shoulder DO-in'?
Casual -ing endings drop their 'g': doin', warmin', takin', starvin'. It signals relaxed, friendly speech — never use it in writing.
You read:
Gimme that towel, would ya?
You hear:
GIM-me that towel, would-ya?
'Give me' → 'gimme'; 'would you' → 'wouldja' → here softened to 'would ya'. Requests shrink the most because politeness lives in the tone.
You read:
You gonna try the heavy weights today?
You hear:
Ya GON-na try the heavy weights today?
In fast questions, even 'are' can vanish: 'You gonna…?' for 'Are you going to…?' The rising intonation carries the question.
You read:
a bunch of us are grabbin' smoothies
You hear:
A BUNCH-əv us are GRAB-bin' smoothies
'Of' shrinks to 'əv', 'grabbing' to 'grabbin'' — in a single casual sentence, half the endings soften.
🗣️ Practice this pronunciation →
Step 6 — Shadow
Play the audio and speak with the voices — same words, same rhythm, half a second behind them. Use Slow if you need to. Two or three passes, out loud.
Step 7 — Speak
Chat like Sam for 30 seconds: offer help with 'Lemme…', ask for something with 'Gimme…', and accept an invitation with 'Count me in.' Keep the -in' endings relaxed.
Record yourself, play it back, and compare with the model. Recordings stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Step 8 — Final comprehension check
One last pass: dictation and quick questions. No transcript peeking this time.
Keep training this skill
🗣️ Pronunciation Lab — sounds, stress, reductions & shadowing (A1–C1)🎙️ Speaking Studio — dialogues, role-plays and interviews🌱 Vocabulary Builder — grow the words you heard🔗 Phrasal Verbs Lab — the verbs native speakers actually use💬 Idioms — 300 common American idioms🧩 Collocations Lab — natural word partners🇺🇸 Real-Life English — Say It Right, the mistakes clinic🎧 Listening Lab — all levels A1–C1Keep going
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