Listening: Understanding Natural Connected Speech B1 - Lesson 2: Understanding Speech with Some Hesitations and Fillers

Understanding Hesitations and Fillers CEFR Level B1 Lesson Goals In this lesson, you will learn to recognize common English hesitations and fillers . Mastering this skill will help you listen more effectively and focus on the speaker's main message in natural conversations. What Are Fillers? In natural, unscripted speech, people often pause to think. To fill the silence during these pauses, they use sounds and words called fillers . These words add no real meaning; they simply signal that the person is thinking. Your goal as a listener is to hear these fillers but not focus on them. Just wait for the important words to come. Common fillers include: um... uh... er... like... you know... well... so... Examples in Context Listen to the clean sentence first, then hear how it sounds with natural fillers. Notice how the fillers don't change the core meaning. Clean: "I would like a ticket to Angkor Wat." Natural: "I would like, uh... a ticket to, um... Angkor Wat." Clean: "The w…