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

Lesson 2: Hesitations & Fillers Welcome to your auditory training module! I am Teacher Sopheak. When listening to native English speakers at a tourist site or in an office setting, many Cambodian students get stuck trying to translate every single sound. Native speakers use filler words to buy time to think. They do not change the meaning of the sentence! Core Categories of Fillers: Thinking Sounds: Um, Uh, Er, Well Common Filler Words: Like, You know, I mean, Basically Self-Correction Phrases: Or rather, I mean, Sorry I meant The Literal Translation Trap Do not translate filler words literally in your head! In the sentence 'It was, like, crazy,' the word 'like' is simply a filler, not the verb meaning to enjoy something. Please enable JavaScript to view the interactive sound nodes, take the stacked quiz, and access the download options.