You know the question "What do you want for dinner?" But at home you hear "Whaddaya want?" and your brain stops. You know "Tell him I'm late," but you hear "Tell 'im," and the word "him" seems to vanish. Many learners translate word by word and expect every word to sound clear and separate. In this episode: • Wh- questions that get squashed • Yes/no questions that lose their start • The disappearing h • When the h comes back • Scene: a busy evening • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: Whaddaya (WUH-duh-yuh) — what do you: Whaddaya want for dinner? Whatcha (WUH-chuh) — what are you: Whatcha doing? Whaddaya — can also mean what are you: Whaddaya doing this weekend? Whaddja (WUH-juh) — what did you: Whaddja say? Howdja (HOW-juh) — how did you: Howdja sleep? Wherdja (WAIR-juh) — where did you: Wherdja put the remote? Wenner-ya (WEN-er-yuh) — when are you: Wenner-ya leaving? Ya ready? — Are you ready? Ya seen my keys? — Have you seen my keys? D'ya wanna eat? — Do you want to eat? Wanna eat? — Do you want to eat? (very casual) Doncha (DOHN-chuh) — don't you: Doncha like it? Arncha (AHRN-chuh) — aren't you: Arncha coming? Tell 'im — tell him: Tell 'im dinner's ready. Ask 'er — ask her: Ask 'er if she wants tea. Did 'e call? — Did he call? Is 'e home? — Is he home? What's 'is name? — What's his name? Give 'er the keys — give her the keys I should 'ave called — I should have called (sounds like SHOOD-uv) Sam 'ad already left — Sam had already left When the word is stressed: HE did it, not her. — the stress shows a contrast I asked HIM, not you. — stress for contrast Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.