You ask for "water" with a strong, sharp T, and the person at the coffee shop asks you to say it again. Then an American friend says "a lot of," and you hear "uh-LAH-duh" and think it is a new word. Many learners read English letter by letter, as in their own language, so every T becomes a hard T. In this episode: • What the flap t is • The rule: between vowels, before a weak syllable • Across word boundaries • When the flap does not happen • Listening lab: saturday morning • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: water (WAH-der) — the drink butter (BUH-der) — for your toast better (BEH-der) — more good city (SIH-dee) — a big town party (PAR-dee) — a birthday celebration little (LIH-dl) — small bottle (BAH-dl) — a water bottle letter (LEH-der) — mail, or A, B, C pretty (PRIH-dee) — quite, as in "pretty good" (casual) computer (kum-PYOO-der) — your laptop forty (FOR-dee) — 40 thirty (THUR-dee) — 30 waiter (WAY-der) — the person who brings your food meeting (MEE-ding) — a planned talk sitting (SIH-ding) — She's sitting outside. a lot of (uh-LAH-duh) — many: a lot of dishes what is (WUH-diz) — What is it? get up (geh-DUP) — leave your bed get it (GEH-dit) — understand it, or go and bring it put it on (puh-dih-DAHN) — wear it, or add it wait a minute (WAY-duh MIN-it) — hold on eat it (EE-dit) — finish your food about it (uh-BOW-dit) — Don't worry about it. heat it up (HEE-dih-DUP) — warm it got it (GAH-dit) — I understand not a problem (NAH-duh PRAH-blum) — happy to help (casual) attack (uh-TAK) — the stress is on TAK return (rih-TURN) — bring back 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.