Catching Fast Australian Speech in Daily Conversations.

In this lesson you zoom in on the sound of Australian English so everyday talk feels less like noise and more like clear messages. You work with short recordings from a tram announcement, an office kitchen conversation and a quick phone call, all at natural speed. You listen several times with different goals: first for overall meaning, then for key words, then for small sound changes such as "gonna", "outta" and "How you going?". You notice common stress and intonation patterns and how Australians often rise at the end of statements. You practise shadowing short lines, then saying useful chunks in your own voice so you stay clear without forcing an Australian accent. By the end, you have concrete strategies to catch meaning even when you miss a few words, and you feel more confident listening to real Australians.

1. Morning on the tram: catching the main idea.

Imagine it is your first proper work day in Australia. You are on a tram heading into the city in the morning peak. It is crowded, people are chatting, someone is playing music on their headphones, and suddenly there is a fast announcement in an Australian accent. You catch a few words like "city" and "running a bit late", but not every single word. In this first block, we are going to practise a key listening skill for life here: understanding the main message, even when the speech is quick and a bit messy. You do not need to hear every word to act correctly. On your screen you will see some tips for listening on public transport, and in a moment you will listen to a short tram announcement at natural speed. Your goal is not perfection. Your goal is to answer three simple questions: What is happening? Is there any problem or change? What do passengers need to do next? Listen once for the overall feeling, then again for the key details. After that, you will write a short answer, and I will give you feedback.

Your first Aussie tram announcement.

You are standing on a tram in Melbourne on a Monday morning. You are still half asleep, holding your coffee. Suddenly, you hear a quick announcement in an Australian accent over the speaker.

Maybe it feels like a lot of noise. You hear a few clear words like "city", "running a bit late" or "next stop", but the rest feels blurry.

This is completely normal.

In real life, you do not need to understand every word. To act correctly, you usually only need three things:

1. Where am I going? (destination or stop name)
2. Is there a problem or change? (delay, cancellation, different platform)
3. What should I do? (stay on, get off, change lines)

Strategy: listen for the big picture first.

When you hear a fast announcement:

• Relax your body and face the speaker.
• Listen the first time for the big picture: Is this good news or bad news? Are we on time or late?
• Listen the second time for key words: place names, times, numbers, words like "delay", "change", "next stop".

Do not try to translate every word. In Australian English, you will often hear reduced forms like:

• "We’re running a bit late" instead of "We are running a little late".
• "gonna" instead of "going to".
• place names said very quickly.

In a moment, you will hear a short tram announcement at natural speed. Use the strategy above and then answer the simple questions in the task.

Your task.

You will listen to the announcement twice. Then you will write, in your own words:

• Where the tram is going.
• What the problem or change is.
• What passengers who are going to the hospital should do.

You can use short, clear sentences. Focus on meaning, not perfect grammar.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to the tram announcement at least two times. The first time, just relax and listen for the overall message. The second time, focus on catching key words like place names, times, and any mention of delays or changes.

Then, in 2–4 sentences, answer these three questions in your own words:

1. Where is this tram service going?
2. Is there any delay or change, and how big is it?
3. What should passengers do if they are going to the hospital?

Write your answers as if you are explaining it quickly to a friend who did not hear the announcement. Do not worry about using exactly the same words as the recording. Just show that you understood the main message. I will check if you captured the key information and help you improve your phrasing so it sounds natural in Australian English.

2. Noticing reductions in the tram announcement.

Now that you understand the main message of the tram announcement, let us zoom in on how it actually sounds. Australian English often feels fast, not only because people speak quickly, but because many small words join together or disappear. This is called connected speech or reduction. You heard phrases like "We’re running a bit late" and maybe "gonna" or strong stress on place names. If you only look at the written sentence, it is much longer and clearer. On your screen you will see a transcript of the same tram announcement with a few key lines highlighted. We will compare the relaxed, spoken version with a more careful, written version. Remember, you do not need to copy an Australian accent. The goal is to recognise these common patterns, so your brain does not panic when you hear "We’re runninabit late". In the activity, you will practise rewriting a couple of lines from the announcement in more formal English. This will help you link the fast sounds to the full forms in your mind.

From fast speech to clear text.

In the audio, the tram driver spoke quickly but politely. When we write the same message carefully, it looks a bit different.

Here is a short extract from the announcement:

> "We’re running a bit late leaving the depot, should only be about five minutes behind schedule, no dramas."

If we write this in a slower, more careful style, it could be:

> "We are running a little late leaving the depot. We should only be about five minutes behind schedule. There is no serious problem."

You can see three common features of fast Australian speech:

1. Short forms: We’re instead of We are.
2. Softening words: a bit, only, no dramas make the delay sound small and friendly.
3. Long sentences joined with commas in speech, but usually shorter sentences in writing.

Another example from the announcement was:

> "If you’re heading to the Royal Hospital, you’ll need to jump off at Central and change to the eighty-six tram going north."

More careful version:

> "If you are travelling to the Royal Hospital, you will need to get off the tram at Central Station and change to the number eighty-six tram that goes north."

Why this matters.

When you hear Australian announcements or conversations, listen for:

• Contracted forms: you’re, we’re, you’ll.
• Softening and filler words: a bit, kind of, should be fine, no dramas.
• Stressed words: usually the important information like Royal Hospital, Central, five minutes late.

If you can connect the fast version to a clearer written version in your head, it becomes much easier to understand real-life speech.

Your task.

You will now see the full transcript of the announcement as a reading text. Your job is to choose two lines that include contractions or softening phrases and rewrite them in more formal English, as if you were writing an email from the tram company.

This will train you to notice the difference between spoken and written style and help your ear catch reduced forms like we’re and you’ll in the future.

Practice & Feedback

Read the transcript of the tram announcement carefully. Pay particular attention to lines with contractions (like we’re, you’re, you’ll) and relaxed phrases (like a bit, no dramas, have a good one).

Then do this writing task:

1. Choose two different sentences or parts of sentences from the transcript that sound quite informal.
2. For each one, rewrite it in more formal, careful English, as if you are writing an email to passengers.
3. Try to:

• expand short forms (we’re → we are),
• replace slang or very informal phrases (no dramas → there is no problem),
• keep the same meaning.

Write your answer like this:

• Original: "..."
• Formal version: "..."

Do this for two separate lines. I will check if your formal versions keep the meaning and show you how Australians might choose between relaxed and formal style.

Full transcript of the tram announcement:

"Morning everyone, this is your driver. This tram is heading into the city. We’re running a bit late leaving the depot, should only be about five minutes behind schedule, no dramas.

Our next stop is Smith Street. If you’re heading to the Royal Hospital, you’ll need to jump off at Central and change to the eighty-six tram going north. Keep an eye out for the signs on the platform.

Again, we’re about five minutes late into the city this morning. Thanks for your patience, and have a good one."

3. Office kitchen chat: hearing key phrases.

You have survived the tram and arrived at the office. Nice work. Now it is time for another listening challenge: fast, informal small talk in the office kitchen. Australians often speak quickly here, but the language is friendly and relaxed. You might hear questions like "How you going?", "What are you up to this arvo?" or "Whatcha doing on the weekend?". The grammar is not always textbook perfect, but the meaning is clear from context, stress and intonation. On your screen you will see a short conversation between you and your colleague Dan next to the coffee machine. Notice where Dan puts the stress, and which parts carry important information, such as **this arvo**, **quick coffee**, **heaps of emails**, **kind of hectic**. In this activity, you will not listen to audio again, but you will read the dialogue and practise writing your own natural answers. This will help you get ready to join similar chats in real life, even when the speech feels fast.

In the office kitchen.

Imagine you have just reached the office after that slightly late tram ride. You head straight to the kitchen to grab a coffee. Your colleague Dan is already there.

Here is a typical Aussie-style chat:

> Dan: Hey, how you going?

>

> You: Hey, good thanks. You?

>

> Dan: Yeah, not too bad. Just grabbing a quick coffee before the madness starts.

>

> You: Oh yeah?

>

> Dan: Did you catch that announcement on the tram? We were running a bit late.

>

> You: Yeah, I heard. At least we made it.

>

> Dan: True. What are you up to this arvo?

>

> You: Not sure yet.

>

> Dan: I’ve got a meeting at three and then heaps of emails to get through. It was kind of hectic this morning.

What makes this sound fast.

A few things can make this type of conversation feel extra quick:

• Reduced questions: How you going? instead of How are you going? (means How are you?).
• Casual time words: this arvo = this afternoon.
• Everyday chunks: just grabbing a quick coffee, not too bad, heaps of emails, kind of hectic.

In real life, Dan will say these in one smooth line, with strong stress on the content words:

• HOW you GOing?
• QUICK COFfee
• WHAT are you UP to this arVO?

If you miss a few small words, it is fine. The key is to notice the repeated chunks and the stressed words.

Your task.

You will now see the same dialogue as a reading text. Your job is to write your own answers to Dan’s questions, using some of these natural Aussie-style chunks.

Practice & Feedback

Read the office kitchen dialogue in the text box carefully. Focus on Dan’s questions and on the casual chunks like How you going?, Just grabbing a quick coffee, What are you up to this arvo?, heaps of emails, kind of hectic.

Now imagine you are really in that kitchen. Write 3–5 short replies that you could say in this situation. You can:

• answer "How you going?" in your own way,
• say what you are doing now (for example, Just grabbing a quick coffee),
• describe your plans for this afternoon or your morning (It was kind of hectic this morning),
• react to Dan’s comment about the tram or the meeting.

Try to use at least two of these chunks from the lesson:

• Just grabbing a quick coffee.
• What are you up to this arvo?
• Heaps of people are away today.
• It was kind of hectic this morning.

Write it like a real conversation, with each reply on a new line. I will check that your answers make sense in this situation and help you sound more natural.

Office kitchen dialogue

Dan: Hey, how you going?

You: Hey, good thanks. You?

Dan: Yeah, not too bad. Just grabbing a quick coffee before the madness starts.

You: Oh yeah?

Dan: Did you catch that announcement on the tram? We were running a bit late.

You: Yeah, I heard. At least we made it.

Dan: True. What are you up to this arvo?

You: Not sure yet.

Dan: I’ve got a meeting at three and then heaps of emails to get through. It was kind of hectic this morning.

4. Quick phone call: asking for clarification.

Later in the day, you get a quick phone call from a colleague. This is often the hardest type of listening: no face, no gestures, just a voice, maybe some background noise, and very little time to think. Australians may speak even faster on the phone, because they want to keep the call short. The good news is that you do not need to guess. It is completely normal, and actually very Australian, to ask people to repeat or clarify. Phrases like "Sorry, I didn’t quite get that", "Can you say that slightly slower?", or "So you mean we start at nine?" are polite and natural here. On your screen, I will introduce a short phone call between you and your colleague Sam about a meeting. You will first listen to the call at natural speed. Then your task will be to write some chat-style messages where you check the details again. This reflects real life, where many Australians follow up a fast call with a quick text or Teams message to confirm time and place.

A fast call from your colleague.

You are at your desk when your colleague Sam calls. They speak quickly, because they are between meetings.

Here is the idea of the call you are about to hear:

> Sam tells you today’s catch-up is running a bit late.

>

> They suggest pushing it to quarter past three in Meeting Room B.

>

> There is some background noise, and you are not one hundred percent sure you heard the time and room correctly.

In real life, it is smart to double-check details after a fast call. Many Australians will:

• ask a quick clarification question during the call, and
• send a short message after the call to confirm.

Useful clarification chunks include:

• "Sorry, I didn’t quite get that."
• "Can you say that slightly slower?"
• "So you mean we start at nine?"
• "Just to double-check, is it Room B or Room D?"

Why following up in writing helps.

Phone audio can be unclear, especially with different accents and office noise. Following up with a short written message helps you:

• avoid turning up at the wrong time or place,
• reduce stress about misunderstanding Aussie accents,
• build a reputation as someone who is careful and organised.

In the activity, you will listen to Sam’s call and then write a few short, chat-style messages to confirm the details in a friendly, natural way.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to the phone call from Sam at least two times. Do not worry if you miss a couple of words. Focus on catching:

• What is happening with the meeting time?
• What new time does Sam suggest?
• Which room name or letter you hear.

Then imagine you hang up and open your work chat (Teams, Slack, etc.). Write 4–6 short messages to Sam to:

• say thanks for the call,
• politely ask for clarification about any details you are not sure about,
• confirm the final time and room in your own words.

Use at least two of these clarification chunks:

• Sorry, I didn’t quite get that.
• Can you say that slightly slower? (you can adapt the tense)
• So you mean we start at nine? (change the time)
• Just to double-check, do you mean…?

Write it like a real chat, with each message on a new line. I will answer as Sam to confirm the details and help you make your messages sound natural and clear.

5. Shadowing chunks and building your rhythm.

You have now listened to a tram announcement, joined an office kitchen chat, and handled a fast phone call. The next step is to work on your own rhythm so Australian speech feels less strange and you sound clear to locals. Remember, the goal is **not** to copy an Australian accent perfectly. Instead, we want you to feel comfortable using common chunks with a natural rhythm. Shadowing is a useful technique for this. You listen to a short line, then repeat it immediately, trying to copy the stress and timing. Even if we cannot hear you right now, you can still prepare by choosing which chunks you want to practise and putting them into sentences that fit your real life. On your screen you will see a small chunk bank from this lesson, together with a simple meaning. In the activity, you will choose some of these chunks and write new, personalised sentences that you might actually say tomorrow on a tram, in the kitchen or on a call. This makes the language part of your real world, not just a school exercise.

High-value chunks from this lesson.

Here are some useful Australian-style chunks we have met so far:

These are not individual vocabulary items, they are ready-made pieces you can drop into conversations.

How to shadow effectively.

When you have audio, you can shadow like this:

1. Listen to one line, for example: "What are you up to this arvo?"
2. Repeat it immediately, copying:

• the stress (WHAT are you UP to this arVO?),
• the rhythm (short-short-long pattern),
• the connected sound between words ("up to this" becomes "up t’this").

Do not worry if your accent is different. Focus on clear sounds and natural timing.

Even without audio, you can prepare by choosing chunks and writing sentences that feel natural for you.

Your task.

You will now choose some of these chunks and write new sentences that you could realistically use tomorrow in Australia.

Practice & Feedback

Look at the chunk bank in the table above and think about your own life: your transport, your work or study, your typical day.

Choose four different chunks from the list. For each chunk, write one sentence that you might actually say in a real situation. Try to:

• keep the chunk exactly the same inside your sentence (for example, "We’re running a bit late" stays the same),
• add realistic details from your life (your city, your job, your meetings),
• vary the situation: maybe one tram or train example, one kitchen chat, one phone call, one message to a friend.

Write your answer in this format:

Chunk: "…"

Your sentence: "…"

Do this for four chunks in total. I will check that you are using each chunk correctly, help you fix any small issues, and suggest even more natural options where useful.

Chunk bank to use:

• We’re running a bit late.
• Did you catch that announcement?
• Just grabbing a quick coffee.
• What are you up to this arvo?
• It was kind of hectic this morning.
• Heaps of emails to get through.
• Sorry, I didn’t quite get that.
• So you mean we start at nine?
• Can you say that slightly slower?
• That’s all good, no dramas.

6. Putting it all together in your Aussie day.

You are ready for the final step of this lesson. We have worked with three key listening situations from a typical Australian day: a tram announcement, an office kitchen chat and a quick phone call. You have practised catching the main message, noticing reduced forms, joining small talk and asking for clarification. Now it is time to bring everything together. On your screen you will see a simple scenario that follows you through one day: morning tram, mid-morning coffee, afternoon meeting change. Your job in this final task is to write the language you would actually use across that whole day. You will describe what you hear, what you say and how you check details. Think of it as a mini script or chat log of your Aussie day. Try to reuse chunks from the lesson like "We’re running a bit late", "What are you up to this arvo?", and "Sorry, I didn’t quite get that". This is your chance to rehearse real conversations before you arrive. I will give you detailed feedback and a short model that you can review later.

Your full listening day in Australia.

Let’s imagine one complete day where you have to process fast Australian speech several times.

Morning on the tram

You hear an announcement: "We’re running a bit late… jump off at Central… eighty-six tram…". You feel a bit nervous, but you focus on the main message.

Office kitchen chat

You finally get to the office. At the coffee machine, a colleague says: "Hey, how you going? Just grabbing a quick coffee. What are you up to this arvo?" You want to answer naturally.

Afternoon phone call

Later, a colleague calls: "Our catch-up’s running a bit late, gonna push it back to quarter past three in Meeting Room B." You miss a word and need to check.

Across this day, you use your strategies:

• listening for gist first, then details,
• noticing familiar chunks like "running a bit late" or "kind of hectic",
• using clarification questions like "Sorry, I didn’t quite get that" and "So you mean we start at nine?".

Success checklist.

In your final writing task, aim to:

• cover all three scenes: tram, kitchen, phone call,
• show at least four chunks from this lesson (for example, We’re running a bit late, What are you up to this arvo?, Sorry, I didn’t quite get that, That’s all good, no dramas),
• ask for clarification at least once,
• keep your tone friendly and relaxed.

You can choose the format that feels natural to you: a short story in the first person, or a chat-style script with lines for "Me" and other people.

In the activity, you will see the scenario again as a reminder, then you will write your version of your first Australian work day.

Practice & Feedback

Read the scenario in the box and think about your own first days in Australia. Then write a short script of your day using the three key scenes:

1. On the tram in the morning – you hear a fast announcement and explain to yourself or a friend what it means.
2. In the office kitchen – you have a quick chat with a colleague about coffee, your morning, or your plans for this arvo.
3. After a fast phone call – you ask for clarification and confirm the meeting time in writing or in speech.

Write at least 12–18 lines in total. You can use a chat-style format, for example:

• Me: …
• Friend: …
• Me: …

Make sure you:

• include at least four chunks from the lesson (for example, We’re running a bit late, Just grabbing a quick coffee, It was kind of hectic this morning, Sorry, I didn’t quite get that),
• show clearly what you heard and how you reacted,
• keep the tone friendly and realistic for an Australian city.

I will check how well you combine the different situations, give feedback on your language, and show you an even more natural version of your Aussie day.

Scenario reminder:

• Scene 1 – Tram: You are on a crowded tram going into the city. There is a fast announcement about a small delay and changing trams for the hospital.
• Scene 2 – Kitchen: You arrive at work and chat with a colleague while grabbing a quick coffee. They ask how you are and what you are up to this arvo.
• Scene 3 – Phone: In the afternoon, a colleague calls and quickly changes the meeting time. You are not sure you heard the time or room correctly, so you clarify.

Use your imagination to fill in the details, but keep it believable for your real life.