3rd French line: if you don’t hear the une in une dizaine d’années, don’t despair. This sound does not exist in English. Your ears will start to pick it up in the weeks and months ahead.
4th French line: notice that “quand on” sounds like “canton.” Of course “un canton” is a real word, but here, you don’t hear any article. A French listener will therefore not be confused: they hear the sound canton and think, “quand on.”
For another difficult-to-hear une and another example of quand sounding like cant, click here.
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Hi Peggy, thank you for letting me know that, instead of hearing “qu’on était ensemble,” you hear, “quand est ensemble.” Please listen for the AIT of était and, when you hear that, does it become more clear?
In case it helps, I’ll note that my ears are NOT able to distinguish qu’on from quand when I hear them spoken quickly like this. So, if I ask myself why I hear “qu’on était” ensemble without any chance of confusion, part of the answer must be that I have heard that combination of words many times before and… it is the only thing that makes sense. We both agree that “quand est ensemble” might be what you first heard, but that it doesn’t make sense? Still thinking about this and would appreciate your thoughts!
Best regards,
David
Quand est ensemble
Hi Peggy, thank you for letting me know that, instead of hearing “qu’on était ensemble,” you hear, “quand est ensemble.” Please listen for the AIT of était and, when you hear that, does it become more clear?
In case it helps, I’ll note that my ears are NOT able to distinguish qu’on from quand when I hear them spoken quickly like this. So, if I ask myself why I hear “qu’on était” ensemble without any chance of confusion, part of the answer must be that I have heard that combination of words many times before and… it is the only thing that makes sense. We both agree that “quand est ensemble” might be what you first heard, but that it doesn’t make sense? Still thinking about this and would appreciate your thoughts!
Best regards,
David