Why Can't I Understand Native English Speakers?

Have you ever been on a call with colleagues from different countries, and everything seems fine—until your English boss starts talking? Let's paint a picture:

You’re in a meeting, your Italian colleague Gabriella is explaining something, and you’re following along perfectly. Then your English boss, let’s call him Michael, starts speaking. You catch a few words: project, deadline, important, client. But the rest? It’s as if he’s speaking at 180 words per minute, swallowing half of them and spitting the rest out. You glance at your colleague next to you—she raises her eyebrows. Did you get what Michael just said? Not really.

Should you ask him to repeat? You're worried it might reflect poorly on your English skills. Ask him to slow down? You hesitate—he's your boss, after all.

Sound familiar? You're not alone.

Why Are Native Speakers Hard to Understand?

If you’ve found native English speakers more difficult to understand than your colleagues from other countries, there’s a good reason for that. Here are a few common challenges:

1. Speed: Native speakers tend to talk faster than non-native speakers. If you work with Irish colleagues, good luck—they hold the title for the fastest English speakers!
2. Complex Expressions: Phrasal verbs like get over it, get through it, get round it are everyday language for native speakers but can be tricky to grasp.
3. They "Eat" Their Words: Many unstressed vowels disappear or get replaced by a tiny sound called the "schwa." This sound is so subtle, it’s easy to miss. Add to that the fact that words often get linked together, and you might feel like you’re listening to one long word.

For example, have you seen the word “gonna”? It’s actually "going to." Native speakers blend words and sometimes skip syllables entirely.

See this video for more explanations on understanding native speakers of English

What Can You Do?

Here are some practical tips to make understanding native speakers easier:

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask: Native speakers often don’t realise when they’re being unclear. It’s perfectly fine to ask them to rephrase or slow down—even more than once.
2. Learn Common Reduced Forms: Familiarise yourself with words like “gonna” (going to), “whadja” (what did you). Listening and repeating these forms will train your brain to recognise them more easily.
3. Focus on Key Words: Native speakers will often stress the important words in a sentence. Train yourself to listen for these main words to help you understand the overall meaning.
4. Be OK with Missing Words: Remember, it’s not that you missed the words because you’re not good at listening—often, those words weren’t even there! Native speakers skip over many sounds, so give yourself a break if you don’t catch every single one.

Want to Improve Your Listening Skills?

For more in-depth tips, download our free PDF guide or get in touch for professional training . Improving your listening skills is possible—and we’re here to help!