How do native English speakers say "tell you what"?

Native speakers reduce "tell you what" to "tellya what" (ˈtɛljəwʌt) in natural speech. Used to introduce a suggestion, an idea, or a decision, often to get someone's attention or signal a new thought.

tell you what → tellya what | Compression

Q: What is the connected speech form of "tell you what"?

"tell you what" becomes "tellya what" — a compression pattern. This common phrase compresses 'you' into 'ya' and often drops or reduces the final 't' sound in 'what' when followed by a vowel or at the end of a thought. The 'l' in 'tell' also often blends with the 'y' sound.

tell you what → tellya what ˈtɛljəwʌt Compression

Used to introduce a suggestion, an idea, or a decision, often to get someone's attention or signal a new thought.

This common phrase compresses 'you' into 'ya' and often drops or reduces the final 't' sound in 'what' when followed by a vowel or at the end of a thought. The 'l' in 'tell' also often blends with the 'y' sound.

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STANDARD FORM → REDUCED FORM

tell you what → tellya what

ˈtɛljəwʌt

Used to introduce a suggestion, an idea, or a decision, often to get someone's attention or signal a new thought.

Step 3 · Context

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Example 1

Tell you what, let's just order a pizza tonight.

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Example 2

Tell you what, I'll meet you at the cafe around six.

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Example 3

Hey, tell you what, I've got an idea.

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Example 4

Tellya what, I can pick up the groceries on my way home.

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Example 5

Tellya what, let's just call it a day and try again tomorrow.

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tell you what → tellya what