How to Pronounce 'ARE'

I've gotten in a few questions recently about the word 'ARE', specifically someone recently asked, if they were hearing correctly: What you doing? instead: of What are you doing? That is not grammatically correct and a native speaker would not say What you doing?, however a native speaker may reduce the word 'ARE' so much that a non-native speaker would have problems hearing it. The word 'ARE' can be reduced simply to the schwa+r sound /ɚ/, /ɚ/, /ɚ/, so in the sentence What are you doing? [ˈwʌt ˈɑɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], you may very well hear: [ˈwʌɾɚ] [ˈwʌɾɚ], [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], with the [ɚ] very low in pitch and very fast. [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], [ˈwʌɾɚ] [ˈwʌɾɚ]. It sounds like the word 'BUTTER' /ˈbʌtɚ/, 'BUTTER' /ˈbʌtɚ/, [ˈwʌɾɚ], [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ]. Now that you know what you are listening for, see if you can hear it in the sentence: What are you doing? [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], What are you doing? [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ], What are you doing? [ˈwʌɾɚ ju ˈdu ɪŋ]. The word 'ARE' is often shorten in writing as well, as a contraction with: you, we or they. They're /ðɚ/, for example, but it doesn't have to be written for it to be pronounced with a short /ɚ/ sound. Let's look at a few more sentences where the word 'ARE' can be reduced: My cousins are coming tomorrow [ˈkʌzənzɚ] , My cousins are [ˈkʌzənzɚ], My cousins are [ˈkʌzənzɚ], My cousins are coming tomorrow [ˈkʌzənzɚ] , My cousins are coming tomorrow [ˈkʌzənzɚ] , The cookies are good. [ˈkʊkizɚ], The cookies are [ˈkʊkizɚ], /ɚ/,The cookies are good [ˈkʊkizɚ]. Where are the girls? [ˈweɚ]. Now here the word before ends in the schwa+r sound /ɚ/, where /ɚ/, the girls, I would explain it as a reemphasizing of the /ɚ/ sound, where /ɚ/ the girls, but in fast speech it actually all blends together. Where are the girls? [ˈweɚ], Where are the girls? [ˈweɚ], so it sounds like the word 'ARE' is being dropped. Where are the girls? [ˈweɚ]. And someone else asked about the word 'ARE' /ɚ/ and the word 'WERE' /wɚ/, about them sounding the same when they are both reduced. The word 'WERE' /wɚ/ will always have that /w/ sound at the beginning so there is a difference in the pronunciation of these words. Let´s look at an example sentence: The kids are there [ðə ˈkɪdz ɚ ðɛɚ], The kids are [ðə ˈkɪdz ɚ], /ɚ/, /ɚ/, just the /ɚ/ sound, The kids are there [ðə ˈkɪdz ɚ ðɛɚ], The kids were there [ðə ˈkɪdz wɚ ðɛɚ], The kids were [ðə ˈkɪdz wɚ], [wɚ], [wɚ], The kids were there [ðə ˈkɪdz wɚ ðɛɚ], the second one has that /w/ sound in it. The kids are there [ðə ˈkɪdz ɚ ðɛɚ], The kids were there [ðə ˈkɪdz wɚ ðɛɚ], The kids are there [ðə ˈkɪdz ɚ ðɛɚ], The kids were there [ðə ˈkɪdz wɚ ðɛɚ], can you hear the difference, now that you now this concept of the reduced word 'ARE', try it out in your speech, and listen for it when listening to native speakers. That's it and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.