pronunciation of "are"

[WilliamTaft]

A clip from Oxford University Press - Open Forum 1-4.

The text is: Hi! Are you busy?

I can not hear the word "are." Is it there?

 

[5jj]

Yes, pronounced as a schwa.

 

[BobK]

...but note that in practice the schwa can be so short as to be virtually indiscernible, and in informal speech it can disappear entirely.