When I listen to the audio recordings on Practice Portuguese and even on Google translate, I noticed that the first “e” in words that start with “es-” is not pronounced.
For example, “o escritor” is just “oo-shcritor” and “estar de” is just “shtar-duh.” This is the case even when Rui pronounces it for the slow audio version.
Should I just not pronounce the “e” in these words? (I care more about how Portuguese people actually speak than the “technically correct” pronunciation, by the way.)
Thanks in advance!