Estaba

[Stu]

In this extract from Yago, "Estaba" is used twice and to me it sounds like (tai) or even (estoy).
Is that a common pronunciation for "estaba"

The voice comes in after 3 seconds and go for about 2 seconds.
The associated script is

Estaba todo lastimado, ¿sabés? Estaba destrozado.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

He says "taba", with the second "a" almost not pronounced, and the "b" is very soft.

Some regional accents do that.

[aleCcowaN]

(e)-h-taba to(d)o lastima(d)o ¿sabé-h? (e)-h-taba destrozado

(*) very mild sound
h ---> like English h but pronounced when the air is going in.

[Congratulations! First times I heard it, it didn't sound like any known language to me, except its rhythm]

[Stu]

Thank you both for the information - fantastic