Is the "d" in "and" omitted in pronounce?

the d should always be pronounced in the word "and"

But when "and" is closely followed by "the", it seems to get a little tongue tied.

So when reading "you and the likes of you", we pause after reading "and", and then we pronnouce "the likes of you"?

Non-native speakers often experience pronunciation problems while learning another language because of the need to move lips, teeth, tongue in unfamilar ways. I am English and I can say "and the" without problems.

well, you're right, but it's can be a subtle sound.

In America, when people are just speaking casually, a lot of times the d sound is dropped, but it's not something you would do if you wanted to be clearly understood, or were trying to convey a definate meaning.

It's kinda (as opposed to "kind of" ) a familiar way of speaking.

If someone asked you "what's for supper" you might reply "chicken n' dumplings" or "steak 'n potatoes"

Just in the same way I might say to a friend "he was runnin' down the street", as opposed to "he was running down the street", it's just a letter that gets dropped when you're not paying attention, and the meaning would still be clear.

On top of all that, there are so many different accents in America, what might sound like a letter being dropped to one person is heard perfectly by another.

agreeing with that.

similar to how spanish speaking people will pronounce a "v" as though it were a "b"
However, I've asked spanish speakers about that, and to them, it sounds the same.

I guess that when you read "and the", you sound "d" very lightly so that you can deftly change to "the"?

Thanks

I would rather say "Spanish speakers pronounce a 'v' in a way that sounds to anglophones the way they are used to pronouncing a 'b'".

oh yeah, I got it bass ackwards.