Okay, English learners, I'm going to show you the most important pronunciation mistake that you should avoid, in my opinion, as an English teacher.
I'm talking about the pronunciation of the word can.
Why do I think this is the most important pronunciation mistake?
Well because, as an English teacher, I can understand English learners very well, even if they don't have great pronunciation.
But when English learners make this one specific pronunciation mistake, I can't understand them.
And the worst part is that I can't tell if the person is saying can or cannot.
This means that I might think the person is saying the opposite of what they're trying to say.
That's why, in my experience, this is the number one pronunciation mistake.
So today i'm gonna help you pronounce this word correctly so that you can avoid this miscommunication.
And, of course, if you need more help with your pronunciation, click on the link in the description below this episode to sign up for my training.
Okay, The reason why I can't understand many English learners when they say the word can in their sentences is because they aren't reducing this word.
You see, when the word can is used before another verb, like...
I can go or he can stay.
It's not stressed and it's actually reduced.
In these types of sentences, it's pronounced can.
Listen closely to this sentence.
I can go.
Notice that I don't say I can go.
I say I can go instead of saying can, I reduce the word to can.
I can go.
This word is reduced, and so it's pronounced with a much shorter vowel sound, and it's pronounced very fast.
This is how the English stress system works.
We reduce certain syllables so that we can arrive at the stressed syllable faster.
In this case, the word can is reduced so that we can arrive at the main verb faster.
When we do this, the word can sounds like can.
Let's hear some more examples.
I can see it.
They can feel it.
We can try it.
Did you hear how I pronounced the word can as can in those sentences?
So you might be wondering why it's such an important mistake if English learners don't reduce this word in these situations and they pronounce it as can, like I can see it.
Well, the reason why this is a problem is because, if you say I can see it, it sounds very similar to I can't see it, which is the negative sentence.
You see, the word can't is not reduced in our sentences and so it keeps its normal pronunciation can't.
Well, you might think that this still sounds different from can, because it has a t sound at the end.
However, the t at the end is not really a t sound.
Listen to this sentence.
I can't see it.
I don't say i can't see it.
I say i can't see it.
We say can't.
We put our tongue in position for the T sound at the front top part of our mouth, but we don't release it to say T, We just hold our tongue in that position.
Can't.
So as you can see, there's no real T sound.
So that's why native speakers might think you're saying can't when you say can without reducing it.
If you say I can see it, it almost sounds like you're saying I can't see it, which is the opposite.
So that's why it's so important to reduce the word can to can and then stress the verb after it.
Let's try it together.
I'll say these sentences twice and you can listen and repeat.
I can go.
He can stay.
We can try.
They can wait.
Okay, hopefully you understand the importance of.
I recommend that you listen to this episode one more time so that you can understand this concept better and so that you can correctly pronounce sentences such as I can go.
