How to sound like a native speaker. Rich English: how to make your speech lively and natural. Where to get material from
The English language has a huge number of phrases that native speakers constantly use, but foreigners hardly know. Lifehacker has collected 15 “very English” expressions that will definitely make you stand out from the crowd.
1. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…
"Firstly Secondly Thirdly…"
To the English ear it sounds quite formal (a more colloquial version is the usual first, second, third), but will show that you know English well. And here in the first, in the second and so on talk it is forbidden.
Firstly, I prefer airplane because it’s fast. Secondly, they give you meals, and thirdly, I like a view from the window.
I prefer airplanes because, firstly, it is fast, secondly, because there is food there, and thirdly, I like to look out the window.
2.Very good
"Amazing"
Just as in Russian speech, in English this phrase can have a meaning completely opposite to the literal one.
- I left your glasses at home.- I forgot your glasses at home.
- Very good. - Amazing.
3. Get out!
“Fuck you!”, “Come on!”, “Come on!”
Besides direct meaning, can express surprise or disbelief.
- I'm going to get married.- I am getting married.
- Get out! - Go!
4. Never ever
"Never ever"
Serves to reinforce the meaning of the word “never.”
I will never ever do it again.
I will never, ever do that again.
5. It’s not rocket science
“This is not higher mathematics”, “this is not Newton’s binomial”
If a person thinks something is incredibly difficult, and you disagree with him, then in English you can say (literally) that this is “not rocket science.”
Managing people is hard but it’s not rocket science.
Managing people isn't easy, but it's not higher mathematics.
6. Ain't no
Conversational version of the design am/is/are not or have/has not. Used among young people and ordinary people, educated native speakers may wince. But they will appreciate it.
I ain't got no cigarettes.
I don't have cigarettes.
7. Going nuts (be nuts)
“Got crazy”, “out of my mind”
A colloquial expression that has nothing to do with nuts.
Tornado is about to come, everyone’s going nuts.
A tornado is coming soon and everyone is going crazy.
John is nuts.
John went crazy.
8. Let's just say
“Let’s put it this way...”, “in a nutshell, then...”
The expression is used when you don't want to explain something in detail.
Let’s just say I’m not a big fan of Elvis.
Let's just say I'm not a big Elvis fan.
9. Let's sleep on it
"Let's put it off until the morning"
Sometimes it takes time to make a decision. As they say, the morning is wiser than the evening, which is why in the English-speaking world they say so - “you need to sleep.”
I can’t make a decision right now, let me sleep on it.
I can't make a decision right now, I need to think until tomorrow.
10. Not really
"Not really"
It’s strange that such a common phrase is not taught at school.
- Are you ready to go?-Are you ready to go?
- Not really.- Not really.
11.Help yourself
“Help yourself”, “take advantage”
In addition to its direct meaning, it is often used as a suggestion or permission to act independently.
- May I use your phone?-Can I use your phone?
- Help yourself!- Use it!
12. Indeed
“Indeed”, “wrong word”, “undoubtedly”
This word serves to strengthen what was said or express agreement.
- Doesn't sound reasonable.- He says reasonable things.
- It is not true.- Not that word.
13. May I be excused?
"May go out?"
The pearl of this list, the million dollar phrase. Ask ten English teachers how to say “Can I go out?”, and at least nine will say something like: “May I get out?”, “May I go out?” Tested on colleagues.
The girl raised her hand and said, “Mrs Jones, may I be excused?”
The girl raised her hand and said, “Mrs. Jones, can I come out?”
14. I'm done
"I'm done", "I'm tired"
The phrase is very often used in oral speech.
I'm done washing dishes, let's go.
I've finished washing the dishes, let's go.
15. So are you / so am I; me neither
“And you/me too”; "I also do not"
If you want to say “me too”, “you too”, and do it in a very “English” way, and not me too then just take the floor so, then auxiliary and subject. If you want to agree with the negative, then instead so use neither. Yes, when negating in the first person (“I don’t either”) you can use the phrase me neither, and regardless of the tense of the verb. Attention: if the interlocutor does not have very good English, he most likely will not understand you. In this case, a simple too(this is quite English and without any frills).
- I wanna go home.- I want to go home.
- So do I.- And I.
- Your girlfriend doesn’t like her new roommate.- Your girlfriend doesn't like her new neighbor.
- Me neither.- Like me.
Congratulations, now you will definitely be noticed in the crowd of compatriots who speak “Ranglish”. But of course, if you don't have a base, then these chips will sound strange.
This is just a small list and does not claim to be complete. On the contrary, it can and should be expanded, so I recommend compiling your own personal list of “very English” expressions.
What tricks do you know? Write in the comments.
IN Everyday life carriers in English They speak not at all perfectly: rather, the clear pronunciation of each sound sounds strange and unusual.
So, it is precisely elision that makes it difficult to perceive English speech by ear - native speakers “glue” words together, lose sounds and “eat up” syllables... Now we will teach you this.
« Cuppa tea»
Everyone knows that the British love to drink tea. When an Englishman or an Englishwoman offers you a cup of tea, it sounds like this: “ Dju wanna cuppa tea?”. This is the first example of elision, because in writing the phrase would look like this: “ Do you want a cup of tea? But in colloquial speech the words “stick together” and “ cup of tea" turns into " cuppa tea"…
Not only vowels, but also consonant sounds can “disappear.” For example, as in the following sentence: “I don wanna tea” (“I don’t want tea”). And again elision! " Want to" turns into wanna: consonant t falls out, vowel sound a merges with the word that precedes it want. The resulting sentence sounds more familiar in English than its full form: "I don't want a tea."
However, note that unlike the shortened form don't(abbreviated from don't) form don has no right to exist in writing, you can't write « I don» . The difference between abbreviation and elision is that in writing, abbreviations are allowed, but elision is not.
Wanna, gonna
Constructions wanna And gonna are constantly used in informal English speech, but are unacceptable in writing, since they are not an abbreviated form of words (these constructions do not belong to the language standard).
Some people think that perfect “royal” pronunciation is achieved by clearly pronouncing each sound. But in fact, as we will now see, people of the highest circles - as well as pronunciation of the highest standard - are also not alien to elision. For example, the same wanna And gonna are considered unacceptable in the high style of English speech. However, many high-flying people simply do not notice that they use these constructions in their speech. You can ask them, “Are you talking like that?” - and they will answer: “Oh no! I wouldn't say that. This is inappropriate. This is not in English."
Although, in fact, even David Cameron uses it in his speech wanna And gonna - and in this moment he holds the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain and with a high degree of confidence he can be called a man from higher spheres society. Proof? Watch a video of Cameron speaking to students during his visit to Kazakhstan, 0:42: “ …I wanna make their work easy for them.”:
So, perfect correct pronunciation not typical for native English speakers, so if you want your English to sound natural, Don't try to pronounce words the way they appear on paper.
It doesn't sound like it's written
Let's give a few more illustrative examples that The spelling of words in English and their actual pronunciation differ significantly.
In English there is a neutral vowel sound schwa , which often replaces unstressed vowel sounds in spoken language. And this means that the spelling of a word and its pronunciation are often quite noticeably different, since the sound schwa, in fact, none of the letters of the English alphabet match.
Sound schwa can serve as a substitute for any vowel sound. Let's look at a few examples.
We often expect a word to have as many syllables as it has vowel sounds: e.g. choc-o-late. But native English speakers don't say that: they pronounce the word in two syllables, choc-late, with emphasis on the first.
Comparable: you would expect this word to be pronounced in four syllables, comp‑ a‑ra‑ble(with emphasis on the second syllable) - but this is not so. In English, vowels are often reduced, and in our case the word “loses” a syllable, turning into comp‑ ra‑ble, with stress on the first syllable followed by the sound schwa(as a vowel replacement a, subjected to elision).
Many other words in English change in a similar way: comfortable becomes comf‑ta‑ble, interesting - in‑tres‑ting and so on.
There is one more rule of thumb: sound schwa after consonants m And r undergoes elimination.
Examples: camera - cam-ra (not cam-e-ra), family - fam-ly, memory - mem-ry, laboratory - la-bo-ra-try, secretary - sec-ra-try, library - lib-ry(one of the pronunciation options in British English along with li-bra-ry).
So let us give thanks to elision and sound schwa because English pronunciation is so different from spelling!
Have you ever had problems speaking English? How do you usually deal with difficult sounds? As a rule, people unconsciously try to cheat and simplify their work - to pronounce a similar Russian sound. However, native speakers may not understand at all what we are trying to tell them, because for them these will be new unfamiliar words. Do you want your English to be understood not only by your compatriots? Then check out our review of the most common “Russian” errors in English pronunciation and use tips on how to get rid of them.
How to correct pronunciation errors
To begin with, we will give you some tips on how you can prevent errors in pronunciation. This is easier to do than learning to pronounce sounds again.
First of all, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the reading rules. This is the foundation with which you should start learning the language. If for some reason you haven’t learned them or don’t remember them well, we strongly advise you to memorize the rules for reading vowels and consonants. This will greatly facilitate your future work on pronunciation of English sounds.
After this, study the correct position of the lips, tongue, palate, and vocal cords when pronouncing each of the English sounds. The easiest way to do this is to individual lessons with one of ours or through special training videos. For each of the errors described below, we will provide a video teaching how to pronounce the “problem sound.”
There are also special textbooks that will help you get rid of problems in English pronunciation. You can study using one of the following benefits:
- “English Pronunciation in Use”
- “Tree or Three? An Elementary Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
- “Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
- “Elements of Pronunciation”
- “New Headway Pronunciation Course”
In them you will find detailed explanations and practical exercises to get rid of the Russian accent.
Practice your pronunciation with tongue twisters that help you practice sounds that are difficult for you. You will find many wonderful phrases for practicing in the article “50 of the most difficult tongue twisters in English”. In this article we will provide one tongue twister, voiced by a native speaker, for each of the presented errors in English pronunciation.
If you decide to take your pronunciation seriously, we recommend that you read our article “”. This is a whole guide with many interesting techniques and secrets for those who want to “sound” like a native speaker.
Russian mistakes that we make most often in English speech
1. We muffle the voiced consonants at the end of the word
When speaking in Russian, we mute the voiced consonants at the end of a word, for example: frost we pronounce “maros”, mushroom we pronounce “grip”, knife we pronounce “nosh”, etc. In English such willfulness is not allowed: if you mute voiced consonant, you can get a completely different word. If pronounced incorrectly, it may happen that the adjective “bad” - bad will turn into “bat” - bat.
Solution:
As soon as you start learning English, immediately train yourself to pronounce words clearly and distinctly, pronouncing all consonants as required by the rules of reading the language.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.
2. We pronounce the sounds /w/ and /v/ like Russian /в/
Again, the inconsistency with the Russian language is to blame: we have only one variant of pronunciation of the letter “v”. However, it does not correspond to any of the sounds of the English language. So it turns out that we say vet (veterinarian) instead of wet (wet).
Solution:
Learn the correct position of the organs of articulation. You must work out conditioned reflex: when pronouncing the sound /w/, you need to stretch your lips with a tube; when pronouncing the sound /v/, you need to slightly bite your lower lip with your teeth.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
The very wary warrior veered violently where the violets wound very wickedly.
3. Pronounce the sound /r/ like Russian /р/
We often forget about the correct position of the speech organs when pronouncing this sound, so it turns out unclear and it becomes difficult for a foreigner to understand us. In addition, we often pronounce this sound when there is no need to pronounce it at all: when the letter r is positioned at the end of a word. And it turns out that we, for example, “croak” when pronouncing the word car (car).
Solution:
Go back to the rules of reading in English and learn by heart when the letter r is pronounced and when it is not. And also learn to correctly position the organs of speech when pronouncing the letter r: the tip of the tongue is slightly bent back and reaches for the alveoli (the tubercles between the front upper teeth and the middle part of the palate), but does not touch them. English /r/, unlike Russian, is pronounced without air vibration. You can come across two options for pronunciation of /r/ at the end of a word: it can be pronounced, or it can be omitted, the main thing is that English /r/ is different from Russian.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
Ray ran across a rough road with his red rocks, wretched ratchet wrench, and rare rubber roller.
4. We pronounce the sounds /θ/ and /ð/ like Russian /f/ and /z/
We think everyone will agree that the words “zeriz” (there is), “zera” (there are), “free” (three) and “fenkyu-senkyu” (thank you) have already become the talk of the town. It seems to us that we pronounce similar Russian sounds and there is nothing wrong with that. However, native speakers do not understand us, because the words we pronounce lose their meaning due to the replacement of sound.
Solution:
If you train yourself to hold your tongue in the correct position when pronouncing these sounds, it will make your task much easier. When pronouncing the sounds /θ/ and /ð/, the tongue is between the teeth. When pronouncing the sound /θ/, linguists recommend placing your tongue between your teeth and pronouncing the Russian letter “t”, and for the sound /ð/ pronouncing the Russian “d”, while you should feel a slight vibration of the air in your throat. Don't worry if it's difficult at first. Speak slowly, but try to pronounce each word clearly.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
5. Pronounce nasal /ŋ/ like Russian /n/
Usually, at the end of words ending in -ing, people either pronounce the ending “ing” or “in”, while forgetting that the sound is in in this case should be nasal - /ŋ/, and the letter g should be omitted.
Solution:
To make it easier to pronounce the sound, train yourself not to raise the tip of your tongue to the upper teeth, but to leave it near the lower teeth; the back of the tongue should be raised towards the palate. This way you will get that same nasal /ŋ/.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
The King's ring rung wrong.
6. We pronounce the sound /h/ like Russian /х/
In Russian, the sound /х/ is clear and well distinguished, in English /h/ it is rather a slight exhalation, it should not actually be heard. We pronounce it in the Russian manner - clearly and distinctly, and this is one of the most common Russian mistakes in pronunciation of the English language.
Solution:
Remember the correct position of the organs of articulation: the tongue does not rise anywhere, remains in place, as during silence, the lips are slightly parted. Sound is produced mainly by the vocal cords, but the latter should not vibrate. The sound /h/ in English is a slight exhalation, a weak sound.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares. Does Harry Hunt hunt heavy hairy hares? If Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares, Where are the heavy hairy hares Harry Hunt hunts?
7. Pronounce the sound /l/ like Russian /l/
It would seem that the sound /l/ in English is not at all different from our /l/. Alas, only Russian speakers think so. The British hear well this Russian mistake in the pronunciation of sounds.
The fact is that in English there are two types of sound /l/: light - light or soft /l/, and dark - dark or hard /l/. Everything is aggravated by the fact that in the dictionary there are no indications in which words /l/ should be pronounced firmly and in which softly.
Solution:
There is a simple rule: before vowels we use soft sound/l/. However, there is a catch here: it should be a little harder than the Russian sound /l/ in the words “salt”, “love”. To get this sound, try raising the middle part of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth.
In all other cases we need a hard /l/. And again a challenge to our speech organs: the sound, although hard, should be a little softer than the Russian /l/ in the words “spoon”, “best”. It sounds difficult, but constant practice and listening to native speakers will help you “feel” the difference in the pronunciation of these sounds.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
Lovely little Link left limping.
8. Pronounce the sounds /p/, /t/ like Russian /p/, /t/
These are two more “tricky” sounds that seem to us so similar to Russian /p/ and /t/. In reality, they are somewhat different - noisier, more explosive. Errors in the pronunciation of these sounds will not cause misunderstanding of the interlocutor, but for those who want to speak like a native speaker, we advise you to work on these sounds, especially since they are pronounced quite simply.
Solution:
The English sounds /p/ and /t/, as we have already said, are pronounced aspirated, but at the same time quite energetic. You exhale as if you were trying to blow out a candle. In this case, when pronouncing the sound /t/, the tongue should be on the alveoli (tubercles near the front upper teeth).
Video on the topic:
Tongue Twisters:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Two tried and true tridents.
9. Pronounce short and long vowel sounds the same way
In the Russian language there is no such thing as the length of a vowel sound: they are all pronounced the same in any word. Therefore, when we speak English, it is difficult for us to accustom ourselves to pronounce these same sounds in different ways. However, you must definitely pay attention to them, otherwise the sheep (sheep /ʃiːp/) will turn into a ship (ship /ʃɪp/), which will confuse your English-speaking interlocutor.
Video on the topic:
*Please note that videos from the playlist have the words Short vowels and Long vowels in their titles.
Patter:
She sells sea shells on the seashore. The shells she sells are seashells I am sure.
10. Pronounce the sounds /ɔː/ and /ɜː/ the same way
This is one of the most popular Russian mistakes in English pronunciation. There are no analogues of such sounds in our native language, so quite often work (work /wɜː(r)k/) turns into a walk (walk /wɔːk/), which, you see, may not please your English-speaking interlocutor, especially if he is your boss.
Solution:
Review the rules of reading English, and always listen to new words in an online dictionary or check the transcription in a regular dictionary. While learning a word, repeat it several times, try to feel the difference in sounds that are difficult to understand.
Patter:
First, nerds burn worst.
11. We pronounce the sound /i/ like Russian /и/
Even students with an above-average level of English make mistakes in this seemingly simple sound. They pronounce English /i/ like Russian /и/, making it too soft. Therefore, words such as sick, trick, hit sound strange and unnatural to native speakers. Of course, they will understand your words, but you want to sound beautiful?
Solution:
English /i/ is a cross between the Russian sounds /и/ and /ы/. To make it easier for you to pronounce it, try stretching your lips slightly in a smile and pronouncing the /i/ sound a little harder than usual.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
Little pills will make Jill ill.
12. We pronounce the sound /ɔ/ as /ʌ/, and /əʊ/ as /ɔ/
The English letter "o" often causes us difficulties. Firstly, we are used to the Russian language unstressed letter“o” is pronounced as the sound /a/, for example: boot we pronounce “batinok”, king we pronounce “karol”, crow we pronounce “varona”. In English such liberties are not allowed. English speakers simply won't understand the words "tea-pot", "photograph", etc.
Secondly, we often forget that the letter "o" in some cases forms a diphthong (a vowel sound consisting of two components) /əʊ/. Therefore, native speakers are surprised by the “new” words from our lips: “open”, “home”, “bridge” (most).
Solution:
Train yourself to pronounce the /o/ sound clearly. This can only be done through constant training: read texts out loud, speak English and control your speech.
Repeat the reading rules; they describe in detail in which cases the letter “o” forms certain sounds. In most words, the open syllable "o" forms the diphthong sound /əʊ/, although there are exceptions.
Video on the topic:
Patter:
Hope for soap on a rope.
13. Pronounce unpronounceable letters
We are accustomed to the fact that in the Russian language all letters (except for soft and hard signs and unpronounceable consonants) that are in the letter are pronounced. In English, this rule does not work: not all letters need to be pronounced. Otherwise, knight (/naɪt/) will turn into the word “knight” or “knight”, which is incomprehensible to the speaker.
Solution:
Be sure to study the rules of reading English in the article “Silent letters. Unpronounceable letters in the English language." After this, make up a short story using words with unpronounceable letters - you can take the words from the above article. Make notes above the text: which word is read in what way. Gradually, you will remember the rules of pronunciation of these words and will speak correctly automatically.
Video on the topic:
As you can see, there are a lot of problems in pronunciation of the English language, but it is also possible to get rid of them if you constantly practice sounds. Apply the tips offered in our articles and everything will work out.
Of course, it is quite difficult to understand from a video or article how to pronounce certain complex sounds. Do you want to get rid of the Russian accent in English with the help of an experienced tutor? We invite you to enroll in our online school at. The teacher (native speaker or Russian speaker) will tell you in detail and show you how to work on certain sounds. Getting rid of English pronunciation problems is easier than it seems.
How do the British, Americans and other native speakers really speak?
Conversational phrases and fluent pronunciation are just the tip of the iceberg. And underwater there are many other features of speech that are rarely paid attention to in teaching English.
If you missed it, take a look at, where some features of oral speech are described. This knowledge will be useful to us now, when we bring native speakers to light and find out how they really speak. To do this, I will take several excerpts from the popular show with Ellen Degeneres and examine in detail some interesting points using specific examples.
At the same time, we will find out why films in English do not accurately represent spoken language, and how the brain combs reality.
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Want to get rid of your accent? Today we will learn how to pronounce correctly English sound [æ] . This sound is not difficult, but its correct pronunciation requires practice. But, since this is one of those sounds that gives English speech such a unique sound, your efforts will be worth it! In writing this sound is often indicated English letter A. So, let's study. You will find a rule, a video lesson from the owner and phrases for daily training.
So, the basic rule when pronouncing the sound [æ]: open your mouth wide, tense your tongue, pull!
Imagine what you want to say Russian sound [e]. Get ready. Remember the position of the corners of the mouth and tongue (the tongue lies flat in the mouth). Tighten your throat, but say the sound [a]. Get an English sound [æ] .
However, in order to remember how to pronounce a sound correctly, you need to practice daily. After all, our speech organs (speech apparatus) and, most importantly, our brain must remember! So, as Dave Skonda always says, exaggerate! Exaggerate!
Now watch the lesson with a teacher, native speaker, American Dave Skonda and repeat!
How to correctly pronounce the sound [æ] (video tutorial)
Here are the words from the training video: f a t, d a d
- at the beginning of the words (at the beginning of words): a fter, a minimal, a sk, a m
- at the middle of the words (in the middle of words): f a t, b a ck, l a st, h a ve
Phrases:
- At last I have a chance.
- I can't stand that class.
- I'll be back.
- I have to cram for my exam.
- I need cash.
However, that's not all! Let's continue to train! The next thing to remember is the sound. [ᴂ] long, but its duration varies slightly. Therefore, if you want to get rid of an accent, PULL the sound especially before voiced “lazy” sounds: ca b, ba d, ba g, ba dg e, ha m,ma n
PULL a little less before voiceless “strong” sounds: ca p, ca t, ba ck, ca tch
Exercise 1.
Pay attention to the duration of the sound [ᴂ] in pairs. The first word has a vowel [ᴂ] lasts longer because it comes before “lazy sounds”, in the second word the sound [ᴂ] - a little shorter because it comes before “strong” voiceless consonants.
Feel the difference!
- cab - cap
- sad - sat
- bag - back
- badg e-catch
- pav-caff
- ham, man, shall
Exercise 2.
IN two-syllable words sound [ᴂ] It is ALWAYS pronounced for LESS duration. Practice: in these words the sound length is the same, so they come before “strong” consonants:
- b a t - b a tery
- s a t-s a tellite
- c a p-c a pable
- sa ck-s a crifice
- ch a p-ch a pter
- w a x-w a xen
- a xe- a ccident
Exercise 3.
However, in these pairs, the length of the sound is different (in the first word the sound [ᴂ] stands before a voiced “lazy” consonant and therefore sounds the longest, and in disyllabic in words it ALWAYS sounds a little SHORT! Yes,…. That’s how complicated everything is for them, for the British...
Let's practice pairs of words. Remember: the first word is PULL, the second word is a little shorter.
- B a n-b a nning
- m a n-m a nkind
- l a mb-l a mming
- b a d-b a dminton
- b a g–b a ggage
- c a b-c a bbage
- p a l–p a lace
- f a n–f a ncy
- b a n–b a ndage
- w a g-w a gon
- m a g-m a gpie
Exercise 4.
Training sound [ᴂ] in sentences. Pay attention to the consonant sound preceded by [ᴂ].
- Harry and Pat stand hand in hand.
- A fat cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.
- Dan carried a black bag.
- Pat cannot catch that.
- That's a bad accident.
- Hang your hat on the rack.
- Can you imagine that? Can you imagine?
- Fancy that! Just think about it!
- That's fantastic! It's amazing!
And here are a few more exception words, where the letter a in an open syllable is read as in a closed one, that is [ᴂ]. But more on that in the next article. Don't forget to subscribe)
- Gr a vity hum a nity cap a city
- R a pid f a mily c a pital c a mera s a vage