A super useful tip to pronounce English like a native speaker is to use contractions when you speak. Otherwise, your speech sounds very formal, and not spontaneous like a native English speaker. When you use contractions in your speech, it makes your sentences flow more naturally with better English rhythm.
Clients have told me that they don’t use contractions because they find it hard to get their mouth around the consonant blends when they use contractions in their speech. When you use a contraction you don’t have as much time to get from one consonant to another. For example ‘I will go’, as opposed to ‘I’ll go’ or ‘what had you found?’ as opposed to ‘what’d you found?’
Note:
I’ll, we’ll, they’ll, she’ll, he’ll and the rest of these type of ‘will’ contractions etc are all said with an ‘intrusive ‘y’ /j/ sound and a schwa sound before the ‘ll’ sound. So I’ll would be written Iyəl /aɪjəl/ . We’ll would be written weeyəl /wiːjəl/ etc.
Pronounce English Like a Native English Speaker- Practise tip
Take the contracted form that you would use the most in your everyday speech at work or socially, or the form you find the hardest and practise it 5 times twice a day for a week. Then, put it into sentences and continue to practise till your mouth can naturally and smoothly say that contraction. You can use the chart below to help you choose what you want to work on first, or you can just go through and make sentences with each one and practise .
Audio lesson:
Sentences in the audio lesson:
I’ll let you know.
I’ll have been there twice after this trip.
I’d like to do a bit more.
They’ve been waiting.
We’d like to come also.
It’s a good program.
That’d be fine, thank you.
It’d be good to go out.
What’s been your experience with that?
What’re you going to do?
We’ll be happy to come.
I’ve just returned.
We’re good friends.
She’s not in there now.
I’m very hot after all the running we’ve done.
We’re not ready.
Who’s doing the job, and when’ll they come?
Why’re you digging that hole, and how’d you get in?
Isn’t it your turn?
Haven’t you seen the new movie?
Pronounce English Like a Native English Speaker- Contractions Chart
| BE | WILL | WOULD | HAVE | HAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | I’m I am |
I’ll I will |
I’d I would |
I’ve I have |
I’d I had |
| you | you’re you are |
you’ll you will |
you’d you would |
you’ve you have |
you’d you had |
| he | he’s he is |
he’ll he will |
he’d he would |
he’s he has |
he’d he had |
| she | she’s she is |
she’ll she will |
she’d she would |
she’s she has |
she’d she had |
| it | it’s (or ’tis) it is |
it’ll it will |
it’d it would |
it’s it has |
it’d it had |
| we | we’re we are |
we’ll we will |
we’d we would |
we’ve we have |
we’d we had |
| they | they’re they are |
they’ll they will |
they’d they would |
they’ve they have |
they’d they had |
| that | that’s that is |
that’ll that will |
that’d that would |
that’s that has |
that’d that had |
| who | who’s who is |
who’ll who will |
who’d who would |
who’s who has |
who’d who had |
| what | what’s/what’re what is/what are |
what’ll what will |
what’d what would |
what’s what has |
what’d what had |
| where | where’s where is |
where’ll where will |
where’d where would |
where’s where has |
where’d where had |
| when | when’s when is |
when’ll when will |
when’d when would |
when’s when has |
when’d when had |
| why | why’s why is |
why’ll why will |
why’d why would |
why’s why has |
why’d why had |
| how | how’s how is |
how’ll how will |
how’d how would |
how’s how has |
how’d how had |
| WORDS (negating a verb) | CONTRACTION |
|---|---|
| is not | isn’t |
| are not | aren’t |
| was not | wasn’t |
| were not | weren’t |
| have not | haven’t |
| has not | hasn’t |
| had not | hadn’t |
| will not | won’t |
| would not | wouldn’t |
| do not | don’t |
| does not | doesn’t |
| did not | didn’t |
| cannot | can’t |
| could not | couldn’t |
| should not | shouldn’t |
| might not | mightn’t |
| must not | mustn’t |
| WORDS (woulda-shoulda-coulda) | CONTRACTION |
|---|---|
| would have | would’ve |
| should have | should’ve |
| could have | could’ve |
| might have | might’ve |
| must have | must’ve |
Best wishes, Esther
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