14. Contractions in English: Your Essential Pronunciation Guide

Welcome to the Influency Podcast. I'm Hadar, and this is episode number 14. And today we're going to talk about contractions. Hey. Hey. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you for being here. I love it that you're here with me, doing the work, showing up, practicing out loud, thinking about your English. That's awesome. And you're awesome if no one has told you that today. Now in the introduction, I said that today we're going to talk about contractions. So my first association when I hear contractions is giving birth. And I think every woman that may have given birth in the past might have the same association. And every man who is also a gynecologist. But contractions in English are a little different than that. Contractions in English is something that we use all of the time in speaking and also in writing. Contractions are all the. I'll, we'll. She's. We're. They'd. We'd. It'll couldn't. So on and so forth. Every time you see two words connect together and there is this apostrophe right above them that connects the two words together and it turns into one word. And I have a lot to say about that, which I'm going to in just a sec. But the thing I want you to think about the most is not how we pronounce those words or how we do these contractions. It's not really about that. The question is why we avoid them when speaking English. What happens there that throws us off and prevents us from using it spontaneously? And is it really that important? I mean, these are questions that you need to ask yourself as you're listening to the lesson. This lesson is going to be the audio version of my video, so you can also watch it on YouTube if you want. But as you're listening both to this audio or watching the video, I really want you to think about those things, because when you understand the reason behind why we do things. For example, I just released a video a few weeks ago about 10 pronunciation mistakes Brazilian Portuguese speakers make. And one of the comments that I've gotten was, you know what's really great about this video is not trying to blow my own horn, but what's really good about this video is that you. You're not just telling us what we're doing wrong, and this is what you should be doing. You give us the reason behind it. So, for example, I explained that people tend to add an E sound to words when they add an end in a consonant. And I explained it in by saying that In Brazilian Portuguese, words usually don't end in consonants. So it's not like people can't do it. They're just not used to doing it. And all of a sudden, such awareness can shed so much light onto how we speak and our patterns. And just that awareness can make someone just say, hey, right? It's not really a big deal. And all of a sudden I can start noticing between consonant words that end with a consonant and words that end with a vowel. And if it's not an issue for me to pronounce it, why am I doing this? Just habits, lack of awareness. So understanding the reason why we do some of the things that we do helps us overcome it simply by having that awareness. This is why I really, really try to explain things, the root of things, in every single lesson that I teach. And here as well, I'm going to talk about that. But as you're watching or listening to the audio here, I really want you to think about those things. Because it's not about the pronunciation that is tricky, that is preventing you from using contractions consistently. There's something else about that. It's how we perceive words. It's our perception of what's clear and what's not clear. Maybe we are afraid that by doing that we're going to become unclear. Maybe it's because we don't want to speed up our speech so we'll have more time to come up with words, which is not a good enough reason because it doesn't really make a difference if you are separating the words or saying it together. That's not what's going to help you become more fluent. You need to do other things if you want to retrieve words more easily. Right? So I really want you to ask yourself these questions and challenge behaviors and challenge habits. And every time you struggle with something, ask yourself, why is that? Why am I struggling here? Why? What's conflicting? What is different in my native tongue? Right. Maybe because you don't have contractions in your native tongue. It feels extremely weird. And the biggest question of all, is it worth it? Is it worth it to put in all the work and energy and effort into, let's say in this case, using contractions, in other cases, I don't know, distinguishing between the tense e and the relaxed e. I feel like that's always my example. But anyway. But is it worth it? Is it going to really push you forward? Or are there things that matter more right now that it's good to pay attention to it now and listen to it and, you know, understand if it's valuable, maybe you can just apply some of the things. You don't have to do everything. It doesn't need to be perfect, right? Especially with contractions. Maybe just some forms you can adopt and start using it consistently. And all the others you can say, not right now, maybe later on and decide if it's worth it, then put in the work. But you gotta put in the work. You gotta do the work. You gotta practice every single day or every other day to kind of like nail those things and get them into your system. But you can also just create awareness and be like, I just need to be aware of this. And it's enough for me right now. I'm saying this as an introduction to my contractions lesson. Again, I think about giving birth, okay? Contractions. Do you know this thing where you start saying the same word over and over and over again? Contractions, contractions, contractions. And then it loses all meaning whatsoever and you start thinking as if you've just mispronounced it or it means something else that it actually means right now. So it happened to me just now with the word contractions. Contractions. So weird. Anyway, so as I was saying, think about it in regards to today's lesson, contractions, but have that inquisitive, critical type of listening as you're consuming any content, okay? Try to understand why that happens and is it worth it for you to invest all the time and energy into really learning and implementing it and integrating it into your day to day speech. But if the answer is yes, it's important, even if it's just because you're hyper aware of it and you really want to change that, then do the work. Simple awareness is great, but it's not enough to change habits. You gotta practice, you gotta repeat words, you gotta repeat phrases. You got to use it in a conversation. So that is something that people and English learners tend to not do. Consume, consume, consume. Learn more and learn as much as possible. And can like be very knowledgeable around all of these things. But when it comes to true application of all of this stuff, well, that's when they're like, but I don't have time. We have time to watch those videos, right? Or to listen to those podcasts and you know, like even just playing this podcast over and over and practicing with me, the part where I practice is also valuable, okay? Repeating what I'm saying right now, echoing it is also valuable. Downloading the script and marking the important phrases or words that you usually don't use, that's also important. That's also practice, be imaginative, be creative. Have fun with it. Okay? Okay. So I'm not going to make you wait any longer. Let's listen to today's lesson, how to use contractions in English. Hey, it's Hadar. Welcome to my channel. And today we're going to talk about contractions. We're going to talk about contractions. Contractions are often used in the language, especially spoken language. So it is very likely for you to hear people saying something like, we're super thrilled about that, rather than we are super thrilled about that or Dan's not serious instead of dan is not serious, or they aren't satisfied instead of they are not satisfied. Both options are great. Okay? I want you to remember that if you tend to say they are not tired instead of they aren't tired, that's okay. You're clear. You're communicating more power to you. But what I'm sharing here today with you is a way to reduce those words because these parts are a little less important in English. I mean, you don't really have to fully pronounce those words because they only get you to what you really want to say, which is the verb and the noun and the actual message. And parts that are less important in English are totally reduced. What do you want? What do you. What do you. What do you. What do you. What do you want? So contractions are a form of reductions where we reduce a word and then we also connect it to another word. It is very prevalent in spoken English. But you can also see it in writing. You see the apostrophe that connects two words together. I'll do it. And you don't see, I will do it. Now, what's the most challenging part about contractions? Well, there are a few. One is that we learn English through reading and writing and we are usually used to seeing words written out separately. Right. I am happy. So we're used to seeing these three words separately and all of a sudden to switch that into two words, that's confusing, right? It kind of like messes up our brain. Wait, there are two words there. How is it possible that it has become one? So that's one of the reasons. Another reason is that non native speakers tend to separate it because they think they sound clearer or more clear. Because that's more clear when speaking, when they separate it into two. Because something like I'll, we'll. She'd sounds to them unclear, like they're mumbling, because such things don't happen in their native tongue. So this is something that they avoid because they feel, oh, it's just wrong, or it's a slang, it's street language. And then they avoid it instead of understanding that that's how people actually communicate. And you become more clear when you reduce the less important parts. It's not like that you start mumbling. It's just that it helps you focus on what really matters. She's really happy. She's really happy. Happy. That's the stress word. She is really happy doesn't have the same impact as she's really happy. We're grateful for that instead of we are grateful for that, right? Where you kind of emphasize every single word and break it down so people think that they become unclear, but in fact it helps you sound more clear. Now, there is one thing that I want you to take into consideration here. If because of the patterns of your native tongue, when you reduce, you swallow words and then you swallow consonants. So, for example, instead of saying I'll, you say I. Because you're not used to putting two consonants together, then you first need to focus on pronouncing those consonant clusters in words and phrases and then in contractions. But avoid using contractions if it causes you to reduce words. First, make sure that you don't reduce consonants because that would definitely make you sound unclear. And it's not worth it, right? It's not worth investing time into learning those contractions if it doesn't serve you well. So a way to do that is just to record yourself and to see if you actually pronounce all of those consonants or you drop some of the consonants. Because when it comes to contractions, we usually reduce the vowels and keep the consonants. Not always, but for the most part. We'll look into all of the examples really, really soon. Sometimes non native speakers tend to avoid contractions because they want to buy time before having to say the important words in the phrase or the sentence. I will. What's the verb? What's the verb? Think about it. But here's the thing. Whether you say I will, taking your time here, or I'll pause, think about it, it doesn't really matter. It's better if you get used to using those contractions because that sounds natural and that helps you put the focus on what really matters. It really isn't about sounding all American because you don't have to sound American. You can sound like yourself. But by reducing parts that are a little less important, you really help yourself sound more clear. And that's what matters, right? So remember that taking a pause after a contraction, after you reduce two words together is okay. Don't worry about buying time or like, stretching out the sentence or pausing between each word so you'll be able to come up with the right word without getting stuck. Getting stuck is no big deal. I mean, the more you speak, the better it is. The more fluent you are, the less you get stuck. You need to address it differently rather than, you know, elongating words that need to be contracted and reduced. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, let's dive deep into understanding how to use contractions. What we're going to do is we're going to look at the verbs like all the M is, are, will, would, etc. Etc. And then we'll see how we reduce them and how we connect them to different pronouns or nouns and how it sounds when it's contracted. So I'm going to try and give you a system to practice and to follow. Once you understand how to reduce the second word, it doesn't matter what the first word is. You'll be able to apply it onto pretty much everything. And that's what we're going to see together. By the way, I've prepared for you a practice sheet with all of the contractions I've discussed in this video, along with an audio file where you can practice it with me. So if you want to take it even further and to practice even more, make sure you download the practice sheet on how to pronounce all of those contractions. So what are we waiting for? Let's get started. First, we're going to talk about the only form that has am, and that's I, am. And the am reduces to m. Basically, you reduce the vowel before I'm. I'm. I'm really happy about it. So what I'm doing here is I'm pronouncing it as I. I'm really happy about it. I think that that's the stressed form. I'm happy about it. If you speak a little slower. But a lot of times I hear people and I pronounce it myself as I'm happy about it if it's really reduced. If I want to stress the word happy, that's how it's reduced. I'm happy about it. I think it's even easier to think about it without that long diphthong in it. It's not I'm. It's much easier to just treat it as. And even though you may think that there is an I'm there, if you just pronounce it as, then you'll still be super Clear, it's easy to pronounce and you'll deliver your message perfectly. I'm happy about it. I'm honest. I am. Now, is reduces to Z. Notice it's a Z sound. It's not an S, except for one exception. But the word is ends with a Z sound, even though it's spelled with an S. So is comes after he, she, and it after he, he, Z. He's. He's great. He's working so hard. She is. She's. She. Z. She's crazy about it. She's. She's. It is. It's. What happened here. The Z sound became an S because the T is voiceless. So. So it affected the Z sound of the is, so the Z became an S. It's. It's. It's. It's awful. It's horrible news. It's wonderful news. Why be negative? It's wonderful news. So pay attention. Don't go like this. Even though I say that it is, is always it's. You'll hear a lot of times people saying it is. It is one of the best restaurants in town. It is one of the best restaurants in town. Especially if you emphasize something. So he's, she's, it's. That's. The reductions with is. Now let's move on to R. R reduces to er. You are, you're, you're, you're. So you reduces to yes, are. Reduces to R. Together. Yer, yer. They are, they're, they're, they're. And yes, it sounds like they're as in their company or over there. All three words are pronounced the same. They are, they're, they're, they're. Over there, they're. We are, we, we're, we're. So basically, it's a high E of the we. And then you reduce it to an R. We're, we're. We're going to go there next year. We're going to go there next year. However, when people speak fast, and if you want to reduce it even more, we're going to go there. Were, were, were. And then it sounds just like the word were, as in we were. So we are and the word were may sound the same. No wonder English is confusing and it's hard to understand. This lesson is really good for comprehension as well. Listening comprehension. Again, we are, were, were, or we're depends on the emphasis in the sentence. By the way, up until now we only talked about pronouns. But the same reductions happen when we talk about nouns. For example, I can say, he's a really good student. He's a really good student or Dan's a really good student. Instead of he, I put Dan and then I still added a Z. Dan's a really good student. Martha's an awesome teacher. Martha's an awesome teacher. Instead of Martha is an awesome teacher. Martha's. Martha's. And yes, it does sound something like that belongs to Martha. English is confusing. Martha's an awesome teacher. Martha's students are really happy. Dan's student. Dan's students are happy. I hope that makes sense. Let's look at the verb will. Will becomes l. So it's a schwa and a dark l. Make sure you kind of like create some tension here in the back. I will. I'll. I'll. But same with I'm. A lot of times you'll hear people just saying I'll, I'll. I'll call you later. I'll back open ah sound for the father. Create some tension for the l. I'll. I'll. I'll think about it. I'll call you later. I'll do it. I'll. She will. She'll. She'll. She'll High E and then just the dark L. She'll. She'll. She'll pay you back. She'll pay you back. But even here, you may hear people reducing it to she'll pay you back. It really depends on how fast people speak or where they put the emphasis on she'll sho. But you're less likely to hear she will. She will pay you back. Unless I'm really, like, saying that explicitly. She will pay you back. Stop bugging her. She will. By the way, when these words will have is are used as the actual verb, not as an auxiliary verb. Auxiliary verb is when we use these words in addition to another verb, I will go. So go is the verb and will is the auxiliary verb. But when they function as a verb, I will. Will you be there? I will. Then we can't use contractions here. Will you be there, I'll not possible. Okay, so you can only use contractions with auxiliary verbs. You can't use them. Especially when you respond to something with those contractions. Make sure that that's when they're separated. Okay, high five. Let's move on. So we had will, I'll, she'll weal. They'll, they'll, they'll. I can also reduce it to they'll. Or they'll put the full diphthong in choose whatever works for you. Will wull also reduced. But the most important thing here is that you need to Remember that the will becomes ul, and then we add it to the pronoun. And then the pronoun can also reduce a bit. Okay. If it's a full noun, Amy will. Amy'll do it for you. Amy will do it for you. Then we can't reduce the noun itself, only the auxiliary verb. Okay. Only the second word that is reduced would just turn it into a D. Baby D. I would. I'd, I'd. She would, she'd. He would, he'd. We would, we'd. We'd do it for sure. We'd, we'd or would. Would sometimes go there every single week. Totally reduced it. They would, they'd, they'd. Or they. They. They'd. They'd be there. They'd be there instead of they would be there. Now, the secret to practicing it is to understand it. First of all, to understand the resistance and the rejection, why you wouldn't want to use it. Wait, I feel like I'm unclear, but Hadar says you're clear, so maybe I should do it still. Just make sure that you record yourself and that you don't drop any consonants. So you recognize the resistance and you kind of like resolve it. And then you need to practice it. The way to practice it is through repetition. So take one of those contractions and then say it over and over and over and over again separately, then within context. So start inventing a bunch of sentences. These are usually simple sentences, so this shouldn't be too challenging for you. And then just use it in context over and over again. Then you can be innovative and creative and look it up youglish. Or just Google phrases with she'd. Right. And then you have thousands and thousands of examples. Or you can download the practice sheet that I prepared for you with examples. But you need more than that. And these are great ways and methods to do that on your own because you can do so much on your own. Okay, so we talked about would. What about have. Have I have. I've so have turns into I've, I've. We have. We've, or we've. We've been thinking about it for years. W. We've. We've. They have. They've. They've. They've visited New York. You've been so kind to me. You've. You've, or you've, You've. You've been so kind to me. Right. Notice how I emphasized the so kind, and then the you have became nothing. You've been so kind to me. Thank you for being here, watching my videos. I'm Grateful. By the way, when we discuss the word have, have can also reduce to just a schwa. So actually without the V, just a schwa. I've been there. I've been there so many times. I've been there. I. That was the word have. I just swallowed it completely. No wonder English is confusing. Hashtag. I mean, it's a word that you don't even hear. It's just an sound and you are supposed to assume that it's the word have. Well, yes. Okay. I hope this helps. Has becomes Z. And yes, it does sound like is, she, has, she's, he has, he's is, and has, when it's contracted, sound the same. Okay, so this is why you have to see it in context always. I know it's frustrating. It is. It's. Let's talk about was and were. When it comes to was, the w needs to stay. Thank God. So all I do is reduce the vowel in the middle to a schwa. Was, was, she was, he was. It was. When it comes to were, the w stays were. Were, Were. Yes, it does sound like we are. We discussed it. Very good. You remembered. So here, were remains. Were. By the way, to pronounce it, you start with a W, make sure that there is no vowel in between, and you pull the tongue in for the R. Were, were, not wear. Very important to remember, because where is to wear clothes? Or where are you? But here we're talking about were, Were. Okay, we were, we were. You just need to say it really fast. I mean, I don't know how a person can reduce it even more. They were, they were, they were. Just swallow it and say it really quietly. You were, you were there. You were, were, were, you were there. So there's nothing really interesting about this except for the fact that you need to say it fast and softly. Let's talk about the really interesting part. What happens when we add to those auxiliary verbs the word not? For example, let's take the sentence she is not ready. I could say she's not ready or she isn't ready. Both are okay. But when I choose the first option, she's not ready, then it feels like I'm emphasizing the word not a bit more when I say she isn't ready. I think the emphasis is more on the ready isn't. So let's talk about isn't. Not basically becomes it's an n sound. And then you stop it abruptly. I want to say with a t, but it's not really a T. You just stop it abruptly. And that suggests that there is a T there. It's totally fine if you pop your T here. If it's easier for you, just do it. It doesn't really matter. You don't have to hold the T here. And there are a lot of native speaker speakers who actually pronounce it like that. Isn't totally fine. But if you want to challenge yourself, try using a hell t after an N, which is basically you're releasing air through the nose, the tip of the tongue is touching the upper palate, and then you're blocking it. Abruptly, you're no longer releasing air, and that is the table. I know. Isn't or isn't. Are not. Aren't. I held it here or aren't. Both are fine. Don't psych yourself out trying to pronounce that nasal T. Do not. Please do not. I'm going to show both examples for those that that's easy for them, but truly choose one that works for you and that's more than enough. If you are changing from are not to aren't with a pop T. Okay, Isn't, aren't, weren't, were not, weren't, wasn't, weren't, or wasn't. With a release T, that's okay too. Have not, haven't, has not. Hasn't. Right. So it's the same pattern. Once you recognize how to pronounce the not or nt, then it doesn't matter what comes first. Okay, as long as you reduce it. But the secret is to practice it repetitively over and over again because practice makes better. Okay, then we have will not. That's a different story because we don't say willn't. I know you know that we say won't, won't. A lot of times people avoid saying won't. Raise your hand if that's you because it sounds to them like want. I want something, I won't do it. The secret is to put the W in. In the word won't. We have the long O as in go. In the o as in go, there is a w at the end O. Right? If you don't add in that w won't with or without the T, it's going to sound like won't. And want already sounds like, you know, I desire, I want that won't. So that's the exception. Practice it separately. And this one is important. So I do encourage you to practice it. And I have a video about want versus won't that you can check out. I'm going to put it in the show notes. Then we have did not, didn't, didn't, didn't. We have D and then it's a D. And then you release the air through the nose. That's technically the N. And then you stop it abruptly. That's the T at the end. D. But it's totally fine to say didn't or even didn't. You'll be clear. Okay, so totally cool. Here are a few more. Must, not, mustn't. I drop the T of the must, mustn't, and cannot. Can't or cannot. So cannot is easy. People usually don't struggle with this one. People do struggle with can't because the T is barely noticeable, and then it sounds like you're saying can. So if you are confronted with such situation, just say cannot. Okay, I cannot take this any longer, but if you want to practice it, I have a video about it. Remember, that can't always has the full vowel, the as in cat can, even though the T is barely noticeable. Because the word can, the positive form is is usually reduced to can. I can do it. Can and can't is never reduced. So you can either say cannot or pop the t can't if you feel that you are unclear when you're saying can't, but trust the fact that if you pronounce the A sound fully, you'll be understood, and if not, you'll just say it again. Okay, that's it. I think I went through many contractions for you to practice, so that's enough for today. Remember, first, repetition makes all the difference. So repeat the contractions and then use it in context, because you got to use it yourself in context. Don't just repeat other people's sentences. That's the first thing. Second thing, identify your priorities. If this is a big struggle, think. If it's really important for you right now to focus on it. Even though I would love for you to watch my video over and over and over again. If you have one more important things to deal with in terms of pronunciation, like your R is completely unclear, or you're still unclear about. Or you're still reducing consonants when you're speaking. Whenever there is a concept cluster, that's more important, you got to put your focus there. This is like these are luxury problems, not using contractions. But if that's the case for you, use whatever I taught you here to improve your listening skills, your listening comprehension. Because when you understand those contractions, it's so much easier to understand phrases and sentences and how people speak, because it can get confusing. English is confusing, but English is also awesome. And we love English. This is why we're here. And the fact that something is challenging is only a better reason for us to actually go through it and master it. Am I right or what? Okay, let me know in the comments below which one of all the contractions that I've discussed is the most challenging one for you. And if you have any other questions for me, please please, please let me know in the comments below. Okay, that's it. Thank you so much for watching. Please share this video with your friends if you liked it. And don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you'll get notified whenever I share new video with you. Have a beautiful week, have a beautiful day and I'll contraction see you in the next video. Bye. It.