Hi Bob the Canadian here. Have you ever noticed when you're listening to an English conversation
that sometimes we make sounds that aren't quite words. Well in this video I'll look
at 15 sounds that English speakers make while they're having conversations, and I'll explain
what they mean. And I'm kind of curious if you make the same sounds in your language.
If any of these 15 sounds, sound familiar please let me know in the comments below.
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So when we speak to each other in our native languages we make sounds sometimes instead
of using words. So in this video let's look at 15 different sounds that you'll hear in
English conversations, and as I said before if any of them are familiar, if they are sounds
you also make in your language, please tell me in the comments below.
Number one: Uh huh. So this means the same thing as, "Yes". If I was to respond to a
question by saying, "Uh huh." It means that I agree or I'm saying, "Yes." Maybe someone
has asked me, "Hey Bob. Do you want a piece of pizza?" I could reply by saying, "Uh huh!",
meaning that I do want a piece of pizza.
Number two: Mmm. Hmm. Mmm hmm means yes as well. So maybe I said I wanted a piece of
pizza and someone asks, "Hey Bob! Do you want a drink with that?" I could respond by saying,
"Mmm hmm!", which would mean yes I do want a drink with my slice of pizza.
Number three: Uh Uh. So uh uh means no. Maybe someone has asked me if I want to go see a
movie, and I want to respond by saying I don't want to. I could say, "Uh uh", I don't feel
like seeing a movie tonight. Uh uh mean no.
Number four: Mmm Mmm. You'll notice I'm kind of moving my head from side to side when I
say, "Mmm mmm" because it also means no. Maybe someone asks me the question, "Do you want
to go to a restaurant tonight?" And I don't want to go. I could say, "Mmm mmm", and that
would just indicate to that person that I'm saying, "No!" Mmm mmm, I don't want to go.
Mmm mm.
Number five: Uh oh. So uh-o is something you say when you have a small accident. Maybe
you were walking with a cup of milk and you dropped it on the floor and spilled the milk.
You would say, "Uh oh!" and it's basically a surprise sound that you make when something
goes wrong. Uh oh! I dropped the milk on the floor. Uh oh!
Number six: A-ha. So a-ha is something that you say when you discover something, or when
you solve something. Maybe you've been working on a really hard math problem, and finally
you understand how to figure out the answer. You would say, "A-ha!", and this is just a
sound you make indicating that you're happy to have discovered how to solve something
or how to do something. A-ha!
Number seven: Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, or just Mmmmm! This a sound you make when there's food that
you can smell or see that looks really yummy, and looks really tasty. So you would express
your appreciation of the smell of the food by saying, "Mmmmm! That smells good!", or,
"Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmm. I can't wait to eat this.”
Number eight: Shhhhhhh! You'll notice that I'm putting my finger to my mouth when I'm
making the, "Shhhhhhh!" sound. So this is not just a sound, Shhhhhhh!, but it's also
an action. So let's imagine you're somewhere and you have a child with you and they're
being loud. They're being noisy in a place where they should be quiet. You would indicated
to them that you want them to be quiet by going, "Shhhhhh!", and this hopefully makes
them start to be quiet, although if your young children are like mine, usually they get a
bit noisy just a few seconds afterwards.
Number nine: Arrrgh! Arrrgh! This is a hard sound to make on camera but I make it all
the time. It's a sound of frustration. So when you're frustrated, when something isn't
going the way you want, and you just feel Arrrrrgh! You just make the sound like that,
like maybe you've been trying to get a job for a long time and everyone keeps saying,
"No!" You could express your frustration by saying, "Arrrrgh! I just can't find a job.
It's so frustrating!"
Number ten: Ewwww! So this is a little different then the last one. This is an expression,
a sound you would make when you see something that disgusts you. So it's like, "Ugh! That's
gross. Ugh! That's disgusting!" Sometimes we also say, "Ew", like, "Ew! That's disgusting!"
But I normally say, "Ugh! Ugh! That's gross. That's disgusting!"
Number eleven: Hmmmm. So, "Hmmmm.", is a sound that you make when you're thinking. So maybe
someone has asked you a question and you're not quite sure of the answer. You might pause
a bit and say, "Hmmmm. Let me think about that. Hmmmm." I think you rub your chin when
you do that. Hmmmmm, let me think about that. So that's a sound that you make when you're
thinking.
Number twelve: Um. I say this all the time. You’re not supposed to say, “Um.” But
you’ll notice in a lot of my videos when I pause I say, “Um.” So I might be talking
and then, um, see I said it right there. I say, “Um” because I’m still thinking
about my next sentence. I’m still thinking about my next thought. So you say, “Um”
as a way to pause. Now please note, you’re not supposed to say “Um”. Especially if
you’re talking in front of other people. You’ll want to avoid saying, “Um” at
all costs. But I still say it so you need to know what it sounds like.
Number thirteen: Ah. So this is something that you say when you, when you understand
something or when the answer becomes clear to you. So maybe a friend has explained something
to you that you didn’t understand before. You were confused. You would respond to them
by saying, “Ah!”, and it, it kind of means like, “I get it!” or “I understand”
Ah! Number fourteen: Oooooooo! Aaaaaaah! So this
is sounds, these two sounds are sounds you’ll hear when you’re at fireworks. When the
fireworks shoot into the sky and they explode often times people will say, “Ooooooo! Aaaaaaah!”
And it’s also a sound people will make, maybe you have a new piece of jewelry and
it’s very beautiful, people might look at it and say, “Ooooooo! Aaaaaah! That’s
really nice.” So it’s an expression of appreciating you’re appreciating what you’re
seeing. Oooooooo! and Aaaaaaaah!
Number fifteen: Pffffff. So Pfffff. Is something that we say when we don’t really believe
something. Maybe someone has said, “Your uncle won the lottery!” and you’re like,
pfffff, I don’t believe it. Pfffff, I don’t know what you’re talking about. So it’s
an expression of doubt. Pfffff, I don’t really believe that. Pffff I don’t know
what you’re talking about. And it’s made, it’s like a p sound, pfffff, and usually
it’s before a sentence of doubt like, “Pfffff, I don’t believe that.”
Well those were fifteen sounds that we make as English speakers. I’m curious to know
if you make any of those sounds in your own native languages. Let me know in the comments
below. Bob the Canadian here. Learn English with Bob the Canadian.
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Bob the Canadian. Learn English with Bob the Canadian. I hope you’re having a good day.
I hope you have a good week. Thank you so much for watching this video and have a great
day!