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Pronunciation so they can fast-track their career, get ahead, and speak English with confidence and credibility.
In this video, I'm going to give you a simple explanation to pronounce the word 'that' correctly, okay.
The word 'that' is a really difficult one to pronounce in English.
One, because of the sound at the beginning /ð/ and two, because of the sound at the end /t/, alright.
It's one I hear people saying incorrectly all the time. So in this video, I'm just going to give you a couple
of really useful tips to make sure that you are pronouncing it correctly right from today, okay.
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So let's get started with this 'that' English Pronunciation tutorial.
I'm going to break the word down into two parts, okay and we're going to start by looking at the second part of the word
'at'
Okay.
What I find with a lot of people here in London, so professionals from all around the world that have come here to
London where English isn't their first language, is they don't pronounce the 'T' sound.
So instead of saying 'at'
'at'
They'd say /æ/
/æ/
So just an /æ/ sound with a downward inflection.
/æ/
Okay.
Not just foreign people but also in English slang certain dialects of English slang they
would also say in like that,
/æ/
I was at the football game they wouldn't pronounce the T.
But if you want to sound professional and speak correct English and-- and really credible then it's
very important to actually pronounce this word and sound correctly.
So the key takeaway for the first part of this word is to say the T sound at the end of the word
'at'
If you need help pronouncing the 'T' sound, then click up here for a video tutorial explaining how to make the 'T' sound.
And it's really important just to practice actually making this sound and always ensuring
it's there at the end of the word
'at'
Okay.
That's part 1. Part 2 is the first part of the word 'tha.'
'Tha.'
Okay.
In the last two videos, you've learned how to pronounce the /θ/ sound and the /ð/ sound, alright.
These tutorials are very very important because these two English sounds are very difficult for people to make from all over the world.
Wherever you are from, your language might not have these two sounds /θ/ and /ð/.
And if your language doesn't have these sounds, then you're going to find putting your tongue in this position
really hard and unnatural.
And as a result of that, it's going to mean that when you're having English conversations you're going
to make a different sound instead because it's more comfortable and more easy.
Usually you'll say 'da' or 'za' or 'ta' instead, okay.
So we really need to focus, for this word, on getting the 'tha' sound correct.
So my voice box is going to vibrate 'tha.' Put your hand on your throat and feel it
/ð/
your throat is vibrating
'the'
Okay.
On a side note: this is also how you pronounce the word 'the' in English.
the car the boat the phone the camera
that the ver
Okay. Really really essential word and sound to get right, okay.
So your tongue sticks out between your teeth downward inflection 'the' and all you do is exhale quickly.
'The'
Your tongue actually vibrates a little bit as you make the sound.
'The'
You should be able to feel your tongue vibrating on your teeth
/ð/
You can feel it right in there. So now let's put the whole word together.
We've practiced getting the 'T' sound correct at the end
'at'
We've practiced /ð/ getting the tongue out in between our teeth and vibrating it in between our teeth.
/ð/
And our voice is moving.
Now let's put it all together.
'That' that that that
Alright.
I'm just going to put it into some sentences.
and then at the end of the video I'm going to explain some common mistakes that I hear people making.
So 'I like that'
'I like that'
If I slow it down:
'I like that'
Always get your tongue between your teeth. Another example 'that is nice'
'That is nice'
A bit quicker 'that's nice.' Or shortening it to instead of 'that is,' 'that's.'
'That's'
'That's nice'
Okay, one more time, 'that's nice.'
One final word. One final sentence 'would you like that?' In a question, 'would you like that?'
'Would you like that?'
Slower; 'would you like that?'
'Would you like that?'
Okay.
And now finally, just some common mistakes I hear people making.
The most common is, instead of people saying 'that' they'll say 'dat'
'Dat'
And this is a really bad mistake to make. Not only are you not saying the 'T' at the end of the word 'at.'
You're saying 'ah,' but you're saying 'da' in-- the 'D' sound /d/, /d/, 'dah' instead of 'tha,' 'tha', okay.
So we don't want this:
'Da,' 'da,' 'I like dat.' 'Would you like dat?' 'Oh I like that,' okay.
Not good
'That'
Okay.
It's normally going to be a combination of these mistakes and not saying the 'T' sound at the end of the word: /æ/
Or maybe over saying the sound instead
'at'
Okay.
First of all, get comfortable making the 'T' sound, but make sure at the same time that you're not over-exaggerating it and going 'at,' 'at' okay.
it's not that it's more natural
'at'
Okay.
And just finally instead of the 'TH,' /ð/, I sometimes a people saying 'vat' the 'V' sound /v/ 'that.'
Or more commonly the 'T' sound 'tat' instead of putting the tongue behind the teeth, okay.
We don't want that, it's 'that.'
So this is a really really really important word and combination of sounds to learn in English, so really take the time to do it.
Make that your homework. And your goal for the week is to learn this one sound correctly.
And if you do you'll be really really pleased that you have done, okay.
So thumbs up if you like the video, please share these videos with anyone that you know that can benefit from them.
Subscribe for more videos that are coming out like this on a weekly basis and I look forward to seeing you in next week's video, okay.
Comment below with any difficulties that you're having. Comment below with any words that have the same--
that you're having the same difficulties with but other combinations of these two sounds
and that way I'll be able to give you some feedback if you need it or help you with any points along the way.
So thumbs up and I will see you in next week's video!