How do I say that?

When learning a language, sometimes it can be confusing. How do I say that? Is that an eeeeeeeee sound or an aaaaaaaaa sound? Where do I put my tongue? Should my mouth be open or closed?

This is called pronunciation. It’s a big word, and yes, it’s difficult to pronounce. We say it like this: pro-nun-ci-a-tion.

Pro (a professional)

Nun (a religious woman who lives in a convent)

Si (yes in Italian or Spanish).

A (a letter)

Tion (a suffix; a type of word ending)

Sometimes words look the same, but sound different. For example, record and record. ‘The record is playing.’ Or ‘I would like to record you singing.’ Where the stress is in a word changes the meaning.

These are called heteronyms. The word "live" has two meanings. Both sound different. ‘The concert was live.’ And 'He wants to live.’

It takes practise, many conversations, and corrections, to know which sounds to use.

Here are some words non-native speakers find difficult to pronounce in English:

Sheet, biscuit, the, (-ed words), this, that, think, thought, earthquake, ship, environment, rarely…

-ed words can be particularly challenging (difficult): asked, walked, talked, we actually pronounce ‘walked’ as war-c-t, war=wor, and the ‘c’ sound is similar to ‘cut’. The ‘t’ sound similar to ‘time’.

Watching films, listening to podcasts, or having everyday conversations in English are the best ways to learn which sounds are right. So put your feet up (relax), and go and watch your favourite cartoon in English.