Do NOT Say CAN’T with a T! ⎢BETTER PRONUNCIATION

If you’re learning to speak American English one of the most common contractions-can’t-is one of the most difficult! In this American English pronunciation lesson, you’ll learn from multiple native speakers how to pronounce the word can’t. It’s surprising for most students to learn that in English we often don’t say the “T” in can’t. It’s hard to train your accent to drop the T in can’t but it definitely is necessary if you want to sound more like a native speaker of English.
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Improve your American Accent / spoken English at Rachel's English with video-based lessons and exercises. Rachel uses real life English conversation as the basis for teaching how to speak English and how to sound American -- improve listening comprehension skills. Study English vocabulary and English phrases such as phrasal verbs, as well as common expressions in English. Learn American idioms and American slang.
#Do_NOT_Say_CAN_T_with_a_T #RachelsEnglish

[@rachelsenglish]

*Want to have ME be your Accent Teacher?* 🙂 *here's how: **www.RachelsEnglishAcademy.com*

[@NVCloud]

Could you tell me when ed endings part 2 will release. Im waiting it 😍😍😍. Thanks so much

[@vipulkaushal1597]

I just want to see you beautiful :P

[@mari00999]

How pronunciation fault and doubt ?

[@tonskimojster]

Happy birthday Rachel!! Have a wonderful day and year! Hugs from Miami.

[@rudyberkvens-be]

Do you also train near perfect non native speakers to perfection?

[@160p2GHz]

I have no idea why KZbin suggested this for me but this is fascinating.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for watching!

[@deadmanomegagaming4061]

agreed, I'm a native Brit, I'm not sure why this was suggested to me

[@justnothing7080]

Because you are a KZbin user and this is a valid video. The task here is to give an activated user a valid video. KZbin has done its task, maybe not very good because of its running out of possible videos that are appropriate for you. That running out of appropriate videos can be a bug or can be a feature controlled by a simple criteria that can be understood as follows : in the worst case, it's fine to suggest a user whatever.

[@bugguy9628]

Same. I'm an American native speaker. I had no idea we even did this! But yup, it's 100% true.

[@wepipe]

Whats fascinating is that pathetic yanks like you appreciate being schooled on how to speak INCORRECTLY ! TOSSER !

[@maria24601]

Let’s just say Americans have been dropping their T’s since 1773

[@stevehaire6324]

Genius.! 👍😅 (Coming from an Englishman)

[@alylopez5924]

I see what u did there 🤣🤣

[@beptex2858]

😅 Took me some seconds to realize the joke!

[@Gamergirl-.-]

Nice one

[@yipp-7841]

👁👁 whoa

[@gabor222]

The British pronunciation makes it so much easier: can: [kaen] , can't: [ka:nt]. Even when you drop the T the vowel makes it clear.

[@leonardogil7295]

If you don't master the language the British "can't" may sound as the swear word, which happens to be the worst sounding insult amongst English speakers.

[@BawlBag]

@@leonardogil7295 I hear it daily from my Russian friends :)

[@crunchy_crop]

@@leonardogil7295 It probably depends on where you are because I say the word pretty often and don't really get a crazy response. Also it's not like a slur or anything, so it's not that bad

[@weetabixharry]

There are some British accents that have the same vowel sound for both. But, as far as I know, we are a bit more consistent with the "t" sound at the end. Nonetheless, even as a (southern) British English speaker, I am often asked to clarify whether I have said "can" or "can't" by non-native speakers (in Switzerland). To save time, I have started using "cannot" a lot more.

[@jimp8174]

@@leonardogil7295 it's only the worst sounding insult when you're talking to Americans...

[@MorningMage]

The ‘t’ turns into a glottal stop, which is why it sounds dropped. It’s more accurate to say that the ‘t’ sound converts into another sound.

[@shoutatthesky]

Absolutely correct. This woman doesn't know what she's talking about.

[@Luke-qi6pf]

Huh? she literally calls it a "stop T" at the beginning, which explains what you're saying here

[@MorningMage]

@@Luke-qi6pf I recall talk about the [t] being dropped, which is when I made this comment. I don't know if the current title is how it always has been, but the notion of the [t] being dropped, wherever it came from on this video, is what prompted my initial comment.

[@Just99jacob]

@@shoutatthesky @Lucas she is describing nonsense, not a stop T. You don't pause after saying the word can't.

[@Just99jacob]

So funny she is trying to make it look like there's a pause after can't in the examples when there definitely is no stop

[@albinasalkayeva9052]

I've never understood why I heard "can" while people actually said "can't". So this video was incredibly helpful, thank you so much!

[@rachelsenglish]

You are so welcome!

[@user-hj9tu3yo5b]

I Agree! That was my problem too!

[@user-hj9tu3yo5b]

@@rachelsenglish Rachel, you told us not to say that! 🙂

[@peace-to-the-world]

I believe this is bad. Each words, that sounds the same, have to be sounded as written, whatever you object (which I respect nevertheless) for comfort listening DIFFERENCE of any listener, not just native-speakers. Dual sound perception exists now between natives and non. IMO

[@user-js1dy3yv3m]

I wish I could understand the rest of the words...

[@lauramc4fun]

As a native English speaker, watching this makes me realize why American English is so hard to learn. I just instinctively know which is which. I never even realized the T wasn't pronounced! I guess most of us just don't think about it.

[@magicmerls291]

Believe me English is pretty easy to pick up.

[@93denisechavez]

English is my second language and it was not that hard to pick up. There are way more rules in Spanish.

[@Laurayt89]

It’s the easiest language to learn

[@lauramc4fun]

@@Laurayt89 Really? That's good I guess, though not great news for me if I want to learn another language! :)

[@magicmerls291]

@@lauramc4fun you'll do fine if you try something that's similar to your first language. Japanese would be probably the hardest, German/Dutch/French would be pretty easy. Also

[@pascale110]

I never actually realized I was also dropping the T myself until I watched that video. As a non English native speaker, I mostly learned with tv shows, films, interviews ect By also listening to the radio, I immersed myself with the language and learned a lot by doing just that.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Piper!

[@LillianWinterAnimations]

Fascinating! As a native speaker, I never realized we dropped the T sound at all. To my ears, every example of a dropped T.. I heard a T sound really clearly

[@davidkelly4210]

Because you hard the t sound clearly. lol People that talk really fast and tend to slur their words are the only ones that might drop the t. How this lady got it into her head that it was standard, I don't know.

[@bob8819]

@@davidkelly4210 It’s a very light T sound in the American accent. The lady is correct.

[@whenthedustfallsaway]

@@bob8819 no it isn't. American here, lived in Washington, California, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

[@coreyhaskins7768]

I can't tell the difference on most of these. I hear the T. But I think the 'ken' proniunciation for can is the real difference. No one says "kent" for can't

[@gristen]

@@davidkelly4210 to someone learning the language the t in american accents can be hard to pick up on, especially in comparison to british accents. this video was intended for people learning english as a second language not native speakers, obviously we can tell the difference quite clearly

[@wingedhussar1117]

I am a non native speaker of English and I think I am going to continue saying "can't" with a clear "t" sound even after watching this video. I prefer having a light foreign accent over not being understood because I fail to pronounce a proper glottal stop after "n"...

[@brenainnmacthomais]

I’m Irish. Irish is my first language and English my second. I speak with explosive t’s.

[@chris.72.25]

english is my first language and i say it with a clear t ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@takashi06228]

Don’t worry. You still will sound native. Just with a mix of British accents, if I would say it positively. Mix of British and American will sound more like an Australian accent.

[@LaurArt_UK]

I'm English and I've yet to hear a single person from England use a silent "T". Go with what works for you.

[@hippytrippy1254]

@@takashi06228 damn it You the first one who get my point when I hear Australia accent I wonder how they mix both British and American

[@tsukono1481]

I still don't understand how I learned English, just kept watching KZbin and it worked

[@MeatBunFul]

And videogames

[@jaredballoonboy7944]

and books

[@ibunny_ily]

and music

[@ysnsmth]

i think its mostly bc you want to know what the youtubers you watch are saying and just being on youtube all the times does that. Its what happened to me

[@foxtrotecho9530]

It's because our brains are better at picing up thing then we imagine

[@thePyiott]

You know the teacher is good when she teaches you to do things the "wrong" way

[@SJNaka101]

Proper vs practical!

[@bmatt2626]

In my dialect "can" is usually pronounced "ken", while "can't" is pronounced "kan-". It's easy to tell the difference.

[@idjles]

That’s a result of a change of stress, which she ignored.

[@Androbott]

nown I ken say

[@Arkylie]

Yeah, that's mine too. I acknowledge that it gets reduced to a schwa in practice, but it's decidedly a different vowel when pronounced alone. "Can" of tomatoes gets the "a" of "cat," but "can" the verb gets the "eh" of "pet." And that's definitely there when you emphasize it: "I *can* do it, I *can* !" = "I *ken* do it, I *ken* !" --Pacific Northwest accent for me, btw

[@idjles]

@@Arkylie for me “can” of tomatoes has a longer vowel then “I can”. When I say “I can can tomatoes” both “a” are IDENTICAL in tongue position but differ in length. This is proof my English dialect has phonemic vowel length.

[@skallos_]

For me, the a in can changes depending on if I want to stress the word or not. Unstressed it is the e in ken. Stressed it is the a in panda. Plus a third sound of a for even more stress. As for the sentence "I can can tomatoes", I would of course pronounce it differently based on stress of the first can. Either going from unstressed to stressed, or extra stressed to stressed. In the first one, the first is said in less time, while in the second case, the first can is said over a longer amount of time.

[@catspewer6339]

Today I learned that some people don't pronounce the t at the end of "can't." (I'm a native English speaker btw.)

[@nazigrammar9728]

Looks like u r same stpd like most of them

[@catthemeg336]

@@nazigrammar9728 If you wish to refer to yourself as a grammar Nazi, and, subsequently, proclaim that all English speakers are stupid, you should at least put in the effort to attempt to construct a proper sentence that a native English speaker isn't required to spend fifteen seconds dissecting to comprehend due to the fact that its grammar is subpar at best, even for text language. Edit: I spelled a word wrong, so I corrected in order to avoid being a hypocrite myself.

[@callous21]

Are you from the uk?

[@catspewer6339]

@@callous21 No, I'm from the U.S.

[@nerasomnia]

@@nazigrammar9728 The irony of your name

[@GameQuest1202]

I usually use "cannot" instead of "can't" just to avoid confusion.. :D

[@umr3179]

I use British accent in this only case

[@unaplanta5391]

Hahah me too

[@gildardobarrios3115]

The problem is when you are watching tv and they speak normal like everyone were American but after watching this video I'm at least 80% right when listening and paying attention carefully

[@trikynguyen3680]

Same as me

[@impulseimp1035]

You're a cheater! Shame of you 😂

This is helpful! As a non-native speaker, I always wondered why people wouldn't make more of an effort to really clarify whether they're saying CAN or CAN'T, seeing that these words are literally opposites and understanding them wrong can easily lead to a mess.

[@mmmrose421]

We use different vowel sounds with “can” and“can’t” and sometimes the “t” is pronounced as a type of “flap” or blends with the next consonant sound /t/ or /d/ …. Maybe it varies by region here in the United States I live in Philly

[@altanaltay6106]

I am more comfortable with “Can and can’t” pronunciations after this lesson, thank you!

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome Altan!

[@uncrunch398]

Let us consider, as some of us already have, how language usage causes people to get each others' messages backwards or inverted from what was meant. This is true even amongst the people closest to each other of groups who speak thusly.

[@user-lkjhgfdsa314]

Sometimes British accent really works here.

[@ivanbenitez567]

Facts!

[@user-ef3zn5ih2lkuroomade]

😂😂 ikr

[@amorabiperez2246]

You’re right

[@fernandavega5698]

I agree with you, as a non native speaker sometimes is easer to understand british accent than north american accent.

[@-1lovethesea]

I don’t know. I like the R and I cannot drop it and I like the T and I hate the glottal stop sound. In my native language all glottal stops are soothed into Y sound.

[@lkj2727]

As a non-native speaker, I think can't with "drop T" sometime is highly contextual. People seems to get it from the context rather than the sound itself.

[@corynicolas3175]

Youglish is the very best resource for listening to pronunciation examples of words in context in many different languages!

[@donquijotedelamancha3529]

I've been teaching English as a foreign/second language for 25 years, and I personally and professionally believe these subtleties can be taught only to advanced students. If I tried to explain this to beginners or intermediate students, I'd just waste tons of valuable time and end up having a bunch of frustrated pupils in the room.

[@alediaa]

Y lo es, es super frustrante que nunca se pueda hablar y/o entender bien una simple palabra tan corta y básica como can't...

[@ivanadriazola1991]

Yeah, my english is pretty good but this is out of reach for me, I can even understand the difference and all the parts, but in the examples I get first wich is wich due to the context than the pronunciation.

[@Drhomelander]

I agree with you. I just explain to my students that there is a t sound in can't. They can learn about these subtleties if they travel abroad or through movies or series.

[@maureendadivas5968]

the more you use the language, the more you will be accustomed to the subtle rules that makes everything sound more correct

[@Persona_1398]

@@ivanadriazola1991 just don’t bother with it. No one cares how strong the t is. Every English speaking country will say it different. As long as you’re clear in what you’re saying it really doesn’t matter. This video seems like pointless stress

[@spanishlessonsforme]

Omg. Finally, I understand why people thought I said “can’t” when I meant “can.” I wasn’t shortening it. Thank you !

[@peteymax]

Don’t follow this video. Keep pronouncing the t, the video is not giving good advice

[@peteymax]

@Lia I mean that, correctly, the t is pronounced. The t represents the ‘not’ part of the contraction. If you don’t say it you will make your statement sound positive when you mean a negative. I know the people in the video all have particular accents and I don’t mean to be disrespectful about them. But they are not good examples of well spoken English.

[@peteymax]

@lb I agree with you that all dialects and accents should be respected. None are better than the other. And the economy used in everyday speech means more fluent, economical communication. I didn’t mean to disrespect the mainly mis-Western accents in the video at all. I’m sorry if I sounded that way. I was only pointing out that the t is pronounced and when it’s enunciated clearly (think Scotland, west England, most of Ireland) then the difference between negative and positive statements is much clearer. I would always encourage an English language learner to at least try to master that.

[@peteymax]

@Lia in just about every native English speaking accent the difference is not just the addition of the t sound. The art of differentiating the positive and negative is the emphasis on the vowel, e.g. the a in can and can’t if different in just about every accent no matter the original ‘a’ sound as a can differ across dialects (except less so in Australian English) and the o sound in do/don’t is quite different. Listen to a range of accents: can I suggest Joe Biden, Keira Knightly, Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Anne Lundon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers all with very clear but different accents.

[@datstovey]

I'm a native English speaker and I never heard of not using the T in can't, so say can't with the T it's not weird

[@elbowstrike]

It’s almost like French where you push the consonant onto the next word: “I can’t find a job” becomes “I can-tfind a job”

[@polo5566]

Hi Rachel, I'm Chinese and live in Taiwan. This video is so helpful to me. There are so many English words that sound similar or the same to me that I can't recognize the differences. Thank you for making so many wonderful videos for non native English speakers like me to learn accurate English pronunciation.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're very welcome!

[@dohamachannel5269]

- You can do it. - You can’t do it. I was dying to figure out what my friend wanted to say.

[@michgreeno1]

In England the a in can’t is an ah, the a in can is flat......and we do sound the t in can’t

[@justpassingby3409]

@@michgreeno1 in England the accent sounds strong and noticeable

[@justynpryce]

Typically, in an American accent we would distinguish between the two pronunciations under this context. Though if you couldn't tell just from pronunciation, tonally we would also make the distinction.

[@banchasu]

You can DO it. I can DO it. You CAN'T do it. I CAN'T do it.

[@aeefkai1641]

This is so weird to think about this as a native English speaker from America but i think how you pronounce ‘can’ is a bit different. -you can do it = you cun do it -you can’t do it = you caan do it Like in the video the first one is the shortened quick ‘can’ and the second is stopping short. But my brain automatically registers what is being said so it’s really hard to even think about.

[@Delfini29]

I can tell "can" from "'can't" when I hear them in a sentence, because they're emphasized a different way.

[@allenthepotato]

I can't tell at all I suck

[@azuregriffin1116]

The T is reduced to a creaky voice, like in Danish, which distinguishes mor (mother) and mord (murder).

[@a.sulzyy]

I feel like can use more pronounced “ken”, or just “kan”. In can’t, the a is emphasized more, like in the video, “kænt”, or “kaynt”.

[@DragoneDrumms]

There is no better pronunciation teacher in the world than you, Rachel!

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks a lot Draga!

[@MM-ik4lt]

I think this was the first language video I kept viewing for longer than 2 minutes. Very interesting content for a non-native speaker.

[@I.M.Gifter]

I never realized how little I actually pronounce “can’t” properly. Just goes to show that even native speakers are learning new things all the time.

[@yesid17]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJzKiY2GYpJriqc

[@airam-sj2172]

Yes, languages are dynamic and studying them is a constant process of learning. Regardless of being a native or a SL speaker.

[@shadertheboi]

Ever since my interest in American dramas during middle school, how I develop this part of my English linguistics came as natural as comprehending the context of the sentence(s) spoken. As you mentioned before, Americans speak really fast. So my brain is able to process the sentence and decide if the context is leaning towards the positive or negative connotation.

[@rachelsenglish]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing Jeong!

[@Silverfirefly1]

This is what I'm constantly doing with Spanish because I often only catch parts of words and I'm using context to sort out what it was likely to be.

[@shadertheboi]

@@Silverfirefly1 @Silverfirefly1 I believe this is the case in most of the other languages spoken in the world as well; more so if the language is a tonal language like Mandarin and Thai. Heck, even Korean as well although it's not classified as a tonal language. Many words in Korean sounds exactly the same when read but can differ in writing. So to really master a language, speaking with a native speaker regularly will higher the chances of you improving your linguistic skills. How our brain picks up and registers the linguistic patterns can be really too complex for us to analyze. But hey, doesn't that prove how wonderful a human brain can be?

[@janezheng43]

Rachel, thank you so much! I had very hard times to understand Americans saying can or can’t. This lesson was very helpful for me to pronounce them correctly as well as understand native speakers.

[@rachelsenglish]

You're very welcome @zhengzhang7329!

[@namanrudrakshi4576]

everyone: dropped t, ch sound, true t sound, etc me: *cannot*

[@espanolconmanu6240]

"Can't" tends to be stressed: drop T (I can't think - there's a little pause between the auxiliary and the main verb), ch sound (can't you). Finally, "can't" usually comes together with words such as "ever", "even". "Can" is mostly unstressed (no pause between the auxiliary and the main verb), meaning its vowel sound becomes a little bit imperceptible (shorter).

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing!

[@tamaica7770]

Yeah. From my hearing experience as a second language learner. American usually say “can’t” by saying it more audible or stressing on it. For “can”, they don’t stress on it and say it faster like cen or cin, Edit: For some serious situations, I would recommend “cannot” lol.

[@MissTamma]

Maybe it's more about the listener

[@maryblack1356]

I feel like the main difference between an affirmative and a negative form would be in sentence stress - "can't" is stressed, while "can" isn't, as modals and auxiliaries usually aren't.

[@CouncilOfTheLostGoats]

Why is this recommended to me, I'm a native English speaker. Even weirder, you made this educational video so interesting I watched the whole thing.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for watching!

[@kiterblx1063]

i never knew a video about pronouncing can't and can could be this detailed.

[@michaelsmith1262]

Native English speaker, but I like watching these videos anyway. This one is very enlightening. I wasn't even aware that we do this with that word. I don't notice it when I hear others talk and I don't think about doing it when I speak. It is very interesting to see how we fill in the blanks and use context to hear what is intended even if it isn't spoken clearly. I have studied several other languages, and I think this dynamic is one of the things that makes learning other languages difficult. If you do not grow up hearing conversational English, Spanish, French or whichever language it is, you don't have the ear for it. I've heard that as babies we have the natural ability to quickly learn any language, but as we grow older and are not exposed to other languages, we start to lose that facility. Apparently that is not true for everyone as some people have a remarkable ability to learn many languages with high fluency.

[@kentsou399]

I keep hearing someone calling me.

[@RealPurplePanic]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@MissTamma]

That's so funny! Good one👍

[@norbertotanio4472]

🤣

[@CTOACN]

Haha...I don get it..

[@RealPurplePanic]

@@CTOACN ----> "Ken Tsou" see ? 6:20

[@billdrummer7707]

Even as a US English speaker, this is fascinating. Partly because I used to edit audio interviews and had to make cuts sound natural. Especially when using sentence fragments to make sentences short, concise, and grammatically correct. (I could even "see" things like "ums" and cut them.) Now, videos like this make me aware that learning other languages will also require knowing common pronunciations versus textbook pronunciations! (Watch Amélie with the subtitles and even a word like "oui" sounds different than it does in French class!)

[@workoutyourenglishwithilea9484]

I can't believe can't stop t! Thanks for bringing awareness to this pronunciation in such a clear way.

[@laning5183]

It's really tough how to use this Sound 😪..English made deffinitiv confused if we aren't native speaker..I treasure you mu professor...🇱🇷I can trying with...🙏🏽❤🌹my thanks for

[@rachelsenglish]

Keep practicing and you'll get there Lani!

[@damp8277]

The nasal N is the most glaring difference for me. I wasn't even aware of this, but now I can't unsee

[@drmichaelshea]

Makes me smile. I’m from Utah where there are no long vowels and glottic stops are more the rule than the exception. I wish your lecture would repair the language for an entire state, but have no hope. Thanks for your effort.

[@rachelsenglish]

Glad you like it and thanks for watching!

[@craigs.2668]

As a native speaker this is giving me an existential crisis... I *can't* un-hear it! 🤣 Thank you for this awesome content and to anybody learning, good luck!!! :)

[@ilovelctr]

As a Chinese growing up learning British English, I always have a hard time ascertaining what is being spoken exactly by an American, or by someone who acquired American English as their second language, when it comes to can and can't. I often end up asking 'can or can't /kɑːnt/', lmao.

[@orlock20]

Thick accents are tricky and English is full of them. There are many jokes about various accents being so confusing that translators are needed even though everyone is speaking English.

[@Persona_1398]

Watch American shows. Often Brits can understand Americans and foreigners perfectly but Americans can’t understand anyone but themselves. That’s cause we watch loads of American tv shows and they only watch themselves🤣

[@Conservative007]

@@Persona_1398 Americans don't watch British shows becaus they're garbage, not because they can't understand Brits speaking.

[@DianaAGarcia2023]

I thought I was the only one having trouble with these two words, now I know why anybody understand when I try to say "can't" 🥲 this video is priceless 💜 thank so much

[@rachelsenglish]

You're very welcome Diana!

[@Hooliganzzz]

It's surprising we need videos like this on KZbin, and again not so surprised.

[@sexyhijabidancer2139]

Thank you. My American professor just did it

[@rachelsenglish]

Great!

[@Nick_Translator]

Thank you Rachel. I can't imagine how much you go through to gladden your audience by uploading such brilliant videos. Your content worth watching, getting likes and leaving comments. Take care!

[@rachelsenglish]

You're very much welcome Nick!

[@skowera_vo]

I hardly recognize "Won't" and "Want" when the English natives speak. Could you please have a video talking about this? Much love and thank you in advance, Rachel !

[@May-qb3vx]

a lot of the time if you’re out in the middle of nowhere or you’re speaking with someone who has more of a thick country accent (like much of the American South, but definitely not ALL of the South and certainly people outside the South can have this accent too) “want” will probably be pronounced exactly the same as “won’t”. It relies upon context to figure out which.

[@phillipmorris4555]

Hey youtube more content providers such as this proper english pronunciation is needed . Thank you Rachel

[@rachelsenglish]

You're welcome Philip!

[@RAIMUNDO5066]

Crazy that! It will depend a lot on the context in these cases.

[@watchmakerful]

The British accent is more definite in this situation, it throws an [a:] sound into "can't"...

[@raymondmiller9798]

In the same way American English has /æ/ in can't and British English has /a:/ in can't, both US English and UK English have ə in can.

[@watchmakerful]

@@raymondmiller9798 But if you need to stress "can" and "can't", in American English you'll get the same /æ/ sound, but in British English you'll have two different sounds.

[@raymondmiller9798]

@@watchmakerful if you stress can you use /a:/. If you stress can't you use /a:/

[@SimonHowes]

Us British do not drop the t. Maybe with some accents, but it's unusual not to.

[@raymondmiller9798]

@@SimonHowes you can't even write English. Perhaps turn on the TV and listen to people speaking. And bear in mind, these people, educated at drama school, having taken elocution lessons, are ten times more likely to use a T than a normal person.

[@chronos5457]

I love all of your classes. You know exactly what we want to learn ☺

[@mertyang]

Wow it really solved my problem with can't and can pronunciation, thanks!

[@rachelsenglish]

Happy to hear that Mert!

[@davidvargas9832]

What a good video! No matter wheter a native speaker pronounce a strong T or not. It is important know it just to identify it in case we are in such a conversation where a native dropps the T or not. If you want to pronounce the T or not at all is up to you! But we as foreigners need to learn this tricks of the language in order to improve.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for watching David!

[@TeacherTanyaMeyer]

Thanks, Rachael! There's quite a difference in pronunciation between US and UK accents when it comes to can and can't. We also have the glottal stop, but the vowel sound in can't is different. The weak form of 'can' is the same, though. Very interesting! ALL English learners need to watch this video to see a very clear difference between UK and US accents! 😍

[@whatsup02]

When you drop the T you rely on the listener to interpret the context to understand which word you are using

[@AngelHdzMultimedia]

Assuming, abbreviating and omitting things is what leads to so many issues and misunderstandings. Explicit > Implicit

[@GeraldM_inNC]

But the context doesn't ALWAYS make it clear. Better safe than sorry: say the damned "t".

[@ConeTheBoss559]

@@GeraldM_inNC it really is, a can is in it's weak form almost always, sounding almost like a Kn, while the can't is elongated

[@GeraldM_inNC]

@@ConeTheBoss559 Certainly in England "an" is elongated if it leads to "t", but not so sure many people do that in the U.S. I don't. I will try to listen more closely to the pattern. There may be some merit to your claim that "I can" is often pronounced "I ken" or "I kin" while "can't" maintains its schwa vowel. In the film "My fair lady", Prof. Higgins urged Eliza to keep studying her English, and she exclaims "I caaaaaaaaaaaaaaan't! I'm so tired!" It might be worth listening to renditions of the old classic song "Anything you can do I can do better", which consists entirely of appositions of "can" and "can't".

[@ConeTheBoss559]

@@GeraldM_inNC the schwa is usually used for "You can do it" and an ash (ae) is usually used for "can't" , in England it's more like the opposite fromy experience, can't has a long a while can has an ash

[@gustvrcm]

Superb explanation of the subtleties of the pronunciation of "can't"!

[@trishcrowe5474]

I remember years ago helping a friend, who was a native Spanish speaker, learn English. She told me about her struggles differentiating between the words can and can't. I didn't have a good answer for her at the time, so I just started using cannot when speaking to her. It was the first time I ever considered the issue. Learning to understand the cues with can and can't is vital, because not knowing them can cause serious misunderstandings.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks for sharing Trish!

[@allisongrant3094]

I’m Canadian. I pronounce the t in most of the cases presented in this video. I’d never say “I canneeven” for “can’t even”, but I definitely say “canchoo” sometimes.

[@BlenderVision]

weird im also canadian and i say both of those everytime. may i ask what part of canada u are from?

[@allisongrant3094]

@@BlenderVision I’m from Hamilton. I’m also a language teacher (French and Spanish) so I’m pretty careful about my pronunciation.

[@simschance]

1:38 Stop T 4:29 Drop T /it's the most difficult T for me to listen well. 6:16 T to CH 7:36 can 9:47 can vs. can't 10:17 pronunciation summary 11:26 Questions and explains

[@FelixMomentvm]

I tend to break down when saying a negative: cannot, do no would not etcetera, it helps me to emphasize, since I like to add tones in my speech

[@tonkeasley6210]

Hey Rachel plz make more lessons like this one. So useful for learners like us who wants to get better at listening skills

[@deadchannel4619]

With my British accent, "can" sounds (more or less) like the American version whereas "can't" sounds like "car-nt". Fun :D

[@AnyVideo999]

What's funnier is that your phonetically spelled version probably doesn't come out right for North Americans, unless your accent sounds a lot more different than I am imagining!

[@muscle2714]

Yep Same, I'm English as well, no one says the t where I live

[@jupiter9054]

Can and Can't in America sound pretty much the same, in England they sound quite different, as Viktor said, it's more like car-nt, we also may drop the t but even so Can and Can't sound pretty different in the UK compared to in America.

[@Nashy119]

The kind of people who say "ain't" a lot will drop the T on can't and other words.

[@THEonlyAEON]

@@jupiter9054 Depends where in England though, a lot of people from up north would say Can and Can't with pretty much the same pronunciation for both words.

[@TreeStealer69]

"Sometimes American people pronounce can't without the t" British people: People actually enunciate their t's?

[@R1ch4rd]

Also British people: always drop R at the end of words SeEmS pRetTy cLeÆ tO mE

[@alexsalas700]

True. That's why I love English language a lot

[@theresamiley8917]

You're right. I was thinking the same thing. A lot of people from the UK don't pronounce the T at all.

[@orlock20]

@@R1ch4rd I've always heard British people add the R so idea becomes idear. Brooklyn speakers drop the R so car becomes ka. Also in Brooklyn bag becomes beg while beg remains beg. That last part tripped up my parents once.

[@blotski]

@@orlock20 Only if the next work begins with a vowel. So we might pronounce 'the idea is good' as 'the idear is good'.

[@NotAghostSpeedruns]

As a native English speaker I never realized this, but you're totally right. What the heck.

[@Fred_Jones563]

When I had singing lessons, my instructor trained us not to "chew our yous". We were taught to use a true t sound when singing can't you or don't you or won't you. We worked on this endlessly. I still speak that way to this day.

[@brianaomoore9610]

English is my ONLY language. And I didn’t even realize that I don’t pronounce the T in can’t! 😱

[@sachinkumawat2567]

Is this natural?. I'm very interested in American language and culture.!!Thanks👍

[@-1lovethesea]

Why are you here then? I have never notice this before you like you.

[@adama8570]

@@sachinkumawat2567 "American culture"???? Tell me more!!!!

[@samueldennys9614]

@@adama8570 right?

[@romuloVG]

This is an allophonic feature, that's why we don't notice it.

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

"People can't even believe it." Beautiful expression. Thank you for sharing. Your channel is simply fascinating. 🥇🏆

[@rachelsenglish]

Thank you so much!

[@Nicamon]

In the quiz I've scored 100%(my native language is Italian and I've been hearing Americans talking *a lot* by now since I've watched a bunch of american TV shows and videos on KZbin etc in years),but the context of the phrase *always* helped!😄I *can't* be sure if I nailed the test because I could _actually_ tell the difference between the pronunciations or just because the answer I gave was the most _logical_ one for that particular sentence.😉

[@leelu2274]

Fascinating! I am sure you help a lot of people become fluent English speakers,

[@jazzyk4046]

Other than the "can't even" example given in the video, I could actually hear the "t"s in all the examples given in the video. They're there. Just subtle. But definitely there.

[@lionberryofskyclan]

In general can’t (vowel) Edit: oops wrong comment

[@shireads2954]

It's not a t, it's a glottal stop that we're used to interpreting as a t.

[@jazzyk4046]

@@shireads2954 Not sure what you're saying but in simple layman's terms, basically you can't say it's just an n sound at the end. There's definitely somewhat a t sound, albeit a super soft one.

[@shireads2954]

@@jazzyk4046 I'm saying that that sound isn't a t sound it's the sound of the speaker cutting off the word in their throat. It's call a glottal stop, and has nothing to do with that motion of the tongue that makes an actual t sound. So, yes, you hear something, but it's not a t, and the video never said there was no sound for a stop t anyway.

[@jazzyk4046]

@@shireads2954 Totally get where you're coming from and you have every right to NOT agree with me :)

[@giga3132]

As a native English speaker, I had no idea that we even do this. This is so interesting!

[@orlock20]

Wait till you get into dropped and added Rs. Car becomes Ka in Brooklyn while the British have an idear.

[@saturdaysun5724]

In the UK we would call it lazy speech but I think we happily accept this as part of the American accent because you can still understand what is meant by the context.

[@AL_YZ]

For a Brit this vid is not so relevant because can and can't are pronounced quite differently. For learners of American English though I think this is not a good lesson because not many non-native speakers can produce the "stop" that native speakers use in place of the /t/ in connected speech. "Can't" is usually pronounced /kaent/ with a clear /t/ at the end of a sentence like in, "I can't." If it is not, as in, "I can't go", then the word is pronounced" I /kae'/ go" with a strong "stop" and stress on the stop. Until such time as when a learner can produce that stop, it would be better for them to pronounce the /t/ sound.

[@kev_mclernon_family_channe4745]

It’s also very cultural. So when in the classroom I speak slightly slower than my normal philadelphia rate of speaking. I learned the technique while working abroad. And I believe since I’m not in a classroom or overseas environment but I believe I pronounce the T in my “instruction voice”. Fascinating video. Dr. Labov would be pleased by your video. Great job!!

[@gaymerwitch5252]

I don’t know how I got here as a native English speaker. But as a Canadian we absolutely always pronounce the T in can’t. What’s with Americans and their hate for the T ahahah! They do this for so many words like “button” and “curtain” and it drives Canadians nuts :P just say your Ts people !

[@joyelo]

I hear you! I learned and used British English before moving to the US. In the US, when I say those words with the T, they look at me like ... what is wrong with you? Do you speak english? Haha. Poor me :) Twenty, Fountain, Mountain, the Internet, Center, etc. (They drop the T when there is the N before it.)

[@Almaleksia]

thank you, I always knew that Canada is the best country in the world!

[@candice44441]

Laziness.

[@scottybassman]

It usually in there in those words like button and curtain, it's just the difference between a dental and a stop. Same words, different pronunciation

[@delta1o1]

Another Canadian here and I use both pronunciations interchangeably. Despite being born in Canada, that might be due to being raised by my American father lol

[@hainhu90]

I can tell "can't" with a stopped "T", but the one with dropped "T" is a really hard one.

[@saizokrigakure2342]

Basically when you hear it pronouncing as [kæn] in fast speech, that means "can't". Probably you can notice the difference between two if the speaker emphasized "can".

[@-long-]

And one more thing that would help you tell the difference: the context.

[@tillysaway]

@@saizokrigakure2342 when you say "don't you" is it possible not to do the stop and go from the n right into the y?

[@saizokrigakure2342]

@@tillysaway yes it is possible to pronounce them with silent "T"

[@tillysaway]

@@saizokrigakure2342 are u native too?

[@elisanzfonse]

Thank you so much, Teacher Rachel! I didn’t know those differences, this is the most complete video I’ve seen, I really appreciate your time and dedication to teach us. Thanks a lot!

[@rachelsenglish]

You're very welcome Eli!

[@camable10]

Great video. There is always -can not- to avoid confusion.

[@aleksandrnestrato]

12:24 I disagree! He said “We’re surrounded by things we can’t see”-‘can tsee’. He pronounced ‘tsee’ rather than ‘see’. Even his lips are moving correspondently to that “tsee”.

[@matthewzeller5026]

It sounds right to me

[@pongsukchirdareekit3713]

'it was can('t) with a stoped t' yeh she stopped the t on that answer so you are right

[@CouncilOfTheLostGoats]

But people will often say 'tsee' even if it's followed up by a 'can' because it's hard not to pronounce the letter t since the tongue is already at the roof of the mouth. The difference between: "I can see you" And "I can't see you" Is that when pronouncing "can't" we emphasize the letter a: "I cAN-tsee you" Then when saying "can" we change the E with an i: "I kin tsee you"

[@cathelrinesenglish008]

Thank you for this! You're such a great teacher! I've been watching your videos and I learned a lot from it! :)

[@arugostudyzone]

She is really a good teacher

[@theweirdsistersoracle2]

I'm so happy seeing this, I want to cry. Thank you!!!

[@rachelsenglish]

You are so welcome Liz!

[@Atilioam]

Excellent! I didn't know that very important detail. Everything now makes sense.

[@160p2GHz]

"we caneven pranounz it but it's going into our food" comedy gold

[@carultch]

Q: Why do teenage girls travel in odd numbered groups? A: Because they can't even.

[@jamesedward3619]

Sitting here, saying the phrase "I can't go" with my British accent, I realise that I pronounce it "I CARN go". Now I'm having an existential crisis. Definitely not how I predicted my afternoon going, haha.

[@jamesedward3619]

@Lisa Godin All of them, Lisa? Because there are quite a few different versions, haha.

[@jamesedward3619]

@Lisa Godin Oh, well there's so many others, Lisa, haha. If you've talking British accents, then that also includes Scottish and Welsh accents as well as English. If you're just talking English accents though, then there's a huge difference even just between people who grew up in different areas of London, let alone between someone from London and someone from Manchester. Patrick Stewart was born in Yorkshire and grew up in Jarrow (which is in Durham, though technically now it's part of Tyne and Wear county), so he's from the north of England. Then you've got someone like Michael Caine who's also English but who sounds very different to Patrick Stewart, because he's from Rotherhithe in the south-east of London. So yes, lot's of different accents all in a very small area, haha.

[@jamesedward3619]

@Lisa Godin My pleasure. Cockney refers to the accent originating in east London (traditionally a very working class area). Michael Caine and Adele have cockney accents, even though neither of them are technically from east London. Michael Caine is from south-east London, so that technically counts as east London I suppose, but Adele is originally from Tottenham (which is North London) and she grew up between there, Brighton (which is actually on the southern coast of England, not in London), and Brixton (which is in south London). Incidentally, Anthony Hopkins is actually from Wales. So he is British, but not English.

[@lukecheung5777]

In this case, British pronunciation is a lot better.

[@jamesedward3619]

@Lisa Godin Yeah, a lot of people get confused about that. British means you are from Britain, and Britain is the entire main island of the British Isles. Britain contains England, Scotland, and Wales. So if someone is English, Scottish, or Welsh, then they are British. All Englishmen are British, but not all Britons are English. My accent is one of those pretentious private school English accents, but with my own particular nasally annoying flavour as well, haha. Your accent sounds lovely. I like American accents of all kinds. Midwestern is nice. I also like southern and even New England (though as I understand it, that's a controversial opinion).

[@hasanmasud5296]

The greatest American accent teacher in the Universe.

[@rachelsenglish]

I appreciate it @hasanmasud5296!

[@lauraperedo4746]

Muy clara y buena explicación, muchas gracias

[@hsuanc6855]

This is the best English pronunciation lesson about "can and can't" I've ever seen! It gives a clear explanation and lots of realistic examples.

[@salahalenze5997]

Now I can see the difference between CAN and CAN’T, It’s became completely clear for me in the pronounce and listening, thank you Mrs: Rachel for your efforts, really you’re a PERFECT TEACHER.

[@Lisared023]

Fascinating! I actually thought I was hearing the T before you slowed it down!!!

[@claudialarrainzar6713]

Rachel, as always your videos are great, I can tell the time and effort you invest in every single one of them. Regrads from Mexico City👋

[@dyld921]

Another way you can tell the difference is the vowel sound in "can" is longer than the one in "can't", /kæːn/ vs /kæ̃ʔ/

[@lutteralarcon]

True

[@irislaboy4026]

Now I’m more confused. I thought can is pronounced kn. . So the a sound is more clear in can’t.

[@dyld921]

@@irislaboy4026 There are two ways to pronounce "can". Usually it's pronounced like /kn/, but sometimes we want to emphasize the word so the vowel is pronounced fully.

[@JoeyisDREADful]

This is fascinating as someone who uses the "stop T" every day in my native English without realizing it. Lol.

[@paolafilisetti2301]

Thanks a lot for these tips. I already knew the sound Ch like in dont'you...so it sounds really familiar to use in cant you

[@phongkien]

It's very helpful. Thank you!

[@electronicjo1]

wow i've never noticed this before. interesting. Thing's like this you'll hear in every language where some words /syllables are omitted during fast speech and the brain interpolates the sound and the listener can still understand without trouble.

[@mahmoudiasaad]

there was nothing new to me in this episode, still “can’t” skip any episode Rachel makes, I enjoy the beautiful accent😌.

[@rachelsenglish]

Thanks a lot Mahmoud!

[@beterhhhh951]

صح عليك محمد

[@mika_ekirian]

But, aren't we missing the word-final assimiliation of alveolar plosives like the in can't ??? For example, isn't

[@rachelsenglish]

Interesting! When I say ""can't get"" I don't feel myself making a K sound. I can feel that my tongue is in a position for the K (because K and G have the same tongue position), but I wouldn't describe the T as become a K - in my mind I find that a little confusing. It's easier to think of the T as being dropped, in my opinion! Thanks for your comment!