Shadowing-Übung: MASTER the American Accent with 9 Simple Words 🇺🇸 - Englisch Sprechen Lernen mit YouTube

Let's talk about some words to help you master the American accent.

⏸ Pausiert

Geschwindigkeit:

354 Sätze

Wenn Sätze zu kurz oder zu lang sind, klicke auf Edit, um sie anzupassen.

Let's talk about some words to help you master the American accent.

Now, as someone who is learning English as a second language,

you should never feel like you need to speak with any particular accent.

The most important thing is that we understand each other.

However, I know that this topic interests many people.

We all have different speaking goals,

and if one of your goals is to try to emulate the American accent and learn more about it,

then I think this lesson will really help.

So in general, I'm going to talk about the pronunciation of certain words,

which falls under the umbrella of the American accent.

And pronunciation and accent, they're not necessarily the same.

They're not always interchangeable.

Pronunciation is how words are pronounced.

You're just making those sounds.

Whereas accent is the way in which someone pronounces words,

and it's influenced by the country or area they come from.

To give you an example of what I'm talking about,

let's look at our first word, to.

This is a very common and useful word and the word to actually has two different pronunciations,

a strong form and a weak form.

The strong form to sounds just like the number to.

The weak form is when the word is unstressed,

it's gonna get reduced and the vowel sounds gonna change and it's gonna sound more like it has a schwa sound, to.

It's much softer.

This is what I'm talking about when changing to to to is more about accent reduction.

Because to is really a function word.

These are words that are not really emphasized.

Because function words are words that have a grammatical purpose.

And Americans often reduce function words in everyday speech.

In other words, they often say function words more quietly and quickly.

And that is why to may often get reduced and sound like to.

Let's look at the following in practice.

I'm going to the mall.

Can you hear that weak form?

I'll say it slowly.

I'm going to the mall.

Now I want you to practice.

Say it with me.

I'm going to the mall.

Here's another one.

Now let's say it together.

So, hopefully it was easy for you to identify and hear that weaker,

unstressed t, not only when I was saying it,

but when listening to those videos as well.

So, I just want you to be mindful and understand that this occurs.

It's not something that you have to start using.

You could practice this if you want to.

And I think shadowing is a great way to do that and trying to say something in the exact same way.

Because this is not really something that you'll just be able to turn on and off.

It may take a little bit of time

if you would like to reduce your accent and start using some of these weaker,

unstressed words and sounds.

Now, if you would like to improve your English skills,

build your vocabulary, improve your speaking fluency,

please subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications.

That way I can become your teacher.

My name is Wes.

The channel is Interactive English.

It's all about trying to help you reach your fluency goals.

Let's continue with another very common word that I'm sure you use quite often,

and that is for.

Except I'm not really going to pronounce it for.

Again, when it's unstressed, the word's going to get reduced.

That vowel sound's going to change from for to fur.

So, for, that or, it's a low back vowel.

You can really feel it coming from the back of your mouth.

For, to a fur.

It's much softer.

It is going to sound more like a front vowel and very similar to fur,

except in that case, the vowel sound's going to be a little longer.

But let's practice with this question right here.

What are you going to do for dinner?

Can you hear that softer sound?

And it does get reduced.

What are you gonna do for dinner?

So, uh, what are you guys doing for dinner tonight?

So what do you think we should do for dinner?

This pronunciation is easy for me.

I hope it's easy for you.

Again, listen to how the word is unstressed.

Easy for you.

Easy for M, not for me.

You make it easy for me,

I'll make it easy for you.

And we can practice with some tricky sentences.

So repeat after me.

I have four brushes for my four cats because they have a lot of fur.

Let's say that one more time.

I have four brushes for my four cats because they have a lot of fur.

And now give this next one a try.

We waited for the bus for four hours.

Once again, we waited for the bus for four hours.

And yeah, that can be a little tricky,

especially with that for four hours, for four hours.

But this is something you will definitely hear in spoken English and people are going to reduce for to fur.

The next word is one that I really enjoy, water.

Okay, so there are two things that I want to focus on.

The flap T and the final R.

So the flap T is a really distinct part of the American accent.

100

This is when the T is going to sound like a soft D.

101

And it often occurs when the T comes between two vowel sounds and is part of an unstressed syllable.

102

So here are some words,

103

and just repeat after me and try to use that flap T.

104

Water.

105

City.

106

Political.

107

Meeting.

108

Quality.

109

Critical.

110

All of those words have T's that I would pronounce as a flap T.

111

Now the final R is something else that Americans often pronounce when the R comes at the end of a word.

112

So again, just repeat after me,

113

really pronounce that R, and I'll probably emphasize it a little bit.

114

Water.

115

Car.

116

Weather.

117

Chair.

118

Now, if we want to practice with other words that are just like water,

119

that have a flap T and final R,

120

we can use these words right here.

121

Again, repeat after me.

122

Better.

123

Voter.

124

Later.

125

Butter.

126

Writer.

127

These are great words to practice both of those things,

128

the flap T and final R.

129

Mountain.

130

This word is all about the glottal T or glottal stop.

131

So what is that?

132

This is when you stop the flow of air through the glottis in your throat.

133

So the sound is coming from down here.

134

And you can practice a glottal stop with uh-oh, uh-oh.

135

The glottal stop is coming after uh and before oh.

136

You can really feel the tightness in your throat when you say uh-oh, uh-oh.

137

Now, with the American accent,

138

when the T is followed by an N sound,

139

it may get pronounced as a glottal T,

140

like in the word mountain.

141

So, see if you can hear the difference when I say the word with a true T and a glottal T.

142

Mountain.

143

Mountain.

144

Versus mountain.

145

Mountain.

146

One thing that I want to point out is that this is not a fixed rule.

147

that any T that's followed by an n sound is going to be pronounced as a glottal T.

148

If you are living in the U.S or you visit the U.S.,

149

you may hear both.

150

So here are some examples of the word mountain.

151

I'm going to keep pronouncing it with a glottal T.

152

But here are some examples of it being pronounced with more of a true T.

153

Yeah, and the mountains, they're not like mountains on Earth.

154

And now I want you to listen for that glottal stop.

155

Oh, that sounds fun.

156

I'm mountain biking on Sunday and Montage Mountain.

157

But because we're talking about the American accent,

158

I want to practice with some words.

159

And I want you to try to use a glottal T because I think a lot of people do this.

160

I actually do it all the time.

161

So I'm going to do this to get you thinking about that tightness in your throat.

162

But let's say these words.

163

Repeat after me.

164

Mountain.

165

Kitten.

166

Written.

167

Gotten.

168

bitten.

169

Those last three were actually the past participle of those verbs and whenever,

170

you know, you say the past participle of,

171

well, quite a few different verbs,

172

you may use a glottal T.

173

So let's practice with this sentence and there,

174

of course, there are many glottal stops when saying this.

175

I have written a story about a kitten that walked up a mountain and was bitten by by a spider.

176

So I want you to repeat after me and we're gonna say the sentence in chunks.

177

I have written a story about a kitten that walked up a mountain and was bitten by a spider.

178

So when saying that sentence with many of those words,

179

you should feel that tightness in your throat with those glottal stops.

180

Mountain.

181

The next word, center.

182

Easy enough to pronounce, but I would like to point out that when the T follows an n- sound,

183

it may elide.

184

Elision is when sounds or syllables get removed.

185

You don't really hear that T when I say center.

186

Wanted.

187

interview, 20, entertain.

188

In each of those words,

189

you don't hear that T because it elides.

190

Once again, this is not an established rule.

191

I'm just trying to share with you how I think most people will say this word, center.

192

You may hear somebody say it with the T, center.

193

Either one, just listen.

194

But we all know you put your biggest talent front and center.

195

Oh, I'll be there.

196

Front and center.

197

I would like to point out that when the T follows an N sound,

198

but it comes at the beginning of a stressed syllable,

199

then you will pronounce it as more of a true T in words like internship or anticipate or intensive.

200

If you would like to practice,

201

then start with the words that I have already showed you.

202

And again, they're pretty common and we can do so with this sentence.

203

I was watching an entertaining interview with 20 people who all wanted to be the center of attention.

204

Say it with me.

205

I was watching an entertaining interview with 20 people who all wanted to be the center of attention.

206

Excellent.

207

Let's practice this word right here, can.

208

And I want to start with the vowel sound,

209

because this is also a difference between British and American English,

210

because you're going to pronounce the vowel sound differently.

211

And I will make some comparisons between those two English varieties,

212

because I think when people are learning the language,

213

these are the two varieties that most people reference.

214

So in the U.S., can't,

215

and in the U.K., can't.

216

Can't, can't.

217

We can't do that.

218

You can't do this.

219

I can't just do that.

220

What?

221

We can't do that.

222

Now, so many people tell me they struggle with this word,

223

not only when listening and trying to identify the word,

224

but also when speaking and trying to say it.

225

And I think probably one of the more challenging things about this word is the NT,

226

that consonant cluster at the end.

227

The final NT, consonant cluster,

228

your tongue is actually going to be curled down and the tip is going to be behind your bottom front teeth.

229

Can't.

230

and we're really going to end with a glottal stop.

231

And we can practice this with the word ant,

232

which is really the last three letters in the word can.

233

So who the hell are you?

234

I'm Ant-Man.

235

Ant-Man?

236

What, you haven't heard of me?

237

Can't.

238

Can't.

239

It's an incredibly common word,

240

and it can be a little tricky,

241

which is why I thought it deserved a little attention.

242

But let's practice, and we can even review some of the other things we've talked about with this short sentence right here.

243

Just repeat after me.

244

I can't find any water in town,

245

so I have to go to the mountain.

246

Good job.

247

Now, I want to practice this word, schedule.

248

I have already told you that we're going to practice some of the differences between American English and British English.

249

We did that with the previous word.

250

That vowel sound is different when pronouncing can't versus con.

251

And there are many other words that are pronounced differently when comparing American English versus British English.

252

And it's important to know some of these words,

253

especially if you are trying to emulate the American accent.

254

So let's play a little game.

255

I'm going to give you a word.

256

I'm going to say both pronunciations,

257

and then I just want you to think about,

258

well, which one is the American pronunciation.

259

So here's your first one,

260

and I think you know it because I've already said the word.

261

You have schedule versus schedule.

262

And in the U.S., people are going to say schedule.

263

Here's the next one.

264

Advertisement, advertisement.

265

In the United States, people are going to say advertisement.

266

Here's another one.

267

Zebra, Zebra.

268

I am going to say Zebra.

269

How about this word?

270

Dynasty, Dynasty.

271

I hope that you chose dynasty as the US pronunciation because that is correct.

272

Now you get the idea.

273

There are many words that are pronounced differently between American and British English.

274

I just want to get you thinking about some of these pronunciation differences.

275

So if this is something you want to practice,

276

just be aware of this,

277

the words that we just looked at,

278

as well as these words right here.

279

I'll give you a moment to look at them

280

but we need to move on

281

so let's move on to our next word entrepreneur this is one of many words

282

that have been borrowed from french and the pronunciation is the same ish

283

but not really the pronunciation is really an americanized version of

284

this french word i'll let you listen to the difference entrepreneur entrepreneur they're kind of close

285

but if you are a french speaker then you need to be careful and understand that these words have been Americanized.

286

Here are some other words that have been borrowed from French,

287

and I want you to think about what they have in common.

288

Fiance, connoisseur, café, sorbet.

289

Just listening to me say those words,

290

perhaps you notice that the stressed syllable is at the end.

291

And in English, this is something that is not very common,

292

and perhaps even a little bit of a hint that the word has been borrowed from French.

293

But I often hear second language speakers make a slight pronunciation mistake with some of these words that have been borrowed,

294

because they end up stressing the wrong syllable,

295

instead of that final syllable.

296

Something to keep in mind whenever words are borrowed from other languages,

297

they may sound similar, but not always the same.

298

Just food for thought.

299

And then we have a fun and very long word, which is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

300

And it's silly, but the reason I chose this is to get you thinking about rhythm

301

and flow and trying to develop that rhythm and flow.

302

Because English is a stress time language.

303

It's a language where the stressed syllables are said at approximately regular intervals,

304

and the unstressed words or syllables are shortened in order to fit that rhythm.

305

So here is a very short and simple sentence,

306

three different intervals, and then as I add to the sentence,

307

those intervals are going to stay the same.

308

Cats chase mice.

309

The cats chase mice.

310

The cats chase the mice.

311

The cats will chase the mice.

312

And as I'm saying this,

313

you can hear those stressed words and syllables,

314

and it does sound a little musical.

315

And again, it's really a good example of English as a stress time language.

316

Now, let's go back to our ridiculously long word.

317

And we can say this word,

318

keeping in mind those stressed intervals.

319

In total, the word has 14 syllables,

320

and I'll say it again,

321

and I want you to think about that stress.

322

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

323

I could even clap and say it again,

324

and every time I clap,

325

that is a stress sound.

326

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

327

So let's break it apart into those different intervals.

328

You can see the stress,

329

and now I want you to practice this word with me.

330

Ready?

331

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

332

Let's try it one more time.

333

Again, we're developing that rhythm and flow.

334

It's gonna sound a little bit like a song.

335

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

336

Excellent.

337

This is something that you can practice because when it comes to speaking with an American accent,

338

well, rhythm and flow are a part of that.

339

And I think it's useful to practice and develop your speaking skills.

340

And you could really do this with any sentence,

341

like the very first one that we practice with.

342

I'm going to the mall later.

343

I'm going to the mall later.

344

And you can really hear that rhythm and flow if I want to emphasize it just like this.

345

Okay.

346

Of course, people aren't going to speak that way,

347

but it does help you hear that melody and that rhythm and flow.

348

So, that's all I have for you in this lesson.

349

You can practice on your own with these different words.

350

If you enjoyed the lesson and learned something new,

351

you can let me know by hitting that like button.

352

As always, thank you so much for watching,

353

and I will see you next time.

354

So long.

TRENDING

Beliebt

Was ist die Shadowing-Technik?

Shadowing ist eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Sprachlerntechnik, die ursprünglich für die professionelle Dolmetscherausbildung entwickelt und durch den Polyglotten Dr. Alexander Arguelles populär gemacht wurde. Die Methode ist einfach aber wirkungsvoll: Du hörst englisches Audio von Muttersprachlern und wiederholst es sofort laut — wie ein Schatten, der dem Sprecher mit nur 1–2 Sekunden Verzögerung folgt. Anders als passives Hören oder Grammatikübungen zwingt Shadowing dein Gehirn und deine Mundmuskulatur, gleichzeitig echte Sprachmuster zu verarbeiten und zu reproduzieren. Studien zeigen, dass es Aussprachegenauigkeit, Intonation, Rhythmus, verbundene Sprache, Hörverständnis und Sprechflüssigkeit signifikant verbessert — was es zu einer der effektivsten Methoden für die IELTS Speaking-Vorbereitung und reale englische Kommunikation macht.

☕ Kauf uns einen Kaffee

ShadowingEnglish bleibt 100% kostenlos dank deiner Unterstützung. Server- und KI-Kosten sind hoch — dein Kaffee hält uns am Laufen! 🙏

Über PayPal spenden

ShadowingEnglish.com – Englisch-Shadowing-Übung

Sprich fließend Englisch mit der Shadowing-Technik. Höre nativen YouTube-Videos zu, wiederhole Satz für Satz und baue echte Aussprache und Sprachflüssigkeit auf — weltweit von IELTS-Lernenden genutzt.

Shadowing-Übung: MASTER the American Accent with 9 Simple Words 🇺🇸 - Englisch Sprechen Lernen mit YouTube

Beliebt

Über Diese Lektion

Wichtiger Wortschatz & Phrasen

Übungstipps

Was ist die Shadowing-Technik?

Shadowing-Übung: MASTER the American Accent with 9 Simple Words 🇺🇸 - Englisch Sprechen Lernen mit YouTube

App herunterladen

Über Diese Lektion

Wichtiger Wortschatz & Phrasen

Übungstipps

Was ist die Shadowing-Technik?