Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Did she say CAN or CAN’T? It’s really difficult to tell sometimes! Do English speakers have lazy tongues? Sometimes! This is because native English speakers do not release the letter T when it comes after the letter N. In this important speaking and listening lesson, I will teach you how to understand and pronounce contracted negatives (can’t, haven’t, didn’t, won’t, and more!) just like me – by not releasing the final T! At the end of the lesson, I will also give you a listening test to see if you can tell the difference between “can” and “can’t” when the T is not released. Write what I say in the comments! engvid.com/are-english-speakers-lazy-i-cant-believe-it
Visit my website EnglishAlex.com for more English tips and resources!
Practice listening to more reduced speech in English: youtu.be/fQamXTEhLb0
In this lesson:
00:00 Practice the unreleased 't' in English with me
01:25 can't & couldn't
03:16 isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't
06:32 haven't, hasn't, hadn't
07:56 don't, doesn't, didn't
09:36 shouldn't
10:06 won't
10:25 wouldn't
11:23 mustn't
11:43 – Test –
TRANSCRIPT:
"I can't believe she stopped to talk to the wolf."
Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and thank you for learning English with engVid.
Today, I want you to practice your speaking and listening with me. In today's lesson,
I will teach you about the unreleased T in negative contractions. Now, the unreleased T
that I will discuss in this lesson exists in other aspects of speaking, but today,
I just want to strictly focus on the unreleased T - unreleased T, I apologize - in negative
contractions with words like "can't", "shouldn't", "wouldn't". You notice I am releasing the T,
but today, I will teach you how to not release the T. So, this is about pronunciation. It's about
speaking. It's also about listening, because at the end of this video, I will give you a little
listening test with "can't" and "can" in particular, and I will teach you how to recognize when people
are saying "can't" or "can" when they are not releasing the T, or some tips on how to recognize
it. Okay, let's begin. So, again, you will listen and you will speak in this video. The first words
are "can't" and "couldn't". Okay? So, you notice I am saying the T. However, in casual English speech,
most people do not release the T because our tongue gets lazy. So,
to not release the T, you say this, "can't" and "couldn't".
What am I doing? What is my tongue doing? My tongue is going into the T position
in the upper part of my mouth, so it's saying "can't". It's up there. It wants to go "can't",
but I don't say the T because it's extra work for my tongue, and when we are speaking casually,
quickly, we want to speak fluidly, so we cut the T. We don't release the T.
Your tongue still goes in the T position, but it does not release the T. So, repeat after me.
"I can't believe it." Okay. Just try this. "I can't",
and put your tongue, like, "I can't", okay? It's not "I can", it's "I can't",
and you just don't say T at the end. Okay? Repeat after me. "We couldn't go."
Good. Next, we have the verb "to be", so we have... I'm just going to do the unreleased form.
Repeat after me, if you would like. "Isn't", "aren't", "wasn't", "weren't". Yeah, I know.
"Weren't", it's like "weren't", okay? And repeat after me these sentences. "It isn't ready."
Okay, a little slower. "It isn't ready."
Okay. And now, say it with the T released, because people do speak like this as well.
Think of a university professor who tries to enunciate and pronounce everything. So,
"It isn't ready."
Now, that is probably easier to understand for most people who are learning English,
but you are an intermediate, advanced speaker at this stage, so it's time. It's time to start
speaking how North Americans actually speak, or people from England actually speak, and
not release the T. So, try one more time, a little quicker. "It isn't ready."
All right, next. "They aren't here."
"They aren't here."
"Aren't", "aren't". I know, it's like "aren't", kind of like this, "aren't". "They aren't here."
Okay, next. "She wasn't finished."
"She wasn't."
"We weren't friends."
"We weren't."
Good job. Okay. Does it feel natural? If it doesn't feel natural, don't worry. The more
you practice, the more you'll get it. It's like me with the French R, okay? It has taken many years.
I can recognize it, so even if you can't or can't produce this unreleased T sound with some of
these words, this video will help you to at least recognize it with your ear, okay? So, again, I'll
try my French R, just if you're... If you're saying, "This is so hard, Alex. Oh, I hate English.
Here's my French."
"Restaurant". "Restaurant". Is it a "ch" or is it "ch"? "Restaurant". Okay.
Okay. Not bad, actually. After many years, I'm getting it. […]
Did she say CAN or CAN’T? It’s really difficult to tell sometimes! Do English speakers have lazy tongues? Sometimes! This is because native English speakers do not release the letter T when it comes after the letter N. In this important speaking and listening lesson, I will teach you how to understand and pronounce contracted negatives (can’t, haven’t, didn’t, won’t, and more!) just like me – by not releasing the final T! At the end of the lesson, I will also give you a listening test to see if you can tell the difference between “can” and “can’t” when the T is not released. Write what I say in the comments! engvid.com/are-english-speakers-lazy-i-cant-believe-it
Visit my website EnglishAlex.com for more English tips and resources!
Practice listening to more reduced speech in English: youtu.be/fQamXTEhLb0
In this lesson:
00:00 Practice the unreleased 't' in English with me
01:25 can't & couldn't
03:16 isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't
06:32 haven't, hasn't, hadn't
07:56 don't, doesn't, didn't
09:36 shouldn't
10:06 won't
10:25 wouldn't
11:23 mustn't
11:43 – Test –
TRANSCRIPT:
"I can't believe she stopped to talk to the wolf."
Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and thank you for learning English with engVid.
Today, I want you to practice your speaking and listening with me. In today's lesson,
I will teach you about the unreleased T in negative contractions. Now, the unreleased T
that I will discuss in this lesson exists in other aspects of speaking, but today,
I just want to strictly focus on the unreleased T - unreleased T, I apologize - in negative
contractions with words like "can't", "shouldn't", "wouldn't". You notice I am releasing the T,
but today, I will teach you how to not release the T. So, this is about pronunciation. It's about
speaking. It's also about listening, because at the end of this video, I will give you a little
listening test with "can't" and "can" in particular, and I will teach you how to recognize when people
are saying "can't" or "can" when they are not releasing the T, or some tips on how to recognize
it. Okay, let's begin. So, again, you will listen and you will speak in this video. The first words
are "can't" and "couldn't". Okay? So, you notice I am saying the T. However, in casual English speech,
most people do not release the T because our tongue gets lazy. So,
to not release the T, you say this, "can't" and "couldn't".
What am I doing? What is my tongue doing? My tongue is going into the T position
in the upper part of my mouth, so it's saying "can't". It's up there. It wants to go "can't",
but I don't say the T because it's extra work for my tongue, and when we are speaking casually,
quickly, we want to speak fluidly, so we cut the T. We don't release the T.
Your tongue still goes in the T position, but it does not release the T. So, repeat after me.
"I can't believe it." Okay. Just try this. "I can't",
and put your tongue, like, "I can't", okay? It's not "I can", it's "I can't",
and you just don't say T at the end. Okay? Repeat after me. "We couldn't go."
Good. Next, we have the verb "to be", so we have... I'm just going to do the unreleased form.
Repeat after me, if you would like. "Isn't", "aren't", "wasn't", "weren't". Yeah, I know.
"Weren't", it's like "weren't", okay? And repeat after me these sentences. "It isn't ready."
Okay, a little slower. "It isn't ready."
Okay. And now, say it with the T released, because people do speak like this as well.
Think of a university professor who tries to enunciate and pronounce everything. So,
"It isn't ready."
Now, that is probably easier to understand for most people who are learning English,
but you are an intermediate, advanced speaker at this stage, so it's time. It's time to start
speaking how North Americans actually speak, or people from England actually speak, and
not release the T. So, try one more time, a little quicker. "It isn't ready."
All right, next. "They aren't here."
"They aren't here."
"Aren't", "aren't". I know, it's like "aren't", kind of like this, "aren't". "They aren't here."
Okay, next. "She wasn't finished."
"She wasn't."
"We weren't friends."
"We weren't."
Good job. Okay. Does it feel natural? If it doesn't feel natural, don't worry. The more
you practice, the more you'll get it. It's like me with the French R, okay? It has taken many years.
I can recognize it, so even if you can't or can't produce this unreleased T sound with some of
these words, this video will help you to at least recognize it with your ear, okay? So, again, I'll
try my French R, just if you're... If you're saying, "This is so hard, Alex. Oh, I hate English.
Here's my French."
"Restaurant". "Restaurant". Is it a "ch" or is it "ch"? "Restaurant". Okay.
Okay. Not bad, actually. After many years, I'm getting it. […]
