991 - CAN vs. CAN'T - Speak Naturally in a Minute | Happy English

Hey there! It’s Michael here - and welcome back to Speak Naturally in a Minute from Happy English. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point lesson to help you improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.

Today, let’s look at a two words that are often hard to hear: can and can’t First is can. Can is unstressed and the sound is more like kin. And the stress is on the verb after can:
I kin TAKE it
She kin DO it
We kin GO there tomorrow.

On the other hand, can't is stressed
I CAN’T take it
She CAN’T do it
We CAN’T go there tomorrow.

Listen again. I can go. She can’t go.
Can is unstressed, can’t is stressed. I can do it. She can’t do it.

Remember, pronunciation is half listening and half doing, so practice every day!
Hey, thanks for listening! And remember to follow and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next Sunday’s Speak Naturally in a Minute. Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.


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