How to talk about Coronavirus in English: Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Example Sentences

Hey there!

It's Hadar, and this is the Accent's Way.

Welcome to my channel.

Today we're going to talk about the Coronavirus.

What is up with the world?

What is up with the world?

Climate change, political craziness, fires in Australia, financial crises in South America...

And now, this - the Coronavirus.

As if that's just one more thing that we need to deal with.

By the way, I hope that by the time you're watching this, this is no more than a

distant memory.

But if you happen to be watching this as I released this video, then you know this is

on today's agenda.

It's all around the news.

The entire world is taking precautions, and there are a lot of restrictions, and

people are talking about it.

And the reason why I'm making this video is because I want you to get into this

conversation because at the end of the day, the Corona shall pass too, but we'll

always have English.

And for those of you who are in self-quarantine watching this, I hope that

it will pass really quickly and you'll be back into your normal life soon.

So, let's get started.

Okay, so what we're going to do today is we're going to learn how to pronounce a

few key words in this topic, first of all, 'Coronavirus'.

And then we're going to talk about how to use them in a sentence.

Okay?

So, the name of the virus and the beer is 'Corona'.

We start with a K sound, then it's a schwa - "kuh", "row" - "ow" as in 'go',

"kuh-row".

And then "nuh", "nuh" - "kuh-row-nuh".

Then we add to it 'virus'.

We have a schwa here, if you can hear.

"vai", "ai" as in 'my', and then "r's".

Round your lips for the R, a schwa sound and an S - "kuh-row-nuh vai-r's". 'Coronavirus'.

When we talk about Corona, we talk about the outbreak of Corona.

And outbreak is when something starts, like a disease or a fight in a certain area.

It starts all of a sudden.

Outbreak.

"awt-breik".

And here you can say something like, "Have you heard about the Corona outbreak in

Washington state?"

Okay?

The thing about the virus is that it's very contagious.

Contagious, is that it is passed from one person to another rather easily.

Contagious.

Here you pronounce it with a K sound at the beginning, a schwa, and an N - "k'n"

"k'n", there is no O.

Then "tei", that's the primary stress.

"k'n-tei", and then "j's" "j's" - a 'j' sound, a schwa and an S.

"k'n-tei-j's", "k'n-tei-j's".

The Coronavirus is really contagious.

When people get the Coronavirus, when they get infected, they contract the virus.

"To contract the virus".

Contract.

K sound, and then a schwa and an N, just like contagious, it's the same beginning - "k'n".

And then "chrakt".

TR, which turns into a "ch" sound, and then the A as in 'cat'.

"k'n-chrakt".

You end with a K sound and a T - "k'n-chrakt".

Make sure that you don't add any vowels between the K and the T - "k'n-chraKT"

- if it's hard for you to connect consonants at the end.

And don't drop that T either - "k'n-chrakT".

"k'n-chrakt".

I know that some people hold that T, so you'll hear something like "k'n-chrak".

But if you're a non-native speaker and you tend to drop consonants at the end, go

ahead and release that T, like there is no tomorrow.

'Contract'.

Maybe there is no tomorrow with everything that is going on, I don't know.

Now, there are a lot of restrictions in many different countries.

Restrictions.

Let's talk about this word.

"ris": an R sound, round your lips, it's a relaxed "i", "ris".

"chri" - another TR/"ch" sound - "ris-chrik-sh'nz":

a SH sound, an N, and a, Z.

Now there are a lot of restrictions that health departments or governments, uh, put

on their citizens.

Like, you can't travel from one place to another.

If you've come from this or that country, you need to go into self-quarantine, no

foreigners are allowed into the country.

So there is a lot going on, right?

And there are a lot of restrictions.

But it's only because they're taking precautions.

'Precautions' are measures that people or governments take in order to prevent

something dangerous from happening.

Right?

So it's just making sure it doesn't happen by doing this, this, and that, putting all

these restrictions on people or countries or airlines.

Okay?

'Precautions'.

"pruh", that's a P, and an R, and a schwa.

"pruh" "pruh", round your lips for the R.

"kaa" - a K sound, then the 'aa' as in 'father'.

"pruh-kaa-sh'n" or "sh'nz", in plural.

It's a SH sound, an N and a Z: "pruh-kaa-sh'nz", "pruh-kaa-sh'nz".

And whether you agree with it or not, you still have to follow it.

Now, if you're in self-quarantine, you are probably waiting to see if there are

symptoms of the disease, right?

Symptoms, that means that you start sneezing or coughing or you get fever, or

you feel sick and you have body aches, right?

All of these things happen to you when you get sick, and those are the symptoms.

'Symptoms'.

Well, there is a P there, but you don't have to pronounce it.

So let's talk about how to pronounce this word.

"sim": it's an S sound, relaxed "i", and then an M - "sim", a silent P, and then "t'mz".

"sim [p] -t'mz".

Technically, you could say "simp-t'mz", "simp-t'mz", but English is a lazy language.

So when there's a chunk of consonants, a constant cluster where there is a sequence

of consonants, and in the middle there is a stop sound like a P - in this case, you

can drop it.

"sim-t'mz", if it's easier for you.

If it's harder for you and you want to keep the P, keep the P.

Okay?

"sim-t'mz" or "simp-t'mz".

But make it subtle, small, tiny, just like the Coronavirus.

'Symptoms'.

Now, the way to deal with the outbreak is by keeping the virus contained.

'Contained'.

A lot of words beginning with "k'n" "k'n".

'Congratulations' - another word with "k'n".

'Contained', that means kept in an enclosed place, right?

So it's not passing between countries.

Contained, contained.

I think that's a little too late, but people want to keep it contained.

"k'n", and then 'teind": a T sound, "ei" as in 'day', and then N.

You end it with a D - "k'n-teind", if you talk about it in the past form, or passive form.

"k'n-teind".

Now, Coronavirus doesn't have a cure, but people and companies are working on a

vaccine, developing a vaccine.

To pronounce 'vaccine', you start with a V sound, then the A as in 'cat' - "vak"

"vak", a K sound, and then "seen", as "I've seen you before".

"seen" - a high E.

"vak-seen".

Now, another problem of this whole Coronavirus business is that a part of it

being a @#$%, it also triggers xenophobia.

"x[i]nophobia" or "x[e]nophobia" is fear of the other or hatred towards the other.

Obviously, it started somewhere in Asia, but the thing is that it could have

happened anywhere.

Throughout histories we had diseases and epidemics starting in different places

around the world: Europe and Africa and Asia and South America.

So it's not like the world is safe as long as you isolate yourself.

This time it started in Asia.

And a lot of people, from what I hear from my community, have experienced racism and

fear of the other because of their descent, because they come from an Asian descent.

So, this is just an opportunity for me to first, introduce you to this term, and

second, to pay attention.

And to pay attention to how you behave and how you talk about people who are of

different culture.

And let's not play the blame game because this could have happened anywhere.

It happened now in Asia.

Next time it will happen where you are from.

Okay?

So, I'm just saying that come from love, and let's focus on sending healing

energies to the entire world and all of the people who are sick.

Rather than playing the anger game and blaming each other cause it doesn't help,

and it definitely won't serve you on a personal level and on a universal level.

Or an energetic level, or any level you might want to level it with.

Okay, that's it.

Now I want you to share with us in the comments below

how are you affected by the Coronavirus.

Let us know.

Did you have to cancel a trip?

Did you have to go into self-quarantine?

Did you get sick?

Did they shut down the school system in your country?

Let's share it and listen to each other and support each other in the comments below.

And I want you to see that you are not alone, but also to hear from real people

and not just from social media and the news.

Thank you so much for watching.

Again, I send you wishes of health and love.

Have a beautiful week and I'll see you, hopefully, without a mask, in the next video.