Pronunciation: How fluent speakers pronounce 'can'

Hi. I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here, I'm gonna show you how English is

really spoken. Come on, let's go inside.

You see this? This is my lunch. Well, either that, or

it's some cat food. Anyway, do you know what we call this container? It's a can, right?

Now this has the same spelling as the modal 'can', and the same pronunciation, hasn't it?

Or has it? Listen carefully when we ask some people in London how many languages they speak.

I can speak one language. I can speak two languages.

I can speak two languages. I can speak two languages, English and Hindi.

They all used the word 'can'. But they didn't pronounce it as /kæn/. Listen again. How

do they pronounce it?

I can speak one language. I can speak two languages.

I can speak two languages. I can speak two languages, English and Hindi.

In fluent everyday English, when the modal auxiliary 'can' is unstressed, its pronunciation

changes to /kən/. 'I /kæn/ speak four languages' becomes: 'I /kən/ speak four languages'.

This is what's known as a weak form and it can occur in questions as well. Here are some

more examples.

Can you help me bring in the shopping, please? I can swim further than I can run.

You can succeed if you work hard. How far can you throw a tennis ball?

Right, so you've heard the examples, and now it's your turn. Are you ready? Listen and

repeat.

Can you help me bring in the shopping, please?

I can swim further than I can run.

You can succeed if you work hard.

How far can you throw a tennis ball?

Well done. Now remember, if you want to learn more about pronunciation, then please visit

our website, bbclearningenglish.com. And that is about it from the pronunciation workshop

for this week. I'll see you soon. Bye bye! Right, now, time for lunch I think! Ahh. Do

you think I can open this can, without a can opener? Hey. Oh no - it is cat food. Never

mind, we can eat cat food, can't we? You know what? That is not bad. Salmon? Rabbit? Mouse?