Sound like a native speaker: Modals

Hey, everyone.

One sec.

I'm Alex.

Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this pronunciation lesson on "Reduced Pronunciation for Modals".

So we're going to look at a whole bunch of modal verbs and situations where you can reduce

the pronunciation.

Now, this is going to help you improve your listening comprehension, and also to improve

your speaking so that you can sound more comfortable and more natural when you're speaking as well.

So, here we have: "would you", "would he", "could you", "could he", "should you", "should

he", "have got to", "has got to", "have to", "has to", "ought to", and there's going to

be five more after this board as well.

Okay?

Now, if you're wondering: "Okay, you have 'would you', 'would he', what about: 'would

I', 'would she', 'would they', 'would it'?"

There's no reduced pronunciation for those so I only gave you the ones where people normally

do some kind of reduced pronunciation when they have these words together.

Okay?

So, one: "would you", in speaking very quickly can be pronounced and often is pronounced:

"wouldja".

Okay?

So it's like a "ja", "ja".

So, repeat after me: "wouldja".

So, you could say: "Hey, would you mind holding the door?"

Or just like this, repeat after me: "Wouldja mind holding the door?"

Try it one more time.

"Wouldja mind?

Wouldja mind", okay.

I will review them afterwards, too.

So if you didn't get it the first time, don't worry.

Next: "would he" can be pronounced: "wouldee".

You're basically cutting off the "h" when you have "he" with the modal in this case.

So, repeat after me: "wouldee".

Like Woody from Toy Story, say it like that.

Okay?

So: "Would he know the answer?"

Or very quickly repeat after me with the reduced pronunciation: "Wouldee know the answer?"

Okay?

Next: "Could you", same idea as "wouldja", we have: "couldja".

Okay, so you could say: "Hey, could you help me with something?"

Or very quickly: "Couldja help me with something?"

Okay, try one more time with just: "couldja".

Good.

Next: "Could he", same idea "would he", "wouldee" or you can say: "couldee".

So, you could say: "Could he do it?" or you can do it, repeat after me: "Couldee do it?"

Perfect.

Next we have: "Should you", same like "wouldja", "couldja", "shouldja".

Okay?

So "shouldja" is a little more difficult for me I think.

And you can say it this way, in this case: "Should you be doing that?"

Or with "shouldja": "Shouldja be doing that?"

And if you're shaking your head right now, saying: "Alex, I can't, I can't", let's try

it one more time, let's try just saying "shouldja".

So just repeat after me: "Shouldja?"

And now the whole question: "Shouldja be doing that?"

Okay, keep practicing.

Next: "Should he", again, you have: "wouldee", "couldee", "shouldee", okay?

So: "Shouldee be here?"

And, again, you could say: "Hey, should he be here?

Should he be here?"

Or when you have the reduced pronunciation, just: "Shouldee", "Shouldee be here?"

Excellent.

All right, next: "Have got to" and "Has got to", so you've got "'ve gotta" and "'s gotta".

Okay?

So, it's just fun to do, it's like an airplane.

Speaking of, think of it like this.

Right? "'v gotta, 's gotta".

Okay?

So let's try these two sentences with the plane.

You could say: "You've got to try harder", okay?

Or you can say: "You'v gotta try harder."

Okay, repeat after me: "You'v gotta try harder."

Okay, a little faster now that the airplane is making me...

Making me say it longer, like "vvv", anyway.

So, let's try it a little faster.

"You'v gotta try harder."

Good.

Next: "Has got to", "'s gotta", so: "Mark's got to go home early", or contraction: "Mark's

gotta go home early.

Mark's gotta go."

One more time: "Mark's gotta go home early."

All right, next we have: "Have to" and "Has to", very simply: "hafta", "hasta".

So you can say: "We have to get a new car."

Or you can say: "We hafta get".

Complete sentence this time: "We hafta get a new car."

And: "Patricia has to ask her mom first before she can go to the party: "Or: "Patricia hasta

ask her mom first."

Let's just try the "Patricia has to" or "Patricia hasta".

So: "Patricia hasta", "Patricia hasta ask", "Patricia hasta ask her mom".

Okay, and finally on this board we have: "ought to", so we have: "hafta", "hasta".

"Ought to" is just: "oughta".

So repeat after me: "oughta".

So: "They ought to move."

Maybe they don't like their house or they're in a bad neighbourhood, and: "They ought to

move", "They should move", so here you would say: "They oughta move".

One more time: "They oughta move".

Okay, so let's repeat all of these one more time in a quick, shorter context.

So here, repeat after me: "wouldja?", "wouldja mind?", "wouldee?", "wouldee go?", "couldja?",

"couldja help?", "couldee?", "couldee go?", "shouldja?", "shouldja be doing that?", "shouldee?",

"shouldee come?", "'ve gotta", "I've gotta go", "'s gotta", "he's gotta go", "hafta",

"I hafta leave", "hasta", "she hasta sit", "oughta", "we oughta continue".

Okay, and you oughta stay tuned because the next five are really useful, too, so let's

do it.

Okay, all right, now we have...

You might be familiar with them: "shoulda", "woulda", "coulda", "musta", "mighta".

Now, I'm not going to review the grammar for this because this is a pronunciation lesson,

but very quickly: "should have", past advice; "would have", third conditional, an unreal

situation in the past; "could have", "must have", "might have", past possibilities or

past probabilities, making guesses about what could have happened, must have happened if

you're very sure, or might have happened if you're not sure.

You can look up all these things on engVid or everywhere, all over, you know, the internet

also.

So, first we have: "should have" can be pronounced, repeat: "shoulda".

So, for example: "You should have told me" can be said, repeat after me: "You shoulda

told me."

Beautiful.

"Would have" can be pronounced, repeat: "woulda".

Okay, so you could say: "I would have said yes."

Or repeat after me: "I woulda said yes."

Beautiful.

Next: "could have" can be pronounced as "coulda".

All right, so you could say: "He could have helped" or repeat after me: "He coulda helped."

Excellent.

"Must have" can be pronounced as, repeat: "musta".

You can say: "They must have left" or repeat after me: "They musta left."

Okay?

And then "might have" can be pronounced as "mighta".

So you could say: "She might have had a fight", or repeat after me: "She mighta had a fight."

Okay, so just like before, let's repeat them one more time.

So repeat after me: "shoulda", "You shoulda helped", "woulda", "I woulda said yes", "coulda",

"He coulda done it", "musta", "He musta fallen asleep", "mighta", "He mighta had a fight".

Okay, so all of these pronunciations are really important because they will help you to understand

other people's conversations, as well as conversations you hear in film, and TV, and in music, and

anywhere out on the street.

So yes, definitely know the forms that, yes, it is: "should have", "would have", "could

have", "must have", "might have", "should he", "would he", and all that stuff.

Absolutely, that's the correct way to spell it.

And definitely when you write these words, don't write: "woulda", write: "would have".

Okay?

Unless you do the contraction with "would've" with a "v-e".

But, in speaking, make sure, you know, if you're in an informal situation, most native

speakers will say: "shoulda", "coulda", "woulda", "musta", "mighta".

Okay?

"Shouldja", and everything like that.

Now, there is no...

What's the term I'm looking for?

Quiz, that's what those things are called.

There is no quiz for this lesson as it is a pronunciation lesson.

So if you want to test your understanding of it, the best thing you can really do is

go back, watch it again, practice the pronunciation, look at yourself in the mirror and say the

words, too.

Okay?

So that's the best advice I can give you guys.

I wish you luck, and until next time don't forget to subscribe to my channel, and thanks for clicking.