English Pronunciation for Brazilians

Hello, my friends. My name is Emma; and in today's video, I am going to talk

about some of the common mistakes I hear my Brazilian students make. So, before

we get to that, there are a couple of things I wanted to say. The first thing

is: I love Brazil. I love Brazilian culture, I love Brazilian food, and I

have many Brazilian friends. The reason why I tell you this is because I hear

many Brazilian speakers making the same kinds of mistakes. So, I wanted to

create this video to help my friends out, to help my students out, and to

help any Brazilians out who are trying to improve their English. There are many

Brazilians in Toronto. It's a great city. If you ever want to learn English

abroad, I highly recommend coming to Toronto to learn English. It's an

excellent place to study. In the past and currently, I have many Brazilian

students. Many people from Brazil come to Toronto to learn English. So, this is

actually a group of students I have a lot of experience with and experience

helping.

So, what have I noticed about my Brazilian students overall? I have

noticed many of my Brazilians... many of my Brazilian students speak excellent

English; they're very easy to understand. They have great opinions or

interesting opinions on many different topics. So, I love having Brazilian

students. The conversations are always very exciting when I have Brazilian

students. But there's one thing that I've also noticed, and that is that many

Brazilian students make the same pronunciation mistakes. So, in this

video, I'm going to tell you about some of the most common pronunciation

mistakes I hear my Brazilian students make, and how we can correct those

mistakes. So, let's get started. Okay. So, the first mistake I hear many

Brazilian students make is their pronunciation of "ed". When I hear

Brazilian students pronounce "ed" for past tense verbs, they often make the

sound "id". So, I will hear Brazilian students say: "wantid", "workid",

"playid". They pronounce "ed" the same way in each of these cases. But the

correct pronunciation is a little strange, because in English, "ed"

actually is pronounced in three different ways. Sometimes "ed" is

pronounced like "id" — so, that's true — for example: "wanted" — it sounds like

"id" — sometimes "ed" is pronounced like "t" sound. So, a "t" sound; a "t" sound.

So, for example: "worked". So it's not: "workid"; it's: "workt". And sometimes

"ed" is pronounced as a "d" sound, or a "d" sound, like in: "played". So, this

is one of the common pronunciation mistakes that I hear.

So, let's talk about ways to improve our pronunciation with this, and we'll also

talk about: "How do you know how do you pronounce 'ed'? How do you know if it's

pronounced like: 'id', 't', or 'd'?" So, my first tip when it comes to

pronouncing "ed" is that for words that have that "t" sound... If this is a

mistake you're making a lot, I recommend doing what I'm going to show you. I

have, here: "work" and a "t" or a "t" sound. Sometimes using things, like our

fingers, can actually help our brain to remember pronunciation. So, what I would

do is I would write the verb, and then I would write how we pronounce "ed" — in

this case, it's a "t" sound — and I would actually use my finger to combine

these together. So, instead of saying: "workid", I would say: "workt",

"worked". And then the faster you go, the easier it actually becomes to

pronounce. "Worked". Okay? So, it's one syllable; one clear line: "worked". Now,

this is very different from a word, like: "wanted". In this case, it has two

syllables; it has the "want" and it has the "ed" syllable. So, if I pronounce

this, I would say: "wantid", "wanted". So, you see, there's two parts; two

syllables to the pronunciation of this; whereas with "worked", it's just one:

"worked".

So, now let's look at how we would do a pronunciation with this "d" sound. So,

again, here, I've written a verb: "play" and the "ed" sound in "play" is a "d"

sound. So, what I can do to stop saying: "playid" is I can actually take my

finger and just do it in one, smooth, continuous pronunciation: "played",

"played". Okay? So, this is different from saying it as: "playid". Instead,

we're linking it all together into one syllable: "played". Okay? This might

take time, especially if you have been pronouncing "id" for all verbs for a

long time. It takes time to change your pronunciation, but I highly recommend

practicing this because this will help you... it will help people understand

you better, and it will help your... your accent as well. So, now, let's look

at: "How do we know when we pronounce 'ed' as 'id'? How do we know when we

pronounce it like a 't' sound? And how do we know when we pronounce it like a

'd' sound?"

Okay. Quick quiz. How many different ways are there to pronounce "ed" ending?

The correct answer is: Three. There are three different ways to pronounce "ed"

in English. So, now, I'm going to tell you: "How do you know when to pronounce

it like 'id'? How do you know when to pronounce 'ed' like 't'? And how do you

know when to pronounce 'ed' like 'd'?" Well, let's get started with the easiest

example, and that is when "ed" sounds like "id". We pronounce "ed" like "id"

when a verb ends in "t" or "d". So, this might be confusing; but when you see

examples, it becomes a little easier to understand. If you look here, I have the

verb: "need". "I need something." Now, if I want to talk about the past and use

this verb, I add "ed". So, how do we pronounce "ed", here? Well, I look at

this... this sound: "need" — okay, it has a "d" sound at the end of "need", so

this becomes: "needid" — "needed". Okay? So, this is probably how you are

pronouncing this right now anyways, because like I said, Brazilians often

use the "id" sound for "ed". So, you don't have to change this; you're

probably pronouncing it correctly: "needed". Okay.

I also said: We can pronounce "ed" like a "id" when the ending of a verb is a

"t" sound. So, if you look, here, we have: "want" is the verb — it ends in a

"t" sound. So, when we change "want" to the past, we add "ed" and we pronounce

this as: "wantid": "I wanted to see you yesterday", for example. It's the same

with this word: "wait". So, we have our verb: "wait". The verb: "wait" ends in a

"t" sound. So, when we add "ed", it becomes an "id" sound: "waitid", and it

has that second syllable: "waited", "wanted", "needed". Finally, here's

another example with a "d": "decided". So, because "decide" has this "d" sound

at the end... And, again, we're talking about the sound; we're not talking about

spelling when we're talking about this. We're talking about the sound. "Decide"

ends in a d" sound, so we can add the "ed", and it makes an "id"

pronunciation: "decidid". So, that's the first rule for pronounce... for

pronouncing "ed". When there's a "t" or a "d" ending, we use the "id"

pronunciation.

So, what's the second rule? Well, sometimes "ed" sounds like a "t" sound.

When does this happen? It happens when a verb ends in a voiceless sound. So, you

might think: "Oh, what is a 'voiceless sound'?" A "voiceless sound" is a sound

that comes from your mouth. If we touch our neck, when we pronounce a voiceless

sound, there is no vibration here. So, you can try this right now. If you

pronounce like a "p", "p", a "p" sound — this doesn't really move; whereas if you

pronounce a "b" sound, you will feel vibration in your throat. If this is too

confusing, that's okay; you can also just memorize the sounds. That might be

a bit easier for some of you. So, if a verb ends in a "s" sound or the s sound,

if it ends in a "k" sound or a "k" sound, a "p" sound or the "p" sound,

sound "ch" or the "ch" sound, a "sh" sound or the "sh" sound, a "f" sound or

an "f" sound, or a "th" sound — what we can do is we can pronounce "ed" as a

"t". So, let's look at some examples. I have, here, the verb: "shopped". "Shop"

end in a "p" sound, so because of that, we pronounce it like a "t": "shoppt".

"Shopped". You hear that strong "t" sound: "shopped". "Yesterday, I

shopped." Notice I am not saying: "shoppid"; I'm saying very quickly:

"shoppt".

Now, let's look at the next example. "Cook" is a verb; it ends in a "k", so

we have, here — it's on our list of when to pronounce "ed" like "t": "cooked",

the "ed" becomes a "t" sound: "cookt". Again, we do not say: "cookid"; we say:

"cookt", "cooked". Okay. Now, we have the word: "watched". "Watch" is a verb;

it ends in a "ch", so because it ends in a "ch", our "ed" is going to

pronounce... be pronounced like a "t" sound: "watcht", "watched". "Yesterday,

I watched TV." And, again, it takes time to... to get this pronunciation correct.

Here's one more example: The verb "miss" ends in a "s" or an "s" sound, so what

does "ed" sound like? It sounds like a "t". Why? Because of the... the sound

before; it's an "s" sound. So, if we look here, "s" means you pronounce "ed?

like a "t" sound: "misst". You might have to watch this video a couple of

times, because I know it's very confusing. You're really listening to

different sounds, and you really got to think: "Okay. This verb ends in this

sound — that means we pronounce "ed" this way." So, I understand it's

confusing, and it does take a little bit of time and practice. So, now, let's

look at the last way we pronounce "ed" which is as a "d" sound, and: When do we

do that?

Okay. Quick quiz question: What is the third way to pronounce "ed"? We've

talked about "id", we've talked about "t". What is the third? The third is a

"d" sound or a "d" sound. So, "ed" can be pronounced like "d". How do you know

when to pronounce "ed" like a "d" sound or a "d" sound? Well, the more

complicated explanation has to do with when we voice different sounds at the

end of verbs. So, what do I mean by "voice"? Well, if you touch your larynx,

or this area, when you say these different sounds, you'll feel a

vibration. So, for example, if you say: "ba", "ga", "z", "ra", "ba", "ma", "na",

"ga", "e" — you actually can feel a movement here, and that's what we mean

by "voice". But that can get a little complicated. So, another way you can

remember this is just by memorizing the different voice sounds. There are more

voice sounds in English, but these are the main ones, so these are the ones

that I'm going to show you today. So, whenever a verb ends in one of these

voice sounds, we pronounced "ed" like a "d" sound. Okay?

So, let's look at some examples. I have, here, the verb "listen", "listen". If I

wanted to turn "listen" into a past tense verb, I pronounce the "ed" like a

"d": "listened", "listened". Okay. And notice — it's kind of soft. So, we do

not say: "listen-ed"; we say: "listened". We have, here: "studied".

So, "studied" ends in this "e" sound, so we actually would pronounce "ed" like a

"d" sound: "studied". Here, we have an "l" — "call" ends in the "l" sound, so

when we pronounce "call", we pronounce "ed" like a "d": "called". "I called you

yesterday." It's the same with: "stayed". Notice we pronounce this with

a "d" sound? And it all depends on what the sound is before "ed". Nowadays,

we're talking a lot about Zoom. "Zoom" is a way to chat with people. So, if you

wanted to say: Yesterday, I Zoomed my friends", because "zoom" — the verb

"zoom" ends in an "m" or a "m" sound, "ed" is pronounced like a "d": "zoomed".

And, finally: "buzzed". So, "buzzed". Like, right now, I am wearing a dress

that is covered in bumblebees. What sound do bees make? They "buzz". So, I

can say: "The bees buzzed." And I can pronounce this like a "d" sound. Okay.

So, that's a lot to remember, so you might have to watch this a couple of

times. But the main thing I want you to remember is: There are three different

ways to pronounce "ed"; sometimes it's pronounced "id", sometimes it's

pronounced "t", and sometimes it's pronounced "d". So, that is one of the

most common mistakes I hear Brazilians make in their pronunciation. Now, I'm

going to teach you another common pronunciation mistake I hear Brazilians

making. Okay. So, before we continue, there's one important point I'd like to

make, and that is: When I'm talking about "ed" and the three different

pronunciations, I'm talking about "ed" in verbs when we're talking about the

past tense. So, when we talk about "ed" at the end of a verb — that's what I'm

talking about. I am not talking about words, like: "education", where "ed" is

at the beginning of the word. Okay? So, the last segment: I'm specifically

talking about "ed" endings on verbs and how we pronounce them.

Okay. So, now, let's talk about another common mistake I hear Brazilians make,

and that is the pronunciation of "h" and "r". Sometimes when I hear Brazilians

talk about things, and they are using an "r" word, they pronounce the "r" like an

"h" in English. So, for example, I've heard Brazilians say, when they're

trying to say the word: "red", I've heard them say: "head". Or when a

Brazilian student might be trying to say: "rabbit", I might hear: "habit".

So, Brazilians have their own type of "r" sound; it's very different from the

"r" in English. So, let's just listen to the differences between "r" and "h", and

then I'm going to teach you how to do an English "r" sound. So, "rabbit" has that

"r" sound: "rabbit". This is very different from: "habit", which has a "h"

— it's more of a breathy sound. "Rabbit"; "habit". Or we have, here, the

word: "red", "r". You hear that? It's almost like a growl that a bear might

make: "red". This is very different from: "head". Okay? So, the first way to

improve your pronunciation is to actually hear the differences between

sounds. So, hopefully, you can hear the difference between: "rabbit" and

"habit"; "red" and "head". They sound different.

So, how do we make an English "r" sound? Well, there are actually different "r"

sounds in English, and there are different ways to make the "r". When "r"

is at the beginning of a word, we usually use two different ways to

pronounce it. So, you actually have a choice, and you can choose what's

easiest for you. Some people, when they pronounce the "r" sound in English, this

is their tongue. I know this is a scary drawing. I am not an artist, so I

apologize. Hopefully, you will not get nightmares. But this is a person. We

have their eye, eyebrow, nose, mouth, teeth, and this is the tongue. So, you

see what this man's tongue is doing when he's pronouncing "r"? His tongue's going

up. So, when he says: "rabbit", his tongue actually moves up and then down.

And notice where the tongue is going up. If you feel behind your teeth, there's

actually this bump. Okay? There's actually a bump. The "r"... when our

tongue goes up, it goes close to that bump; it's just right behind that bump,

and our tongue does not touch the roof of our mouth. So, I don't know if you

can see here, but there's no touch, but our tongue goes up towards this bump.

And that's how we make a "r" sound, like in: "rabbit" or "red". You'll also

notice what my lips are doing. My lips are sort of rounded. So, if you look:

"rabbit", "r", "rabbit"; but they're not, like, tight. If I do a tight sound,

it actually sounds like: "wabbit", which is more of a "w" sound. So, I have to be

very careful on what my lips are doing. So, they're rounded, but they're not

tight. "Rabbit", "rabbit"; "red". Okay? So, that's one way to pronounce "r".

The second way is where our tongue actually, if you can see, the back of

the tongue moves upward. So, this is our tongue, this is the front of the tongue.

And notice what's happening, here? The front part of our tongue stays down, but

the back part moves towards... towards the back of our head, actually. So, this

is called a bunched "r". For some people, this way is easier, where their

tongue stays down, but it kind of moves back like this. For other people, it's

easier if their tongue flaps up. It's your choice; you can practice both and

see what works best for you. When you practice "r" pronunciation, I highly

recommend going very slowly. Don't choose words that are very long to

pronounce first; maybe just try the "r" sound with a vowel. So, why not try

word...? Well, these are not words, but why not try: "ri", "ra", "ru"? By doing

just the "r" with a vowel, you can actually really focus on that "r" sound.

I also recommend looking in a mirror when you pronounce this, and really look

at what your tongue is doing. Is it going up? Is it going back? Or is it

doing something different? Really pay attention to what your tongue is doing,

and that will help you with this pronunciation. So, there is one more

pronunciation trick I have for my Brazilian students. So, let's learn this

final trick that I'm going to talk about in this video.

Okay. Before I talk about the final tip, I wanted to let you know that it is

possible to improve your pronunciation. When I was a kid, I could not pronounce

"r" sounds. It took me time to actually learn, when I was about six years old,

how to pronounce "r". So, I have been in the same situation as many of you. It

can be very scary when you start working on pronunciation because you might

think: "There's so much I need to change." I recommend doing one small

change at a time. So, maybe the first week, start trying to work on "ed". And

then once you master "ed", then you can start working on your "r" and "h" sound.

Again, practice makes perfect, but it is possible. I have had many, many students

have great success with their pronunciation. What it takes is practice

and paying attention to what your mouth is doing. I think those are the two most

important things when it comes to pronunciation. Okay.

So, what is my final tip for Brazilians when it comes to pronunciation? My final

tip is vowels. Many Brazilian students have difficulty with vowels in English.

So, what do I mean by "vowels"? Well, I mean sounds like: "o", "e", "i", "ah",

"oo". There are different sounds in English, usually for vowels we use

different letters. The letters we use to show a vowel is: "a", "e", "i", "o", and

"u". So, it is tough for people to learn how to pronounce vowels. I'm going to

teach you the two things you can do right away that will help you with your

vowel pronunciation. So, let's look at an example first. One common vowel

mistake I hear Brazilian students make is they pronounce "e" the same way as

"i". These are very different sounds in English. So, I'll give you an example.

We have, here, the word "sheep", so it has this "e" sound; and then we have

this word "ship", which is a short sound. "Ship" — it is that "i" sound. Or

you might hear maybe a student says: "eat" and "it" the same way. So, how do

we improve our pronunciation of vowels? Well, the first thing I recommend is:

Think about how long we say the vowel sound. Is it a long sound or a short

sound? So, listen to the difference: "sheep", "eep" — it's a long sound —

"sheep". This is very different from: "ship". "Ship" is a very short sound.

So, one way to improve your vowels is pay attention to: "Is it a long sound or

a short vowel sound?" That will really help you.

The second thing you can start paying attention to is: Do you use a big mouth

or a small mouth for the pronunciation? So, if I say: "sheep", my mouth really

gets big; it spreads. "Sheep", "ee". You see my mouth? It's... it's actually not

comfortable, because it's like I have two strings, here, and when I say: "ee",

my lips spread and they get very big. This is very different from a "i" sound;

"i" sound is a small sound — my mouth doesn't really do much; it actually

stays quite small. So, look at my mouth: "ee", "ih". You see? There's... one of

them is a big mouth sound; the other one is a small mouth sound. So, that can

help you with your vowels. Let's look at another example. Another common vowel

mistake Brazilian students make is with "o" sounds. So, for example, we have

here the word "book". It has a short "o" sound. "Book". We have here the word:

"boot", "boot". This one has a long "o" sound. So, even though the spelling is

the same, the pronunciation of the "o" in these is actually different. I have a

whole video on this topic, so if you want to learn how to pronounce "o's" in

English, I highly recommend watching this video. But for now, the main thing

I want you to realize is: To improve your vowel sound, notice when it's a

short sound like: "book" — it happens very quick — "book", versus: "boot",

"boot". It's a longer sound. Okay? The second thing to notice is: Am I making a

big mouth or a little mouth? So, in this case: "book"— my mouth is very small.

"Boot" — actually, that one is a bit small, too. But if I said something,

like: "o", you'll notice my mouth gets bigger. So, my main point is when you

are learning vowels, think about these two things: "Is it long or short? And do

you have a big mouth or a little mouth in your pronunciation?" Again, when you

work on pronunciation, always use a mirror and look at what your mouth is

doing. That is my number one tip for you.

So, thank you guys so much for watching. What you can do now is you can visit our

website at www.engvid.com. And, there, you can actually practice what you

learned today and you can take a quiz on the different types of mistakes

Brazilian learners make when they're learning English. So, I highly recommend

checking out our website and taking that quiz. I would also like to invite you to

subscribe to my YouTube channel. There, you can find more videos on

pronunciation, on vocabulary, on writing, and on many different topics.

Just don't forget to ring the bell, because when you ring the bell, you will

get notifications of new videos. You can also check out my website at

www.teacheremma.com for more free resources. So, thank you guys so much

for watching; and, until next time, take care.