The Most Confusing English Mistake | "Did You Say CAN or CAN'T?"

Hey there! As you just saw, sometimes it’s  difficult to tell the difference between  

can and can’t. Especially in American English. 

So let’s see how your listening is now. When  I say [I can’t hear you], what do you hear?

And it’s not just hard to understand  the difference. For learners,  

can’t is also challenging to  pronounce with an American accent.

So if YOU have ever suffered from confusing can  and can’t, if you watch this lesson until the end,  

you will master how to hear the difference  between them and also how to pronounce them! 

And for those of you that are new here, I want  to invite you to join our global community  

by hitting the subscribe button and the bell down  below. That way, we can help you to understand  

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In this comment thread on YouTube this user said:  I usually use “cannot” instead of “can’t” just  

to avoid confusion. Then, someone made a funny  reply: I use my British accent in this only case.

If you do the same thing, that’s great. It  shows that you’re using different strategies  

to make yourself understood, which  obviously is the most important thing. 

However, if you’d like to modify your  accent and you want to learn to say it  

in a way that’s closer to how natives  say it, we’ll do that in just a bit. 

In this comment, this person says that the problem  is when you’re watching an American TV show  

and you don’t know if they said can and can’t. That’s so true!

So, let’s start with what you know.

This is pronounced CAN and this CAN’T.

However, that’s just the  strong form of those words.  

In context, can is usually reduced  to the weak form [kən]. For example:

We use the strong form [kæn]  when it’s in last position.

Or in short answers.

Or when you use it to contrast it  with something else or add emphasis.

Or finally, in the noun form:

Now, can’t is always said in the strong form,  

meaning we don’t reduce  the vowel sound to a schwa. 

This is the basic pronunciation  of this word: [kænt].

However, it is estimated that only 1 out of  10 times people will say can’t [canT], fully  

enunciating that ‘t’ at the end. Here’s an example  where I use a true T (the fully pronounced T).

If I say it this way, it sounds a bit unnatural,  

or like I really want to  emphasize that she cannot come.

9 out of 10 times natives will say this ‘t’  a bit differently. There are 3 possibilities.

And this is what probably confuses you  because when you don’t hear that clear ‘t’,  

it becomes very similar to can.

Cannot by the way works exactly like can’t,  but you’d hear that in a very formal context.  

You could also say cannot when  you want to add extra emphasis.  

But we natives don’t use it so often, so  if you are in doubt, say “can’t” instead.

And if these subtleties that I’m pointing out  make you feel a bit stressed or even scared,  

you are not alone. This is challenging stuff!  That is why we developed our RealLife Native  

Immersion course--to help learners like YOU  confidently understand the most difficult  

aspects of native pronunciation. What we’re  seeing today is just one small aspect for  

you to master so you can have advanced  comprehension and speak clearly, though.

So as a gift for you today,  I want to give you free  

access to our Power Learning  Minicourse, which will give you  

a taste of our method. You can sign up now by  clicking up here or down in the description!

The stop T happens when we don’t completely  finalize the pronunciation of the T. 

With a true T, my tongue touches the roof of my  mouth behind my teeth. Watch as I say these words:  

"hat, eat, what?" 

All right, but I usually would say those words  with a stop T. In that case, my tongue stays down,  

and I cut off the T at the back of my  throat. Watch again: "hat, eat, what?"

Now I’ll say them again, but practice saying  the stop T the same way as I do. It might be  

challenging for you, but keep practicing  and eventually you’ll be able to do it! 

"Hat, eat, what?"

All right and now that you have  a better idea of the stop T,  

let’s go back to can’t. Compare: can’t (with  a true T) and can’t (with a stop T). "Can't"

Again, the air is stopped and you don’t  release the “ttt” sound at the end.

I’ll say a few sentences, first with  a true T, and then with a stop T.

I’ll make it even more interesting now. First  I’ll say it with a true T, then with a stop T,  

and then I’ll say “can”. Pay  attention to the differences.

Also notice the difference in  pitch: I can't go. I can go.

Now the other possibility I  mentioned was dropping the ‘t’.

This is especially true if the  next word starts in a vowel.  

So, again, I’ll say the following examples  first with a true T and then with no T at all.

All right, so now I bet you are  scratching your head and asking yourself:

"But if can’t is said with no “t” then how the  heck is it different from can in the affirmative?"

The answer is because, as I said earlier, “can”  is almost always pronounced in the weak form  

[kən] when used in a sentence. When we say can’t  with no ‘t’: can’t we use the strong form [kænt].

Okay, but you said can can be pronounced strongly  

when it’s in final position or  when it is used for contrast...

Yes. There are going to be some cases where it  could be rather ambiguous. However, that’ll happen  

very rarely. And when it does,  it can even trip up natives.  

However, most times the context will make it  clear if the speaker is saying can or can’t.

Grammar also helps! If you ask  me: "Can you help me?" And I say  

“Sorry, I can’t help you.” The  word sorry indicates I’m saying no.

Lastly, there’s a third possibility and  that’s when the ‘t’ turns into a [ch] sound.

Luckily, this is quite easy. This simply  happens when can’t is followed by “you.”

This doesn’t mean you can’t say it with a stop t.

Or even a true T: "can't you do it?" Note that in this case it  

gives a bit of extra emphasis! But we natives don't use it so often,  

so if you are in doubt say "can't" instead. And if these subtleties that I'm pointing out  

make you feel a bit stressed or even scared,  you are not alone! This is challenging stuff  

and that is exactly why we developed our  RealLife Native Immersion Course, to help  

learners like you constantly understand the  most difficult aspects of native pronunciation. 

What we're seeing today is just one small aspect  for you to master, so that you can have advanced  

comprehension and speak clearly too. So as  a gift for you today I want to give you FREE  

access to our Power Learning Mini Course,  which will give you a taste of our method. 

You can sign up now by clicking up  here or down in the description!

By the way, this T + Y becoming a CH sound, like  in “can’t you” is a great example of connected  

speech! If you want to learn more about how to  understand more types of connected speech (and  

even use it when you speak), check out this lesson  by clicking up here or down the description below.

All right , now let’s review what we’ve learned so  far. Answer True or False to these two questions!

Right, it’s usually reduced to [kən],  

but we also saw some cases where  we pronounce it strongly as [kæn].

In this case, you don’t need  to worry about it reducing!  

Just remember that how we  pronounce the T can change:

Now that you know the difference,  let's put your ears to the test! 

I'll say a sentence and you'll have to choose  either can or can't based on what you hear.

Now, get ready to speak English! Let’s  put your pronunciation to the test.  

I’ll show you an image, and you’ll say  either can or can’t based on what you see.

Now let’s use it in real life! Next time  you are watching a TV series or video,  

listening to a podcast, or speaking with a friend,  

take a moment to pay attention to this!  Even pause and listen a couple times.

Ask yourself: Did they say “can” or “can’t”. Was  “can” said in its strong form or its weak form?  

How was the T pronounced (or  not pronounced) in “can’t”?

There you have it! As promised, today you learned  to tell can and can’t apart. You’ve tuned your  

ears to that difference and you can also now  pronounce can’t with much more confidence!

And now it's time to go beyond the  classroom and live your English! Aww yeahh!