515. American English Pronunciation: The T Sound in Kitten, Button, and Manhattan

Want to sound more confident in English? In this video, I'm sharing 4 speech patterns and speaking habits that may be making you sound less confident, less clear, or less certain without you even realizing it. If English is your second language, these patterns may come from your first language or from habits you've built over time. The good news is that once you become aware of them, you can start changing them and sound more clear, natural, and confident in English. In this episode, we'll talk about: how rising intonation can make you sound uncertain why dropping your volume at the end of a sentence affects clarity how separating every word can hurt your flow why speaking too fast can make you sound less confident If you want to go deeper, save your seat to my free Pronunciation Masterclass! https://bit.ly/4cUif4r

Shadowing is a great way to practice your pronunciation, prosody, grammar and so much more, but the key is knowing what to focus on. In this video, we'll practice pitch and rhythm using a scene from Breaking Bad.  Download the script to follow along with: https://bit.ly/4v8pa1d  Check out my other shadowing videos here: https://bit.ly/4fx9j4t  Join my pronunciation masterclass: https://bit.ly/4cUif4r 

Do you hear people say words like kitten, Manhattan, forgotten, or written in a way that sounds different from what you learned? In this video, I'll teach you how the T is really pronounced in American English when it appears before a reduced vowel (schwa) and N, like in the words kitten, button, certain, written, and forgotten. Disclosure: This sound is a nuance of American English! It's not necessary for clear pronunciation.  This lesson is here to help you notice the pattern, improve your listening, and practice the details of American English pronunciation if that's something you want to work on. If you want to go deeper into pronunciation and learn how it can improve your fluency, clarity, and confidence, join my free Pronunciation Masterclass here: https://bit.ly/4cUif4r

Let's get ready to test your listening skills with a fast, fun clip from The Devil Wears Prada 2! First, you'll listen to the full clip and answer a few comprehension questions. Then, we'll break it down together, fill in the missing words, then uncover the connected speech, rhythm, stress, and intonation, and finally shadow the scene line by line. This episode will help you: - Understand fast English in context - Identify reduced and connected words - Notice pitch, rhythm, and tone of voice - Shadow naturally full of expression Liked this? check out my shadowing episode with The Devil Wears Prada 1: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/482/  Want to improve your pronunciation and understand fast English with more confidence? Join my free pronunciation masterclass here: https://bit.ly/4cUif4r

Looking for new ways to practice your English? In today's episode, I'm sharing with you some of my favorite strategies that can help you improve your fluency, listening, pronunciation, and vocabulary. I've used these myself learning English (and now Spanish!) and I've shared them with my students time and time again. These strategies are simple, powerful, and will help you turn everyday English practice into something more active, consistent, and fun. Do you want to build a consistent English practice routine? Learn more about Beyond, my English practice community: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N  More resources for you to practice with: My shadowing YouTube playlist https://bit.ly/4fx9j4t  Vocabulary practice YouTube playlist: https://bit.ly/4cZItm4  Impromptu speaking practice episode: https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/510/  My membership Beyond: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N

If you've been trying to improve your English but still don't feel clear, confident, or fully yourself when you speak, this video is for you! In this lesson, I'm sharing the number one strategy I use to help students improve their pronunciation, speak more clearly, and feel more confident in English. A lot of people think pronunciation is only important if you want to sound more polished, that pronunciation is a 'luxury' problem.  But the truth is, pronunciation is a core part of fluency. It affects how clearly you communicate, how easily people understand you, and how confident you feel when you speak. In this episode, we'll talk about: Why pronunciation matters so much for fluency and confidence The difference between sounds and the music of English How pronunciation work can improve clarity, credibility, and ease My step by step method for improving pronunciation effectively How to identify what to practice first so you can get better results faster If you're ready to improve your pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress, this will help you build a stronger foundation and start seeing results. Want to go deeper? Join my free Pronunciation Masterclass! https://bit.ly/4cUif4r

In today's episode, I'm introducing you to a dear, long-time student of mine, Elisa! Elisa is Italian, and works in hospitality, but her relationship with English started long before any of that.  One day, Elisa found herself stuck in a cycle: consuming English every day through music, YouTube and movies, but terrified to speak a single sentence out loud. In this interview, Elisa will share with us the exact shifts that changed everything for her: how she moved from overthinking every word to focusing on the message and what it felt like to finally become not just a more confident English speaker, but a more confident person. If you have ever told yourself, "I'm not ready yet," this one is for you! ⬇️ Resources mentioned: Free Shadowing Practice Playlist: https://bit.ly/4fx9j4t  Read Out Loud With Me Series: https://bit.ly/4cFoiJV  New Sound Course: https://bit.ly/4cGxbmC  Beyond membership: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N

Want to speak English without freezing, overthinking, or needing a full script first? In this episode, I'll show you how to practice impromptu speaking in English so you can talk more freely, clearly, and confidently, even when you have little time to prepare. Impromptu speaking is one of the best ways to improve your fluency because it helps you close the gap between the English you know and the English you actually speak. It also helps you think faster, organize your thoughts, build vocabulary in context, and speak with more ease. Check out this website for impromptu speech topics: https://random-topic-generator-woad.vercel.app Here is a list of other prompts for you to practice with: A skill I wish I had Is social media more helpful or harmful? Are people too dependent on technology? Do we have too many choices today? Is working from home better than working in an office? The importance of discipline Should people follow passion or money? Why presentation skills matter

What happens when you prepare for your dream interview for weeks… and then get to the interview and realize you can't actually say what you want out loud? That's exactly what happened to Monica. In this student interview, Monica shares the heartbreaking moment that changed everything in her English journey. After being invited to interview for her dream position, she realized that all her preparation had stayed in her head.  The moment she had to speak, she froze. And that painful experience became the turning point that pushed her to finally change the way she was learning English. Since then, Monica has completely transformed the way she speaks, practices, and shows up in English. In this conversation, we talk about: How one difficult interview became her wake-up call, why passive learning wasn't enough, how daily habits helped her become consistent, the role of pronunciation and prosody in building confidence, and how English helped her reconnect with her purpose Monica's story is powerful, honest, and incredibly inspiring. If you've ever felt like English was holding you back from showing the world who you really are, this conversation is for you. I'm so honored to share Monica's story with you. She is thoughtful, brave, and deeply inspiring, and I know you're going to love her. Check out Monica's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/frenchsoundsbeautiful/  Monica discovered me through Luke's English Podcast. Watch that interview here! https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/06/20/831-learning-how-to-learn-with-hadar-shemesh

Learn more about Beyond here: https://bit.ly/4nrfM5N  Feeling stuck in English and haven't seen progress, even though you've been working on your English for a while?  This is probably because of 1 of 2 reasons: Reason 1: You're not practicing consistently Reason 2: You're learning in a way that is not actually effective This video is focused on how to shift your mindset, build better habits, and create a learning experience that helps you feel more confident, more free, and more like yourself in English. I'm sharing with you 5 powerful values that can completely transform the way you practice English: Action over comfort Practice builds confidence Communication over perfection Lead with care Own your growth These are the same values we use inside Beyond, our English practice community, and they can help you change not only how you learn English, but how you show up for yourself.