Adam
Emma
Ronnie
Valen
James
Alex
Rebecca
Jon
English Pronunciation – CAN & CAN’T
The pronunciation of “can” and “can’t” in English is difficult to both hear and speak. In this ESL lesson, I’ll show you the simple trick to mastering this! You CAN do it!
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Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.
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Dear Madam,
I would like to ask 2 questions:
First, we can write how to pronounce “I can’t” like that: “I kint”, can’t we?
Second, how to pronounce “can” and “can’t” when they followe the other subject. For example, She can and she can’t. We can say “Si:kin” and “Si: kint” (sorry, I don’t have symbol of a long S), can’t we?
I think that your website is very helpful.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you very much.
hatcat
“She can”… “Chicken”
hatcat, to answer your first question, the answer is no. We can say “ikin” /aɪ.kɪn/ or /aɪ.kn/, but we CAN’T say “ikint”; we must say /aɪ.kænt/ or /aɪ.kæ̃ʔ/(nasal æ followed by glottal stop).
And to your second question, yes, but only with “can”, not “can’t”. So you can say /hi.kn/, /ʃi.kn/, /ju.kn/, /wi.kn/, /ðe.kn/, /ɪt.kn/, /ðɪs.kn/, etc. but only with “can”, not “can’t”.
I hope this helped xD
hi,
i’m a beginer.help me for learn english.
I am interested learning more English, can you help me please?
can you explan mor about model
thank you
I love your english accent. Can you say “I cun’t” in your next video for me?
Thanks!
I love the simplicity used in your explanations. you´re really great. even though I´ve speaking english for years. these tips taste like exquisite intelectual food for me.
Thanks a lot.
lovely accent.
thank teacher,I´m really need that advice,thank you very much.
Hi, i am really impressed by your teaching method! it’s great! but i want more & more lession, how can i get it? i want more video about pronouciation because actually we don’t know how to pronounce corretly, i do hope your team gonna help us, bye
thank you very much Ma’am…It can help me a lot from this site….I LOVE YOU ALL…
its very good that you love to
It is a useful lesson
nice lecture………………
Thanks to you,every day I can learn a little bit of english!
Thank you!
That was a good lesson. Thanks a lot
thats great
thank you. it was really good
Thank you, now I can speak better!!
Thanks alot
Is “I” not a pronoun? you are asking the part of speech. Is subject a part of speech? Just want to know if I have a point…thanks….=)
Hello, Ronnie. We, in Slovak, are learnt that the pronuncation of “can’t” is always “ka:nt” and not “kaent”. “Kaent”-variant is believed not to be correct by Slovak teachers. Are they right? I guess not because they also think the “be going + to be + present participle” is incorrect, too. I’ve got to say thank you for the video. I’m waiting for the answer. Jakub.
It is very nice and useful lesson. do you mind if you tell us about question tags?
Thank you so much!!
Now I know how to express “can’t” and “can” .
I had a big fun when you say “can’t” shaking your head. :-)
i like you Ronnie when you say englishshshshsh
It was very very helpful for me.
Thank you!
Thanks alot
what about the other pronouns like they , we , you ?
Can we pronuncate thier like “Ikin” or not? for example “theykin”
and “wekin”
I hope you understand my question .
Thanks again.
NO YOU CAN’T SAY THAT, they can or you should pronounce that with a break between the they and can
i really lik it ur class dear ,,pplease can u cantuct me i need to ask some private quetion about i can learn from u english thanks hun
i like you teaching style
i take suggest how i get reading well. pls help and how i want batter english you
Thanks :D
Was very good presentation! Me gusto!
For almost over 10 years, I can’t distinguish the pronunciation from can’t and can.
From your skillful teaching, i realized the differences between them
completely.
Thank you so much… from Daegu Korea…
hi teacher .your teaching style very good.please advise for me.
Your way of teaching is really nice.
This is Selva. I feels like iam in the class when you teach. It’s so good. Thanks.
ican do every thing
woowwwwssss berbaaat !:)
Hi!
I would to know how to download the video on this website
Please show me to do it.
thanks
thanks i use all this tips to use them with my students
please tell me how are diffirent betweent
past perfact continue and present perfact continue tenses
Hiiiiiiiiiiiii………
You guys are really great. God bless you all
i like it. Thanks
It’s Great=) I Can study English Here=)) Thanks=))
I’m Happy, This Web side, Thanks…..
thanks! i can improve my English here and how to pronounce……………..GOD BLESS YOU
JASSI
sometime i can do that enything.i can’t like this food.
i can study english grammer everyday.good english lesson
i can do it. thanks a lot…….
Hello Ronnie
Thank you
I can do now everiting.
well I can´t fly ¨¨º+º¨¨
i recommended this clip to some students of mine because of this trick, thanks a lot and congrats!!
hello Ronnie your fonetic class are amazing thank you
Hi Teacher
I am from Bangladesh. My daughter, only five years old. She like your teaching like anything. I am confussed her leason plan. I will be realy greatfull if you advise me.
Thanks a lot
this is very easy lesson thank u
Finally i learn the diferences between can y can not (I mean the pronunciation).
Thank you
that was great lesson thank you
hello
i will lern english
I agree with you, it’s really complicated to know when someones is telling you he/she CAN OR CAN’T. Also it’s difficult for me to pronunce them, I just exagerate the T in CAN’T but it doesn’t sounds too natural. Thanks a bunch for this video.
I’ve seen your video twice! I’ve been taught it could also be pronunced: CAN /ken/ CAN’T /kont/ (The sound of O in CAN’T is between o and u). Does the pronuntiation of CAN change if it is American or British english? Thank you.
It sure does… all countries and even different parts of the same country will say the exact same word differently!!
but teacher in India I have never seen any body can’t or don’t they always say cannot or do not why it is like that and it is same in Saudi Arabia????
[if I have written something wrong please correct it I request you]
Thank you!
Hi
Thank you so much for all that..
Thank you so much Ronnie , I really appreciate what you do to help us , thank you again maam .
I read one a time that the negative form of modals is always stressed in the sentence, whereas the positive form is never stressed. Is it right ?
I think knowing that “can’t” is stressed while “can” isn’t stressed is helpful.
I’m sorry, “can” isn’t a modal, it’s a verb. But I think I read this about verbs and not modals, so replace “verb” instead of “modal” in my previous comment ;)
can IS a modal!!!
yes you are correct
nice website….. very useful… thanks a lot…
Hello teacher
What’s a different for same and some, i want with excemple please.
thank you
Same means equal to……….. I have the same colour hair as my brother. We look the same. I like the same music as you.
Some is a quantity we can use for countable and uncountable nouns. It is not a lot and more then a few or a little! I’d like some coffee please. “Give me some loving”! I’ll have some pizza please!
Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you very much! Your lesson is understandably and helpful. Большое спасибо! :))
(BOLSHOYE SPASIBO)
Roonie,
you are agood teacher.
Dear Madam,
I would like to ask 2 questions:
First, plz tel the ues of cannot.
Second, The ueses of donnot in english grammar.
I think that your website is very helpful.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you very much.
hatcat
Cannot is the longer (proper) version of can’t. We use cannot to emphasize when we use can + not!
Do not is a command or order. Do not go in there! Do not eat that pizza!
i love all the teachers’s explanation…………..
Much Helpful “THANKS ALL TEACHERS”
I’m new visitor, in my ESL class I was recommended this site. I love your lessiones because you explain in a fun and simple.
Tkank you. You is the excellent teacher.
I love the wAY of your teaching.
Ps. Ronnie You can’t dance.
(^-^ But I love to see u dance again)
learning English is fun with you Ronnie :)
thanks alot ronnie you are so kind .God bless you for your labour of love
you’re funny too much… you’re a exllent teacher
I think that your website is very helpful.
Thank you very much.
hello miss ronnie please email me on how to use “if i were or if i am” in the sentence..thank u so much God bless u more………..
I pronounce “can’t” so badly that it seems I say cu*t :’(. It’s very Embarrasing.
Ahahahahah that is so funny!!!
To help – just say can not!!!!!!
that’s great lecture ,,,,thank you ms Ronnie
i wanna know how to use dare
HI RONNIE
i like your lessons and i hope i w’ll be your best student in this world so here is a question says wht s th dffrnc btwn can’n and cannot the dffrnc is the way there writing or the meaning w’ll be changed ? iam your student goog day teacher
Can`t is what we use the most. Cannot we only use to emphasize or make the message stronger!
I’ve just done the test (just 4 fun) and in the 4th question I didin’t manage to find the right answer. if i’m not mistaken, “subject” is not a part of speech. “I” is a pronoun as far as I know.
but the lesson is pretty funny. i smiled a lot)
your lessons are very good.More over your teaching faculty is very good and more active.They are looks like models.
What part of speech is “I”?
why in quiz its subject? I thought its noun
I is a pronoun!
I like the way you do your classes. thank you very much
thanks l learned more new things
if any one want learn english that websie will really help (learn american english on line ) is very helful
thank you Ronnie I,m having a great time with it
you are really good!
this lesson is very exciting especially the way to speake ” i kin ”
thanks so much!
Hi, Ronnie,
I come from Czech republic, EU. Have you ever been in Prague? Come! It’s the amazing town.
I have one question, about the pronunciation “can´t” in British English. Is it different, isn´t it? Can you add it? Thank you very much and have a nice day… P.S. I loooove Ronnie’s lessons :o)
Yes, I’ve been to Prague – I loved it. My favorite restaurant was called “the witch” but in Czech!!!!
England has so many different accents, it is impossible to tell you how to say it! But one way sounds like a very bad word in English!!!!
u can look but u can’t touch,my babe tells me all the time. see ya.
Hi Ronnie
I’ve got a question which has nothing to do with the pronunciation of CAN and CAN’T. It’s about modals, though.
I teach English in Italy and I’ve always got lots of doubts about this wonderful and most useful language, ever and ever changing.
My question is:
as far as school rules are concerned, do you think it is better or more correct to use MUST or HAVE TO?
For example: STUDENTS MUST BE PUNCTUAL. / STUDENTS HAVE TO BE PUNCTUAL.
STUDENTS MUST STAND UP WHEN A TEACHER COMES IN. / STUDENTS HAVE TO STAND UP WHEN A TEACHER COMES IN.
And so on, and so on.
What do you think about it?
I’m sure you’ll help me.
Good luck.
Ernesto
When the rules are written, we would use “must”. When we speak casually, we usually say “have to’ (we actually say “haveta”).
Since you are emphasizing the rules, it is better to use “must”!
Hi , Ronnie.
Thank you very much .
very good. my congratulations
Could you explain the differences between ”strange”, ”weird”, ”odd” and ”bizarre”. The second one is always confuses me…
Thank you!
They all means the same!
Dear, My Teacher.
How are You doing? :)
Well, I want to discuss a simple thing. You said “They all means the same!” I think that the verb should’ve been in a base form(mean) because you used “They” as the subject. What do you think?
Regards,
Rifai.
Yes, they all mean the same is correct!
Dear Ronnie,
your quick answers to my questions about the English language are really most useful. I teach English but since my mother tongue is actually Italian, heavy doubts are always there.
I want my students to speak English in class (no matter how well they can speak it; what matters most is speaking and speaking and speaking). However, they often ask me for permission to use their mother tongue and say:
Can we speak Italian?
Well, I feel there’s something wrong in that question, something that doesn’t work. Isn’t it more correct to say: Can we speak IN Italian?
My doubt is: they aren’t actually asking themselves if they are able to use English, they’re simply asking for permission to use Italian. So they may be correct.
I’m a bit confused. Could you please help me again? Believe me: it’s beautiful to have an expert you can trust and count on.
Old Walt Whitman (one of my favourite poets) is very grateful to you for all your help.
P.S. If all my doubts annoy you, please tell me. No problem at all.
Both questions are correct but we would naturally say “Can we speak Italian”? If you say “Can we speak in Italian”, that is fine too!
I think it’s better to say “may we” more formal….
really good lesson, i’ve learnt a lot, i didnt really know how to distinguish can and cant in a sentence and ppl usually confuse my meaning, thx a lot to Ronnie and i know i have to say i can together, maybe next time, they wont confuse my meaning.
thank you so much.it’s really helpful
thanks!
when do we use ‘has been’ and ‘have been’
He/she/it + has been
I/they/we/you + have been
Thank, Teacher her examples are very interesting. Nice
OMG! I love this website these tips are simple but very , very helpful.
God bless you teacher. :)
I like your lessons. Do you teach conjugation of verbs please?
Yes, look at my other videos and you can see ones on verbs!
Hey dear Ronnie,,
Your lessons are really helpful..And I am learning alot from this website..,,I m fond of learning englsih and just because of this engvid I am learning alot ..Dear i wanna ask a little question ,,I usually get confuse while where to use Donot and where should i use cannot?In short i want you to explain the difference between them,,Thanks
Do notwe use with a command — “Do not open the door!” “Do not watch that movie!”Cannot(orcan't) we use to talk about 1) our abilities — “I can’t do math.” 2) Time schedule – “I can’t meet you today.” 3) “I can’t open that door for you!”Hey ronnie mam…i like all Your lessons..And i wanna do Something great in englsih..Just wanna learn englsih ,,,Dear i like to read poems Of english,,,but usually there are some words iN the poem whose meanings I cant find in dictioanries,,like A word”A Gallant Child”,,what does it means?And another word is “Lone post of death”..Plz explain me the meaning of these two words..And I think We can only improve our englsih By learning vocabulary words,,so That we can converse easily:)..♥♥♥ (^_^) ♥♥♥ …..!!!! :* :*
Gallant means brave or heroic! Use an online dictionary – just type in the words you don’t know in google and you can find the meanings!!!!!!!!!!
very good q
There is an easy solution: pronounce it the BRITISH way as “carnt” and you always hear the difference! American English is not English! :-)
thank you useful lessen
Thank you
thank you a lottttttttt
[...] http://www.engvid.com/english-pronunciation-can-cant/ [...]
Hai Madam Ronnie! Is it the meaning of CAN is 100% sure? Could i use the sentence ” I’m positive!” instead of “I can !”. By the way, what’s the difference between CAN and BE ABLE TO?
I am waiting to hearing from you soon. Thanks a million Ronnie!
Sincerely,
Fong
Thanks you explained that very well, but it’s very hard to understand the different between “can and can’t” when a mother tounge speaks… they sound so close :(
THANK YOU.I’VE HAD THESE PROBLEM FOR MANY YEARS AND YOU HELPED ME A LOT. I AM LEARNING ENGLISH AND IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR LEARNERS IDENTIFY THIS KIND OF SOUNDS. :)
thank you a lottttttttt
thank you so much!! i’ve always wondered what were the differences between those two lol. could you explain when to use, may and might!?
They are EXACTLY the same!
хороший урок
thank you so much.
hi, I’m a new student ^^
hi there thanks for teaching english. to day i know how can use “can and can’t” ronnie nice teacher really i like u and God bless ronnie
i loved your way in lessons
thanks a lot
Thanks Ronnie
Thanks Ronnie
Well done Ronnie it’s an easy way to understand the pronuntiation of Can and Can’t. By the way, as a noun Can and Can opener is used in American English but is used as Tin and Tin opener in British English.
Well done Ronnie it’s an easy way to understand the pronuntiation of Can and Can’t. By the way, as a noun Can and Can opener is used in American English but is used as Tin and Tin opener in British English
Thank you very much.
hello miss !
my question is how can I get big vocabilary ? for discussing with the others because I have to pronounce it very well to do my final project in the univercity . I need your opinion
your
Thnx :)
thanks dear it was a small tinny easy and tricky thing but o get confused sometimes we are as a foreigner I mean not English speaking we really in need to have
it thanks again
Teacher,You’re so great teaching English, I mean it! My best (kisses) for You
thanks for your efforts.
I love this webside, it is so helpful for me. Thank you very much you all teachers, you are great.
I can to learn english language with site. tanks
What is meant when speak – “That’s not the point”
PS Thanks
hi i am a new student i want to learn English
you must score at least 75%:D k..
and welcome…
Ronnie, Thank you very much! interesting lessons!
Hi,teacher
I like your lessons & your teaching style.
Thanks
Hi teacher. Have u ever been to Malaysia? Do come here. We are like a summer throughout the year.
My question is:
How to tell between CAN and CAN’T in songs? Every time I listen to songs, sometimes I can’t tell the line was. My ears hear ” I can love you forever”… But when I look the lyric, it is “I can’t love you forever”. So, do you have any tips to tell this? TQ teacher :)
Even native English speakers have problems understanding lyrics in songs! Looking up the lyrics, like you did, is probably the best way.
Hi,
I want to say thanks you to all teachers in Engvid, thank you
Hello from Russia!
Thank you for your lessons, you are great teacher!=))
Can I ask you a question?
In negative sentences (for example, ‘I can not do it’) ‘NOT’ is connected with ‘CAN’. But I want to connect it with ‘DO’. For example, all people must do smth, but I have some privileges and I have chance not to do it. So I want to say ‘I CAN [not do] it’. But it’s not correct. How to build sentence in this situation?
You can say “I do not do it”.
I’m begginer thank for teaching me
if ı have your my english teacher. I’ıı lissen carefuly all the time..
thenkse
hi i’m Riadh from Tunisia please a lesson about the difference between want and would and when to use them
excellent explanation, thank you very much
Dear Ms. Ronnie.
I’ve confused with “cannot” and “can not”. Which one is the best form in writing? Thanks
hi Ronnie
thank you vey much.
In formal writing which one is better touse cannot or can not
thank you ronnie
Ronnie teacher I want to ask you that my friends always say teacher[abcd] but I say [abcd]teacher so which one is correct? and can you give me a easy example of complex sentence and can you explain it please!!!!!
3 out of 4
4 out of 4 the mam i’m say to lot of thanks to you….
Thanks
it is useful lesson
better lesson
THANKS TOO MUCH
Thank you Ronnie.you look so young and pretty…
sometimes I cannot differentiate between these two expressions when i hear them in English movies : (I don’t know) and (I know). hahhhh !!!!
how can I?