In this mini episode, you will learn the two ways to pronounce the word “you.”
Episode 323 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the two ways to pronounce the word “you.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello, everyone. My name is Emily. I’m from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 323 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I want to talk about something that can make your English sound more natural. I want to talk about the word you. You: y-o-u.
This word is pronounced in two different ways. And if you can learn these two different ways of pronouncing the word you, I think your English can sound more natural.
First, let’s look at the ordinary, or the basic, pronunciation of the word you. This pronunciation occurs in this sentence: Do you like pizza? Do you like pizza?
Or I could say, “Many people like pizza. Do you like pizza?”
This is the basic pronunciation of the word you. You. You. Do you like pizza?
Maybe you have noticed that native English speakers often pronounce the word you in a very different way. They sometimes pronounce the word like this: “yuh.” “Yuh.” Instead of “you,” they will say “yuh.”
Here is where it gets a little bit more complicated. It’s more complicated because we cannot just use either pronunciation in any situation. There are some situations where we must say “you,” and there are some situations where we can say “yuh.”
Okay, well, then when can you say “yuh”? When can you pronounce you like “yuh”?
Here is the rule: If the word you is stressed in the sentence, then you cannot use “yuh.” If the word you is stressed, you must pronounce it as “you.” If the word you is not stressed, then you can pronounce it as “yuh.”
Let me give you an example of this.
Before, I asked this question: “Do you like pizza?” What if we imagine a slightly different situation? Instead of asking you, “Do you like pizza?” I ask you this:
“Which do you like better? Do you like pizza better? Or do you like Mexican food better?” Do you like pizza? Or do you like Mexican food?
Notice, in that sentence, the word you is not stressed.
I’m stressing the kind of food. Do you like pizza? Or do you like Mexican food? And you can hear in those sentences I pronounced you as “yuh.” Do yuh like pizza? Or do yuh like Mexican food? That word you gets very small. It almost disappears. Do yuh like? Do yuh like?
In those sentences, the word you was not stressed. I was emphasizing a different part of the sentence. I was emphasizing the kind of food that you might like. Or I was trying to find out which kind of food you liked better. And, because you was not stressed, I could change you into “yuh.” Do yuh like pizza? Do yuh like pizza? I do!
That is the rule. If the word you is stressed in the sentence, if the word is important in this situation—if I’m talking about you and not someone else, if I’m talking about you instead of me, or if I’m talking about you instead of your friend—then I cannot change you to “yuh.” I must pronounce it as “you.”
But, if the word you is not stressed or not emphasized in the sentence, then I can change it to “yuh.”
And that often sounds very natural, very casual. It’s something that you will hear often when you hear native English speakers talking. That is the difference between these two pronunciations of you, and I think this is something important for you to know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 323 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Emily recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!