A complete English class with Kim. In four minutes you master the TH sound. Run a real greeting conversation. Close word endings without the extra "E".
One of the hardest sounds for most non-native speakers because it doesn't exist in many other languages. The mistake most people make is to push the tongue too far out, or to try to "form" the sound with effort. The trick is in the air, not in the muscle.
Put your hand in front of your mouth and say "thanks". You should feel a small puff of air hitting your palm. If you don't feel air, you're using your voice instead of letting the air do the work.
The pattern Kim ran with you in class. Memorize the rhythm. Don't translate from Portuguese, let the English flow as a unit.
A: Hello.
B: Hello.
A: How are you?
B: I'm fine. And you?
A: I'm good. Thank you.
A: How old are you?
B: I am 49 years old. And you?
A: I am 65 years old.
B: It's nice to meet you.
A: Bye-bye.
Many languages, like Portuguese, Spanish or Italian, rarely end a word with a hard consonant. Words finish on an open vowel sound, which trains your mouth to release a soft "E" after every consonant. When you carry that habit into English, words like nine become "nine-E", cake becomes "cake-E", make becomes "make-E".
Native English speakers do the opposite: they close the sound at the consonant. The vocal cords stop. The mouth shape ends. No extra vowel.
Put your hand lightly on your throat and say nine. If you feel the vibration continue after the "n" sound, you're adding the "E". Try again: clip the sound at the consonant. The vibration should stop.
Say each one out loud, twice. Focus on cutting the sound at the consonant.
Same rule. Cut the sound at the final consonant.
Open your phone's voice recorder. Say each word twice. Play it back. If you hear an "E" sound after the consonant, repeat.
Put your hand on your throat. Feel the vibration stop at the consonant. If the vibration continues, you're adding the vowel.
Practice in front of a mirror. Watch your mouth close (or position) at the end of the consonant. No movement after.
Do 10 repetitions of each word every morning for one week. Muscle memory builds fast with consistent short sessions.
The concept, the rule, all 15 words and the 4 techniques in a single PDF you can print or save to your phone.
Download PDFReal Life English Academy is led by Kim. She is an American teacher focused on helping non-native English speakers sound natural in English, regardless of background. Classes are private and recorded. Each lesson is tailored to the student's pronunciation gaps. This page is part of Kátia's personal class library.