Making Connections

When 2 things connect, they often make something completely new. One example is when 2 businesses come together to make a new business. The same thing happens when we speak English. One example is when the T and Y sounds connect in English speech. Read this post to learn what happens, and how to pronounce it.

Think About This

Think about these 3 phrases:

don’t you

got ya

want you

Pronounce them out loud, (with your voice). When English speakers speak slowly, you can often hear the T at the end of “want,” “don’t,” and “got,” and you can hear the Y at the beginning of “you.” But English speakers don’t often speak slowly in normal conversation. They speak quickly, and something happens when these 2 sounds are spoken together.

T + Y = CH

When English speakers speak quickly, the T and Y sounds connect to form a new sound. We usually write this sound “CH.” It is the same sound that we use at the end of the word “watch.” English has many phrases like the examples above, where 1 word ends with T and the next word begins with Y. And when we speak these phrases, the T and Y go together to make CH.

More Examples

Here are some more examples.

get you

thought you

bought you

beat ya (ya = you)

great year

Special Note

There is 1 special note that I must make. This does not always happen when English speakers speak. We sometimes pronounce the T and the Y. It does not always become CH. There is no way to know when a speaker will use the T and Y sounds, or when he/she will use the CH sound instead. So it is important for you to practice both.

Your Turn

So now, you know that T + Y often = CH in quick English speech. It does not always happen. Now it is your turn to practice. Choose one of these phrases an pronounce it quickly? Pay attention to an English speaker on TV or on the radio. Do you notice the speaker pronouncing T + Y as CH? Leave a comment to tell me about it.