Train the TH Sound

ENWelcome to your English toolbox, where we build your confidence, one sound at a time.

ENI'm Julia.

ENAnd I'm Martin.

ENJulia, what are we going to talk about today?

ENToday we are entering the gym to train the most famous and perhaps the most hated sound in the English language.

ENOh, I know exactly which one!

ENWe are talking about the TH sound.

ENMartin, this sound is a nightmare for so many of us.

ENIt creates so much hesitation, doesn't

ENit?

ENAbsolutely.

ENI remember once ordering three coffees, but I was so nervous it sounded like free coffees.

ENThe waiter looked very confused.

ENThat is the classic trap!

ENIf you master this sound, you stop sounding like a beginner and start sounding like a pro.

ENSo, if you stay with us until the end, you will learn the two variations of this sound.

ENYou will practice them with us in real time.

ENAnd you will learn why your own brain

ENtries to stop you from making this sound.

ENLet's be honest, Julia.

ENWho is the victim of this sound?

ENAlmost everyone, Martin.

ENExactly.

ENIf you are a German speaker, you probably turn this sound into an S.

ENYou might say, I am sinking instead of I am thinking.

ENIf you speak French, you might turn it into a Z.

ENZ car instead of the car.

ENAnd if you speak Russian, Lithuanian or Portuguese or Japanese, you might turn it into

ENa T or even an F.

ENWhy is it so hard for everyone?

ENBecause it feels physically weird.

ENTo make this sound, you have to stick your tongue out between your teeth.

ENIt feels rude.

ENIt feels like I am lisping.

ENThat is the mental barrier.

ENYour brain screams, don't do it, you look silly.

ENBut today, we are going to ignore your brain and train your tongue.

ENThe anchor.

ENWe need an anchor.

ENWe need a simple concept to

ENhold onto.

ENThe TH actually has two personalities.

ENTwo?

ENYes.

ENFirst, there is the unvoiced.

ENTH.

ENThink of this as simply the air.

ENPut your tongue between your teeth and just blow air.

ENShhh.

ENLike a snake?

ENExactly.

ENNo voice.

ENJust air.

ENThink, thank, three.

ENOkay, I can feel the air on my hand.

ENGood.

ENThe second personality is the voiced TH.

ENThis is the buzzing bee.

ENSame position, tongue between teeth, but now, turn on your throat.

ENZzz.

ENThat

ENtickles.

ENIt should tickle.

ENIf your tongue doesn't vibrate, you aren't doing it right.

ENThis, that, other.

ENOkay, so we have the air and the vibration.

ENQuick reminder.

ENIf you want to see the full list of words we are practicing today, check our Patreon.

ENThere you can find the transcripts, the vocabulary lists, and the practice guides for every episode.

ENWe also have cheat sheets that group these pronunciation patterns for you.

ENIt is a great way to support

ENthe show and speed up your learning.

ENCheck the link in the description.

ENNow, how do we know which one to use?

ENEnglish spelling is tricky, but there is a pattern hack.

ENWe can group these words into families.

ENTell me about the first family.

ENFamily A is the function family.

ENThese are the small grammar words that hold sentences together.

ENThe, this, that, these, those, them, they.

ENI use these words in every single sentence.

ENExactly, and almost all

ENof them use the vibration sound.

ENThe voiced TH.

ENSo when I see a small grammar word starting with TH, I should vibrate?

ENYes.

ENThis, this, this, that, that, that, they.

ENThey, they.

ENOkay.

ENWhat is the second family?

ENFamily B is the thinking family.

ENVerbs like think, thank, throw, and numbers like three, thirty.

ENThese usually use the air sound, no vibration.

ENThink, think, think, thank you.

ENThank you, thank you.

ENThree, three, three.

ENPerfect.

ENPart five, the gym.

ENNow, let's go to the gym.

ENWe are going to play ping pong.

ENI say the word.

ENYou have two seconds to repeat it, and then Julia will repeat it to confirm.

ENAre you ready?

ENStick your tongue out.

ENDon't be shy.

ENLet's start with the vibration family.

ENThis, this, that, that, other, other, brother, brother, mother, mother, father, father, weather, weather, together, together.

ENThose, those.

ENGood vibration.

ENNow, switch to the air family.

ENJust blow, think, think, three, three.

ENAuthor, author, healthy, healthy.

ENMonth, month.

ENMouth, mouth.

ENBirthday, birthday.

ENThursday, Thursday.

ENNothing, nothing.

ENGood.

ENNow, level two.

ENWe glue them together.

ENDon't separate the sounds, this and that.

ENThis and that.

ENMy mother's brother, my mother's brother.

ENThree thousand things, three thousand things.

ENExcellent.

ENNow, level three.

ENThe shadowing challenge.

ENI will set the scene.

ENImagine you are telling a friend about a family secret.

ENI will say the sentence at natural speed, then Julia will say it slowly.

ENYou repeat in the silence, and then I say it one last time.

ENI think my brother knows the truth.

ENI think my brother knows the truth.

ENI think my brother knows the truth.

ENDid you feel the vibration on brother and the air on truth?

ENPart six.

ENThe trap.

ENBefore we finish, I have to warn you.

ENThere is a trap.

ENThere is always a trap in English.

ENSometimes you will see a TH, but it is a disguise.

ENIt is actually just a T.

ENLike the name Thomas?

ENExactly.

ENWe don't say Thomas.

ENWe say Thomas.

ENOr the country, Thailand.

ENOr the river in London, the Thames.

ENSo, if it's a name or a place, I should be careful.

ENYes, but for 99% of normal words, trust the pattern.

ENVibrate for grammar words.

ENBlow air for content words.

ENPart seven.

ENThe identity shift.

ENSo, Julia, how does your mouth feel?

ENIt feels like I've been to the gym.

ENMy tongue is tired.

ENThat is good.

ENThat means you are building the muscle.

ENRemember, friends, sticking your tongue out is not rude in English.

ENIt is necessary.

ENYou are not lisping.

ENYou are speaking clearly.

ENIf you enjoyed this episode, please write a small comment before you go.

ENTell us which word is the hardest for you.

ENIs it three?

ENIs it clothes?

ENIs it month?

ENWe read every single comment, and we might use your suggestion for the

ENnext episode.

ENDo you want to be part of our slow English community?

ENWe need your comments because your voice is more important than ours.

ENYour voice and comments will show us the right path.

ENThank you for listening.

ENSee you in the next workout.

ENBye-bye.