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English as a second language learners: what words were really hard for you to pronounce? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 5 days ago by RockySalad@discuss.tchncs.de to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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If English wasn't your first language, maybe if you learned English later in life, were there any words that you had a really hard time learning how to pronounce? Do you think that had to do with the sounds made in your first language?

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[–] gerryflap@feddit.nl 13 points 5 days ago (4 children)

The th sound is honestly a bit difficult. Three will end up sounding like either tree or free, but not three. Usually I just pronounce it as a slightly weird T. I have quite a Dutch accent anyways and that just something y'all will have to deal with ;p

[–] imouto@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Two people scored the same after the first five. They were the... sixths.

It's a near miss of biting my tongue every time.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 0 points 4 days ago

sixths-sevenths?

[–] Satanic_Mills@hexbear.net 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Learn to speak English with an Irish accent (like Lenin) and no one will bat an eye at you saying tree.

[–] Pumafred9@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Also to add, a lot of native speaking adults also struggle with the th sounding words, generally due to local accents.

[–] Pumafred9@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

It's a common one my brother! The F sound in free is made where your top teeth are on your bottom lips, and tongue is retracted. The th sound is when your tongue is resting on or just behind your top teeth, almost like you're smiling.