How to Pronounce SAY, SAYS, and SAID

How to Pronounce SAY, SAYS, and SAID

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I’ve noticed many non-native speakers mix up the pronunciations of these words.  The vowel in SAY is not the same as the vowel in SAYS.

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Video Text:

In this pronunciation video, you’re going to learn how to avoid some common mistakes in pronouncing words related to the word ‘say’.

The verb ‘to say’: I say, you say, we say, they say, has the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong: ay, ay, say. But, in the third person, you add an S, and the diphthong changes to the EH vowel. He says, she says.So here it is the ‘eh’ as in ‘bed’ sound, and the final S is pronounced as a Z. He says, she says, I say. The EH vowel is also used in the past tense of the word: said.

So it is the S sound, the ‘eh’ as in ‘bed’ vowel, and the D sound. Said, said: I said, you said, he said, she said, we said, they said. So, make sure you avoid saying like ‘he says’: No, in that case, it changes to the EH sound. He says. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.

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