How to pronounce 50 countries in English

Espresso English Podcast

Welcome to day 3 of our pronunciation power-up mini-course! Today we’re going to practice pronouncing the names of 50 countries in the world. Some of these might be similar to how they’re said in your native language, but others will NOT be the same, so pay close attention to any small pronunciation differences from what you might be used to. I really wish I could do ALL the countries in the world, but unfortunately we don’t have time in this short video – so I just took the top 50 countries by population size. Listen and repeat so you can practice saying these countries’ names in English.

One of my favorite things about teaching at Espresso English is that I have students from all over the world. And I know you’re all working hard on your English! I wanted to clear up one question about my American English Pronunciation Course. Someone asked, “Will this course give me an American accent?” But the problem is, that’s the wrong question to ask. The reason it’s called the American English Pronunciation Course is that it’s from an American English perspective, because that’s what I speak. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you MUST sound EXACTLY like an American in order to be fluent in English. The truth is, there are many different accents of English, and this is one of the things that makes global English so beautiful – so your English is not “bad” just because you might have a foreign accent. Instead, the goal you should aim for is speaking English CLEARLY so that your pronunciation doesn’t cause any misunderstandings or miscommunication. You want other people to understand you easily when you talk. Do you see the difference? You don’t have to speak exactly like an American, but you do have to speak clearly and understandably – and that’s what my course will help you achieve. Remember, keep training your pronunciation! Don’t give up! If you practice persistently, you WILL make great progress towards nice, clear pronunciation. That’s all for now – I’ll talk to you in the next lesson.