Contractions in English
When you see contractions in English such as,
- I’ve – /aɪv/
- They’ve – /ðeɪv/
- He’d – /hiːd/
- It’d – /ˈɪtəd/
- We’re – /wɪr/
- They’d – /ðeɪd
Perhaps you might not be 100% sure as to how to pronounce contractions correctly. In this case, stay tuned, because in this lesson we will go over the most common verbs that are contracted in English and show you how to pronounce the contractions correctly.
Contractions in English – An Introduction
As we go over these contractions, make sure to not only listen to the sound but also take note of the IPA transcription next to the word so that you can get a visual representation of how the sound is supposed to be pronounced.
We use contractions in English with auxiliary verbs. Furthermore, contractions are considered informal.
Importantly, we will focus on the most common auxiliary verbs that tend to be contracted in everyday speech.
To be – Present tense in the affirmative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’m – /aɪm/ | We’re – /wɪə/ |
| You’re – /jʊə/ | You’re – /jʊə/ |
| He’s – /hiːz/, She’s – /ʃiːz/, It’s – /ɪts/ | They’re – /ðeə/ |
To be – Present tense in the negative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’m not – /aɪm nɒt/ | We aren’t – /wiː ɑːnt/ |
| You aren’t – /juː ɑːnt/ | You aren’t – /juː ɑːnt/ |
| He isn’t – /hiː ˈɪznt/, She isn’t – /ʃiː ˈɪznt/, It isn’t – /ɪt ˈɪznt/ | They aren’t – /ðeɪ ɑːnt/ |
So, in the past forms of to be such as I was, you were etc., it’s not possible to do the contractions.
To have – Present tense in the affirmative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’ve – /aɪv/ | We’ve – /wiːv/ |
| You’ve – /juːv/ | You’ve – /juːv/ |
| He’s – /hiːz/She’s – /ʃiːz/It’s – /ɪts/ | They’ve – /ðeɪv/ |
To have – Present tense in the negative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I haven’t – /aɪ hævnt/ | We haven’t – /wiː hævnt/ |
| You haven’t – /juː hævnt/ | You haven’t – /juː hævnt/ |
| He hasn’t – /hiː ˈhæznt/, She hasn’t – /ʃiː ˈhæznt/, It hasn’t – /ɪt ˈhæznt/ | They haven’t – /ðeɪ hævnt/ |
Note that, in the third person singular, the contraction is ambiguous, so that’s why the context is important to be able to differentiate between the verbs to have and to be.
To have – Past tense (had) in the affirmative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’d – /aɪd/ | We’d – /wiːd/ |
| You’d – /juːd/ | You’d – /juːd/ |
| He’d – /hiːd/She’d – /ʃiːd/It’d – /ˈɪtəd/ | They’d – /ðeɪd/ |
To have – Past tense (had) in the negative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I hadn’t – /aɪ ˈhædnt/ | We hadn’t – /wiː ˈhædnt/ |
| You hadn’t – /juː ˈhædnt/ | You hadn’t – /juː ˈhædnt/ |
| He hadn’t – /hiː ˈhædnt/, She hadn’t – /ʃiː ˈhædnt/, It hadn’t – /ɪt ˈhædnt/ | They hadn’t – /ðeɪ ˈhædnt/ |
Further, when using the main auxiliary verb to have in the past (which is had), the contracted forms of said verb are the same as those of would. So, the context of your phrases is important for this reason.
Would – Modal auxiliary verb in the affirmative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’d – /aɪd/ | We’d – /wiːd/ |
| You’d – /juːd/ | You’d – /juːd/ |
| He’d – /hiːd/, She’d – /ʃiːd/, It’d – /ˈɪtəd/ | They’d – /ðeɪd/ |
Would – Modal auxiliary verb in the negative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I wouldn’t – /aɪ ˈwʊdnt/ | We wouldn’t – /wiː ˈwʊdnt/ |
| You wouldn’t – /juː ˈwʊdnt/ | You wouldn’t – /juː ˈwʊdnt/ |
| He wouldn’t – /hiː ˈwʊdnt/, She wouldn’t – /ʃiː ˈwʊdnt/, It wouldn’t – /ɪt ˈwʊdnt/ | They wouldn’t – /ðeɪ ˈwʊdnt/ |
Moreover, as the contracted forms of would are the same as had you will need to consider the context.
Will – Modal auxiliary verb in the affirmative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I’ll – /aɪl/ | We’ll – /wiːl/ |
| You’ll – /juːl/ | You’ll – /juːl/ |
| He’ll – /hiːl/, She’ll – /ʃiːl/, It’ll – /ˈɪtl/ | They’ll – /ðeɪl/ |
Will – Modal auxiliary verb in the negative
| First, second, and third person singular | First, second, and third person plural |
|---|---|
| I won’t – /aɪ wəʊnt/ | We won’t – /wiː wəʊnt/ |
| You won’t – /juː wəʊnt/ | You won’t – /juː wəʊnt/ |
| He won’t – /hiː wəʊnt/, She won’t – /ʃiː wəʊnt/, It won’t – /ɪt wəʊnt/ | They won’t – /ðeɪ wəʊnt/ |
Contractions in English — A Summary
In summary, in this lesson, we went over the most common contractions in English both in the affirmative and negative for the auxiliary verbs to be, to have, would and will. Essentially, you should mainly learn the contractions for these verbs because these verbs are by far the ones you will be using the most in your daily interactions.