No. 'Not really' may mean that the statement of the person you're speaking to is not EXACTLY right, or DIFFERENT from the reality, or only A BIT right.
But sometimes, 'not really' may be a soften or tongue-in-cheek way to say 'not at all'.
It depends on the context.
Native speakers, correct me if I'm wrong.
That sounds about right Kabam.
Thanks Kabam, Jim. Ok. I have another doubt. When should I use "right now" and "by now"?
"Right now" means "now" but it's more emphatic.
"By now" means "now or before now". If the teacher says you have to finish your homework by Friday that means Friday is the latest that you can hand it in but handing it in on Wednesday is okay.
"by now" can also basically mean "already"
so if your date says over the phone to you, "you should have been here by now!" it means that you should have already gotten there.
Ok. Don't wanna abuse you but I have another question. This is about pronunciation. For brazilian people (and for several other non-native speakers all over the world, I infer), one of the oddest things in english pronouncing is the "th" as in "think", "thing", "thank". This sound has no equivalent in portuguese so they just tell us to pronounce a "s" with the tongue tip between the teeth. The result is something between "t", "s" and "f" and, sometimes, some spittle splashing. But I've heard some native speakers pronouncing that just with the sound of "f" (with = "wif", thank = "fank", etc). I guess in some words it can cause some trouble like in "thirst", that would be confused with "first" or "thought" with "fought". Is it just a result of american accent? Is there any rule of thumb about it?
I think it's impossible to understand whether Eminem said deliver or delivered when he sings that fast and any rap music Or whether he said talked or talk
Brazilian Guy,
To get [th], pronounce [t] with the tongue between the teeth, not [s].
brazilian guy,
if you pronounce "t" with the tongue between the teeth, you'll produce a plosive "th", wich sounds a bit like a "t".
if you pronounce "s" with the tongue between the teeth, you'll produce a fricative "th", wich sounds a bit like an "f" or "s".
both of them represent the same phoneme in english, so both are fine.
I think it's impossible to understand whether Eminem said deliver or delivered when he sings that fast and any rap music Or whether he said talked or talk
IMO, plosive "th" sounds exactly as Russian "t". Because of the differences in the "t" pronunciation, many Russians have a problem with hearing the English "t" sound in fast speech or in music.
deaptor,
i guess the plosive "th" is the russian "t".
normally, most people consider the plosive "th" to be a "t", but, because the "t" in english is aspirated and alveolar, that would probably sound closer to a "th" for english speakers.
some slavic and romance languages have a dental "t", wich may confuse them with the english language.
and if you want to produce the english "t", try and raise your tong a bit further, until the alveolar ridge, wich is that bony ridge just behind the upper front teeth.
Thanks, all.
Roman
I have the same problem when I practice listening skills. I think it's even harder to distinguish between the present or past form when the next word begins with "t" or "d" since those letters will link with the last letter of the verb. In the verbs that end with "t" and "d", o "ed" adds a syllable to the word (add - added; want - wanted) and you can pay attention this detail. But I think the most times we have to understand it by the contex of the sentence.
Another tip from a non-native speaker: Eminem isn't the best way to practice listening, at all. Try something slower and find on the net things with spoken english. Music is good, but you can be influenced by the song's rythm, melody, etc. Native speaker, correct me if something is wrong.
Hello. Me again. I have two questions (sure much more doubts):
1st - In the comparative "higher" [haier] one doesn't pronounce the "g" since this letter isn't pronounced in the adjective "high" [hai]. Does one pronounce the "g" in the words "younger" and "youngest"?
2nd - The Cambridge Dictionary says that "used to" is used to express that one thing or act happend often in the past (e.g. "I used to play basketball everyday."). But it just feature this use for the verb "use" on the past. How do I do to express that an act or fact happens in the present?
