Your first language
The American accent for Hindi speakers
Your English is already good. If Hindi is your first language, these are the American patterns worth your time first, and why.
Start with these patterns
You may say T with no air, leave an R silent, say go with ओ, and roll the R.
T, P and K start with air
start + T · P · K → with air
Without the air, time can sound like dime.
If you speak Hindi, your ख and फ have this air. For T, touch behind your top teeth, not curled back.
Every R is said
vowel + R → said
Even at the end of a word, you hear the vowel, then the R.
If you speak Hindi, school English may have taught you to drop this R. In the US, say it: car, four.
The O in go slides to “oo”
O as in go → slides to ooA as in day → slides to ee
It starts at “oh”, as in home and know. The A in day and make slides too, from “eh” to “ee”.
If you speak Hindi, your ओ and ए do not move. In go, end near “oo”; in day, near “ee”.
R is never rolled
R touches nothingD touches once
If your tongue tip touches, even once, hiring sounds like hiding.
If you speak Hindi, your र touches once, like the quick D in water. The English R touches nothing.
Then, for clear pronunciation
Thirteen or thirty can change a price or a dose, and these pairs can sound alike: V and W, bed and bad, three and tree.
Thirteen or thirty?
-teen → strong-ty → quick
In -teen, the T is clear. In -ty, it often becomes a quick D, one fast touch.
If you speak Hindi, the T in thirty is like your र, one quick touch. In thirteen, it has air.
Very or berry?
V teeth on lipB both lipsW round lips
If both lips close, very sounds like berry. If they round, vine sounds like wine.
If you speak Hindi, V and W may be one sound in your English. Teeth on the lip for V (very), round lips for W (we).
Bed or bad?
e half-opena wide
For bad, drop your jaw low, and make the vowel longer.
If you speak Hindi, bed and bad may sound alike in your English. Open your mouth wide for bad.
Three or tree?
TH tongue outno TH T, D, S or Z: behind teeth
For TH, put your tongue tip between your teeth and let the air out. If the tongue stops the air, three sounds like tree.
If you speak Hindi, थ and द are a T and a D, not TH. So three can sound like tree, and they like day.
What you likely do already
Hindi gives you a head start on: T becomes a quick D.