How to Pronounce -s and -es Endings
How to Pronounce -s and -es Endings (-s ও -es উচ্চারণ)
Introductionভূমিকা
The -s or -es ending — on plurals (books, dogs) and on he/she/it verbs (works, goes) — has three sounds: /s/, /z/ and /ɪz/. Bangla speakers often use /s/ everywhere, which sounds unnatural in English.
Plural (books, dogs) ও he/she/it verb (works, goes)-এর -s বা -es এর তিনটি ধ্বনি আছে: /s/, /z/ ও /ɪz/। বাংলাভাষীরা প্রায়ই সব জায়গায় /s/ বলেন, যা ইংরেজিতে অস্বাভাবিক শোনায়।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
The ending sounds like /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats = 'cats'), like /z/ after voiced sounds (dogs = 'dogz'), and like /ɪz/ — an extra syllable — after hissing sounds s, z, sh, ch, j, x (buses = 'bus-iz').
Voiceless ধ্বনির পরে -s = /s/ (cats = 'cats'), voiced ধ্বনির পরে -s = /z/ (dogs = 'dogz'), আর s, z, sh, ch, j, x ধ্বনির পরে -es = /ɪz/ অর্থাৎ একটি বাড়তি syllable (buses = 'bus-iz')।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
নিয়মটি verb বা noun-এর শেষ ধ্বনির উপর নির্ভর করে। (১) শেষ ধ্বনি voiceless — /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/ — হলে -s শোনায় /s/: cats = 'cats', books = 'books', stops = 'stops'. (২) শেষ ধ্বনি voiced — স্বরধ্বনি বা /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/ — হলে -s শোনায় /z/: dogs = 'dogz', plays = 'playz', cars = 'carz'. (৩) শেষ ধ্বনি 'হিসহিস' ধরনের — /s/, /z/, /ʃ/ (sh), /tʃ/ (ch), /dʒ/ (j), /ks/ (x) — হলে -es শোনায় /ɪz/ এবং একটি বাড়তি syllable যোগ হয়: buses = 'bus-iz', watches = 'watch-iz', boxes = 'box-iz'. বাংলাভাষীদের প্রধান ভুল — dogs, plays-এও /s/ বলা। মনে রাখবেন: স্বরধ্বনির পরে প্রায় সবসময় /z/।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- books — sounds like 'books' (/s/, after the voiceless k)শেষে k (voiceless), তাই -s = /s/।
- cats — sounds like 'cats' (/s/, after the voiceless t)শেষে t (voiceless), তাই -s = /s/।
- dogs — sounds like 'dogz' (/z/, after the voiced g)শেষে g (voiced), তাই -s = /z/; 'dogs' নয়।
- plays — sounds like 'playz' (/z/, after the voiced vowel)শেষে স্বরধ্বনি (voiced), তাই -s = /z/।
- goes — sounds like 'goze' (/z/, after the voiced vowel)he/she/it verb; শেষে স্বর, তাই -es = /z/।
- buses — sounds like 'bus-iz' (/ɪz/, after the s sound)শেষে s ধ্বনি, তাই -es = /ɪz/; একটি বাড়তি syllable।
- watches — sounds like 'watch-iz' (/ɪz/, after the ch sound)শেষে ch, তাই -es = /ɪz/; দুই syllable।
- boxes — sounds like 'box-iz' (/ɪz/, after the x sound)x = 'ks' ধ্বনি, তাই -es = /ɪz/।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
dogs said as 'dogs' (/s/)
dogs said as 'dogz' (/z/)
The final /g/ is voiced, so the -s is a voiced /z/. Using /s/ after voiced sounds is the most common Bangla-speaker error.
watches said as 'watchs' (one syllable)
watches said as 'watch-iz' (/ɪz/)
After a hissing sound (ch), you must add the /ɪz/ syllable — otherwise it is impossible to say.
plays said as 'plays' (/s/)
plays said as 'playz' (/z/)
The vowel before -s is voiced, so the ending is /z/.
buses said as 'buss' (one syllable)
buses said as 'bus-iz' (/ɪz/)
A word ending in the /s/ sound adds a full -es syllable, or the plural cannot be heard.
Tipsটিপস
- If the base word ends in a hissing sound (s, z, sh, ch, j, x), you will always add a whole /ɪz/ syllable. — শব্দ s, z, sh, ch, j, x ধ্বনিতে শেষ হলে সবসময় একটি বাড়তি /ɪz/ syllable যোগ হয়।
- After any vowel sound the ending is /z/ — say 'playz', 'goze', 'seez'. — যেকোনো স্বরধ্বনির পরে -s = /z/ — 'playz', 'goze', 'seez'।
- Use the same voiced/voiceless test as -ed: throat vibrates → /z/, no vibration → /s/. — -ed এর মতোই টেস্ট: গলায় কম্পন হলে /z/, না হলে /s/।
- These rules are identical for plural nouns and for he/she/it verbs. — এই নিয়ম plural noun ও he/she/it verb — দুটোর জন্যই একই।
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. How is the -s pronounced in 'cats'?
2. How is the -s pronounced in 'rivers'?
3. How is the -es pronounced in 'washes'?
4. Which word ends in the /z/ sound?
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Say how -s sounds in 'phones' (/s/, /z/ or /ɪz/).
Hint: Phone ends in the voiced /n/ sound.
2. Say how -s sounds in 'ships'.
Hint: Ship ends in the voiceless /p/ sound.
3. Say how -es sounds in 'oranges'.
Hint: Orange ends in the /dʒ/ (j) sound.
4. Say how -s sounds in 'weeks'.
Hint: Week ends in the voiceless /k/ sound.
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- How to Pronounce -ed EndingsEd endings pronunciation made simple for Bangla speakers: when -ed sounds like /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/, with respellings, examples, common mistakes and a free quiz.
- How to Improve Your English PronunciationHow to improve english pronunciation as a Bangla speaker: fix the v/w, p/f and th sounds, learn stress and schwa, and practise with examples and a quiz.
- English Vowel SoundsLearn the English vowel sounds in Bangla and English: long vs short vowels, the ship/sheep difference, the schwa, examples, common mistakes and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
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Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Is the plural -s always pronounced /s/?
No. It is /s/ only after voiceless sounds. After voiced sounds it becomes /z/ (dogs = 'dogz'), and after hissing sounds it becomes a full /ɪz/ syllable (buses = 'bus-iz').
Do -s and -es follow the same rule for verbs and nouns?
Yes. Whether it is a plural noun (books, dogs) or a he/she/it verb (works, goes), the sound depends only on the final sound of the base word.
When do I add an extra syllable?
Only when the base word ends in a hissing sound — s, z, sh, ch, j or x. Then the -es is pronounced /ɪz/ as a separate syllable, as in buses, watches and boxes.