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I understand that sometimes the "t" can be omitted or replaced by a very short pause, as in "just the..." "lost the...".

However, what about the verbs like "touch"? I believe there can be a big difference sometimes between "touch the" and "touched the" as they indicate the different time of the event... In this case, should I omit the last "t" sound in "touched" [tʌtʃt] as well?

I find it pretty hard to pronounce things like "touched the", they slow me down a lot every time.

Thank you in advance!

Reynard Hao
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  • For me, 'touched it' turns into 'touch dit', and 'touch it' to 'tut chit' if I'm talking faster. You might be interested in phonetic occlusives, too – marcellothearcane Jun 02 '18 at 09:03
  • Thanks for the reply, but I have no problem with "touched it". I only find it difficult on the occasions I have to say things like "touched THE ..." : ) – Reynard Hao Jun 02 '18 at 09:53

1 Answers1

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You may drop the /t/ sound in "touched the" (but it is not required). The relevant rule, mentioned in the answer to "Pronunciation Deleting /t/ Between Consonants", is optional, but it does not have a general exception for past-tense forms. It's true that dropping the /t/ will make it sound like "touch the", but the context often disambiguates the meaning. For example, if the subject is third-person singular, "he touch the..." in the present tense would not be grammatical.

herisson
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