All Episodes

October 12, 2025 1 min
Hey there! It’s Michael here — and welcome back to another Happy English Sunday Speak. I’m here every Sunday with a quick one-point tip to help you speak English more naturally.

Now, one of the most common phrases in English is “I don’t know.” But in everyday conversation, most native speakers don’t pronounce each word clearly like that. Instead, we usually say “I dunno.” (“EYE-duh-NO”) That’s right — I don’t know becomes I dunno. It’s just a natural sound change that happens when we speak quickly.
  •  “Who’s coming to the party?” → “I dunno.”
  •  “What time does the movie start?” → “Eh, I dunno.”
  •  “I’m gonna ask Tom where Jenny is” → “He dunno.” 

The meaning doesn’t change — it’s just faster, smoother, and more natural. So next time you want to say I don’t know, try saying I dunno. It’ll make your English sound more relaxed and more natural.

Thanks for listening. And  remember to like, follow, and subscribe so you won’t miss the next Happy English Podcast and next week’s Sunday Speak. Until next time, keep learning and keep it cool.

Join my Podcast Learner's Study Group here:  https://www.myhappyenglish.com/plsg
Visit my website for over 3,000 free English lessons: https://www.myhappyenglish.com/
My AI English Tutor is HERE 
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey there, it's Michael here and welcome back to another
Happy English Sunday Speak. I'm here every Sunday with a
quick one point tip to help you speak English more naturally. Now,
a very common phrase in English is I don't know.

(00:23):
But in everyday conversation, most native speakers don't pronounce each
word clearly like that. Instead, we usually say I don't know.
That's right, I don't know becomes I don't know. It's
just a natural sound change that happens when we speak smoothly.

(00:49):
Who's coming to the party? I don't know? What time
does the movie start? I don't know. I'm gonna ask
Tom where Jenny is? He don't know. The meaning doesn't change,
it's just faster, smoother, and more natural. So the next

(01:10):
time you want to say I don't know, try saying
I don't know. It'll make your English sound more relaxed
and more natural. Thanks for listening, and remember to like,
follow and subscribe so you won't miss the next Happy
English podcast and next week Sunday Speak. Until next time,

(01:33):
keep learning and keep it cool.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.