Day 5 of 30 Days of Intonation: What do you think?

Today is Day 5, and we're looking at a question that you can use for a variety of purposes:

What do you think?

Because this question is so commonly asked, it can often sound like, "Whaddya think?" or “Whadja think?”

But you can also vary your intonation to express different meanings.

You can seek someone's opinion using normal question intonation, or excitedly ask for opinions using checking and confirming intonation.

You can return the question back to the other person by stressing "you," or really encourage the person to give their own opinion by stressing "do."

Last but not least, you can express sarcasm, negativity, or resignation by using a flat tone and dropping your voice at the end.

By now, you probably understand why I'm starting out with shorter questions and phrases. There's so much you can do with sentence stress and pitch.

Remember, understanding the tone of native speakers will help you decipher the meaning, even when you miss a word.

Using appropriate intonation can help you express your ideas more clearly, even if you make a mistake.

Related Examples: