Subject-Verb Agreement Pronunciation Guide: How DO, DOES, IS, ARE, HAS, and HAVE Actually Sound

Subject-verb agreement is not just a grammar topic; it directly affects how words are pronounced in English. The verb forms you choose change depending on the subject, and each form has its own pronunciation (and often a weak, reduced form used in casual speech).

In this guide, we will cover how the most common agreement pairs sound, when they reduce to weak forms, and how third-person singular -s endings follow the same pronunciation rules as plural nouns.

DO vs. DOES

The verb "do" changes form depending on the subject. "Do" is used with I, you, we, and they, while "does" is used with he, she, and it.

In fast speech, both can reduce:

• "Do you know?" often sounds like /dʒə noʊ/ or /dəjə noʊ/
• "Does he know?" often sounds like /dʌzi noʊ/

However, when "do" or "does" carries emphasis (for example, in affirmative emphasis: "I DO like it!"), the full form is always used.

IS vs. ARE

The verb "be" in the present tense splits into "is" (third person singular) and "are" (second person, first/third person plural).

Both have common weak forms:

In natural speech, you will hear "She's a teacher" /ʃiːz ə ˈtiːtʃər/ far more often than "She is a teacher" /ʃiː ɪz ə ˈtiːtʃər/. The contracted form is the default in conversation.

HAS vs. HAVE

"Has" is used with third person singular subjects; "have" is used with everything else.

Weak forms are extremely common:

• "has" reduces to /həz/ or even /əz/: "He's been waiting" /hiːz bɪn ˈweɪtɪŋ/
• "have" reduces to /həv/ or /əv/: "They've gone" /ðeɪv ɡɔːn/

When "have" is the main verb (possession), it tends to keep its strong form: "I have a question" /aɪ hæv ə ˈkwɛstʃən/. When it is an auxiliary, it almost always reduces.

WAS vs. WERE

In the past tense, "was" pairs with singular subjects and "were" with plural subjects (plus "you").

Both have weak forms:

• "was" reduces to /wəz/: "She was happy" often sounds like /ʃiː wəz ˈhæpi/
• "were" reduces to /wər/: "They were leaving" sounds like /ðeɪ wər ˈliːvɪŋ/

The strong forms (/wɑːz/ and /wɜːr/) appear when the verb is stressed, typically for emphasis or contrast: "She WAS there, not him."

Third Person -S Endings

When a verb takes the third person singular form (he/she/it), an -s or -es is added. The pronunciation of this ending follows the exact same rules as plural noun endings:

Practice with /s/ ending

Practice with /z/ ending

Practice with /ɪz/ ending

There Is vs. There Are

In formal English, "there is" is used with singular nouns and "there are" with plural nouns:

• "There is a book on the table." /ðer ɪz ə bʊk ɑːn ðə ˈteɪbəl/
• "There are three books on the table." /ðer ɑːr θriː bʊks ɑːn ðə ˈteɪbəl/

In informal speech, "there's" /ðerz/ is commonly used for both singular and plural: "There's three books on the table." While this is grammatically non-standard, it is extremely common in everyday American English.

Agreement in Questions

In questions, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject but still must agree with it. Pay attention to the pronunciation differences:

• "Does he know?" /dʌz iː noʊ/ (singular)
• "Do they know?" /duː ðeɪ noʊ/ (plural)
• "Is she coming?" /ɪz ʃiː ˈkʌmɪŋ/ (singular)
• "Are they coming?" /ɑːr ðeɪ ˈkʌmɪŋ/ (plural)

In questions, the auxiliary verb often keeps its stronger pronunciation because it comes at the beginning of the sentence, a position that naturally receives more stress.

Collective Nouns: American vs. British

An interesting difference between American and British English involves collective nouns (team, family, government, etc.):

• American English: "The team is winning." (treated as singular)
• British English: "The team are winning." (treated as plural)

Since this app focuses on American English pronunciation, use singular verb forms with collective nouns.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mixing up "does" and "do"

Because many languages do not have this distinction, learners sometimes use "do" for all subjects: "She do like it" instead of "She does like it." Remember: if the subject is he, she, or it, the verb needs the third-person form.

Forgetting the -s ending pronunciation

Some learners add the extra syllable /ɪz/ where it does not belong: "walks" should be one syllable /wɔːks/, not two. The /ɪz/ ending only occurs after sibilant sounds (/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/).

Using strong forms when weak forms are expected

Saying every auxiliary with its full pronunciation sounds unnatural. In connected speech, "She is happy" should sound like "She's happy" /ʃiːz ˈhæpi/, not /ʃiː ɪz ˈhæpi/.

Practice Sentences

Read these aloud, paying attention to agreement and pronunciation:

1. Does he have the keys, or do they? /dʌz iː hæv ðə kiːz, ɔːr duː ðeɪ/
2. She walks to work, but they drive. /ʃiː wɔːks tə wɜːrk, bʌt ðeɪ draɪv/
3. He watches the news while she teaches her class. /hiː ˈwɑːtʃɪz ðə nuːz waɪl ʃiː ˈtiːtʃɪz hɜːr klæs/
4. There is a problem, and there are no easy solutions. /ðer ɪz ə ˈprɑːbləm, ænd ðer ɑːr noʊ ˈiːzi səˈluːʃənz/
5. The team is ready. The players are warming up. /ðə tiːm ɪz ˈrɛdi. ðə ˈpleɪərz ɑːr ˈwɔːrmɪŋ ʌp/

Summary

Remember these key points about subject-verb agreement and pronunciation:

• DO /duː/ vs. DOES /dʌz/: different vowel sounds that signal different subjects.
• IS /ɪz/ vs. ARE /ɑːr/: both commonly reduce in speech, but their contracted forms are distinct.
• HAS /hæz/ vs. HAVE /hæv/: reduce as auxiliaries, but keep strong forms as main verbs.
• WAS /wɑːz/ vs. WERE /wɜːr/: distinguishable by their vowel sounds even in weak forms.
• Third-person -s endings follow the same /s/, /z/, /ɪz/ rules as plural nouns.
• In American English, collective nouns take singular verb forms.