Let Your Voice Climb for Yes-or-No Questions

In Brazilian Portuguese, the syllable you stress tends to get louder, longer, and higher in pitch all at once — your voice doesn't usually split these jobs apart. English frequently asks you to do exactly that: in a yes/no question like 'Are you coming?' or 'Did you eat?', the pitch needs to rise right at the very end, even on a short, otherwise unstressed word, without necessarily getting louder or longer. Skipping that final rise can make genuine questions sound flat or even like statements to American ears. Try this: take three short questions — 'Is it ready?', 'Can you help?', 'Do you understand?' — and practice sending your pitch distinctly upward on the very last syllable, almost like you're reaching for something just out of view. Exaggerate it more than feels natural at first; most learners under-rise. Do this with a recording app so you can actually see your own pitch curve climb. Small adjustment, big difference in how clearly your questions land.