Hello Needs a Softer H Than You Think

English 'h,' as in 'hello,' 'house,' and 'happy,' is just a soft puff of breath — almost nothing is happening in your mouth except air escaping before the vowel starts. Russian doesn't have this exact sound; the closest native option is a harsher, scrapier sound made further back in the throat, closer to the one at the end of 'Bach.' Carrying that habit into English can make 'hat' or 'hope' sound noticeably rougher than intended, sometimes even changing which word a listener thinks they heard. The fix is almost about doing less: relax your throat completely and just breathe out gently right before the vowel, with no friction or scrape at all — think of fogging up a mirror. Try this for two minutes with 'hello, house, happy, hope, who,' keeping your throat loose throughout. If it helps, put a hand in front of your mouth and feel for a soft, even puff rather than a rasp. Small adjustment, big payoff in clarity.