As the previous lessons on contracted verbs have already shown you, the music of English comes from the way native English speakers:

stress their content words (meaning, they say them longer, louder, and higher in pitch); as well as
de-stress their function words (meaning they say them quicker and more relaxed).

Function Words

Function words in English are those that form the grammar and structure of a sentence and do not carry much content. These include auxiliary verbs, which accompany a main verb and add some grammatical meaning to the sentence.

Because “have” is an auxiliary verb, we tend to de-stress it and contract it, then attach it to the verb preceding it.

So, to contract “have”, simply:

delete the first consonant sound [h];
de-stress and relax the vowel sound ([æ] → [ə]); and
connect it to the verb before it.

“have” → [əv]

could + have = “could’ve” [kʊdəv]

Did you hear how much more relaxed the vowel sound in “have” is?

“could’ve” [kʊdəv]

Remember that because “have” now begins with a vowel sound, you should connect your speech and pronounce the [d] in “could” at the beginning of “‘ve” [əv] → [dəv].

“could’ve” [kʊdəv]

[k] vs. [g]

Notice that the [k] sound in “could” is a voiceless sound, and I am not saying the voiced [g]. This means there is no vibration in my vocal cords when I say [k] in “could’ve”.

Now, let’s put it all together and practice.