I have just started to use Fluenz. And I think I have learned most of the basic pronunciations of Spanish. But I can not pronounce "r" in certain words. I can put a small roll of the "r" when it ends in the word such as comer, tomar, etc. And it sounds ok. But I am having a really hard time in pronouncing the "r" when it begins a word such as restaurante. What is interesting, is when I say the word, I can not roll the first "r", but I can roll the second "r". Another word that is giving me trouble is querer. If I say quiero or quiere.. it almost sounds like I am trying to put a "d" in the word to help roll the "r". It sounds more like "qui-er-do" or "qui-er-de". I dont think this is correct. Can someone help me with some exercises, websites, or YouTube videos that can help me get over my pronunciation problems. Like I said, I am only having problems with the "r", everything else is good with my Spanish pronunciation.
Chiliblossom2010-01-24T13:35:55Z
Favorite Answer
Rolling the r takes practice. If you can roll the r in word-ending position, you may find it easier to roll it in word-initial position by adding a vowel before the word. Most of the letters of the Spanish alphabet have a vowel at the beginning to aid with the pronunciation, F (efe), L, (ele), M (eme), [...], R (ere or erre).
It is the air coming out of your lungs that helps to form the sounds. To roll the r, relax your tongue and get a good breath of air; you need a nice strong current to make your tongue roll, so you cannot be shy. Do not trying whispering it, you'll get nowhere. That's why I recommend you put a vowel before it. Once you're better at it, you can eliminate it.
Edited to add: Sorry, I totally forgot that you do not just "relax" the tongue. Place it the following way: the tip should be touching the alveolar ridge (the part of skin behind your upper teeth and roof of your mouth). The air you're expelling will make your tongue strike that area and produce the sound you're looking for.
When the r is between two vowels, you pronounce it like the 'tt' in "utter", just a quick tap. When it's in word-mid position followed by another consonant, you roll it, like in the name Carlos.
You can practice with: "Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre carril, rapido corren los carros, por la linea del ferrocarril"
Even native speakers practiced this in school so don't get frustrated!"
In gracias the c is suggested as an S. However in lots of different Spanish phrases opening with a C, like Casa Corazon, or Comer the C primarily the primary in a phrase is suggested as a C. In addition persons from Spain pronounce the c as a zeta however that is one more dilemma Hope this is helping NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKER