The letter R is also known as an alveolar vibrating consonant and is mainly used in the pronunciation of words in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. However, it is not uncommon that even for native speakers the pronunciation of this consonant is rather difficult and, in some cases, a practically unattainable goal. In some languages this sound is not used, as in the case of English, so learning how to produce it can be even more complicated.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Position the Tongue Correctly
Step 1. Move your mouth correctly
In other languages, as in the case of English, the sound of the R is produced by the interaction between the lower lip and the upper teeth; the vibrating R, on the other hand, comes from the vibration of the tongue against the back of the upper incisors, similar to the pronunciation of the letters T and D.
- Start by saying the letter R in English aloud. Pay attention to the movements of the tongue during the pronunciation: you will notice that it does not touch the back of the teeth but remains close to it, in mid-air.
- Now say the letters T and D out loud. Check the tongue: now it touches the upper incisors, as if pushing them forward.
- This placement is the same as the one you will need to perfect for the R; the only difference is that, in addition to placing it on the incisors, you will also have to make it vibrate. This will be what will allow you to make the correct sound.
- The first fundamental point is to learn how to move the mouth and tongue; keep paying attention to how you position the latter even when you start with the practice.
Step 2. Continue starting from the D or T
Start by preparing your mouth and tongue as if you were to pronounce one of these two letters and place your tongue very lightly behind your upper incisors; then keep it relaxed and exhale through your mouth so that it starts vibrating against your teeth.
- The key to this step is learning how to get the tongue to vibrate: by keeping it relaxed and exhaling, the flow of air should make it vibrate; if that doesn't happen, you're probably not keeping her relaxed enough.
- This point also requires training; to increase the chances of success you could also try to pronounce the sound of D or T: while pronouncing these consonants add Rs at the end of the sound, trying to obtain "drrr" and "trrr". Exhale and train yourself to vibrate your tongue correctly.
- You can also try repeating words that start with D, T, B or P and have an R in the second position (e.g. Dracula, train, bronze, perfume, etc.). Similar words will help you in the pronunciation of the vibrating consonant, since the language will already be in the right position; however, it remains essential to be able to make it vibrate.
Step 3. Pronounce sounds that make you place your tongue in the right place
In addition to the sounds "drrr" and "trrr" there are other words and phrases that can help you understand where to start to pronounce the R: "sedan chair", "chair", "throw it in the garbage", etc. You will notice that in all these cases there are many sounds played by placing the tongue behind the upper incisors: you will have to start from here to get some vibrant Rs.
Step 4. Use the "butter / ladder" method
These English words sound similar to words starting with D, T, B or P followed by an R; moreover, when pronouncing them, the tongue is placed on the back of the upper teeth, exactly as in the case of the vibrating consonant.
- For these words the tongue is positioned behind the incisors when you pass to the second syllable, that is to the sounds of "tter" and "dder".
- You can just repeat one word, or both in sequence: for example, you could say "butter butter ladder ladder ladder" over and over, or any combination of the two.
- Keep repeating the sequence faster and faster: the faster you are, the easier your tongue will start to vibrate; at a certain point the syllables "tter" and "dder" will take on the typical sound of the letter R.
Step 5. Practice saying the letter R by yourself
At this point you should know where you need to place your tongue to pronounce this consonant and you should also have done a good workout, taking advantage of the words that include the right movement; you should therefore have reached the moment when the tongue started vibrating against the upper incisors. Now collect all the experience and try to pronounce only the R.
- It may take weeks before you reach this point and get your Rs vibrating well; be patient, it is not an easy sound to produce.
- The purpose of this step is to learn how to produce a vibrant R without relying on complete words or other consonants.
- Keep practicing, even after you get the first Rs - you should be able to say them completely naturally, without having to think about how to move your mouth and tongue.
Method 2 of 3: Using Tongue Twisters as a Workout
Step 1. Relax your tongue
The vibration of the R requires quite relaxed muscles, so that it can start easily; As relaxation of the tongue is not necessary for other sounds, some training will be required before learning the best procedure.
- Say "ti di va" sounds to soften your tongue.
- Keep repeating them as quickly as possible, keeping the muscles straight and the tongue inside the mouth.
- The tongue is an always-on muscle, so you may need a good deal of practice before you can relax it enough to make it vibrate.
Step 2. Try saying a sentence in Spanish
The Spanish R sounds the same as Italian and therefore this language is great for training, regardless of the language you want to speak. This saying is often taught to those who struggle to produce a vibrant R, including children: "El perro de san Roque no ti rabo, porque Ramón Ramirez se lo robado."
- The Italian translation is "San Roque's dog has no tail, because Ramón Ramirez stole it".
- The R is vibrated strongly only in some cases in Spanish, i.e. when it is the first letter of a word (as in Roque or rabo) or when there is a double R within a word (for example in perro); given your purpose, you should mostly focus on these words.
- When there is a single R within a Spanish word it does not correspond to a vibrating sound, but is rather similar to the sound "dd" in English. If you need help figuring out when it needs to vibrate, try listening to this sample video.
- If it helps, just say words that include a vibrant R.
- Once you have learned the diction of each single word, continue reading the entire tongue twister in a row.
- Repeat the phrase several times, speeding up more and more; you will need to be able to say all words, including those with vibrant Rs, without first thinking about hard-to-pronounce consonants.
Step 3. Try a Spanish tongue twister
The one suggested here is great for training in the pronunciation of the vibrant R, regardless of your language: "Erre con re cigarro, erre con re barril. Rápido corren los carries, cargados de azúcar del ferrocarril". Start slowly and then, when you have a good confidence in the words, speed up a little with each subsequent repetition.
- The Italian translation is "R with R cigar, R with R barrel. The wagons run fast, loaded with the train's sugar".
- The first alternative version is: "Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril. Rápido corren los carros, detrás del ferrocarril."
- A second alternative version is instead: "Erre con erre guitarra, erre con erre barril. Mira que rápido ruedan, las ruedas del ferrocarril."
- The alveolar vibrant is not always used in Spanish, but only when the R is at the beginning of the word (for example Roque or rabo) or double within the word (as in perro); in other cases it must have a different sound.
- Remember that when the R is single within a word, it is not pronounced as a vibrating consonant but instead with a sound similar to "dd"; if you need help figuring out which sound is suitable, try listening to this sample video.
- As you accelerate in reading the tongue twister you should get to the point where it is natural for you to say the R correctly.
Step 4. Vary the tongue twisters
To avoid getting bored by repeating the same things over and over, as well as to verify that you can pronounce the R in more general cases, try changing tongue twisters every now and then; this one speaks of three sad tigers: "Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos. En tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres".
- First alternative version: "Tres tristes tigres triscaban trigo en un trigal. Un tigre, dos tigres, tres tigres trigaban en un trigal. ¿Qué tigre trigaba más? Todos trigaban igual".
- Second alternative version: "En tres tristes trastos de trigo, tres tristes tigres comían trigo. Comían trigo, tres tristes tigres, en tres tristes trastos de trigo".
- As before, remember to pronounce the vibrating sound only when required, i.e. at the beginning of the word (Roque or rabo) or when there is a double R within the word (perro).
- If the letter R appears individually within a Spanish word, it should not be vibrated, but pronounced as the sound "dd". If you need help, check out this sample video.
- As you progress in reading the tongue twister at faster speeds, the correct pronunciation of the R should feel natural to you.
Method 3 of 3: Using English Words and Sounds to Learn to Pronounce the R
Step 1. Try the Tiger Method
This process will teach you how to vibrate the tongue, which is the key to pronouncing the R; you can follow these directions:
- Clear your throat. You should make a sound like "ckh"; as you emit it, turn it into something like "grrr", making your palate vibrate.
- Say the letter L or N and pay attention to where the tongue is positioned at the end of the sound: this point is called the "alveolar process".
- Place your tongue on your alveolar process and say the English words "girl" and "hurl" without ever moving your tongue; uses sounds to clear your throat at the beginning of words and transforms the vibration into a correct R.
Step 2. Use the "raspberry method"
In this case you will use the sound produced by the raspberry to start pronouncing the typical vibration of the R. Follow these steps:
- Start by making a raspberry;
- Add your voice, using your vocal cords to produce additional noise;
- As you continue lower your jaw as far as possible, without stopping the noise;
- Once the jaw is lowered, move the tongue towards the alveolar process while continuing to sustain the vibration;
- At this point you should produce a vibrant R; otherwise, try this method again until you pronounce a correct one.
Step 3. Try the "Vision Dream" method
You will need to speak very loudly, so make sure you are in a place where there is no risk of disturbing anyone. The steps are as follows:
- Take a deep breath;
- Say the word "vision". Dwell for about 3-4 seconds on the middle part of the word, which sounds like "zh"; as you prolong the sound, increase the volume as well. The final "n" of the word should be very short but with the intensity still increasing, reaching a rather strong sonority.
- Add the word "dream" to complete the sentence. Let less than a second pass between the end of the previous word and the beginning of this one; also try to focus on the "dr" sound.
- When you are at this point, relax your tongue and leave it soft; since you will be speaking very loudly, the air you emit should be enough to trigger the vibration. Do not contract your tongue and allow it to move freely.
- If successful, you should make a sound similar to "dagadaga".
- You may need to retry a few times before you get a satisfactory R.
Advice
- The vibrating sound of the R is not easy to reproduce, so you may not be able to immediately or without having performed a good workout; you will probably have to practice several times a day for a few weeks before getting a correct pronunciation and without needing to concentrate. In summary, be patient and don't give up.
- The vibrant R is similar and widespread in many languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, etc.); it will therefore be essential to acquire the ability to pronounce it without problems so as not to have to fear it anymore, in any context or language you encounter it.
