Pronounce your "R" in Spanish like a Native Speaker

Why the "r" sound is difficult

The "R" is probable the most difficult sound for students of Spanish as a foreign language. I know because I still remember how hard it was to learn even for me as a native speaker. But don’t panic! It just takes time and practice. The difficulty in the articulation of this particular sound is due to the rolling movement it requires from the tongue. Speakers of languages in which there are no rolling consonants need some thorough practice in order to get it right.

Video: how to pronounce the rolling "R" in Spanish

Our tongue needs to be trained in order to achieve the fast vibrating movement against the palate which produces this rhythmic sound. In just 4 minutes, this video will give you some tips for the pronunciation of this sound:

Tongue twister

Would you like some more practice? Then listen to this famous Spanish tongue twister, which consists of a phrase full of strong rolling r's:



Text of the tongue twister:

El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo, porque Ramón Ramírez se lo ha cortado. El perro de Ramón Ramírez no tiene rabo porque se lo han robado ¿Quién le ha robado el rabo al perro de San Roque? ¿Ramón Ramírez ha robado el rabo del perro de San Roque?