Okay, so I’ve been messing around with learning some Spanish, and I wanted to really nail down the pronunciation of words with that trilled “r” sound. You know, like in “perro” (dog). It’s called “strep” in some circles, focusing on the strong, rolling ‘r’. I figured I’d share how I went about tackling this, ’cause it wasn’t easy at first!
Getting Started
First, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos. I just searched for “Spanish trilled r” and “how to roll your r’s in Spanish”. There are tons of videos out there, some better than others. I found a few that really broke down the tongue placement, which is key.
The “Butter” Trick
One trick that kept popping up was the “butter” method. Basically, you practice saying the word “butter” really fast, focusing on that “tt” sound. The idea is that your tongue is in a similar position for the trilled “r” as it is for that “tt”. So, I spent a good chunk of time just saying “butter, butter, butter” over and over again. I probably sounded ridiculous, but hey, it’s part of the process!
The “Pot of Tea” Exercise
Another exercise I tried involved saying “pot of tea” quickly and repeatedly. Again, the goal is to get your tongue used to that rapid flapping motion against the roof of your mouth. I combined this with the “butter” exercise, switching between the two to see if I could feel any difference.
Putting it into Practice (with “Perro”)
- I started by saying “perro” slowly, exaggerating the “e” and then trying to get that trill on the “rr”.
- Then, I tried to speed it up, focusing on keeping the airflow consistent.
- I recorded myself saying it (super cringey, I know!) and listened back to see if I was getting close. It’s tough to judge your own pronunciation sometimes.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Finally Getting It (Kind Of!)
Honestly, it took a while. I’m still not perfect, but I definitely feel like I’m making progress. The key, at least for me, was just consistent practice. Even just 5-10 minutes a day of these exercises seemed to help. And, I started incorprating it with other words like “carro”, “ferrocarril” and so on, and my skills are improving!
It also helps a ton if I speak with native spanish speakers!
It’s one of those things where you might feel like you’re not getting anywhere, and then suddenly, it starts to click. So, if you’re struggling with the trilled “r”, don’t give up! Keep practicing, and you’ll get there eventually.
