The spanish R - Level 1- How to pronounce spanish words

Hello all, I'm new to the spanish world and I'm having difficulties with the strong R. Why is the r in dar (to give) a strong R in the pronoucniation. It does not follow any of the following rules:

• when there are two Rs in a row;
• when there is an R at the start of a word;
• when there is an R after the letters L, N or S; and
• when there is an R after the prefix sub-

I also checked online and it was pronounced with a strong R as well. Thank for your help

Listen to native spanish speakers and copy them.

Be aware that there are different accents, pronounciations and the like.

For example, the rolled “R”:

At the end of a word, some will give it a couple of clicks or a little more forceful than that, others might sound like a soft cat purr.

At the beginning of a word it could be rolled “rr”, with others it might be soft, quick and blurred between “dr" and “thr.”

“Rrico,” “drico - thrico.”

If you hear “rrrrrrrrrrrrico,” it's probably a socal university activist who's trying too hard to sound “authentic” with his high school spanish, although there may be some native speakers who do that - but I don't think many… I've never heard one do that except for comedic exaggeration that I remember.

I'm not sure what a strong “R” is, I just know what I've heard from people speaking. What do you hear from the spanish voice recordings on RS? Copy them. It's probably quicker and easier with better results than trying to move your tongue in the mouth like someone told you via print. 

¡Hola Segun17 y Alme!

An R at the end of a word (as in dar “to give”) is most often pronounced as a soft R (or “flap R”). You can hear this quite well on the second R in the word subrayar “to underline”: 

[rocket-record phraseId="175932"]

But, that doesn't mean that Spanish speakers won't also sometimes pronounce the final R in a word as a strong R (or “rolled R”)! This might happen because they're really emphasizing the word or their pronunciation, or because it happens to work better for their cadence in a particular sentence. And, as Alme mentions, you may notice that people from one region roll their Rs more freely than people from another.

When you're first learning your Spanish Rs, I would recommend focusing on those places that you listed where you know that you always have to roll your Rs, and at the same time simply keeping an ear out for what you hear native speakers actually say. Over time, as you get exposed to more and more Spanish, you'll find yourself replicating what the native speakers do without even thinking about it!

I hope that this was helpful. If you still have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Saludos,

Liss

Thank You this helps me too, as I am learning also.

Glad to hear it, LlimaB! :)