Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Learning proper tongue placement
• Method 2 of 3: Practice tongue twisters
• Method 3 of 3: Borrow English words and sounds to learn a rolling R.
• Tips

The rolling R, also known as the alveolar tremor, is primarily used when pronouncing words in many languages ​​around the world, including Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Scottish English, and many more. Interestingly, even some native speakers of these languages ​​struggle with the rolling R, and some people are never able to roll their Rs. If the rolling R is not really common in your native language (as in English) or you speak certain Dutch dialects, then you may never have had to roll the R before and you still want to learn this.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Learning proper tongue placement

1. Make the correct movements with your mouth. The "soft" R sound is created by the movement between your lower lip and upper teeth. The rolling R, on the other hand, is created by vibrating the tip of your tongue against the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth, which is very similar to the way your mouth moves when you pronounce a T or D.
   • Start by saying the "soft" R out loud, as in English. Notice how your mouth moves as you say the letter R. You will notice that your tongue is not touching the back of your teeth, it is just hanging in the air.
   • Now say the letters T and D out loud. Notice how your mouth moves when you say T and D. you will find that your tongue is touching the back of your front teeth - almost like your tongue is pushing your teeth forward.
   • The placement of your tongue as you form T and D is the same as you need to make the R roll. However, in addition to touching the back of your front teeth with your tongue, it should also start to vibrate. It is this vibration that creates the vibrating or rolling sound.
   • The most important part of this step is recognizing how your mouth and tongue must move for the R to roll. As you move forward and start practicing with the actual rolling R sound, don't forget to pay attention to the placement of your tongue.
2. Switch from the D or T sound to an R sound. Begin this step by holding your mouth and tongue in the previously practiced position to form the letters D or T. This position allows your tongue to rest very lightly against the back of your front teeth. Once your mouth is in this position, only exhale through your mouth. Keep your tongue relaxed as you do this so that it vibrates against your front teeth.
   • The key to this step is to practice vibrating your tongue. By keeping your tongue relaxed in your mouth as you exhale, the flow of air from your lungs should force your tongue to vibrate. If it isn't vibrating, you may not be keeping your tongue relaxed enough.
   • This step, like all steps, requires practice. To help you succeed with this step, you may want to try saying the sounds associated with the letters T and D. As you make the T or D sounds, add some R's to the end of the sound to make the sounds "drrr" and "trrr". Exhale as you do this and practice vibrating your tongue.
   • You can also try saying words that start with D, T, B or P and have an R as the second letter in the word (eg Dracula, train, bronze, beautiful). By practicing words that include a D, T, B, P, and an R, you're essentially practicing a rolling R because your tongue is in the correct position. The intention is to make your tongue vibrate when you say the R, so that it starts to roll on its own.
3. Say phrases that put your tongue in the right place. In addition to the "drrr" and "trrr" sounds, there are phrases that can help you position your tongue for an R roll. "Place it there" or "Pot of tea" and you will find your tongue pressing against the back of your front teeth. This is the same position you want your tongue in when rolling your R.
4. Use the butter / ladder method. The words "butter" and "ladder" are similar to the method of using a word that starts with D, T, B or P and has an R as the second letter. These two words also place your tongue against the back of your front teeth, which is the same position you need for the R to roll.
   • In the case of these two words, your tongue moves to the back of your front teeth when you say the second syllable of the word - when you say the sounds of "ter" and "dder".
   • You can say one of the words or both. For example, you can say over and over again, "Butter Butter Ladder Ladder", or a combination of the two words.
   • Keep repeating the words faster and faster. The faster you say the words, the more likely your tongue will vibrate. Ultimately, the "ter" and "dder" of the words must take on the vibrating sound of a rolling R.
5. Practice rolling a single R. At this point you need to know where your tongue should be in your mouth when you roll an R. You have also practiced this movement by saying other words that produce the same movement. In the process, you've hopefully vibrated your tongue against the back of your teeth. Now take everything you've learned and just practice a rolling R.
   • It may take weeks for you to reach this step and successfully roll an R. Be patient, it is not easy.
   • The key to this step is to be able to produce a successful roll R, without having to add extra letters or words.
   • Once you are able to successfully roll one R, you keep practicing over and over. It should eventually become second nature so you don't even think about what your mouth is doing when you roll an R.

Method 2 of 3: Practice tongue twisters

1. Untie your tongue. The rolling R sound requires your tongue to be quite relaxed so it can vibrate freely when you talk. Since a relaxed tongue is usually not necessary to speak English, you may need to learn to relax your tongue before you can successfully roll the R.
   • Use the phrase "Tie die va" to loosen your tongue.
   • Say this phrase over and over and as quickly as possible. Don't forget to keep your tongue relaxed and loose in your mouth.
   • Your tongue is a muscle, so you may need to practice a little before you can relax it naturally to get an R.
2. Practice your rolling R sounds with a phrase in Spanish. Many people, including children, learn this rhyme to learn the correct pronunciation of the letter R in Spanish, which produces the same sound as a rolling R. You can use this rhyme to practice your rolling R, regardless of the language you are using the is going to use rolling R. The tongue twister is "El perro de san Roque no tiene rabo, porque Ramón Ramirez se lo ha robado."
   • The Dutch translation of this tongue twister is: "San Roque's dog has no tail, because Ramón Ramirez stole it."
   • Only in certain cases is the rolling (or vibrating) R used in Spanish: when it is the first letter of a word (eg Roque or rabo), or when there is a double R in the middle of a word (eg. perro). When you say the rhyme, these are the places in the sentence where you should let the R roll.
   • When the letter R in a Spanish word stands by itself in the middle of the word, it should not be spoken in a scrolling manner. Instead, the sound produced should be similar to the sound "dd" would make in English. If you need help pronouncing the single R correctly, listen to this video to get an idea: http://www.studyspanish.com/pronunciation/letter_r.htm.
   • If it helps, first practice only the words that produce the rolling R sound.
   • Once you are able to say the individual words correctly, move on to saying the entire rhyme.
   • Repeat the rhyme over and over, getting faster and faster. The key is to be able to say all the words, including the rolling R sound, without consciously thinking about the fact that you are rolling the R.
3. Try a tongue twister in Spanish. The following Spanish tongue twister can be used to practice your rolling R sound, regardless of the language you are learning: "Erre con re cigarro, erre con re barril. Rápido corren los carries, cargados de azúcar del ferrocarril. " Start by saying the tongue twister slowly at first. Once you've mastered the tongue twister, say it over and over and over and over again.
   • Translated into Dutch, this is: "R with R cigar, R with R barrel, roll the wagons quickly carrying the sugar from the train."
   • Alternative version 1 - "Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril. Rápido corren los carros, detrás del ferrocarril. "
   • Alternative version 2 - "Erre con erre guitarra, erre con erre barril." Mira que rápido ruedan, las ruedas del ferrocarril. "
   • There are only certain times when the rolling (or vibrating) R is used in Spanish: when it is the first letter of a word (eg Roque or rabo); or when there is a double R in the middle of a word (eg perro). When pronouncing the tongue motion, these are the only times you should roll the R.
   • Remember that when the letter R in a Spanish word is on its own in the middle of the word, it is not rolled. Instead, the sound produced should be similar to the sound "dd" would make in English. If you need help pronouncing the single R correctly, watch this video as an example - http://www.studyspanish.com/pronunciation/letter_r.htm.
   • As you get faster and faster with the tongue twister, the rolling R sound should come naturally.
4. Alternate tongue twisters. To avoid getting bored and to make sure you can roll the R when you say more than one word or phrase, try a different tongue twister every now and then. This tongue twister is about three sad tigers: "Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos." And tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres. "
   • Alternative version 1 - "Tres tristes tigres triscaban trigo en un trigal." Un tigre, dos tigres, tres tigres trigaban and un trigal. ¿Qué tigre trigaba más? Todos trigaban igual. "
   • Alternative version 2 - "En tres tristes trastos de trigo, tres tristes tigres comen trigo." Comen trigo, tres tristes tigres, and tres tristes trastos de trigo. "
   • Again, you only need to produce a rolling R sound if the first letter of a word is an R (eg Roque or rabo) or if there is a double R in the middle of a word (eg perro).
   • When the letter R in a Spanish word is on its own in the middle of the word, it is not rolled. Instead, the sound produced should be similar to the sound "dd" would make in English. If you need help pronouncing the single R correctly, watch this video as an example - http://www.studyspanish.com/pronunciation/letter_r.htm.
   • As you get faster and faster with the tongue twister, the rolling R sound should come naturally.

Method 3 of 3: Borrow English words and sounds to learn a rolling R.

1. Try the tiger method. The tiger method will help you learn the trick of vibrating your tongue, which is necessary for the R to roll. This method goes as follows:
   • Clean your throat. This should sound like "ckh". As you clear your throat, convert the "ckh" sound into a "grrr" sound. The way to make these sounds is to vibrate the roof of your mouth.
   • Say the letter L or N and notice where your tongue ends against your palate at the end of the letter. This point is called the alveolar rim.
   • Place your tongue on your alveolar rim and say the English words "girl" and "hurl" without lifting your tongue. Use the throat clearing sound again to begin the word and transform the vibration into a rolling R.
2. Use the raspberry method. In this method, you first make a sound by sticking out your tongue and then blowing (English: Blowing a raspberry), to learn how to make the R roll. The steps are as follows:
   • Stick your tongue out first and start blowing.
   • Add a sound to this with your voice. You can do this by simply using your vocal cords to make noise.
   • When blowing a sound with your tongue, lower your jaw as much as possible without stopping the blowing.
   • Once your jaw is in a lower position, move your tongue to the alveolar crest without making any further changes.
   • At this point an R should start rolling. If not, try the method again until you end with a rolling R.
3. Consider the Vision Dream Method. This method involves speaking quite out loud, so it's best to try this somewhere where you won't bother anyone. Follow these steps:
   • Take a deep breath.
   • Say the English word "vision". Sound the middle of the word (which sounds like "zh") for 3-4 seconds. If you spread the "zh" sound over those 3-4 seconds, you increase the volume of the sound. The last part of the word (the "n") should be very short, but it should also get louder. You should be quite loud at this point.
   • Add the word "dream" to create a sentence. There must be less than a second between completing the word "vision" and the beginning of the word "dream". The "dr" part of the word "dream" should be the loudest point in the sentence.
   • When you come to the "dr" part of the word "dream", relax your tongue and make it limp. Since you are now speaking very loudly, the breath that comes out of your mouth should make your tongue vibrate. Let this happen (and keep your tongue relaxed).
   • If it works, it should sound like saying something like "dagadaga".
   • You may have to try this several times before you get to the point where you get a good rolling R sound.

Tips

• The rolling R sound is not easy to produce. It may not work quickly or easily. You will likely need to practice several times a day for weeks before successfully rolling an R without thinking about it. Be patient and keep trying.
• In general, the sound of a rolling R is similar in many languages ​​(Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, etc.). The key is being able to successfully roll an R on its own. If you are able to produce the right sound yourself, then you can apply it correctly in any language, where necessary.