Practice the trills and taps
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| This is the r sound, and this is the ɾ sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Horacio, and this is Spanish Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is r. This is the r sound in rosa "rose," ratón "mouse," carro "car," and other words. |
| The symbol ɾ represents the sound in pero "but," caro "expensive," mar "sea," and other words. |
| r is a voiced alveolar trill, while ɾ is a voiced alveolar tap. |
| To make the r sound: lightly contact the gums that are directly behind your top teeth using the tip of your tongue, and try to direct just enough air through it so that the opening opens and closes rapidly. You should generally feel the pressure build up and release continuously between your gums and your tongue. This sound is voiced, so you should feel vibrations coming from your throat when pronouncing this consonant. |
| r |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r |
| r |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r |
| To make the ɾ sound: Quickly tap the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, just behind your upper teeth. This sounds like a combination between a D sound and an R sound. The key here is to make sure that the tongue strikes very quickly and contacts briefly. |
| ɾ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɾ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɾ |
| ɾ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɾ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ɾ |
| The difference between these two sounds lies in the number of times the tongue taps against the alveolar ridge. A trill involves multiple, rapid taps, while a tap is a single, quick contact. |
| r, ɾ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r, ɾ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r, ɾ |
| Notice how the trill r involves a continuous vibration of the tongue, while the tap ɾ is a single, quick contact. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| caro/carro |
| "expensive"/"car" |
| (space for repetition) |
| caro/carro |
| "expensive"/"car" |
| pero/perro |
| "but"/"dog" |
| (space for repetition) |
| pero/perro |
| "but"/"dog" |
| cero/cerro |
| "zero"/"hill" |
| (space for repetition) |
| cero/cerro |
| "zero"/"hill" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| foro/forro |
| "forum"/"cover" |
| (1) |
| foro/forro |
| "forum"/"cover" |
| (1) |
| para/parra |
| "for"/"vine" |
| (1) |
| para/parra |
| "for"/"vine" |
| (1) |
| Let's try another. |
| careta/carreta |
| "mask"/"cart" |
| (1) |
| careta/carreta |
| "mask"/"cart" |
| (1) |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Mi jefe compró un carro muy caro. |
| "My boss bought a very expensive car." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| carro/caro |
| En invierno, en la cima del cerro, la temperatura baja hasta los cero grados. |
| "In winter, on the top of the hill, the temperature descends to zero degrees." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| cerro, cero |
| En algunas pinturas, los personajes usan hojas de parra para vestirse. |
| "In some paintings, the characters use vine leaves to dress up." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| parra, para |
| Read the following sentences out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| (pause) |
| Si no corro, no llegaré a tiempo a la práctica de coro. |
| "If I don't run, I won't be on time for chorus practice." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| corro, coro |
| El conductor de la carreta lleva una careta para protegerse los ojos. |
| "The cart driver wears a mask to protect his eyes." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| carreta, careta |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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