rolling your 'r's

Question

This kind of piggy-backs on the question asked about trying to speak with a Spanish accent. HELP! I've been trying to roll my 'r's for years with no luck. I know that the 'rr' in Spanish is always rolled (are other 'r's optional?" I suspect i'm not alone in this problem. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I can't do it either. You could offer me a million dollars, yet I still wouldn't get a single rolled "r". - TheSilentHero, ENE 21, 2010

Answer 1

Not that anyone ever believes me but maybe when all other methods fail, you'll try my advice. I learned to roll my r's about a year ago after plenty of failed advice. Look up on google the butter ladder method. Essentially, you just say butter or ladder (whichever you prefer) over and over as fast as you can for about 10 minutes a day (I recommend in the shower where you can't embarrass yourself) and after four or six weeks, for me, anyway, I was just able to roll my r's. I think it trains the muscles required but I'm not sure. After that it was just practice and it keeps getting better. Good luck!

I've already started annoying my family with butter, butter, butter....here's hoping! Thanks so much. - AnaBailarina, ENE 22, 2010

Answer 2

I was never able to rolls my R's in all the time I took Spanish courses. What is funny is that I only was able to roll my R's after trying to sing along with two Juanes songs one called La Paga where he says "más de esto, amor" and then another called Mala Gente because he says "te vas a quemar" and rolls the last R for on both a long time, and after absentmindedly singing along with them, I noticed I was rolling my R's during the song. For a while, I could only rolls them while I was singing... now I can do it all the time.

I have no idea if it will work for anyone else but here is Mala Gente and here is La Paga.

Oh, and "rr" is always rolled. Single "r" at the beginning of a word is usually rolled and an "r" as the coda (end) of a syllable is also rolled.

Answer 3

Hi Ana!

Here's a link to the thread I posted last week concerning your question. I love the butter/ladder suggestion from mariana! This is similar (other suggestions are also included).

link text

I hope it helps!

Dee,I looked high and low for that thread to show her. It's a good one, glad you found it. - Yeser007, ENE 21, 2010

Thanks, yesero! :-) - Dee914, ENE 21, 2010

Thank you very much, great suggestion, good thread. I appreciate your pointing me that direction. - AnaBailarina, ENE 22, 2010

Answer 4

BTW still working on it. Me gusta Juanes!!!!

Answer 5

I can do it about 20% of the time I try it. It's all about what part of my mouth my tongue hits, i have terrible aim, but when i hit the right part i can roll it.

Answer 6

oops that is "trigo" en un trigal. sorry.

Answer 7

can i answer my own question? is there a badge for it? (badges? BADGES? we don't need no stinkin' badges....ha ha.) anyway, had a visitor from Madrid and he said to practice "tres triste tigres comían trio en un trigal" it actually helps.