Help needed with pronunciation of "r" in Spanish

Question

Still am running into Spanish words where there is an r that is pronounced like the English "d": if its a new word to me then I just have to remember these unusual words where this is the case. Are there no pronunciation rules for this?

I changed the title for clarity. :) - Nicole-B, Jan 12, 2012

Answer 1

I believe what you are hearing is the way that people in certain countries pronounce this letter. These aren't new or different words, but rather variations of pronunciation.

There are no rules that would make the letter "r" sound like the letter "d".

Answer 2

I think Campbelthom means that things like "aro" (Spanish), are pronounced a little bit like "addo" (English). Whereas you have other words like "romero" and "herraje", that have the "hard" erre, which is not unknown to certain British people, but which does not really exist in US English.

I suppose the "rule" in this case is that you pronunce it like the English "d" if it's a single "r" followed by a vocal in the middle of a word. You use the hard "erre" if it's at the beginning of the word (ratón) or a double "r" in the middle of a word: " carrocería" (this word has the two of them!).

Finaly, if there's a single "r" followed by a consonant in the middle of a word, then it's a softer "r", similar to the English "rocket" or "concert". Eg: carne.

Answer 3

I have always pronounded the "r" as a "soft d" as long as its not the first letter of a word. Its hard to literally spell out the way I pronounce it, but the best way I can put it is that it it a "soft d" or a "d and r mix." It's almost like "ere" but the r hits the top of your mouth more. Don't get this confused with 'rr" because it certainly is not that.