Quería un perro pero ahora querría un gato...

Question

Quería un perro pero ahora querría un gato...

I wanted a dog but now would like a cat... Actually, I don't want either because kids are enough hard work.

My question relates to the R-sound. I know I've already posted on this topic before, vaunting my native innate Scottish ability to roll my R's. However, I was doing a little grammar revision today and re-encountered the distinction between 'quería' (wanted) and 'querría' (would want), and while I can understand the distinction in theory, I would be really interested to hear how it sounds in practice. My primary grammar tool at present is Michel Thomas, which is audio-based, but none of the speakers is native, and one of them (I believe she's a Southern English lass) has such a poor acquaintance with R that she never even pronounces it at the end of infinitives (I really don't understand why she was chosen for this course; she pronounces all -ar verbs like -aah at the end).

Would any natives care do post some vocaroo sound-testings to show the differences between words like 'quería' and 'querría' or 'pero' and 'perro' where the single/double-R is the only distinguishing feature ?

As a forfeit, if I get three examples, I will post a sound-recording in my own voice of a challenging R-based Spanish tongue-twister via vocaroo (someone has to suggest the tongue-twister).

¿ His derrière may look guapo in a kilt, but what happens when he rolls his R's ?

What happens? I guess his kilt swings. :) - ian-hill, Mar 24, 2015

He has to roll it when he can't find any heather... - Faldaesque, Mar 24, 2015

Answer 1

Casi un trabalenguas, jeje.

Grabación.

Gracias, Cordobesa. :) - bosquederoble, Mar 24, 2015

Answer 2

A while ago, a native posted a trabalenguas, it went something like

''Erre con erre, guitarra . Rápido, rápido ruedan los carros de ferrocarril'' . I can't remember exactly. I was going to have ago at it, but I couldn't get my microphone to work properly. Maybe we could revive it, if anybody can find it? It was a nice idea to have a practice.

Maybe it was Leumas. - annierats, Mar 24, 2015

Recuerdo uno parecido que no es un trabalenguas. Lo usamos para elegir quien empezará el juego como la chapada y dice así: erre con erre reventó, el que no sale la llevó. - jemamu, Mar 25, 2015

Answer 3

The "r" for Pero and quería is like the sound for niagara. While the "rr" for perro and querría is the sound for Rafael .

Thanks, but given how varied R sounds in various accents of English, purely written explanations are, with respect, meaningless. Niagara & Rafael are pronounced quite differently depending on English accent... ;-) - Faldaesque, Mar 24, 2015

Sorry, I didn't meet your expectations. I was just trying to help, I don't know how to records message. Here is a song /game to practice the rr and r sound: el ferrocarril, carril, carril, de Lima al Callao, Callao, Callao. Tres pesos atras, atras, atras - jemamu, Mar 25, 2015

Answer 4

Falda, please take this in consideration.

Quería un perro pero ahora querría un gato... = I wanted a dog but I would want a dog

I wanted a dog but now I would like a cat... = Quería un perro pero ahora me gustaría un gato..

Edit:

Kawaiano, how would you say in English what you wrote in the comments?

Falda: Did you understand my examples?

Thanks.

Indeed, using querría is conditional, where as what I believe you were(Falda-Escocesa) trying to communicate there didn't have a condition attached... after initially wanting a dog you just now thought you might like to have a cat, no conditions attached. - Kiwaiano, Mar 24, 2015

Another option would be, "quería un perro, pero ahora quisiera tener un gato." - Kiwaiano, Mar 24, 2015

Thanks, although I used querría because at this point I'm more interested in the sound difference between it & quería... - Faldaesque, Mar 24, 2015

Falda and Kiwaiano, read my edit and please reply here... :) - chileno, Mar 24, 2015

Aye, of course, gracias ;-) - Faldaesque, Mar 24, 2015

I think Kiwaiano means 'I wanted a dog but now would/might want (to get) a cat'... - Faldaesque, Mar 24, 2015

Like I wrote in English... ;) - chileno, Mar 25, 2015

Sí, el ejemplo fue para Falda-Escocesa. Pero por el otro lado «me gustaría un gato» literalmente sería «a cat would please me» pero esto no sería dicho comúnmente. - Kiwaiano, Mar 25, 2015

Answer 5

Here's my take. The singular r within a word -especially between vowels sounds like an English dd or tt.

Example: "Señora" sounds like "senyodda" (long O ) the technical term is "alveolar flap"

"Para ti" sounds like " pot o' tea"

In other positions, the singular "r" may or may not sound like the "rr" called "alveolar trill"

Enredo, tendré,padre

Initial "R" is trilled. Ricardo, Ramón

The alveolar trill is employed, of course, with "rr" between vowels. Correr, ferrocarril.

:) - rac1, Mar 25, 2015

I think you're going to have to commit your voice to vocaroo to show us what you mean Dani (after you finish your pot o' tea, of course)... ;-) - Faldaesque, Mar 25, 2015

Answer 6

Ok, here's my go at the above...

I welcome all criticism

trabalenguas

Answer 7

how do you do the vocaroo recordings? and how do you post those recordings here?

Enter 'vocaroo' in your search engine & the website appears. You need a microphone to get it to work. It asks for permission to use your mic. Then you click record. - Faldaesque, Mar 25, 2015

When you finish recording, the site cerates a URL link, which you can cut & paste here, using the link icon (as you would do for inserting a picture using the image icon)... :-) - Faldaesque, Mar 25, 2015

thx - Rey_Mysterio, Mar 26, 2015

Answer 8

Carro

Caro

Ferrocarril

Naranja

I really didn't edit this. I hit the edit button by mistake, saw that I did, then pushed the green button without changing a thing. Whew! - Daniela2041, Mar 25, 2015

¡Traicionera! :) - Kiwaiano, Mar 25, 2015