Do we trill the R in these words - Árbol, terciopelo, suerte, fuerte, etc..

Question

Hey guys, I had a look in the Q&A section and I couldn't find anything answering this specific question. I already now how to pronounce the soft and strong 'R' but my question is when. More specifically, concerning the 'R' before consenents. E.g, Árbol, fuerte, formar, suerte and the list goes on. I learnt that they should be rolled, not the soft 'tap', but some of my Spanish friends say I sound Russian when I say these words?!... And that I should use the soft 'R' in these words.

Any advice or opinions? (I'm living in Galicia, Spain, if that makes a difference)

¡Gracias de antemano chicos!

Welcome to SpanishDict. - rac1, Feb 9, 2017

There are hundreds of posts on this . You did not do a good search. - ray76, Feb 9, 2017

Answer 1

The rule is so easy:

The R sounds strong:

1) At the start of a word: Ratón, Rusia, Ramón, etc...

2) At the end of a sylabe (thus also at the end of a word): paRticulaR, cantaR, sentiR, etc..

3) At the start of a sylabe (not starting a word) if the letter before is an N, L or S: enRique, enRiquecer, enRojecido, alRededor, isRael, etc..

4) The same as the case 3) but if you use the double R: **caRRo, coRRea, jaRRa, etc..

The R sounds soft in all other cases (between vowels): paRecer

Maybe I forgot any case but I think that is quite complete.

For more information:representacion-de-sonidos

Thanks for you quick reply! This confirms what I thought. But why when I trill the R in 'sueRte' and 'teRciopelo' do some people here tell me not to trill? Do you think it could be something regional? Thanks again! - Apples_en_apuros, Feb 9, 2017

Answer 2

When is the R trilled?

Danielas definitive answer to the trill.