Spanish 'R' Sounds
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The most difficult movements to master in Spanish are the Alveolar Tap and Trill (aka Spanish R sounds).
As a Spanish learner, you may have a STRONG tendency as an English speaker to replace the Spanish 'R' /&/ with the English /ɹ/ sound. Even more important, they are also the MOST common speech sounds in the language.
Doing this wrong is perhaps the biggest giveaway of whether you have a bad accent. Acoustically, the English /ɹ/ sound is completely different from the Spanish R /&/. Yet this is still the most common pronunciation error that English speakers make.
As a Spanish learner, you may have a STRONG tendency as an English speaker to replace the Spanish 'R' /&/ with the English /ɹ/ sound. Even more important, they are also the MOST common speech sounds in the language.
Doing this wrong is perhaps the biggest giveaway of whether you have a bad accent. Acoustically, the English /ɹ/ sound is completely different from the Spanish R /&/. Yet this is still the most common pronunciation error that English speakers make.
Alveolar Tap - /&/
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Alveolar Trill - /+/
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Alveolar Tap Combos
The real difficulty in this sound is pronouncing it in combination with other consonants. To bring your alveolar tap strength up to the levels needed to keep up with the normal speeds of Spanish, I have created a series of drills to develop your speed and strength in producing this sound in every combination possible in Spanish.
You will find all of these drills in the Drills & Practice section. As you progress through the Spanish sections, you should refer to these drills regularly to build up your tap strength and speed. To get the full benefits out of these drills, the key is to practice often (i.e. daily). In general, your goal should be to workout until you feel "fatigue" in your mouth. Any soreness you feel today will translate to newfound strength tomorrow.
You will find all of these drills in the Drills & Practice section. As you progress through the Spanish sections, you should refer to these drills regularly to build up your tap strength and speed. To get the full benefits out of these drills, the key is to practice often (i.e. daily). In general, your goal should be to workout until you feel "fatigue" in your mouth. Any soreness you feel today will translate to newfound strength tomorrow.
English Speaker Mistakes
In the Spanish writing system, you write the alveolar tap and trill as "r" and "rr" respectively. Since most people learn Spanish through writing, most English speakers replace these sounds with the vastly different English /ɹ/ sound because it looks the same on paper.
This is why I use the /&/ and /+/ symbols to represent these sounds. Conceptualizing these sounds with symbols other than the "r" has proven effective in reducing mispronunciation for English speakers.
You do NOT want to build this English /ɹ/ habit, as it will seriously cripple your Spanish abilities. The presence of this sound in your Spanish will effect your pronunciation of other sounds, especially the vowels.
Again, be sure to check out my Alveolar Bootcamp section and do the drills regularly to build up your endurance and strength. This will also help you get the trill faster.
You do NOT want to build this English /ɹ/ habit, as it will seriously cripple your Spanish abilities. The presence of this sound in your Spanish will effect your pronunciation of other sounds, especially the vowels.
Again, be sure to check out my Alveolar Bootcamp section and do the drills regularly to build up your endurance and strength. This will also help you get the trill faster.
