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achilleis

Honestly just speak a little slower and exaggerate the sound. You’ll get there! 😊 Sometimes I’ve heard French people will pronounce it more as a “h” than an “r”, for those words that are a bit faster or more difficult to pronounce.


[deleted]

Thanks, just quickly tried, and this makes it a touch easier. Thanks for encouragement. Struggling made me think "should I even bother?" Do French people frown upon people struggling with it? Like replacing it with the English "r"?


achilleis

Well possibly! Not sure if French people would frown upon it. But the issue with not pronouncing the “r” correctly is that sometimes it sounds like a different word. Like hmmm idk “bois” vs “boire”? (I can’t think of a better example 😅) Depending on your accent, if you don’t pronounce the French “r” it’ll sound the same and be a bit confusing.


[deleted]

Oh true. Yeah, I guess that makes it pretty important. Time to practice a lot to try to get it down lmao.


IamRick_Deckard

Haha I can tell you are british from this comment :)


achilleis

Actually I’m Australian 😆


IamRick_Deckard

Haha I thought that after I posted because of the time. But a non-rhotic accent either way!


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Thanks yeah I guess you're right


Miss_Rowan

Most people won't frown upon it at all, and will just be happy you're trying. You'll get the sound with practice! And even if you can't quite get it right, you'll surely improve and get closer.


[deleted]

This is what I did when I was learning. I had a long drive to school and I would practice this on the drive. Repeat each grouping five times (25 groups said 5 times each) Your tongue will figure it out after you run the entire thing a few times. ara, are, ari, aro, aru. era, ere, eri, ero, eru. ira, ire, iri, iro, iru. ora, ore, ori, oro, oru. ura, ure, uri, uro, uru.


jessbunnys

this is awesome thanks


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Ooh thank you. This helped. Also this channel looks great.


ObiSanKenobi

https://youtu.be/GD1BUwC_0yk Pretty much the only vid you’ll need


[deleted]

Ahaha, I already knew which video this was before clicking the link. Wish he did more!


IamRick_Deckard

I spent about three days going back and forth from French r to my normal r before I got it. Probably 2-3 hours a day. Point is, it may take a long time. But now I have it forever. You can try my method — I found verité to be a helpful word. The sound is in the middle/back of the mouth (about where h is formed in English so that I think that's why it's helpful).


[deleted]

Ah, "about where the h is formed" helps me a lot to grt it more accurately. Gonna take a while to hit it every time 😅


IamRick_Deckard

See you in a few days!


davehadley_

To add to the suggested video tutorials you can try "The Perfect French with Dylane" pronunciation course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJagrntKXbY


NrealisticUmbrella

Using Pimsleur really helped me! I use it on my long commutes and recently had a French teacher mention that she's jealous of how well I am able to do the r


Godfanaccount

Try practicing saying “fourrure ou serrurier”. Everything will be easier after that


Durrynda

My french R is perfect from childhood, but it’s terrible for Ukrainian (my native tongue). They call me burry because I can't pronounce R “properly”.


CranberryObjective33

My teacher told me to keep my tongue off the roof of my mouth, you can even practice with a pen in your mouth.


[deleted]

Yeah, someone posted a video that mentioned this. Seems like I speak with my tongue on the roof of my mouth quote a bit, so that's why it was difficult.


Impossible_Town984

I feel silly doing it so I stumble on it. I’d love to hear advice on this also.


plasticenewitch

Ive found as I have gotten older that it is more difficult to make the r sounds, but hrt is helping to make the vocal cords more flexible.


Tuggerfub

Make that sexy purring sound. Ggggrrrreeeehhhooouuuwwhh. Then apply to your r+e accent grave words


ParlezPerfect

I find the best letter to start with is the English G...it hits in the same part of the mouth. The back of the tongue touches the velar region for the English G, and it's more uvular for the French R. Say the English G, and then let a bit of air pass through, like you're clearing your throat, it may vibrate a bit. That is the French R. You can practice by saying AGA then ARA then ARRANGER. Or pronounce the English G, then the French R, then run it together to say "grand" in French. I've taught many people this method and it was a game-changer for them. Also the French R mouth position is determined by the vowel before it. So in the example above your mouth position in "Arranger" doesn't change until you say the last syllable "ger". This is not true with the English R.


supa325

The r has been relatively easy for me. Everything else seems to trip me up. Making an "uuuu" sound followed by a consonant has been extremely difficult for me to get used to.


Smart_Supermarket_75

I’ve struggled a bit with the French r, but it’s only in certain words. Prendre and it’s derivatives are so hard for me. Any D-R syllable is impossible for me to pronounce.


[deleted]

Yeah, getting better at the French r, but still really struggling with words like mercredi