Help! How do I roll my r's the right way?

Question

I just realized I've been rolling r's wrong. I've been doing them from the back and not from the front like you're supposed to and now I just can't seem to do it from the front at all. I always get stuck rolling it from the back even when I try it from the front. Anybody else have this problem? How did you get over it? Thanks.

Answer 1

I didn't know there was a right and wrong way to do it, so long as you ultimately make the proper sounds.
Per me, I do it by tapping tongue almost touching against the edge of my top front teeth, and and trick is mostly to keep it bouncing back and forth once that is done, usually by breathing forward to get it started: breath is usually somewhat uneven in force, and as it pushes between the tongue and teeth it will cause your tongue to bounce as the force of the breath changes. The trick is to make certain that the air isn't escaping out the sides of your mouth, though, and that it's being forced directly toward the tip of the tongue when doing this.

Answer 2

Hi! If you are familiar with American pronounciation, then notice how certain words containing the letter T are sometimes pronounced with a sound that is not quite like a T, namely, for example:

better
butter
Betty
hatter
letter
otter
auto
notice

With the letter D it can happen too!

audio
I had a...
how d'ya do? (in the first D, not the second one)

Listen to yourself pronouncing these sounds as you do naturally (actually, as quickly as you possibly can) and you'll notice that the Ts in these examples actually stand for a short, barely audible "tap" sound.

Now notice that this sound is very different from the normal T sound, as in:

time
tell
team
tutor (notice how both Ts are different from one another in this particular example!)
steam
stand
trend
try

And when an H follows a T, then the T stands for one of two completely different sounds altogether:

that
this
think
thing
thank
father
mother
another
authorize
ethical

Once you feel comfortable that you understand that these sounds are quite different from one another, then go back and thing about the first short "T" sound I mentioned.

When you pronounce this sound, the tip of your tongue "jumps" and taps the roof of your mouth, producing a soft, brief, barely audible sound.

Rolling Rs is as simple as cycling this very same "tap" sound -- i.e. you must make the tip of your tongue hit the top of your mouth repeatedly. The cycle is so fast that it is possible to tap the roof of one's mouth almost 20 times a second!

To actually get it done: well, I suppose some hard practice is really the best way to learn it. You might also listen to native speakers of certain Latin languages (i.e. Spanish, maybe Portuguese...) and Slavic languages (namely Russian); they use this sound quite often. Try immitating their pronunciation, if you can find recorded sound samples of it somewhere.

I really wish I could explain it better. We use this sound in my native language and it's so natural and easy for me that it becomes hard to explain to others to whom it's not natural, especially over the Internet... :(

Anyway, I hope this has helped you. Best of luck. :)

Answer 3

My ways may sound a bit weird but..... all spanish is to be spoken in the front of your mouth unlike english which is spoken in the back so you need to train your toungue to speak in the front when speaking spanish. So talk in spanish with your tongue sticking out and it should help getting your tongue in the front. Then when rolling your R's do it in front of the mirror. make sure your tongue is at the top ofyour mouth pressed against your front teeth ask a spanish teacher to show you up close. But it can be very difficult.

Answer 4

I honestly didn't know there was a right way and a wrong way. However, since you think this is a skill you need...

Practice saying "Ruffles have Ridges" while touching the tip of your tongue to the front of the roof of your mouth. Do it over and over and you'll get it eventually.

Good luck!

Answer 5

roll your tongue up so the tip it touching the roof of your mouth. Blow air through your mouth and try to make your tongue rattle againsed the roof of your mouth. Once you can do that try making a vocal sound while youre "rattling" your tongue. the noise that somes out is a rolled R Thats how I tought my mom how to do it!!

Answer 6

have you ever tried to pur like a cat? like by sort of rattling your tounge by moving air across it. try doing it with out acctually saying the R try and purrrrr like a cat, then once you have that try going rrrrrr and you should have it. (also this may sound wierd but try looking in the mirror and see how fast you can make your tounge move, youl just sort of have to play around with it till you get it though.)
lots of my friends roll their rs the way you do, its acctually alot harder they have come to relize then doing it off the front of your tounge. ive tought all of them they way i have just discribed to you.

Answer 7

Dont roll them to the left'

Answer 8

there's no right way or wrong way everyone does it differently but if u want just put the tip of your tongue at the roof of your mouth and breathe sorry but that's all i can say

Answer 9

I roll my Arrrse and no one complains