Why is it important?

 

The French r is particularly difficult for English speakers to say. It is a slightly guttural sound at the back of the throat and there is no direct equivalent in English - the English r is quite different, in the way it sounds, and how it is formed.

The letter r is also quite important in French – it makes up about 12% of all consonants. It is almost always sounded, except  as -er on the end of words.

If you can make a reasonable stab at it, you will find speaking French a lot easier, as everything will flow a lot better.

 

 

How to form the r

 

The tongue should be behind the bottom teeth.     

The back of the tongue rises to meet the soft palate as you breathe out.

The vocal cords are sometimes active (called ‘voiced’), particularly when the r is at the start of words.

At the end of words it is often quite de-emphasised, and is almost an ‘h’ sound

 

Start off by emphasising the r in all positions. As you make progress, back off with some positions/words, guided by the correct pronunciations.

 

To work on this, go to the page Listen and Record Pronouncing r