But dog

emilyh says on Sep 10, 2004, 23:36:

oops Now that I read that I realise in itself, it doesn't make sense. I would be saying But hot! However, you get my drift, my problem is in that I can't say Perro because of my non-existent R's.

Feeling very embarrassed, Em

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aarwyatt says on Sep 10, 2004, 23:50:

neither can I, but my Colombian fiancee's father can't either, so I don't feel tooooo bad, but it's hard to work around. I guess I just try to stress the words to differentiate.

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Miguel says on Sep 11, 2004, 05:19:

Do a Google Search There are many sites on The Net that can help you with your "rr's"

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2retirensa says on Sep 11, 2004, 05:52:

There is help, but its not easy learning, it is easy after you learn. I was lucky- my girlfriend is a speech therapist, and she showed me how to place my tongue & exhale air ar the same time! Then it's just practice.
Maureen
There are no strangers in life, just friends you haven't met yet

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Gator says on Sep 11, 2004, 06:44:

Here is the Drill I Used Erre con Erre Cigarro
Erre con Erre Barril
Rapido corren los carros
Los carros del ferrocarril

"R with R" cigar
"R with R" barrel
Quickly run the cars,
the cars on the railroad.

I have never forgotten-even the small children learn this drill.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 11, 2004, 08:04:

otra versión of the same tongue-twister that I had to drill intensively just to prove that I had no trouble with "rolling my r's" (we roll our r's in my native language too:)
"erre con erre cigarro
erre con erre barril
rapido ruedan los carros
cargando azucar al ferrocarril"
You get an extra practice there rolling softtly for "cargando azúcar" and hard roll for double r's and the r's at the beginning of the word.

Alright all you gringos: say after me: "erre con erre....."
cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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ari says on Sep 11, 2004, 17:14:

Oh Desi That was funny, for me as a native Colombian speaker the "R" and "RR" were extremely complicated as we used to speak only Dutch at home and unfortunately mom could help me with the homework for all subjects (for it was in English) but not with Spanish, as she didn't speak it that well actually (back then).

In "our" language (Nederlands) we don't have such a thing as "RR" because most "r" sound like "h" and I remember how many girls used to make fun of me when I pronounced the word "cocodrilo", it seems the Colombian girls of the class could guess who was Colombian and who wasn't just by asking us boys to pronounce such word.

The rolling r was a nightmare but overtime it just fell in place, but then the English "r" was doomed forever, oh well you can't get everything in life. Then I became a linguist and understood why, or at least that's what my lecturers thought. *-)

Desi, not long I studied Finnish for sometime to complement some comparative linguistics class, oh girl!!!!! Except for the rolling r I honestly prefer to spend my life teaching Spanish to gringos than learning Finnish, nothing personal though... I really enjoyed it and found the language fascinating... but quite a challenge.

Anyways..... mikään ei ole mahdotonta.

Cheers

Ari

http://ikcenda.tripod.com/philologist

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emilyh says on Sep 11, 2004, 19:08:

Thanks I will try that tongue twister Gator and Desi. I think one of my main problems is that I am so self cosncious about it now that I make it even worse. But I am going back to Colombia in Jan so I have a few more months to practice!

Thanks to everyone who replied, it at least makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one that struggles with it!

Ta, Em

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Sam Salmon says on Sep 11, 2004, 21:39:

Y'know-Argies don't trill at all and they get by.
Now it's up to you whether or not you want to be taken for an Argie ;)

' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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sebasenbogotá says on Sep 12, 2004, 06:05:

It is actually Erre con erre cigarro
Erre con erre barril
Rápido rápido ruedan los carros
cargados de ázucar por el ferrocarril .

Suerte !

Sebas

Suerte ! Sebas

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Gator says on Sep 12, 2004, 07:45:

Centro comerciales nt nt

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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webmanco says on Sep 12, 2004, 07:58:

As in shopping mall?? Centro Cormercial

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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marce says on Sep 12, 2004, 08:54:

Eres (R's)! Hi...
I am a languages student and I used to have the same problem but with the French "R" . It was in my first semester at the University and I felt so frustrated! All of my classmates were able to do it at the end of the semester, but not me... Finally after some weeks at the end of the semester, it just came very smoothly... It was just a matter of exposition. You need to listen to native speakers very often and be exposed to the language so you can reproduce what you hear...

Try to listen to spanish (latin spanish) channels and listen to songs...that is really helpful!! You can do it...maybe it takes a semester too!! just try to be patient...

Good luck!

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teppar says on Sep 12, 2004, 10:46:

even more embarrasing.... emily i totally understand your predicament! mine is even worse i think....not only do i struggle with the rolling r's, but my boyfriend's name is enrique which requires the rolled r. he loves to tease me about my inability to say his name properly, but for me it really bothers me! how horrible to think you can't properly pronounce the name of the person you love! i take consolation in the fact that he can't pronounce my armenian surname properly either :-) hee hee....we just joke that we're going to have very confused children with very messed up names!

cheers

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Sep 12, 2004, 10:53:

you're lucky teppar that his name is not Rodrigo. Then you'd have to struggle with a hard-rolled r at the beginning, soft-rolled in the middle plus the d that has a different sound than in English. And of course, two short o's.
Cheers,
Desi

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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teppar says on Sep 12, 2004, 10:55:

oh boy! desi i can't stop laughing at that suggestion!! you're right, it could have been much much worse! :-) thank goodness there is a penchant for nicknames in colombia....

cheers

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British Paisa says on Sep 13, 2004, 12:48:

I have lived in colombia since 94 and have had the rrrr problem from the start, I have never been discriminated for it and i finished high school, started uni and have worked in medellin; I suppose if they know that you are foreign they do not hold it against you as a defect but simply as sonething you can't do (as most "gringos" can't); if you were from colombia I think that you would most likely get the piss ripped out of you at every opportunity.

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emilyh says on Sep 13, 2004, 22:37:

Hey Teppar That is very true, I have been unbelievably lucky my Boyfriend's name is Ivan so in that regard I haven't had too much trouble and his brother is even Juan, so once again....lucky! I definately feel for you :)

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