21 - How To Pronounce the French R Perfectly

Bonjour à tous! Hi everyone. Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast. I'm thrilled to have you back here. This is episode number 21, numéro 21. In this lesson, you'll learn how to pronounce the infamous French R. So, first we'll talk about the position of your lips, your tongue, and to finish, we'll practice with some words with the French "R"  

But before, a word from our sponsor. 

Salut. Hi. Et oui, it's me again, cause I'm sponsoring my own podcast. So... question for you:

Do you feel like French is a blurb of sounds impossible to reproduce?Did you try everything out for months, or even years, but still not comfortable with your French pronunciation?Are you still trying to figure out why the heck some letters are silent at the end of words, and some aren't? 

Well. I've got you covered. I've got just the right course for you. It's called French Pronunciation Kickstarter, and it's a ten-day course where you'll learn everything you need to know to pronounce French words the right way. ⚠️ Warning. Contents may cause a sexy French accent. To learn more, visit mathildekien.com/fpk

Alright, vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? Let's see how to pronounce the French R. 

First, let's talk about where your tongue should be. 

When you pronounce the French R, the tongue is pushed down, and the tip of your tongue is behind your lower teeth. The back of the tongue is lifted and closer to the palate (as if you're about to gargle.) Not very glamourous, I know. 

Now, try to produce soft friction. R. Again, as if you're about to gargle but softer. Not RRrrrr.. Soft. We're not about to spit here. R. The French R is actually not as harsh as everyone thinks. Also, no need to roll the R dramatically. It's not Rrrrrr. It's R. Only soft friction. R Répétez après moi. Repeat after me. R. R. R. Ouh, that's a lot of R. 

Ok, now let's talk about the position of your lips. 

The position of your lips depends on the sound that follows. So to say the letter R by itself, stretch your lips on the side as if you're smiling. R.

To say the letter R in a word, again, it depends on the sound that follows. 

In the word "rouge," (red) you have to round your lips. Repeat after me. Rouge.In the word "riz," (rice) you have to stretch your lips to the side as if you are smiling. Repeat after me. 

How did you go? I know it's a bit hard, but you'll get there, it just takes a lot of practice! The good news is you can re-listen to this episode and practice over and over again, until you are sick of hearing my voice.

Now, if you are really struggling, you can't get that friction right, let's try something else.

Pronounce the letter "G," a hard G, as in "glove." G. G. Why G you ask? Well, the "G" sound is produced in a similar spot in the mouth than the French R. G. G. Now pronounce "ga." Ga. Ga. Up to here, you should have no issue. Add a little friction, if you were about to gargle, but softer. Soft, soft, soft. Not rolling the R like crazy. Gar. Gar. Gar. Now, try to pronounce the word "garage." 

Is that better? Like I said earlier, you need to practice a lot. 

And that's exactly what we're going to do next. 

Listen to these nine words and repeat after me. I've put the translation in the transcript. 

car (because)

mère (mother)

pure (pure)

près (close)

trop (a lot)

cri (shout)

rire (to laugh)

rue (street)

rêve (dream)

Alright, well-done guys. Bien joué.

Ok, that brings us to the end of our lesson! Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to download your lesson's exercises by clicking the link in the episode's notes; it's free. Make sure you hit subscribe, so you don't miss out on any new episodes. And if you are enjoying this podcast, I'd really appreciate a quick rating and review on Apple Podcast.