Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires offers the opportunity to enjoy the city’s rich European culture and immerse oneself in a Spanish speaking atmosphere.

How to roll your Rs

The double R in Spanish is quite the challenge for almost any native English speaker, but even those who believe they don´t have the ability to do so, it is possible. After doing quite a bit of research on the web, I have found a few techniques that can help improve any of those doubters out there that they can finally conquer the ¨rr¨ sound in Spanish. Here are some of the best resources and information on how to roll that ¨r¨ in Spanish. 

There are many useful resources online that help explain this sound to you in simple terms. You may also find doing a Youtube search for “rolling R” or variants to yield some useful results. Having it explained visually as well as audibly can help a lot. If you are living in a native Spanish speaking country, listen and talk with natives, watch the position their mouth makes when they roll the r. By watching videos and listening to natives produce those sounds you will get a better appreciation for that R sound than you ever would from reading articles written by Irish guys, or drowning out others from speaking with your English R. Pay attention to how it really sounds and then try to emulate it.

The best thing you can do by far is to meet up with a native (or at least over Skype) and ask them nicely to help you with this. Live feedback that is relevant to you and particular problems you are having can do so much more than generic explanations ever can, and it leaves no room for you guessing that maybe you’ve got it. 

Now to get into the technical stuff. When speakers of foreign languages roll their R’s, the tip of their tongue points upwards instead of straight, which is what we do when pronouncing the English R. If you want to roll your R’s, do this:

1. Rest the tip of your tongue behind your top teeth.

2. Now slide it back slowly until it reaches the ridge before your hard palate. 

3. Rest the tip of your tongue on that ridge

4. This is where the good part comes in. Now push out the air as fast as you can. 

What our Íbero students say

“I highly recommend the instructors of this program for their professionalism, didactic knowledge, and innovation in the teaching of Spanish to foreign students.  My professor used a combination of multimedia Spanish teaching materials, along with varied Spanish instructional methods, which kept me interested in the course material and facilitated my learning of the Spanish language.  Now I am confident in speaking, writing, reading, and listening to Spanish!” Christina Lucas, Washington DC

“When I came to Argentina, I was lost in translation until I decided to learn Spanish at Íbero. I remember how little I understood and thought that it would be impossible for me to learn a new language at the age of 37. The first week was tough, but by the end of the program even I was surprised at how much I understood. I must say I have never in my life been so motivated by excellent teachers and I increasingly started to love the Argentinian culture because of the teachers at this program. 

I only wish that I had more time because the longer I stayed the more interested I became in seeing some things outside of the city... For those of you planning to come to Argentina, try to set aside at least 3 months so you can not only pace yourself in class, but you can take some weeks off to travel around the country. I definitely plan on returning the next chance I get.I would certainly recommend taking  a Spanish Language course at Íbero.You will never regret it”. Marie Berthrand, France.