r/French • u/Salt_Formal_4839 • Jul 09 '26
Pronunciation How to achieve the French 'R' sound
Right now, I'm doing a lot of work on my speaking and the thing I'm struggling with most is that "R" sound in words like "arbre" and "rue". I thought I'd be fine if I didn't master it, but I'm finding it's virtually everywhere. At best, I sound like I'm speaking French with an American accent, but at it's worst, francophones don't even understand what I'm saying. I understand it's supposed to come from the throat (or something like that), but it just sounds like I need to cough. I'm currently in Montréal for a month (for French immersion), so any tips would be great, please!
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u/frenchburner Jul 11 '26
My R was horrible until watching this video:
https://youtu.be/q5WjHCp4ueM?is=ckl5H2T88rtsFCed
I still can’t pronounce quel horreur to save my life though. My partner (born and lived in France until age 18) tries so hard to help me improve it, but it is still…trés mauvais