The French R... or French Rs?

An accurate explanation of how the French R is pronounced + its origin.
The three short extracts in the intro were taken from these three videos:
• French R (Learn French...
• How to Pronounce the F...
• "How to Pronounce the ...
Follow me here on facebook: / grunfred

[@georgekendall2053]

I thought you were a native English speaker until half way through your accent is incredible!

[@mariapatriciaamaya]

I knew he wasn't, because he said concreteS examples, but he is amazing anyway and the explanation very complete ! Thanks

[@MrFangda]

could be both no? why not? mum is french dad is english or vice versa... easy. but actually he does sound totally like he's a french native neither... ^^ german? dutch? or most possibly from belgium....

[@nikolaosbirbilis1510]

He also speaks Greek almost perfectly!

[@rashianthonynetto2323]

Ofc

[@PHIllip324]

That was a pretty brutal death growl, bro.

[@rook37]

ive said your name out loud just to practice so many times since I watched this lol honestly this helped more with the Rs than anything in 12 years of immersion

[@nicholashumphrey4621]

Merci beaucoup! I've been looking for an explanation of this sound from someone who actually understands linguistics. You've helped me immeasurably!

[@adojaekey1031]

Merci beaucoup, j'ai regarde pour cela, tu vraiment comprendre tu m'aider beaucoup.

[@mcois7354]

I tried to pick up that hair on my screen....

[@nekoyd]

@@mcois7354 u use light mode?

[@c3ka]

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY LINGUISTICS-STUDENT HEART

[@infiernohermoso3469]

The absolute best there is on the French R and unbelievably underrated. If only this sad world was more appreciative of truly valuable content. I can't believe I never found this before. The explanation was detailed down to the fundamentals but never got tiring. The information was extensive and yet not a bit daunting. P.S. Super cool how you called out those who are spreading misinformation like it were sunshine. Thanks a ton!

[@Cyfiero]

You're the very first French KZbinr covering this phoneme which actually addressed the fact that there are different allophones of it. Thank you so much, that was exactly what I've been looking for for so long! It wasn't too technical at all, rather I think when teaching new phonemes to foreign learners, it's important to analyze them phonologically instead of merely estimating where the sound is produced. I have studied many languages, with French being the third after my native languages of Cantonese and English, but to this day, the French ⟨r⟩ remains the most difficult sound for me to learn, one of the few foreign phonemes I still can't get right. :(

[@alphreper6576]

Fred, your "lecture" on the French r is a joy to listen to, and quite informative at that. I have no deep knowledge to contrast your views on the subject but I feel your explanation is spot on. Best I've come across on KZbin, so far. So, well-earned kudos to you and thank you, again.

[@senseiroy8410]

This is extremely helpful, thank you. I'm an English speaker from birth, and have recently started learning French online (at the age of 20). After so long pronouncing the letter R in the angry sounding way, it is difficult to grasp the pronunciation just by listening to French speakers. Actually hearing the explanation of the letter is helping me a lot, and I think with practice I will do much better. This explanation I think will also help me understand French speakers. Thank you very much!

[@desislavafilipova7672]

I just wanted to say I freaking love your video,it seems very professional and straight forward, great job!. It's my first one on this topic. i ve been told all my life that I need to stop pronouncing the R "in my throat" and try sounding "normal". I never really tried to find more technical information to show this isn't a defect and you don't say it in your throat.... I would never imagine so many people try to recreate the R i ve spent years in attempts to "erase". I am an Eastern European born with this "speech defect" a.k.a uvular R. I say defect cause in my language (the first slavic one) the R is closer to the Spanish and my way of pronunciation is considered wrong. I used to go to speech therapist because I stuttered when I was younger and my therapist was saying that I am one of the worst​ cases she has ever seen: stuttering, nassal voice and french R. I stopped going there cause obviously I felt disrespected. Now years after I cured my stutter by myself and I used to be a public public​ speaker in 4 languages. I even just found out my "defects" are considered hot and people want to speak that way. I was bullied at school and in general people from my country make fun of me and it has always been an insecurity (except when I am visiting France,there I feel normal and my last time there they even thought I am French 😱😱😱😱) . People say Embrace your weirdness " and your video+the comments here gave me a confidence boost I haven't felt before. You literally changed my inner world. May God bless you❤️

[@elianaroman7036]

This is the best R pronunciation video I've found. Your explanation was great for people with an understanding of phonetics and the chart you provided, but definitely could break it down a little more for people with extra questions. Thank you!

[@heminhimdad]

This is probably the most insightful video, especially with the history bonus, really Appréciez-le

[@oddlang687]

Thank you so much for this explanation! I'm so glad that I found this video. I had noticed that the French R has different allophones, but never found a thorough explanation like you give in this video. Because I'm interested in linguistics, I had wanted a linguistic explanation like this, so thank you!

[@EmdrGreg]

This is very interesting. My grandmother was born in Bordeaux in 1899 and came to the US with my grandfather after WWI. She has been gone many years, and I regret not learning French from her. I do recall, though, that she very often used the approximant uvular 'r' as you describe it. There were many French Canadian speakers in Manchester, NH at that time, and they almost always found my grandmother's French to be excellent and very elegant to the ear.

[@caesarbull7652]

Frédéric, thanks for uploading this useful information. You´ve got a new subscriber! Keep up the good job!

[@oeufalacoq2847]

So many KZbinrs have this wrong. Thank you so much for your videos. They have helped me so much to start speaking french a little better. I am Australian and I am awful at speaking but will keep trying.

[@tchem1571]

Merci beaucoup. J'aime bien cette vidéo. Most instructors seem to say that the R is in the throat or simply say not to worry about it overmuch. I had never found either comment satisfactory. Now I know why!!! The technical explanation and the history which put everything into context were both nice touches as well. Wonderful video with great info that fills a lot of gaps I had.

[@TheWTFcakes]

This is exactly what I was hoping to find - I've been practicing an accent for a DnD campaign, and so many English words are tough to pronounce with a French accent, sometimes cripplingly so. It led me to wonder how people with french accents pronounce these words, and this helped a LOT.

[@InvectivePleasure]

OMG I LOVE YOU!!!! TY TY TY TY, this is EXACTLY What I needed to get this all to click. I just started studying the IPA, because I was desperate to help myself with the pronunciation of the french sounds, mainly the R. I was struggling with PARLER soooo much, one of the first words I learned but could not say properly because I was trying to use a voiced R, and it just sounded fake, I just didn't know why. I could make the sound of the R, but couldn't figure out how to apply it for Parler, Parle, Parles, etc. This just helped click the last puzzle piece into place. I cannot thank you enough!

[@lofigod5552]

7:27 You hope it's clear? Brother, this is the BEST video I've seen on this pronounciation. The way I pronounced it coming into this vs the 16 mins later, my pronunciation sounded MUCH more consistent

[@sarrahkaliski]

If only French was taught like this when I was in school. So much more helpful and easy to learn. Thank you.

[@nathy0308]

So happy I found you! I'm a follower of Super Holly because I think her story is so cool, so I asked in the comments if anyone knew of a similar KZbinr who did English-French videos and someone recommended you. Subscribed!

[@zeeonecheuk]

Thank you so much for your detailed explanations! It's the best one I've seen on KZbin. I'm sure your demonstrations at around 4:12 are accurate but I have difficulty telling the difference between the voice and voiceless. To my ears the two sounds are the same. In fact my Dutch husband says I'm making the Dutch G when I'm trying to make the voiceless French R. I've told my French teacher about this (I'm in Paris now, my french teacher is Parisian) My teacher seems to be suggesting that the French R is a weak form of Dutch G, which I'm not sure of. I'd be grateful if you can give your professional advice on these.

[@JamieBarrington]

You have explained this better than anyone else I have listened to. Merci beaucoup !

[@s.thomasomalley199]

Thanks, I’ve listened to this video for at least a year from time to time, and finally it’s happened! A french R and the next day, the Italian R, by default? No-nonsense advice from a prof language geek! :)

[@laylabettar]

Wow, this is amazing, it is superb! You solved the puzzle for me of why the French R has different sounds! Love it! Thank you a....bunch!

[@monokeras8050]

I can confirm almost everyone in Paris use the approximant. The “true” R pronunciation as spelled out in the first part is almost never heard now, and sounds somewhat regional and/or vulgar - that may stem from an interference with people from North Africa which tend to use more glottal consonants; since those are usually associated with a lower social status, the R sound is moving away from that in the middle/upper class Parisian pronunciation, which sets the standard (through television). The Parisian R is more like a liquid than a fricative now.

[@issacmoore1561]

This helps a great deal. Being a currently monolingual American English speaker, I was having a really hard time with what I was believing to be the uvular fricative when I was in fact actually trying to mimic the approximant in the Parisian accent. I wasn't aware that the rougher fricative, bordering on trill, was an acceptable pronunciation or that devoicing in the syllable coda and in clusters with voiceless consonants was also acceptable. With that in mind, I do come closer to being able to pronounce it.

[@RockinRavenVA]

Nice Death Metal vocals at 1:10! =) Sérieusement, merci pour tes conseils.

[@1d5sosfan2]

Haha

[@MrFangda]

I loved the clarity of the explanation very detailed. the energy you're in while doing this makes me want to sleep though... give me some more energy brother... this drags mine down. thanks for the infos in the video.

[@clairwhitfield3930]

Just found you by mistake.So glad I did. I usually ignore r videos too frustrating ! You however were a huge help. I could hear different r sounds listening to lots of french but didn’t know when or how to use them. Your in depth teaching helped.Thanks! The history was interesting too. Hi from Australia.

[@elburrobasilio9651]

Of course we are still following you! J'adooooore cette vidéo, que je recommande à mes élèves américains qui ont du mal avec nos R (j'ai bien dit "nos", au pluriel!). La seule vidéo que j'aie trouvée jusqu'à présent qui apporte de vraies explications , claires, sur la production de ces phonèmes. Merci, Fré-dé-ric!

[@greenicecube25]

Man, this video is so accurate! Congratulations!

[@michaelhoilman6897]

Great description. Sooo glad i found this channel! Subscribed.

[@vibhashreerao2929]

Even if you do use technical terms I think it’s necessary for understanding as they truly clarify what each sound is and how they differ. Thank you for this wonderful lesson, even though I’m watching it now(7 years+). Hope you’re well!

[@dvnrchm]

I've been strugling to say R for months and finally I found this video. merci beaucoup! :)

[@keem9554]

Deviana R. Junisaf can you teach me 😣😣

[@ffhdfxgvfhhx8065]

Thank you very much for explaining the nuances. I thought that's something is wrong with my pronunciation when trying to pronounce words, for example, like "rire", "partir", "courir" with the same sound "r" in the beginning and the end with no success. And now you explained that it's just natural to have different sounds. Thank you!

[@raymondreno6025]

im glad someone talked about the alveolar fricative form, it is still very common in louisiana and it is the way i pronounce my r

[@geegee7960]

Thank you for this. Yes, when I started watching, it was a bit dry--and at first I thought you sounded arrogant--but I got immersed in the lecture style and technical aspects you discussed. It was nice not having a lot of nonsense. I ended up enjoying it, learning something, and I think you are just serious about your subject but not arrogant. My apologies for assuming that. I will look for more of your videos.

[@christopherfreeman5663]

your videos are great, keep up the good work!

[@thedoctorPB]

Excellent video!! Thank you! So clear and so helpful, it helps so much when you give examples in English too like that one for assimilation. cheers

[@skontheroad]

Très bien fait! But the more I listen to these--as I try to help my daughter with her French--the more I stop and think about it, then break the word down, and then it comes out sounding strange, lol!. I lived in Paris, went to the Sorbonne, and speak French very well (along with 5 other languages). But it is SOOOO difficult to teach! Kudos to you!! Merci encore!

[@sobiasuhaib355]

This is the only meaningful and helpful explanation on the 'r' sound one would find on yt

[@jacquehogan6240]

Thank you! I have been learning French for one month, and luckily i have a good ear so I could figure out on my own it didn't come from the throat. Thank you for confirming my suspicions !

[@robinbidigare4455]

Thank you so much for this video! I've never studied linguistics, but have always been fascinated with all the little nuances of speech and all the different ways we can pronounce and form the same words in such varying ways. I'm recently studying french again after many years, and was curious about the french Rs and wanted detail on formation and pronunciation. Maybe it's too detailed for some and they prefer to water it down into 1 french throated R, but I'm glad I kept searching for an answer! I have been listening to more spoken french lately and I do notice that most of the Rs are in the approximate uvula style, and sometimes I feel a little self-conscious that my Rs are too voiced. Is that possible?

[@Jennyoy]

It's good to drop by your channel and know the difference in R. I find it hard to make voiced fricative sound. Happy to know that there is lazy or approximate form of R speaking in French. so good. 😀

[@p2zer80]

1:10 my heart just stopped

[@Alpha979]

After a long research, best explanation I have ever seen about this topic. I would like to know where are you from.

[@katelanglais4112]

I asked my grandpa and the trilled r you are talking about is not spoken much in Quebec anymore but it is widely used in northern Maine. The people there are rural folks so this seems consistant with the theory of how the r sounds changed over time. These are people of many strong values, none of which includes being fancy so I imagine they wouldn't have cared much to change their r sound to the Parisian way. When my grandpa went to France for the first time he said people kept asking where he was from because his accent is so different (and they had a hard time understanding him). I'll probably just continue to do that too knowing that is the traditional way. History of linguistics is very interesting to me... Thank you for that Frederic!

[@deathbymonkeys1000]

I live in quebec and I roll my r's. I agree more and more people are now using the European r and I absolutely hate it. The roll just sounds so much better.

[@karensmith7487]

This was a great video and super helpful! It was a bit technically challenging to sort out, though. My toughest word has always been "refrigerateur" (sorry, no accents), so I will give it some practice with your suggestions. It would be great to have more suggestions of specific words for drill and practice with each type of sound (except maybe the trill!!) and how best to identify the correct tongue positions in the mirror. I have a hard time feeling in my mouth where the back of the tongue is placed, so if I could see it, that would help. Thanks! :-)

[@hamdanaz1335]

Thanks for sharing accurate content regarding french R. To sum up: 3 sounds are associated with it; Ghaaa,( gargles sound) khaaa(clearing your throat sound), Rrraaa -this sound is made when vibrating tongue touches the mouth's roof with tip while creating air pressure in between- (that is rare). I simply tried to put this into a layman perspective. #happyLearning #immenseGratitudeForYou #Fred :-)

[@MrJosh728]

Subscriber 1001 here xD thanks for the thorough explanation... Keep it up

[@elvira4628]

This is really useful and professional!

[@michaelvigato3228]

Thank you for this content, I am currently learning french and this is very useful to me. I mean, I'm still 100% unable to pronounce the R sounds decently, but at least now I know what I'm failing to do

[@alanpapaosoable]

thanks so much for this video. Really, really complete and broad-based.

[@MrPolash007]

Great!! That’s what I’ve been looking for. Merci beaucoup.

[@claudesaint-nuage]

merci beaucoup! c’est la meilleure vidéo sur ce sujet que j’ai trouvé.

[@mariajara6791]

I was doing it all wrong. Before this explanation; my throat would hurt! Your explanation is much natural. Thank you!

[@karenconnell4878]

Very helpful, educational and informative. What you say about the uvula, the tongue and the sound coming from the back of the mouth is true. I believed the sound was coming from the throat, up to now, and now I'm unlearning a belief that hasn't helped me with my pronunciation of the 'r' sound. I've also seen a lot of the ones you mention, with a pen in the mouth...! I like you using the correct linguistic terms as it adds to my language learning. Where would the front of the tongue be positioned, if the back moves up towards the uvula? THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!

[@chidovimus]

lmfao i just watched all those vids he said were wrong love this guy

[@maikosot]

I've, also, watched those video and this is the Very Best one!!!.

[@bobodo5718]

me 2 😬

[@na6ib]

Amazing and rare explanation. It helped me very much! Thanks a lot!

[@petercram9775]

This was fricative helpful and very informative. You have given me hope that I will master the French R. Merci beaucoup monsieur.

[@maikosot]

:p

[@poemswithFern]

You're the best. Thank you for this.

[@saturdaysun10]

I could use a few more examples for each of the top three r sounds to kind of cement the sound into my head. Drills for repeating each time would be great, too. Thanks. I looked at the comments and don't see that there are many--if any--responses to viewer questions, though, so I'll look around for other videos.

[@popartlice]

Actually, I really think this "letter" could be a great difficulty for an english speaker... Even in "Francophonie", we have different pronunciation ... For example, here in Belgium, the center, near the capital Brussel, we use a "R" more agressive than the South of Belgium... in some places, they "roll" this letter... like in Italian... And in Quebec, I think they pronounce de R almost like... englishesspeakers! LOL So, if you try to learn, I just have to say GOOD LUCK! And sorry if we hear your accent... it's allways like that, but we love that cute english accent! (we don't recognize if it's English, American, Canadian... or else, but we love it! really!

[@maplepancakesfs]

I've always thought my accent suckkkedd

[@popartlice]

Oh non! really cute, not horrible :) actually, it's even hot! haha

[@xtelfolaj]

I've noticed that french Canadians rolled there Rs more. when I took French in college with a Parisian teacher.

[@saturdaysun10]

Thank you. After getting frustrated, I decided that the letter r is pronounced differently even in different parts of France, so I changed my goal to : If they can understand me, great!

[@maars75]

saturdaysun10 NO, in France it's the same "R" everywhere. You will never heard the spanish "r" or the english "r" in any street ! Belgium, Quebec or Suisse (and other french speakers) aren't France, so they took the accent of others languages.

[@dr.theodore6801]

Je pensais que tu étais anglais, mais en fait tu es -français- belge, j'étais perdu l'espace d'une seconde xD Je croyais que ton accent français était excellent, mais en fait, c'est ton accent anglais qui l'est. Un gros bravo je viens de découvrir et j'adore ce petit côté relax dans tes vidéos !

[@kavehkushi3661]

Wow! Bravo! I truly enjoyed and learned from it!

[@camerkiddo]

thank you for clarifying this

[@rofsjan]

Great explanation. Very clear. Merci beaucoup.

[@frahn1702]

Wonderful! Merci, Frédéric!

[@user-bc9de9hx6g]

Mr. Fred, Your lesson of the French R is lovely and I am wishing to acquire this pronunciation as perfect as possible with your teachings of it. Perhaps you might have the time to make for us a video of repeating words with the R sounds that will enable us to keep repeating them. I am most grateful to you for this lesson.

[@jenniferg3871]

So very helpful! I cannot thank you enough!

[@CleverNameTBD]

In parts of Canada, Louisiana and Africa, we still roll and tap our Rs with the alveolar trill

[@russsle]

i absolutely love your channel.

[@kennywood9911]

10:00 - lookin' everywhere for my message! 😂 Great video, good explanations!

[@brandonthemuso8238]

Thanks for being so technical in your explanation. I am accustomed to learning in this way so I appreciate it. When making this R sound, is it normal to salivate the back of your mouth? Personally, I really struggle to make the sound when my mouth is dry.

[@brandonthemuso8238]

Fred Grün Thanks for the feedback Frédéric! I'll keep at it and I'm sure I'll have it down in time :)

[@maikosot]

WOW!!!!, WOW MY FRIEND, This is the very Best video I've seen of 'How to pronounce The French R'

[@maikosot]

I want to ask you what do you think if I go to France after the COVID??

[@conmore437]

thank you for the linguistic soundness. too often unattended to by language "teachers." merci!

[@paulodebourgogne]

R sound is easy to me, but pronouncing consonants followed by a R is really anoying to me. Trying to say "Prendre" is always a struggle.

[@paulodebourgogne]

+Fred Grün thanks for the reply, that's good to hear. Everytime i try to say "prendre" i literally look like i am choking

[@alex-sv8ru]

Paulo Amorim me too, i can say rouge, but when i try to say France, my ability to do thr French r just disappears.

[@Joltaic]

@@alex-sv8ru Likewise. I find it easier to just use the "lazy" r when pronouncing those words.

[@BondofOblivion]

Yes! Me too! I've been trying to pronounce the r in "très" and I can't for the life of me say it correctly.

[@samc7734]

dude same.... Can you do it after all these three years?

[@EtCeterassories]

Thank you so much for this great video. One thing I've been wondering about forever is why the "r" sound in "merci" sounds so different. It doesn't seem to follow any of these rules from what I've observed, as if there is no sound coming from the uvula area of the mouth.

[@ALEXSHUNCAI]

Excellent Video! A friend of mine wants to know how long will it take to speak French fluently or at least at some common conversational level. he has been in the US for over 25 years, he is in the middle age, also, where can he start to seriously learn French from the beginning to the most advanced level (French Literature). again, thank you so much!

[@hasanazad4345]

Great explanation , thank you 😊

[@maikosot]

Thank you very much for this Wonderful explanation!!!

[@delfabro2]

Extraordinaire!

[@Aliciara_]

Finally an explanation that actually helps me! Do you happen to know if the standard French R is the same as the standard German R? I am currently learning both languages and suffering with the Rs. As a Spanish speaker, hearing this hypothesis about the alveolar trill being used before makes me so angry! Anyway, this is a really helpful video and I found your further explanations very interesting. Thank you very much!

[@Aliciara_]

Fred Grün Well, that lifts some weight off my shoulders. Guess I can do, at least for the moment, with practicing the uvular fricative. Thanks again!

[@zealousmushroom]

Wow, this helps quite a lot with the pronunciation. Yeah, I know I did just rock up one year after you posted this, but whatever. Also, it sounds just like the Arabic غ, and since I am a student of Arabic, and know all the pronunciations, it seems pretty normal of a sound for me... I wonder that's why I don't feel like it is a very strange sound? Especially since it is explained nicely.. I got confused with what it is ACTUALLY pronounced like, but now it is all good

[@sulinasim]

Clicksnclucks is it really sounds like غ ? I've learn arab and i can pronounce غ but not ر

[@zealousmushroom]

Sulin H it sounds like that to me at least

[@cheesywiz9443]

I was thinking the same lol The gha part wasnt hard but now that I know literally where its coming from i can make the rrr sound But i prefer the approximate :p

[@mujkocka]

Most interesting video. On this topic. Merci! And you must have pitch perfect ears

[@username12603]

Just a question, does the uvular approximant become voiceless before voiceless consonants (like the uvular fricative) or does it always keep the same sound?

[@Brenttyboy]

you're a good guy! t/y for the tutorials, where are you from?

[@Cricri198]

The alveolar trill is slowly dying out in Québec, but is still pretty common among the older generation. Most people under 60 pronounce their Rs as you do in Europe

[@Lilly-iv4rk]

You have a lovely English accent :)

[@milosm9280]

I know that I am a bit late but wjo cares. If he studies phonetics he can sound like a Brit. It is just that it takes a lot of effort.

[@svetlanabalasky1923]

very helpful video to learn the French "R"!! Thank you!

[@cheesywiz9443]

OH MYYY GOD HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS BEFORE PLEASE RENAME THIS VIDEO TO EVEERRRYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FRENCH 'R' Subscribed .. merci beaucoup!!!

I use all of them, i use the uvular fricative voiceless the most, in exemple : Regarder, for the first R i would use the "uvular fricative" but for the second r i would use the uvular approximant

[@netfun8087]

Thank you for the history that was very interesting.

[@laylabettar]

By the way, after watching many of your videos, I think this hairstyle suits you the best !

[@PiseyHean]

me too

[@profiterduvoyage6389]

this is such an amazing comment, I love seeing what people have to say. This is so encouraging and it was so sweet of you to say this to him!

[@nameddduser9678]

Very informative. Thanks a lot.

[@shmoelhamesry3301]

This is so intersting. My native tongue is Arabic. We have a letter that is equivalent to the French R and another similar to the Spanish J, which is how the R is pronounced next to a voiceless consonant . What is funny is that it is the first time that I have noticed that even though I am not French but just a learner, since I can pronounce both letters, I do exactly what you pointed out. I say paJtir.

[@aviator2117]

The Spanish j is /x/, not the same voiceless sound in French

[@pingpong3311]

غ؟

[@aSwiftieTV]

There are multple dialects, but at keast in the dialect of soanish i speak the J sounds like an american H. Is that what you mean?

[@samwilliamson4614]

Exactly! It's produced for the back of the mouth not from the throat! That can cause some serious problems long term for your throat!

[@dobefrmdadead]

Just good content, nothing else. Subscribed