Llora la lora.
YO-ra la LO-ra
The female parrot cries.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
This sad parrot is crying! Can you say 'Llora la lora'?
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The 'll' Sound (Yeísmo)
/ʝ/The main challenge here is the 'll'. In most of the Spanish-speaking world, 'll' sounds exactly like the 'y' in the English word 'yes'. So, 'llora' is pronounced 'yora'.
Distinguishing 'll' from 'l'
/l/This exercise trains you to separate the 'y' sound of 'llora' from the crisp, clear 'l' sound in 'la lora', which is made by tapping your tongue tip behind your top front teeth.
Vowel Alternation 'o-a'
/o/-/a/The quick switch between the 'o' and 'a' sounds (llO-rA lA lO-rA) helps build mouth muscle memory for clean Spanish vowel sounds.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start with the first word. Focus on making the 'll' sound like the 'y' in 'yes'. Think of it as saying 'YO-ra'. Keep the vowels pure and short.
Now add the second part. Feel the difference between the 'll' (no tongue tip contact) and the 'l's in 'la lora', where your tongue tip should tap cleanly behind your top teeth.
Put it all together. The goal is to make the 'll' and 'l' sounds noticeably different. Say it slowly at first, then speed up: YO-ra-la-LO-ra.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is a very short and classic 'trabalenguas' perfect for beginners. It's a fantastic exercise for mastering the difference between the 'll' sound and the single 'l' sound, a common point of confusion for new learners.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'll' and 'l'
Mistake: "Pronouncing 'llora' with a clear 'l' sound, like 'lyora', or making both 'llora' and 'lora' sound the same."
Correction: In the vast majority of the Spanish-speaking world, 'll' is pronounced exactly like the 'y' in 'yes'. Think of 'llora' as 'yora'. The 'l' in 'la' and 'lora' is a separate, crisp sound where your tongue taps behind your teeth.
Using an English 'Dark L'
Mistake: "Making the 'l' sound in 'la lora' at the back of the mouth, like the 'l' in the English word 'ball'."
Correction: The Spanish 'l' is always a 'light l'. The tip of your tongue should always be forward, tapping cleanly just behind your top front teeth. It's a much brighter, quicker sound.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This tongue twister is known everywhere. While the pronunciation of 'll' can vary by region (sounding like the 'j' in 'jet' in Argentina/Uruguay, or a distinct 'ly' sound in small parts of Spain), the most widespread and understood pronunciation is like the 'y' in 'yes'. This is the standard you should learn first.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Parrot's Pace
This one is short but tricky! Can you say it five times in a row, getting faster each time, while keeping the 'll' and 'l' sounds perfectly distinct?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
So 'll' and 'y' sound the same in Spanish?
Yes, for the vast majority of speakers in both Spain and Latin America, the letters 'll' and 'y' make the exact same sound (like the 'y' in 'yes'). This phenomenon is called 'yeísmo' and it's the standard pronunciation you should learn to be understood everywhere.
Is 'lora' the same as 'loro'?
Yes, they both mean 'parrot'. 'Loro' is the masculine form and 'lora' is the feminine form. In this tongue twister, it refers to a female parrot.