Rápido corren los carros.
RRA-pi-do CO-rren los CA-rros
The cars run fast.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Rápido corren los carros... can you feel the 'rrrr' rumble of the engines?
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Rolled 'rr' (vibrante múltiple)
/r/This is the classic sound everyone thinks of in Spanish! It's made by letting the tip of your tongue vibrate or 'trill' against the roof of your mouth, just behind your top teeth. Think of a cat purring or a motor revving.
The 'r' at the Start of a Word
/r/A key rule: when a word starts with a single 'r', like in 'Rápido', it is ALWAYS pronounced with the strong, rolled 'rr' sound. It's never a soft tap.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start strong! The 'R' at the beginning of 'Rápido' gets the full, rolled 'rr' sound. Place your tongue tip near the roof of your mouth and push air through to make it vibrate.
Here's the main event. Both 'corren' and 'carros' have the double 'rr', which is the same rolled sound. Try to connect them smoothly. Think 'co-rrrrrren... ca-rrrrrros'.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is one of the first and most important 'trabalenguas' for any Spanish learner. It's a short, powerful workout specifically designed to train your tongue to produce the famous rolled 'rr', one of the most challenging and iconic sounds in the language.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using an English 'r'
Mistake: "Making the 'r' sound from the back of the throat, like in the English word 'car'."
Correction: The Spanish 'rr' is all about the front of your mouth. The sound comes from the tip of your tongue vibrating against the ridge behind your top teeth. It's a physical vibration, not a throaty sound.
Not Vibrating Enough
Mistake: "Using a single, soft tap (like the 'r' in 'pero') instead of a full roll for 'rápido', 'corren', and 'carros'."
Correction: Remember the rules: a single 'r' at the start of a word and the 'rr' spelling always demand the strong, rolled sound. Exaggerate it at first! Hold the 'rrrr' sound as long as you can to build muscle memory.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This tongue twister is a universal pronunciation exercise used across the entire Spanish-speaking world. While 'carro' is more common in Latin America and 'coche' is often used in Spain, the phrase is understood everywhere as a tool for mastering the 'rr'.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Race Car Challenge
Start your engine! Say it once slowly. Then, try to say it three times in a row, getting faster each time. Can you finish the race without your 'rr' stalling?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the 'r' in 'Rápido' rolled like a 'rr'?
That's a fantastic question and a key rule in Spanish pronunciation! Any time a word begins with a single 'r', it is automatically pronounced with the strong, rolled 'rr' sound. The same is true for the 'rr' spelling anywhere in a word.
I really can't roll my 'r's! What's a good tip?
Don't worry, it's a new muscle movement for most English speakers! Try this: say the English phrase 'butter-dah' over and over, very fast. Notice where your tongue hits the roof of your mouth for the 'tt-d' sound? That's the exact spot. Now, try to blow air over your relaxed tongue in that same position to get it to vibrate.