vibrar la erre
To say "roll your r" in Portuguese, use vibrar la erre.
This phrase is used to describe the act of pronouncing the letter r by making the tongue vibrate against the roof of the mouth.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb vibrar (to vibrate) and the noun erre (the letter R).
What mistakes should you avoid?
The phrase vibrar la erre is a mistake in Portuguese. The correct phrase is vibrar o erre because erre is a masculine noun.
Did you know?
- In Portuguese, the names of letters are nouns with their own genders, which is why the phrase requires the masculine article o before erre.
- While the 'rolled r' is common, some speakers in Rio de Janeiro use a 'carioca r' that sounds more like a breathy 'h' or a scratching sound in the throat.
- Portuguese uses the 'rolled r' to distinguish between carro, meaning 'car', and caro, meaning 'expensive'.
Example conversation
Camila is helping Rodrigo practice his pronunciation.
- CamilaRodrigo, você esqueceu de vibrar la erre aqui.Rodrigo, you forgot to roll your r here.
- RodrigoÉ muito difícil vibrar la erre!It is very difficult to roll the r!
- CamilaRelaxe a língua e tente de novo.Relax your tongue and try again.
- RodrigoAcho que agora eu consegui.I think I did it now.
