French Pronounciation SOS | Specific language questions | Forum

1.)Is French 'r' always pronounce like that?

2.)I think I'm ok in pronouncing the French 'r' but when it comes to several 'r' in one word or 'r' combine with consonant , I am not okay!
example : many 'r'            :serrure , serrurier , rire
               consonant +'r'   :cidre , débris , ouvrir , comprendre

any tips please??? 

ssssssss    oooooo   ssssssss
ss            o       o   ss

ssssssss   o       o   ssssssss

        ss   o       o           ss 

ssssssss  oooooo   ssssssss

I would say that r [ʁ] is totally unaffected by consonant doubling (as are most counsonant in French), they only have etymological origins and have no phonetic significance.

I think a very conscientious French-speakers might make [ʁ] imperceptibly longer in a word such as barre as compared to bar (the r is usually pretty dulled in casual speech speed if not at the beginning of words, and one might unconsciously dull it a bit less while reading rre than just r), but nothing you will ever have to care about (nor does the vast majority of French) .

the letter r has a very regular pronunciation by French standards : the only occasion in which r is not pronounced as a standard [ʁ] is in the combination 'er' at the end of a word (which becomes [e]).

To sum up my thoughts :

- beginning of a word : barely dulled.

- somewhere else in a word : usually dulled.

- after another consonant : very dulled. 

But that's for casual speed speech.

Also it has sprung to my mind that I actually lengthen the r in the most natural way in the word "mourrai", although I don't have the reflex to do it in the word "pourrai" (same future tense conjugation).

If anything, I guess all this shows that exact pronunciation of r is an extra low priority even among Frenchmen, not to mention for learners !

So as Lingo quoted : "It must remain consistent in all positions, regardless of the other vowels and consonants that may be adjacent to it." and don't bother very much about it, I would say.