Unit goals
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
- produce the American /r/ with no tap or trill;
- separate R and L in minimal pairs like right / light and glass / grass;
- use the dark L at the end of syllables: feel, school, people;
- blend R-colored vowels like /ər/ in work, world, girl.
About the audio
All the audio in this unit comes from the American English voice of your device (text-to-speech). There are no audio files, so every example, card and exercise can play.
- See what is playing. The button that is playing turns coral with moving bars. Tap it again to stop.
- Change the speed. Use Slow to hear each sound clearly and Normal for shadowing.
- One voice for each character. Laura has a female voice and Marco has a male voice.
- The speaking lab uses your microphone. Your browser asks for permission the first time. Nothing is recorded or saved. It works best in Chrome or Edge.
- The browser voice is a guide. In real speech, sounds are shorter and more connected than in single words.
No sound? Check the volume and the silent mode of your phone.
The American RCOMPLETED
The American R is one of the strongest signs of a native accent. The tongue never touches the top of the mouth: it pulls back and curls a little, and the lips round slightly.
PROFT · REFERENCE CHART
R and L in American English
Spanish has a tapped r (pero) and a trilled rr (perro). In both, the tongue hits the top of the mouth. The American R never touches anything. Spanish speakers also use the same clear L everywhere, so school, people and world lose their dark L.
Pull the tongue back, round your lips a little, and do not tap.
Go directly from the consonant into the R, with no vowel between.
Tip of the tongue behind the top teeth. Short and clear.
Tip up, and raise the back of the tongue too, like a small ul.
Hear them in sentences
Practice 1: R or L?COMPLETED
Train your ear first. These pairs change only one sound: R or L.
Listen and choose
Listen and choose the word you hear. After you answer, play both words to compare them.
Practice 2: Light L or dark L?COMPLETED
L at the start of a syllable is light. L at the end of a syllable, or before a consonant, is dark.
Which L do you hear?
Listen to each word and decide: light L or dark L?
R-colored vowels: world, girl, workCOMPLETED
In American English, a vowel followed by R blends with it into one sound. You do not say the vowel and then tap an R: the R colors the whole vowel.
PROFT · REFERENCE CHART
R-colored vowels in American English
Spanish speakers often say these words in two separate pieces with a tapped r: wor-k, bir-d. The hardest words mix an R vowel and a dark L: world, girl, early, really. Build them slowly: wər + l + d.
Say wər, then the dark L, then a soft d.
Say gər, then the dark L. One syllable.
Start with R, then a light L: rɪ-li.
Start with the R vowel: ər-li.
Practice 3: Which R vowel?COMPLETED
Listen to each word and choose its R-colored vowel.
Choose the sound
Listen to each word and choose its R-colored vowel.
Lab: minimal pairsCOMPLETED
Now it is your turn to speak. Complete one round of 10 in any mode. For the best results, finish with Say it.
How to play: choose the sounds and a mode. Which word? trains your ear. Same or different? trains your attention. Say it checks your pronunciation with the microphone.
R and L in contextCOMPLETED
At work, R and L change the message: correct or collect, read or lead. Choose the right word for each sentence.
Listen and fill in the blanks
Play each sentence and fill in the blank. The box has R and L minimal pairs, so choose carefully. Tap a word to hear it and put it in the blank, or type it.
Vocabulary box
R and L pairs. Half of the words are extra.
Dialogue: before the presentationCOMPLETED
Marco is nervous before a presentation, and Laura helps him. Listen for every R and every dark L. Then hide the marks and shadow the dialogue at Normal and Fast speed.
Personalize
Complete the sentences about you. Choose an option or write your own.
Vocabulary ideas
Choose one option for each blank, or write your own.
GamesCOMPLETED
Play to fix the sounds in your memory. Finish one game to complete this section.
Sound order
How to play: tap Listen. Then tap the sounds in the right order. Each word has one extra sound that does not belong. Tap a sound in the box to send it back.
Memory: R and L pairs
How to play: find each word and its R or L partner, like right and light. Every card says its word when you turn it, so listen to the difference.
Record and compareCOMPLETED
Advanced speakers improve fastest when they hear themselves. Listen to the model, record your version, and tap Compare to hear the model and then your voice, one after the other.
Consolidation: read and pronounceCOMPLETED
Consolidate what you practiced. Listen to the model, tap Say it and say each item out loud. The app checks your pronunciation and marks any word it did not hear clearly. If it hears a homophone, like son for sun, it counts as correct, because both words sound the same.
Unit quizCOMPLETED
Ten questions about Unit 1. You need 8 out of 10 to complete the unit.
Check your progress
Tap the audio button, listen and choose your answer. You will see the explanation right away.
Unit 1 complete
Before you move on, check what you can do now:
If you cannot check a box yet, go back to that section and practice a little more.
PRESENCIA EN INGLÉS · 8 UNITS