Spain, 1983, El Retorno del Jedi arrived at movie theaters in Madrid. I don’t remember watching it and can only recall the billboards promoting this second Star Wars movie. I’m sure I mispronounced the title because, as a young Spanish student, I often made this Wookiee mistake: assuming that Spanish and English letters are pronounced the same.
My aim here is to help native English speakers avoid the dark side of Spanish Ds and Rs. As Obi-Wan Kenobe would say, “Your eyes can deceive you.”
Using the SlowMotion Spanish™ technique, let’s address this problem and boost your confidence in speaking.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” you might be saying to yourself?
Let’s deploy a simple Jedi mind trick. Say the following in English, slowly. Three times each.
1. fuh-DEE-key
2. tuh-dee low-HE-ah
3. el ahl-CONE me-len-AH-dee-oh
4. joe soy too PAH-duh-deh
5. ah-YOU-thah-meh, Obi-Wan Kenobi. ED-ess me YOU-knee-kah es-ped-AHN-sah
6. keh lah FWETTER-sah teh ah-comb-PAHN-yeh
Go back and say them again, young Jedi. This time, a bit more quickly. Crawl. Walk. Run.
Now, here’s what you said in Spanish:
1. friki
2. trilogía
3. El halcón milenario
4. Yo soy tu padre.
5. Ayúdame, Obi-Wan Kenobe. Eres mi única esperanza.
6. Que la Fuerza te acompañe.
Need more guidance with pronunciation? A customized learning plan? Someone to transcreate your movie script or soundtrack? I’m here to listen.