Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "cerrar" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce cerrar in Spanish?

cerrar is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /seˈraɾ/. It means “to close.” seh-RRAR — the double r in the middle is a full rolled trill, not a tap.

seh-RRAR — the double r in the middle is a full rolled trill, not a tap.

cerrar /seˈraɾ/

Two syllables, ce-RRAR, beat at the end because of the r ending. The rr counts as one consonant for syllable division, so the split falls before it. This is a stem-changing verb: when the stress lands on the stem, the e becomes ie, giving CIE-rro and CIE-rras — and note that even in those forms the rr stays trilled.

Listen: cerrar

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Sound it out

ce Before an e, the c is a plain "s" in Latin American Spanish. Then a short "eh" as in "bed", unstressed.

rr A full trill. Hold the tongue tip loosely just behind the upper teeth and push air through until it flutters against the ridge several times. This is the sound that separates "cerrar" from any word with a single r — and it always needs the roll.

ar A wide-open "ah" carrying the stress, closed by a single tap of the r. The word contains both r sounds Spanish has, one after the other.

Hear it in a sentence

¿Puedes cerrar la puerta?

Can you close the door?

Listen: ¿Puedes cerrar la puerta?

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"¿Puedes cerrar la puerta?" pairs a stem-changed "puedes" with the plain infinitive. "Puerta" contains a tapped r inside it, which makes a clean contrast with the trill in "cerrar" — same sentence, both r sounds, and the difference is entirely one of duration. Say them back to back to feel it.

Where English speakers slip

The trill defeats most beginners, and the usual substitute is a single English r, which turns the word into something closer to "cerar". If you cannot roll yet, a doubled tap is a better stopgap than an English r, because the English version pulls the tongue backward and kills the vibration entirely. The c is the other slip: hardened into a k it gives "keh-RAR", when c before e is always an s.