f is produced by air friction between the lips, unlike the English f where the upper teeth press against the lower lip. Hausa f is sometimes pronounced as p. If you hear what sounds like p, it’s an f, as there is no distinct Hausa p. (Technical: [f] and [p] are allophones or variants of the same phoneme or basic sound.)
The Hausa r is a flapped or trilled sound unlike the usual English r (which is a very difficult sound for most of the rest of the world!).
In Hausa, the tongue lightly taps the ridge behind the teeth. Many English speakers use a similar light tap to make an unstressed t sound, as in “little kettle.” Doing this while approximating an English r may help you get close to the Hausa sound.
Know Spanish? Its r is closer to Hausa than the English one.
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