>>Bonjour,
>>
>>I the words "je crois" the 'r' is clearly not pronounced (to my ears). Is this a rule that the 'r' in this position of a word is never pronounced? Or an exception?
>
>It's pronounced, but not as "r"; in French, that "cr" combination is more like "kw." I'd pronounce "je crois" as:
>
>zhuh kwah
>
>Tamar

Yes, the French R is pronounced differently.
The "r" in la rue, for example, is not pronounced the way we'd say it in "I'll rue the day."