In this talk, I'll discuss why, as R users/programmers, we may want to learn C, and resources for doing so. I'll show examples of how C is used in the codebase of base R. I'll give an example of how, with only a little C knowledge, it was possible to add a new feature into the language (specifying colours with three-digit hex codes). Finally, I’ll discuss various initiatives from the R Contribution Working Group and show how you, too, can get involved in contributing to base R.