Tongue Twisters in Many Languages

	(From A Twister of Twists, a Tangler of Tongues, by Alvin Schwartz.
	Philadelphia: J. Lippincott and Co., 1972)

	   Man speaks in almost three thousand languages, and in almost
	every one there are tongue twisters. In Spanish the word for tongue
	twister is trabalengua, which is pronounced "tra-ba-len-gwa" and
	means "troubled tongue." This section contains "tongue troublers'' from
	nine languages. Their sounds are translated into English sounds so that
	if you don't speak a particular language you still can enjoy the trouble.

	FRENCH

	Diderot dînait du dos d'un dodo dindon.
	(Dee-de-ro dee-nay du dough dun doh-doh dahn-don.)
	"Diderot dined on the back of a plump turkey."

	Le ver vert va vers le verre vert.
	(Le vhere vhere va vhere le vhere vhere.)
	"The green grub goes to the green grass."

	Six sous ces saucissons-ci?!
	(See soo say so-see-son-see?!)
	"Six cents for these sausages?!"

	GERMAN

	Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische.
	Frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz.

	(Fishers Fritz fisht frish-eh fish-eh.
	Frish-eh fish-eh fisht Fischers Fritz.)

	"Fritz Fischer fishes for fresh fish.
	Fresh fish fish for Fritz Fischer."
	(or "Fresh fish is fished by Fritz Fischer")

	GREEK

	Μια παπια μα πια παπια?
	(Mi-a papi-a ma pi-a papi-a?)
	"One duck, but which duck?"

	HEBREW
	‭		‫שרה שרה שיר שמח
	(Sah-ra sha-rah sheerrr sa-mayach.)
	"Sarah sings a happy song."

	HUNGARIAN

	Mit sütsz kis szücs, sós húst? Sütsz kis szücs?
	(Mit sheuts kish seuch, shosh hoosht? Sheuts kish seuch?)
	"What are you roasting, little hunter? Are you roasting salt meat?"

	ITALIAN

	Paolo, pittore poco pratico, pinse pillole per poco prezzo.
	(Paw-lo, pit-to-rey poko pra-tico, pin-sey pil-lo-ley per poko pret-zo.)
	"Paul, an inexperienced painter, painted pills cheaply."

	Un limon, mezzo limon.
	(Oon lee-mon, medzo lee-mon.)
	"One lemon, half a lemon."

	JAPANESE

	生むぎ 生ごめ 生たまご
	(Nama-mugi, nama-gome, nama-tamago.)
	"Raw wheat, raw rice, raw eggs."

	POLISH

	Nie pieprz wieprza pieprzem.
	(Nyeh pey-epsch vey-ep-shah pey-ep-schem.)
	"Do not pepper the hog with pepper."

	SPANISH

	Yo no compro coco. Porque como poco coco, poco coco compro.
	(Yo no kom-pro koko. Por-kay komo poko koko, poko koko kom-pro.)
	"I do not buy coconut. Since I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut."

	Mi mama me mima mucho.
	(Me mama me mee-ma moo-cho.)
	"My mother spoils me a lot."

	Tres tristes tigres trillaron trigo en un trigal.
	(Tray tree-stays tee-grres tree-yarron tree-go en un tree-gal.)
	"Three sad tigers threshing wheat in a wheat field."

	Compre poco capa parda, porque el que poco
	capa parda compra poco capa parda paga.

	(Kom-prey poko ka-pah par-dah, pour-kay el keh
	poko ka-pah par-dah kom-prah poko ka-pah par-dah pa-gah.)

	"Buy only a little brown cape, for he who buys only a little
	brown cape pays only for a little brown cape."

	El otorrinolaringologo de Parangaricutirimicuaro se quiere
	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizar
	porque si no se
	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizara
	lo van a
	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizar.

	(El oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo deh Paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ro
	sey keyai-reh
	des-oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zar
	pour-kay see no sey
	des-oto- ree-no- lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zara
	low vahn a
	des-oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zar.)

	"The eye-ear-nose-throat doctor in Parangaricutirimicuaro
	wishes
	to stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro
	because if he doesn't
	stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro
	they will make him
	stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro."

	AND MORE ENGLISH

	A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

	Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.

	The big black-backed bumblebee.

	A critical cricket critic.

	Four fat dogs frying fritters and fiddling ferociously.

	Five French friars fanning a fainted flea.

	Six slippery seals slipping silently ashore.

	A pale pink proud peacock pompously preened its pretty plumage.

	Swan, swim over the sea.
	Swim, swan, swim!
	Swan, swim back again.
	Well swum, swan!

	My dame hath a lame tame crane.
	   My dame hath a crane that is lame.
	Pray, gentle Jane, let my dame's tame crane
	   Feed and come home again.

	Sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack.
	Sheep should sleep in a shed.

	The wild wolf roams the wintry wastes.

	Lotty licks lollies lolling in the lobby.

	Sly Sam sips Sally's soup.

	Nine nimble noblemen nibble nuts.

	The two twenty-two tore through town.

	Cross crossings cautiously!

	He ran from the Indies to the Andes in his undies.

	I go by a Blue Goose bus.

	Toy boat.

	Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

	Thin sticks, thick bricks.

	The wild wind whipped Whit from the wharf.

	We surely shall see the sun shine soon.


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