Trabalenguas - Tounge twisters in Spanish
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Below we've listed some of our favorite tounge twisters in Spanish. If you are learning Spanish and you try to say them you wonder if native speakers can say them, well the answer is somewhere between "not easily" and "no" - That's what makes them tounge-twisters!
By the way, we've included literal translations of them in English that mostly sound like nonsense, but will help give you an idea of what's actually being said.
If you have a favorite you would like to add to this page, please send it to us.
- Pablito clavó un clavito en la calva de un calvito. En la calva de un calvito, un clavito clavó Pablito.
- (Pablito nailed a little nail in the bald head of a little bald man. In the bald head of a bald man, a little nail Pablito nailed.)
- Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántos cuentos cuentas, porque cuando cuentas cuentos, nunca sabes cuántos cuentos cuentas.
- (When you tell tales, count how many tales you tell, because when you tell tales, you never know how many tales you tell.)
- Ñoño Yáñez come ñame en las mañanas con el niño.
- (Ñoño Yáñez eats yams in the mornings with the boy.)
- Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico, con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas.
- (Pepe Pecas slices potatoes with a pick, with a pick slices potatoes Pepe Pecas.)
- Pepe puso un peso en el piso del pozo. En el piso del pozo Pepe puso un peso.
- (Pepe put a peso coin on the floor of the well. On the floor of the well Pepe put a peso coin.)
- Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril; rápido corren los carros del ferrocarril.
- (An R with an R cigar, an R with an R barrel; rapidly run the cars of the train.
- Busco al vasco bizco brusco.
- (I'm looking for the rude cross-eyed Basque.)
- Oiga don Diego al godo, y diga como yo digo: que donde digo "digo" no digo "digo" sino que digo "Diego".
- (Listen don Diego the Goth, and say what I say: that where I say "I say" I don't say "I say" but rather I say "Diego".)
- El niño está sosegado. ¿Quién lo desasosegará? El desasosegador que lo desasosiegue, buen desasosegador será.
- (The child is calm. Who will disturb him? The disturber who disturbs him will certainly be a good disturber.)
- Poquito a poquito Paquito empaca poquitas copitas en pocos paquetes.
- (Little by little, Paquito packs a few tiny glasses in a few packages.)
- Si don Curro ahorra ahora, ahora ahorra don Curro.
- (If don Curro saves now, now is don Curro saving
- Pepe Peña pela papa, pica piña, pita un pito, pica piña, pela papa, Pepe Peña.
- (Pepe Peña peels potatoes, cuts pineapple, blows a whistle, cuts pineapple, peels potatoes, Pepe Peña.)
- Una cacatrepa trepa tiene tres cacatrepitos. Cuando la cacatrepa trepa trepan los tres cacatrepitos.
- (A climbing caterpillar has three baby caterpillars. When the climbing caterpillar climbs the three baby caterpillars climb.)
- El suelo está enladrillado. ¿Quién lo desenladrillará? El desenladrillador que lo desenladrillare un buen desenladrillador será.
- (The ground is paved with bricks. Who will unpave it? The unpaver who unpaves it will be a good unpaver.)
- Como poco coco como, poco coco compro.
- (Since I eat little coconut, little coconut I buy.)
- Un vieja seca seca se casó con un viejo seco seco que de seco se murió.
- (A thin thin old lady married a thin thin old man who died of thinness.)
And now for our favorite: if you can pronounce it either in Spanish or English, then you win!
- El otorrinolaringólogo de Constantinopla quiere desotorrinolaringologoconstantinopolitanizarse. ¿Quién lo desotorrinolaringologoconstantinopolitanizará? El desotorrinolaringologoconstantinopolitanizador que lo desotorrinolaringologoconstantinopolitanice, buen desotorrinolaringologoconstantinopolitanizador será.
- (The othorhinolaryngologist (ear nose and throat doctor) from Constantinople wants to be unothorhinolaryngologiconstantinoplized. Who will unothorhinolaryngologiconstantinoplize him? The unothorhinolaryngologiconstantinoplizer who unothorhinolaryngologiconstantinoplizes him will certainly be a good unothorhinolaryngologiconstantinoplizer.)
