Learning Dutch is challenging - especially when it comes to the pronunciation - but if you really want to put yourself to the test, have you ever tried to recite a Dutch tongue twister? If you're looking for a way to perfect your pronunciation, there's no better tool! Let's start - practice makes perfect!
What is a tongue twister (tongbreker)?
A tongue twister is a sentence or phrase designed to be difficult to articulate correctly, often because it uses a sequence of similar sounds. This linguistic tool can be used to practise the pronunciation of challenging sounds (like the dreaded g/ch in Dutch). Don't be surprised if the tongue twister doesn't always make sense when translated into English!
Easy tongue twisters in Dutch
Let's warm up and start with some easy tongue twisters to get your mouth going double Dutch!
Scheveningse scheve schoenen
This one is perfect to practice your sch. It means: "Scheveningen crooked shoes". The story goes that it was used during WWII as a way of smoking out German spies, who weren't able to correctly pronounce the "sch" sound.
De koetsier poetst de postkoets met postkoetsenpoets
The ts's are quite funny to pronounce in this one! It translates to: the coachman polishes the stagecoach with stagecoach polish.
Meisje met je mooie mondje moet je met je maatje mee?
Sometimes tongue twisters are a bunch of nonsense. This one means: Girl with your pretty mouth, do you have to go with your buddy? Right...
Hard Dutch tongue twisters
If you made it to this point, then congrats, you’ve reached the medium level. Let’s continue with some harder Dutch tongue twisters:
De knappe kapper kapt heel knap maar het knaapje van de knappe kapper kapt nog knapper dan de knappe kapper kappen kan
Perfect for practising your K's to get them right! Translation: The handsome barber cuts very handsomely, but the handsome barber's boy cuts even more handsomely than the handsome barber can cut.
Liesje leerde Lotje lopen langs ‘de lange lindelaan’ maar Lotje wou niet leren lopen dus liet Liesje Lotje staan.
This one has a good pace and can get your mouth rolling fast! It translates funnily as well: Liesje taught Lotje to walk along 'the long lime tree avenue' but Lotje didn't want to learn to walk so Liesje let Lotje stand.
Wij smachten naar achtentachtig prachtige nachten bij achtentachtig prachtige grachten
The repeated "ch" sound in this one makes it quite difficult to pronounce, but all your hard work will pay off when you finally nail it. It means: We long for eighty-eight beautiful nights by eighty-eight beautiful canals. We too!
Als in Graven graven gravengraven graven, graven graven gravengraven.
Let's master that guttural G once and for all! English translation: If in Graven counts are digging counts' graves, counts are digging counts' graves
Als vliegen vliegen en bijen vrijen, vliegen de vliegen de vrijende bijen vliegensvlug voorbij.
Perfect to practice both V's and G's and sure to get your tongue in knots! The meaning is quite cute though: When flies fly and bees make love, the flies fly very quickly by the bees who are making love.
Tongue twisters with B's and R's
B's and R's spoken together are not as easy as they seem, so don't be fooled. This Dutch short story is a good tongue twister that will make you stutter before you reach the end! Not the best story to tell your kids before bedtime, however.
Er was eens een meisje dat heette Barbara Barbara had een groentewinkel en verkocht goede rabarber. Daarom noemden alle mensen dat meisje Rabarberbarbara. Later begon ze een cafe met een bar. Op het raam stond: Rabarberbarbarabar. Daar kwamen wilde mannen op bezoek: echte Barbaren, de Rabarberbarbarabarbaren. O, wat hadden die lange baarden. Die baarden heetten: Rabarberbarbarabarbarbarenbaarden En de barbier die de baarden moest knippen was een Rabarberbarbarabarbarbarenbaardenbarbier.
English translation: Once upon a time there was a girl named Barbara Barbara who had a greengrocer's and sold good rhubarb. That's why everyone called that girl Rhubarb Barbara. Later she started a café with a bar. On the window it said: Rhubarb Barbara Bar. Wild men came to visit there: real Barbarians, the Rhubarb Barbara Barbarians. Oh, what long beards they had. Those beards were called: Rhubarb Barbara Barbarbarian beards. And the barber who had to cut the beards was a Rhubarb Barbara Barbarian beards barber.
Hardest and longest Dutch tongue twister
Congratulations, you've made it to level 10! Now that you mastered the above, it's time to try the ultimate tongbreker! Brace yourself for a lot of G sounds. Might want to grab a glass of water before trying this one:
Er waren eens twee nachtwachten, een voor-middernacht-nachtwacht en een na-middernacht-nachtwacht. De voor-middernacht-nachtwacht zei tegen de na-middernacht-nachtwacht: “Als jij de voor-middernacht-nachtwacht waakt, waak ik de na-middernacht-nachtwacht.” “oke” zei de na-middernacht-nachtwacht tegen de voor-middernacht-nachtwacht “Ik waak de voor-middernacht-nachtwacht en dan waak jij de na-middernacht-nachtwacht.” Zo kwam het dat de voor-middernacht-nachtwacht de na-middernacht-nachtwacht waakte en de na-middernacht-nachtwacht de voor-middernacht-nachtwacht waakte.
Translation: Once upon a time there were two night watches, a before-midnight night watch and an after-midnight night watch. The before-midnight night watch said to the after-midnight night watch, “If you watch the before-midnight night watch, I’ll watch the after-midnight night watch.” “Okay,” said the after-midnight night watch to the before-midnight night watch, “I’ll watch the before-midnight night watch and you’ll watch the after-midnight night watch.” So it came to pass that the before-midnight night watch watched the after-midnight night watch and the after-midnight night watch watched the before-midnight night watch.
Practise these Dutch tongue twisters!
They might give you a sore throat, but these Dutch tongue twisters should get you pronouncing Dutch perfectly in no time! If you did well, you can now use these tongue twisters to show off your Dutch skills at a party (if you don’t mess them up, of course)!