{"id":12145,"date":"2021-01-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/?p=12145"},"modified":"2024-01-26T00:52:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T08:52:55","slug":"spanish-tongue-twisters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/spanish-tongue-twisters\/","title":{"rendered":"Trabalenguas: Let’s Practice Some Spanish Tongue Twisters!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this article, we\u2019ll introduce you to some of the most fun tongue twisters in the Spanish language. The word for \u2018tongue twister\u2019 in Spanish is \u2018trabalenguas<\/em>,\u2019 which comes from the verb \u2018trabar<\/em>\u2019 (\u2018to get tangled up\u2019) and the noun \u2018lengua<\/em>\u2019 (\u2018tongue\u2019)!<\/p>\n

\"Tongue<\/span>\"Tongue<\/span><\/p>\n

Image Via<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ve given you tongue twisters that you can use to practice particular sounds.<\/p>\n

Before you delve into tongue twisters, why don’t you check your Spanish level first?<\/h2>\n

What is a tongue twister?<\/h2>\n

Tongue twisters are phrases that are supposed to be really tricky to pronounce. They often use one or two sounds repeatedly throughout the phrase. For example, \u2018she sells seashells by the seashore.\u2019<\/p>\n

How can tongue twisters help your Spanish?<\/h2>\n

When learning a language, you\u2019re often confronted by sounds that don\u2019t exist in your native language, for example the rolled \u2018r\u2019 in Spanish, which we don\u2019t use in English. Using tongue twisters is a great way to get your tongue around those sounds<\/strong>, and learn some new vocab in the process!<\/p>\n

As you practice, think of your mouth<\/strong> as forming muscle memory. You may well have to bend your mouth and tongue<\/strong> into shapes that you didn\u2019t think were possible, but just because you weren\u2019t born in a Spanish-speaking country doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t make Spanish sounds.<\/p>\n

Imagine if a Spanish couple gets pregnant and moves to Canada. When the baby starts to talk, it doesn\u2019t flat out say, \u201csorry, I don\u2019t speak Spanish, eh.\u201d As long as Spanish is spoken in the home, the kid picks up the Spanish language and Spanish sounds from the parents.<\/p>\n

Okay, so you\u2019re not a Spanish baby in Canada, but that doesn\u2019t take away your ability to listen<\/strong> and mimic<\/strong>. Start by pronouncing each sound and syllable as slowly and clearly as you can, and then start reciting whole tongue twisters. You\u2019re aiming for speed, clarity, and fluidity!<\/p>\n

Spanish Tongue Twister: A Sound<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t
Pancha plancha con cuatro planchas. \u00bfCon cu\u00e1ntas planchas plancha Pancha?<\/i><\/td>Pancha irons with four irons. With how many irons does Pancha iron?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Tongue Twister: <\/em>E Sound<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t
Esteban es escalador. Escala y escala. Esteban, el escalador: de tanto escalar, en una cima qued\u00f3. <\/i><\/td>Esteban is a mountaineer. He climbs and he climbs. Esteban, the mountaineer: from so much climbing, he ended up on a peak.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Tongue Twister: <\/em>I Sound<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t
Pablito clav\u00f3 un clavito en la calva de un calvito. En la calva de un calvito, un clavito clav\u00f3 Pablito.<\/i><\/td>Pablito hammered a little nail into the bald patch of a little bald man. Into the bald patch of a little bald man, a little nail did hammer Pablito.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Tongue Twister: O Sound<\/em><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t
Un drag\u00f3n trag\u00f3n trag\u00f3 carb\u00f3n y el carb\u00f3n que trag\u00f3 el drag\u00f3n trag\u00f3n le hizo salir barrig\u00f3n.<\/i><\/td>A greedy dragon swallowed coal and the coal that the greedy dragon swallowed gave him a pot belly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Tongue Twisters: <\/em>U Sound<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t
Una bruja tiene una br\u00fajula en una burbuja. Y con la aguja embrujada te embruja.<\/i><\/td>A witch has a compass in a bubble. And with the enchanted needle she puts a spell on you.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Tongue Twisters: <\/em>B\/V Sounds<\/em><\/h3>\n

Both \u2018b<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018v<\/em>\u2019 are pronounced the same as each other. <\/p>\n

Hard sound: They sound almost like an English \u2018b\u2019 when:<\/p>\n