Catalan Tongue Twisters
Stuck with you assignment?
Get inspired with IvyPanda's free college essays
Get inspired with IvyPanda's free college essays
Original:
A mi si que re m'hi fa que faci sol.
English:
For me is not important that the sun shines. A wordplay with the musical scores.
Original:
Duc pa sec al sac, m'assec on sóc, i el suco amb suc.
English:
I carry dry bread in my bag, I sit down where I am and I dip the bread into the gravy.
Spanish:
Llevo pan seco en este saco, me siento aquí i lo mojo en la salsa.
Original:
Peret, treu-te el pot del pit, que put.
English:
Pete, take the pot off your chest because it's rotting.
Original:
Una gallina xica, pica, camatorta i ballarica va tenir sis polls xics, pics, camatorts i ballarics. Si la gallina no hagués sigut xica, pica, camatorta i ballarica, els sis polls no haguessin sigut xics, pics, i ballarics.
English:
A chicken, pike, camatorta and dancer chicken had six lice, peaks, camattos and dancers. If the chicken had not been chic, pica, camatorta and dancer, the six chicks had not been chic, peaks, and dancers.
used by Salvador Dali
Original:
Diu qui, diu jo, diu si, diu tu, diu qui, diu jo, diu no, diu Ah!
English:
Says who, says me, says yes, says you, says who, says me, says no, says Ah!
Original:
Senyor amo, l'una aca la he treta, l'atra aca la trac?
English:
Master, I took one jack out (of the stall), should I take the other one out too?
Original:
A les sis tinc set el càntir és buit és nou i encara es deu.
English:
At six (o'clock) I'm thirsty, the jar is empty, it is new and is still owed. Wordplay with the numbers.
Spanish:
A las seis tengo sed, el cántaro está vacío, es nuevo y todavía se debe.
Original:
Tinc tanta sang que a les cinc tinc son.
English:
I have so much blood that at five I'm sleepy.
Spanish:
Tengo tanta sangre que a las cinco tengo sueño.
Original:
Quan m'ajupia codonys collia
Quan m'aixecava, codonys agafava
De genollons, collia, collia
De genollons, collia, codonys.
English:
When I crouched I gathered quince. When I got up I gathered quince. On my knees, I gathered, gathered, on my kneees I gathered quince.
Spanish:
Cuando me agachaba, membrillos cogía. Cuando me levantaba, membrillos agarraba. De rodillas, cogía, cogía de rodillas, cogía membrillos.
Original:
A Rubí cotó collir, a Rubó collir cotó.
English:
Pick cotton in Rubí (a town); Pick cotton in Rubó.
Spanish:
En Rubí algodón recoger; en Rubó recoger algodón.
Original:
A pi xic escala no cal, a pi alt escala cal; si cal du-li.
English:
No need for ladder for a small pine tree, needed for a tall pine tree; if needed, take it.
Spanish:
Pino pequeño no necesita escalera, pino alto si que la necesita, si la necesita llévala.
Original:
Barcelona sona si la bossa sona. Però tant si sona com si no sona, Barcelona és bona.
English:
Barcelona sounds good if the money is good, but whether it sounds good or not, Barcelona is good.
Original:
Com a ploure, prou que plou, Pau, però plou poc.
English:
Well, it really rains, Paul, but it only rains a little.
Original:
Duc com puc un ruc a un duc rus mut.
English:
I bring a donkey as I can to a dumb Russian duke.
Spanish:
Llevo como puedo un burro a un duque ruso mudo.
Original:
En Pinxo va dir a en Panxo:
- Vols que et punxi amb un punxó?
I en Panxo va dir a en Pinxo:
- Punxa'm, però a la panxa no!
English:
Pinxo asked Panxo, "Do you want me to pierce you with a punch?" And Panxo answered Pinxo "Pierce me, but not in my belly!"
Spanish:
Pinxo preguntó a Panxo: - Quieres que te clave un alfiler? Y Pinxo dijo a Panxo: - Clavamelo, pero no en la barriga.
Original:
En Fabra té una cabra sobre cada arbre.
English:
Fabra has a goat over each tree.
Original:
En Pere va per la carretera amb un carro carregat de rocs, que fa carric, carrac, carric, carrac.
English:
Peter go on the road by lorry with stones, to make a carric, carrac, carric, carrac.
Original:
En cap cap hi cap que Déu en deu deu.
English:
It's unthinkable that God owes ten (10).
Original:
La boteta de vi vi té.
Té tap?
Tap té.
Té tap i tapó?
Tap i tapó té.
English:
I have a leather wine bottle. Does it have a cap? It has a cap. Does it have a cap and a stopper? Cap and stopper it has.
Spanish:
La bota de vino, tiene vino. Tiene tapón? Tapón tiene. Tiene tapón y taponcito? Tapón y taponcito tiene.
Original:
Si qui deu deu diu que deu deu diu el que deu i deu el que diu.
English:
If one who owes ten says that he owes ten he is saying what he owes and he's owing what he says.
Original:
Els catalans parlant sembla que trenqueu nous.
Que te creus que te crec?
English:
When you Catalans speak, it seems like you break nuts.
Do you think I believe you?
Original:
Tinc una gana, una son i una set,
que no menjo, ni dormo, ni bec,
si menjava, dormia i bevia,
la gana, la son i la set em passarien,
però com que no menjo, ni dormo, ni bec,
no em passa ni la gana, ni la son, ni la set.
English:
I´m so hungry, sleepy and thirsty, that I don´t eat, nor sleep, nor drink, if I ate, slept and drank, hunger, sleep, and thirst would be over, but as I don´t eat, nor sleep, nor drink, hunger, sleep, and thirst are still with me.
Original:
Un rus que és ros, té un ris i està al ras sense fer res.
English:
A Russian guy that is blonde, has a curl in his hair and is standing outside (the street) without doing anything.
Original:
Una ovella, serella, merella, llanuda, llanada cap i coronada tenia sis corderets serells, merells, llanuts, llanats, cap i coronats. Si la ovella no haguera sigut serella, merella, llanuda, llanada cap i coronada, els seus corderets no haurien sigut serells, merells, llanuts, llanats, cap i coronats.
English:
One lamb, "serella", "merella" [nonsense words which play with "mesell", green person], woolly, full of wool, head and crowned has six little lambs serells, merells, woolly, full of wool, head and crowned. If the lamb hadn't been serella, merella, woolly, full of wool, head and crowned, its little lambs wouldn't have been serells, merells, woolly, full of wool, head and crowned.
Original:
Collint llidons a la llidonera.
English:
Picking quince from the quince tree.
Spanish:
Cogiendo membrillos en el (arbol del membrillo)
Original:
Una gallina tica-xica-mica, cama-curta i ballarica,
va tenir tres pollets, tics-xics-mics, cama-curts i ballarics.
Si la gallina no hagués estat tica-xica-mica, cama-curta i ballarica,
els tres pollets no serien tics-xics-mics, cama-curts i ballarics.
English:
A tica-xica-mica (nonsense words), short-legged and dancing hen, had three tics-xics-mics, short-legged and dancing chicks. If the hen hadn't been tica-xica-mica, short-legged and dancing hen, the chicks wouldn't have been tics-xics-mics, short-legged and dancing chicks.
Original:
En un got no hi pot haver-hi hagut vi bo del fort sense un embut.
English:
In glass there couldn't have been good strong wine with out using a funnel.
Spanish:
En un vaso no puede haber habido vino bueno del fuerte sin (utilizar) un embudo.
Original:
La perdiu li diu a la garsa:
- Què fas aquí tu, garsa?
- I tu, perdiu? - la garsa li diu.
English:
The partridge said to the magpie: "What are you doing here, magpie?" "And you, partridge?" - the magpie said.
Spanish:
La perdiz le dice a la urraca: - ¿Que haces aquí tú, urraca? - ¿Y tú, perdiz? - la urraca le dice.
Original:
En Pere Peret pintor, premiat per Portugal, pinta pots i potinguetes per posar pebre picant.
English:
The painter Pere Peret, who was given a prize by Portugal, prints cans and mixtures to put spice pepper in.
Original:
Les oques s'esmolen els becs a les soques.
English:
Geese sharpen their beaks on the trunks.
Original:
Vaig al bosc i busco vesc i visc del vesc que busco al bosc.
English:
I go to wood and I look for mistletoe, and I live by mistletoe I look for.
Spanish:
Voy al bosque a por muérdago, y vivo del muérdago que busco en el bosque.
Original:
Qui roba una arrova de roba no roba la arrova sinó que roba la roba.
English:
He who steals an "arrova" (measure of weight eq. to 11.502 kg) of cloth, doesn't steal the arrova, but he steals the cloth.
Spanish:
Quien roba una arroba de ropa, no roba una arroba, sino que roba la ropa
Original:
Un plat blanc pla ple de pebre negre està.
English:
A flat white plate is full of black pepper.
Original:
En cap cap cap el que cap en aquet cap.
English:
In no head fits what fits in this head.
Original:
Setze jutges d'un jutjat mengen el fetge d'un penjat.
Si el penjat es despenja, els setze jutges del jutjat no podran menjar mes fetge del penjat.
English:
Sixteen judges from a tribunal eat the liver of a hanged person. If the hanged person is unhung, the sixteen judges of the tribunal can no longer eat the liver of the hanged person.
Original:
Plou poc, pero pa lo poc que plou, plou prou.
English:
It isn’t raining much, but considering how little it rains, it rains enough.
Original:
De genollons codonys collia, de genollons collia codonys.
English:
On my knees, quince I gathered; On my knees, I gathered quince.
Spanish:
Arrodillado membrillos cogía, arrodillado cogía membrillos.
Original:
En quin tinter te tinta en Ton?
English:
In which inkpot does Tony have ink?
Spanish:
En que tintero tiene tinta Antonio. Juego de palabras con sonidos que imitan una campana
Original:
Els llurs llocs de les valls de Llers.
English:
Their places of the Llers valley.
Original:
Un plat pla ple de pebre negre n'era.
Un plat pla ple de pebre negre n'està.
English:
A flat plate full of black pepper was. A flat plate full of black pepper is.
Spanish:
Un plato plano era lleno de pimienta negra. Un plato plano está lleno de pimienta negra.
Original:
Els avis indicats son savis sindicats. Els savis indicats son avis sindicats.
English:
The sly grandparents drive the bride and the groom to Gracia (quarter of Barcelona) on the free bus.
Original:
De genollons genollons, collia collia, de genollons genollons, collia codonys; de genollades, codonyades, i amb els dits, codonys collits.
English:
On my knees, knees, I gathered gathered, On my knees, knees, I gathered quince; kneeled, quince jellies, and with fingers, gathered quinces.
Original:
Una tauleta ben entrilinquinquadradeta,
mal entrilinquinquadradeta,
ves a buscar a l'entrilinquinquadrador
que té l'entrilinquinquadre millor.
Sino està l'entrilinquinquadrador,
que la entrilinquinquadradora
te l'entrilinquinquadre a la seua manera.
English:
A small table well entrilinquinquadradeta, bad entrilinquinquadradeta, you have to look for the entrilinquinquadrador and he will get it better entrilinquinquadrated. If the entrilinquinquadrador isn't there, then the entrilinquinquadradora will entrilinquinquadre on his own way.
Nonsense
Original:
Cards verds taquen, cards secs piquen.
English:
green thistles stain, dry thistles prick.
Original:
Codonys collits amb la punta dels dits
English:
Quince taken with the fingers' tip
from Valencia
Original:
Quin cargol més xerraire, que fa lligams i lligaments amb llangardaixos i llançadisses!
English:
What a chatty snail, making bonds and ties with lassoes and throws!
Original:
Quin quindici quinquennis que es diu Quim, té una quincalla amb quinze quinquets i cinc quims!
English:
What a fifteen-year-old called Quim, has a trinket with fifteen candlesticks and five Quims!
Original:
El rei de Roma romejava amb rampells i remolins, mentre la reina romanenca remenava el remolí amb rampells!
English:
The king of Rome rumbled with rumbles and whirlpools, while the queen of Rome stirred the whirlpool with rumbles!
Original:
Un poble pobre i petit, fa poques pomes i poca petita
English:
A poor and small village, makes few apples and little petite
Original:
L'Anna amb l'anell a la mà, a la muntanya anava a buscar aigua amb l'anella
English:
Anna with the ring on her hand, went to the mountain to fetch water with the ring
Original:
Un gat ganyut amb una poma, un altre gat ganyut amb una llima
English:
One cat with a sour apple, another cat with a lime
Original:
Un poble pobleter i petit, fa poques coses i poc petit
English:
A small and petty village, does few things and little petty
Original:
El setge de Segellac, va ser molt segellat i segellós
English:
The siege of Segellac, was very sealed and seal-like
Original:
La lluna llunyana, va fer una lluna de formatge amb la llana
English:
The distant moon, made a cheese moon with wool
Original:
El ratolí ratafia amb raïm i ratafies, mentre la rateta ratafiava amb ratafies i raïm
English:
The mouse scurried with grapes and ratifias, while the little mouse scurried with ratifias and grapes