Norwegian Tongue Twisters Tungeknekkjarar / Tungeknekkere
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Original:
Du ska ikkje kalle Kalle for Kalle, selv om moren til Kalle kallar Kalle for Kalle, ska'kje du kalle Kalle for Kalle, for Kalle hetar egentlig Karl.
English:
You're not supposed to call Kalle for Kalle, even though Kalle's mother calls Kalle for Kalle, aren't you supposed to call Kalle for Kalle, because Kalle's real name is Karl
Original:
Ein hælv kælv låg i elva og flaut på ein sælapinne.
English:
A half calf was floating in the river on a log.
Original:
Russiske ripsbusker og andre russiske ripsbuskvekster.
English:
Russian currant bushes and other russian currant bush vegetation.
Original:
Åtte kopper upoppet popkorn.
English:
Eight cups of un-popped popcorn.
Original:
En hoinn svømte over Tromsø soinn med et oillteppe i moinn.
English:
A dog swam across Tromsø bay with a wool blanket in its mouth
dialect from Tromsø
Original:
Hadde jeg hatt den hatten jeg hadde hatt, så hadde jeg hatt en hatt jeg òg!
English:
Had I had the hat I had had, I would have had a hat too!
Original:
Fem flate flyndrer på et flatt fat.
English:
Five flat fishes on a flat plate.
Original:
Klokka på Ringerike ringer ikke, derfor måtte Ringerike flytte til Rommerike. Men Rommerike rommet ikke Ringerike, derfor måtte Ringerike være der det var.
English:
The bell in Ringerike doesn't ring. So Ringerike had to move to Romerike (another place). But there wasn't enough room in Rommerike for Ringerike, and that's why Ringerike had to stay where it was.
Original:
En hælv kælv låg i ælva å fløt.
English:
Half a calf lay floating in the river.
Original:
Leika dåkkå dåkkå mæ dåkkå dåkkå då?
English:
Are you playing with dolls, are you?
dialect from Romsdal on the Norwegian coast
Original:
Gnage kuknoker.
English:
To chew the legs (knee) of a cow.
Original:
Voksen bokser vasker bukser.
English:
An adult boxer is washing trousers.
Original:
Fire fine hvite fisker på et fint hvitt fiske-fat.
English:
Four fine white fishes on a fine white fish plate/tray.
Original:
Labba langs ælva i pælær å tyggær koe.
English:
Walking by the river in wellingtons and chewing gum.
Porsgrunn dialect
Original:
Far, får får får? Nei, får får ikke får, får får lam.
English:
Father do sheep have sheep? No, sheep don't have sheep; sheep have lambs.
Original:
Byens beste baker Bjørn Brun, baker bare brune brendte berlinerboller.
English:
The best baker of town, baker Bjørn Brun (literally: Bear Brown), will only be baking burnt brown buns filled with vanilla custard.
Original:
Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap
English:
Hardanger: Area of the west coast of Norway Sunnhordland: Neighboring area to Hardanger Dampskipsselskap: Steamship-company. HSD (for short) is a transportation company.
Original:
Fisker'n Finn fiska fersk fisk forige fredag.
English:
Finn The Fisher fished fresh fish last friday.
Original:
Det ringer ikke på Ringeriket,
så Ringeriket er flyttet til Romerike,
men Romerike rommer ikke Ringerike,
så Ringerike må være der det er!
English:
It doesn't ring at Ringeriket, so Ringeriket is moved to Romeriket, but Romeriket is not big enough for Ringeriket, so Ringeriket has to stay where it is!
Original:
Det var nesten, sa presten, da hesten til presten tråkket på lesten til presten.
English:
That was close, said the priest, when the priest's horse stepped on the sock of the priest.
Original:
Æ E A Å Edø.
English:
Æ = I [Jeg], E = am [er], A = out [ute], Å = for [for å], Edø = dinner [spise]. I'm off for dinner.
dialect of Kristiansand and Mandal, South Norway
Original:
Rabarbrablad
English:
Rubarb leaf
Original:
Det var en gang en sebra som ikke kunne se bra.
Så gikk han til en sebra som kunne se bra.
Så lærte den sebraen som kunne se bra,
den sebraen som ikke kunne se bra å se bra!
English:
Once upon a time, there was a zebra who couldn't see well. Then he went to a zebra who could see well. Then the zebra who could see well, taught the zebra who couldn't see well, to see well.
Original:
Laksefisker, torskefisker
English:
Salmoniformes, Gadiformes (names of the orders of fish to which the salmon and cod belong)
Original:
Langesundsfjordens Indremisjonsselskaps hundreårsjubileum
English:
The hundred year anniversary of the inner mission company of Langesundsfjord
Original:
Stekt torsk, kokt torsk.
English:
Fried codfish, boiled codfish.
Original:
Takpapp, veggpapp, papp og papir.
English:
Roof paper, wallpaper, cardboard and paper.
Original:
Hajjn hunn i bajjn
English:
male dog in collar
from the magazine Pyton, "How to speak the Trønder dialect"
Original:
Æ e i A.
Æ e i A æ å !
English:
The school inspector asks, "which class are you in?" the answer is "I am in A" (Æ e i A) then he asks another boy "what class are you in then" he answers "I am in A I too" (Æ e i A æ å).
dialect from northern Norway
Original:
En djerv dvergbjerk
English:
A bold dwarf birchtree.
Original:
Pappa pakker pappkasser.
English:
Daddy piles up cardboard boxes.
Original:
Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster.
English:
Ibsen's currant bushes and other shrubby plants.
Original:
Å er'e for vær hærræ være' her er æ,
blir vær' og vær' hærræ være' her, jo!
English:
What kind of weather is this here weather, (it) gets worse and worse this weather here, (yo).
dialect of the Østfold district
Original:
De' lå en hælldau æLjekæLv å' fLaut i AuLiæLvæ.
English:
A half-dead elk calf was floating in the Auli river.
dialect from inner Vestfold county (capital "L" represents "thick" l)"
Original:
Italienerinnenes snadderensemaskinfabrikkeri
English:
Italian's (females) factory of pipecleaner-machines.
Bergen dialect
Original:
Piken til kongen har rødt krøllete hår.
English:
The King's daughter has red curly hair.
Original:
En Konstantinopeliansk fiolinkassemakersvenn
English:
A Constantinopolean violin box maker's friend
Original:
Eks-elskerinneaspiranten inspirerte elskerinneaspiranten
English:
The former "trainee-mistress" inspired the current "trainee-mistress
Original:
Fisker'n Finn fiska fersk fisk forige fredag.
English:
Finn The Fhisher fished fresh fish last friday.
Original:
Det er ikkje berre berre å berre kome her og berre bere berenett!
English:
You can't just come here and just carry carrying bags!
by Jørn Støylen
Original:
Ein hælv dau kælv, låg i ælva å flaut!
English:
A half dead calf was floating in the river.
Original:
Det satt ei skattu på hafeilla å plukka tælla tyting onde sjoggen.
English:
A magpie sat on the fence (of felled trees), picking frozen (mountain) cranberries under the snow.
dialect of Gudbrandsdalen
Original:
Lille snille Pernille griller piller på Nilles grill, mens lille Ville triller Pernilles snille krokodille som spiller trekkspill.
English:
Lille(little) snille(nice) Pernille(a name) griller(barbecues) piller(pills(medisines)) på(on) Nilles(a name) grill(grill), mens(while) lille(little) Ville(a name) triller(are rolling) Pernilles(a name) ville(wild) krokodille(crokodile) som(who) spiller(plays) trekkspill(the harmonica)
Original:
Kristine kjøper kjøttkaker hos kjøpmannen i Kjellstad.
English:
Kristine buys meatballs from the Salesman in Kjellstad (place).
Original:
Fraktmann Frans Fransen fra Farsund, frakter femten fine fruer fra Fredrikstad, forbi Ferder Fyr. Fruene framfører fryktelige forferdelige fiser for Fraktmann Frans Fransen fra Farsund.
English:
Transportman Frans Fransen from Farsund (town in Norway), transports 15 fine ladies from Fredrikstad (town in Norway) past Ferder Fyr (famous lighthouse). The ladies preform terrible horrible farts for transportman Frans Fransen from Farsund.
Original:
Høyesterettsjustitiarius sysselsettes i et forlystelsesetablissement.
English:
High court judge is working in an amusement park.
Original:
Nye børster børster bedre enn gamle børster børster.
English:
New brushes brush better than old brushes brush.
Original:
Konstantinopolitanerinnenespiperengjørelsesmaskinerier
English:
a machine in Constantinople …
Original:
En vill mannj med hannj honnj i bannj og et fullt spannj med vannj.
English:
A wild man with a dog in in his hand and a bucket full of water.
Original:
kjyrkje skutjen
English:
church gable
Original:
RaLejaLe hemmat i høssølæssom å naumøLa spikkjipørse.
English:
Walking unsteady over the field, going towards home, wearing nothing but socks on your feet and eat a salami.
dialect of Haltdalen, middle Norway (capital "L" represents "thick" l)"
Original:
Dom som sier dom er domme, dom er domme dom.
English:
Those who says that they are stupid, they are stupid themself.
Original:
Hypernevrokustiskediafragmakontravibrasjoner
English:
Medical term for hickup
Original:
Det satt ei skattu på hafeillla å plukka tælla tyting onde sjoggen.
English:
A magpie was sitting on the fence eating frozen cowberries under the snow.
dialect from the Northern part of the valley Gudbrandsdalen
Original:
De'e fåttå ti hafella!
English:
The fence is burning!
dialect of the Southern Gudbrandsdalen valley
Original:
Trudderudderanntann?
English:
Did you think it was dripping?
dialect from Eastern Norway
Original:
Dattata?
English:
Did she fall off?
dialect from Eastern Norway
Original:
BATACTQAVTITIA
English:
Ask Thea to look after the cows around 10 o'clock.
diaelct from Eastern Norway
Original:
Ké U?
Ka Va U Va?
English:
First you ask what time it is. In the second sentence you want it repeated if you didn't hear it the first time. Ké = What is [Hva er] U = the time [klokka]. Ka = What [Hva] Va = was [var det] U = it(the time) [klokka] Va = was [var].
Stavanger dialect
Original:
Når biskopen gisper, brister biskopens gipsgebiss.
English:
When the bishop gasps, the bishop's denture cracks.
Original:
Kappe, putte, pakke, kutte
English:
Chop, put, pack, cut
Original:
Hadde jeg bare hatt et apografifotografat hadde jeg fotogra-faenmeg-fert.
English:
If I only had a "apografifotografat" (nonsense variation of the word "photocamera", non-translatable) then I would take some damn photographs.
Original:
En bar barbar bar en bar barbar i en bar.
English:
A bare (naked) barbarian carried a bare (naked) barbarian in a bar.
Original:
Hvem har hugget hull på hullet til Hull i Hull i Hellefossen?
English:
Who has cut a hole in the hole in Hull in Hull in Hellefossen?
Original:
Fem frosker fryktet for friskt froskefôr
English:
Five frogs feared fresh frog food
Original:
Gåsene gikk gjennom gården og gikk gjennom gjerdet
English:
The geese walked through the yard and went through the fence
Original:
Hvem har hatt hatten til hatten til Hattemakeren?
English:
Who has had the hat of the hat maker?
Original:
Rød rørlegger rørte rødt rør i rødt rom
English:
Red plumber stirred red pipe in red room
Original:
Solen skinner i Skagen, selv om det regner i Romsdalen
English:
The sun is shining in Skagen, even though it's raining in Romsdalen
Original:
Tømte tønner tømmer tømmerstokker
English:
Empty barrels empty timber logs
Original:
Lille Lise lot lusen leke på låret sitt
English:
Little Lise let the lice play on her thigh
Original:
Fire fedre fra Fjellfoten fisker fisk på fire fjellfotør
English:
Four fathers from Fjellfoten fish for fish on four mountain feet
Original:
Tre tusen trommer trommer trommelyd, tre hundre tromboner blåser trommelyd
English:
Three thousand drums drum drum sounds, three hundred trombones blow drum sounds