German Language Blog
Menu
Search

10 German Tongue Twisters Posted by on Sep 15, 2017 in Uncategorized

Guten Tag! Today we’re going to look at tongue twisters. In German, tongue twisters are called Zungenbrecher (which literally means ‘tongue breakers’!). Not only will I write the tongue twisters and their translations down for you, but I’ve recorded each one, too, so you can hear exactly how they are meant to be pronounced. Hopefully this will give you all you need to go off and practise saying them at lightning speed!

Super Happy

10 German Zungenbrecher – Tongue Twisters! Photo by nathanmac87 on flickr.com under a CC license (CC BY 2.0)

 

What are the benefits of tongue twisters when learning a language?

–> They are great for practising certain sounds, letters or letter combinations – especially if you don’t have those particular sounds in your own language (one example would be the German ‘z’ which is pronounced like the English ‘ts’ sound — so a tongue twister with a lot of German ‘z’ sounds would make ideal practice for a native English speaker. There is one listed below!).

–> They are fun! And most people are more likely to remember what they’ve learnt if there was an element of fun involved.

–> They also bring an element of challenge. How satisfying is it when you finally can say a tongue twister? Learning tongue twisters in another language will give you a real sense of accomplishment!

–> Bonus advantage: Tongue twisters strengthen the muscles used when talking! So tongue twisters are basically a workout! 😉

Let’s get going with our 10 German tongue twisters. Click on the little ‘play’ button to hear the audio.

10 German tongue twisters

Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische – Frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz
(‘Fischer’s son Fritz is fishing for fresh fish – Fresh fish is what Fischer’s son Fritz is fishing for’)

 

Der dicke Dieter trägt den dünnen Dieter über den dicken Dreck
(‘Fat Dieter carries thin Dieter over the thick mud’)

 

Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid und Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut
(‘Wedding dress stays as wedding dress and red cabbage stays as red cabbage’)

 

Zwischen zwei Zwetschgenzweigen sitzen zwei zwitschernde Schwalben
(‘Two twittering swallows sit between two plum branches’)

 

Wir Wiener Waschweiber würden weiße Wäsche waschen, wenn wir wüssten, wo weiches, warmes Wasser wäre
(‘We Viennese washerwomen would wash white clothes if we knew where the soft, warm water was’)

 

Bäcker Braun backt braune Brezeln. Braune Brezeln backt Bäcker Braun
(‘Baker Brown bakes brown pretzels. Brown pretzels bakes Baker Brown.’)

 

Acht alte Ameisen aßen am Abend Ananas
(‘Eight old ants ate pineapple in the evening’)

 

Du magst Wachsmasken? Max macht Wachsmasken
(‘You like wax masks? Max makes wax masks’)

 

Esel essen Nesseln nicht, nein, Nesseln essen Esel nicht
(‘Donkeys don’t eat nettles, no, nettles donkeys do not eat’)

 

Der dicke Dachdecker deckte das dicke Dach. Dann trug der dicke Dachdecker, die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck. Dann dankte die dicke Dame dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck trug
(‘The fat roofer covered the thick roof. Then the fat roofer carried the fat woman through the thick mud. Then the fat woman thanked the fat roofer that the fat roofer carried the fat woman through the thick mud’)

 

I have recorded the above Zungenbrecher a little slower than you would normally say a tongue twister, but that’s so that you can hear the pronunciation of the words clearly first. Start out by saying them slowly, then see if you can speed up! Here’s my attempt at saying the 10th one above (‘Der dicke Dachdecker..’) as quickly as I can (I was almost successful)!

Let me know how you get on with these. Viel Spaß damit (have lots of fun with it)!!!! 🙂

Constanze

Tags: , , , , ,
Keep learning German with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

About the Author: Constanze

Servus! I'm Constanze and I live in the UK. I'm half English and half German, and have been writing about German language and culture on this blog since 2014. I am also a fitness instructor & personal trainer.


Comments:

  1. Allan Mahnke:

    Great! I love these. I’ll have to try to learn them, although I don’t don’t do well with this sort of thing in English either.

    • Constanze:

      @Allan Mahnke Haha, yes, they are difficult no matter what the language is!

  2. Jenna:

    These are hilarious! (As most “tongue breakers” are!) And these are definitely breaking mine! HA I just can’t get the audio to play … darn.

    • Constanze:

      @Jenna Hey Jenna, you may need to install Adobe Flash Player and have JavaScript enabled (it should prompt you to do this) – or try looking at the post on a different internet browser. Hope that helps! 🙂

  3. Þórir Pétur:

    This is a little bit nitpicky, I know, but isn’t “Fischer’s” in the whole “Fischer’s Fritz…” part supposed to be “Fischers”? I am pretty sure that the whole ‘s to show possession is just an English grammar thing, not a German one. “Fischer” in the Genativ SHOULD be Fischers, as that is the correct way to form the Genativ according to German grammar.

    Other than that little nitpick (sorry XP), really liked this post. Lots of fun little tongue twisters, especially that last one (wow). Wish I could say I found them easy on the tongue (I didn’t).

    Thanks for this, really enjoyable and fun. Wish you a guten Tag (well, Abend here. Close to Nacht actually) and hope to see another great post from you in the future.

    • Constanze:

      @Þórir Pétur Yes, you are right! I was in ‘English mode’ when I wrote that, obviously! Thanks for pointing it out. I have changed it in the post. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂