45 tongue twisters

Tongue Twisters in Spanish with Translation

Ten Spanish tongue twisters come up at a press, each with its English meaning and the sound it drills.

Show all 45

Mi mamá me mima, y yo mimo a mi mamá.In English: My mum spoils me, and I spoil my mum. Drills M.
El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramón Ramírez se lo ha robado.In English: Saint Roch's dog has no tail, because Ramón Ramírez has stolen it. Drills rr in perro and the R that starts a word.
Como poco coco como, poco coco compro.In English: As I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut. Drills hard C and P.
Dábale arroz a la zorra el abad.In English: The abbot gave rice to the vixen. The Spanish reads the same backwards, letter for letter. Drills rr: arroz, zorra.
Un podador podaba la parra y otro podador que por allí pasaba le preguntó: Podador que podas la parra, ¿qué parra podas? ¿Podas mi parra o tu parra podas? Ni podo tu parra, ni mi parra podo, que podo la parra de mi tío Bartolo.In English: A pruner was pruning the vine, and another pruner passing by asked him: Pruner pruning the vine, which vine are you pruning? Mine or yours? I prune neither your vine nor mine: I prune my uncle Bartolo's vine. Drills P and the rr of parra.
María Chucena su choza techaba; un techador que por allí pasaba dijo: María Chucena, ¿techas tu choza o techas la ajena? Ni techo mi choza ni techo la ajena, que techo la choza de María Chucena.In English: María Chucena was roofing her hut; a roofer who was passing by said: María Chucena, are you roofing your own hut or someone else's? I am roofing neither my hut nor someone else's: I am roofing the hut of María Chucena. Drills T and Ch: techo, choza, Chucena.
Han dicho que he dicho un dicho, tal dicho no lo he dicho yo. Porque si yo hubiera dicho el dicho, bien dicho habría estado el dicho por haberlo dicho yo.In English: They have said that I have said a saying; no such saying have I said. For if I had said the saying, the saying would have been well said, for having been said by me. Drills Ch: dicho.
Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal.In English: Three sad tigers were gulping down wheat in a wheat field. Drills tr.
Tras tus tres tristes tigres, qué triste estás, Trinidad.In English: After your three sad tigers, how sad you are, Trinidad. Drills tr and T.
Juan junta juncos junto a la zanja.In English: Juan gathers rushes beside the ditch. Drills the throaty Spanish J.

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All 45 tongue twisters

R and RR 9

Dábale arroz a la zorra el abad. In English: The abbot gave rice to the vixen. The Spanish reads the same backwards, letter for letter. Drills rr: arroz, zorra.
El dragón tragón tragó carbón y quedó panzón. Quedó panzón el dragón tragón por tragar carbón. ¡Ay, qué dragón tan tragón! In English: The greedy dragon swallowed coal and ended up with a big belly. With a big belly he ended up, the greedy dragon, from swallowing coal. Oh, what a greedy dragon! Drills dr and tr, with a single quick R.
El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramón Ramírez se lo ha robado. In English: Saint Roch's dog has no tail, because Ramón Ramírez has stolen it. Drills rr in perro and the R that starts a word.
Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril. Rápido ruedan los carros cargados de azúcar al ferrocarril. In English: R with R, cigar; R with R, barrel. Fast roll the carts, loaded with sugar, to the railway. Drills rr, the trilled R.
Jorge el cerrajero vende cerrajes en la cerrajería. In English: Jorge the locksmith sells locks at the locksmith's shop. Drills rr beside the throaty J.

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R and RR, continued

Un burro comía berros y el perro se los robó, el burro lanzó un rebuzno, y el perro al barro cayó. In English: A donkey was eating watercress and the dog stole it; the donkey let out a bray, and the dog fell in the mud. Drills rr: burro, berros, perro, barro.
Un perro en el barro con su rabo barre. Con su rabo barre un perro en el barro. In English: A dog in the mud sweeps with its tail. With its tail a dog sweeps in the mud. Drills rr: perro, barro, barre.
Un perro rompe la rama del árbol. In English: A dog breaks the branch of the tree. Drills rr in perro and the R that starts rompe and rama.
Un podador podaba la parra y otro podador que por allí pasaba le preguntó: Podador que podas la parra, ¿qué parra podas? ¿Podas mi parra o tu parra podas? Ni podo tu parra, ni mi parra podo, que podo la parra de mi tío Bartolo. In English: A pruner was pruning the vine, and another pruner passing by asked him: Pruner pruning the vine, which vine are you pruning? Mine or yours? I prune neither your vine nor mine: I prune my uncle Bartolo's vine. Drills P and the rr of parra.

T and Tr 9

En tres tristes trastos de trigo, tres tristes tigres comían trigo. Comían trigo, tres tristes tigres, en tres tristes trastos de trigo. In English: In three sad dishes of wheat, three sad tigers were eating wheat. Eating wheat were three sad tigers, in three sad dishes of wheat. Drills tr; the longer form of the tigers.
Juan tuvo un tubo, y el tubo que tuvo se le rompió, y para recuperar el tubo que tuvo, tuvo que comprar un tubo igual al tubo que tuvo. In English: Juan had a tube, and the tube he had broke, and to get back the tube he had, he had to buy a tube just like the tube he had. Drills T: tuvo and tubo.
Las tablas de mi balcón mal entablilladas están. Llamen al entablillador que las desentablille y las vuelva a entablillar mejor, que ya se le pagará como buen entablillador. In English: The boards of my balcony are badly boarded. Call the boarder to unboard them and board them again, better, and he will be paid as a good boarder. Drills T with bl and ll: tablas, entablillar.
María Chucena su choza techaba; un techador que por allí pasaba dijo: María Chucena, ¿techas tu choza o techas la ajena? Ni techo mi choza ni techo la ajena, que techo la choza de María Chucena. In English: María Chucena was roofing her hut; a roofer who was passing by said: María Chucena, are you roofing your own hut or someone else's? I am roofing neither my hut nor someone else's: I am roofing the hut of María Chucena. Drills T and Ch: techo, choza, Chucena.
Tras tus tres tristes tigres, qué triste estás, Trinidad. In English: After your three sad tigers, how sad you are, Trinidad. Drills tr and T.
Treinta y tres tramos de troncos trozaron tres tristes trozadores de troncos y triplicaron su trabajo, triplicando su trabajo de trozar troncos y troncos. In English: Three sad log cutters cut up thirty-three lengths of log and tripled their work, tripling their work of cutting up logs and more logs. Drills tr.
Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. In English: Three sad tigers were gulping down wheat in a wheat field. Drills tr.
Un tubo tiró un tubo y otro tubo lo detuvo. Hay tubos que tienen tubos pero este tubo no tuvo tubo. In English: A tube threw a tube and another tube stopped it. There are tubes that have tubes, but this tube had no tube. (Tubo is tube; tuvo is had.) Drills T: tubo, tiró, detuvo, tuvo.
¿Usted no nada nada? No, no traje traje. In English: Don't you swim at all? No, I didn't bring a swimsuit. (Nada is both swims and nothing; traje is both I brought and suit.) Drills N and tr; a play on two words said twice.

L, Cl and Pl 7

Del pelo al codo y del codo al pelo, del codo al pelo y del pelo al codo. In English: From the hair to the elbow and from the elbow to the hair, from the elbow to the hair and from the hair to the elbow. Drills L at the end of del and al, with P and C.
El cielo está engarabintintangulado; ¿quién lo desengarabintintangulará? El desengarabintintangulador que lo desengarabintintangulare, buen desengarabintintangulador será. In English: The sky is engarabintintangulado. Who will un-engarabintintangulate it? Whoever does will be a fine un-engarabintintangulator. (The long word is the rhyme's own; this is how an 1882 collection prints the sky rhyme.) Drills L after a run of N, T and G.
El cielo está enladrillado. ¿Quién lo desenladrillará? El desenladrillador que lo desenladrille, buen desenladrillador será. In English: The sky is paved with bricks. Who will unpave it? The unpaver who unpaves it will be a fine unpaver. Drills L, dr and ll in one long word.
Luengas lenguas hacen falta para no trabalenguarse. El que no tenga una luenga lengua bien podrá trabalenguarse. In English: Long tongues are needed so as not to get tongue-tied. Whoever has no long tongue may well get tongue-tied. Drills L before ue and en: luenga, lengua.
Pablito clavó un clavito. ¿Qué clavito clavó Pablito? In English: Pablito hammered in a little nail. Which little nail did Pablito hammer in? Drills cl and bl.
Pancha plancha con cuatro planchas. ¿Con cuántas planchas Pancha plancha? In English: Pancha irons with four irons. With how many irons does Pancha iron? Drills pl and Ch.
Qué col colosal colocó en aquel local el loco aquel. Qué colosal col colocó el loco aquel en aquel local. In English: What a colossal cabbage that crazy fellow put in that place! What a colossal cabbage the crazy fellow put in that place! Drills L after O: col, colosal, colocó, local, loco.

P 10

Compadre de la capa parda, no compre usted más capa parda, que el que mucha capa parda compra, mucha capa parda paga. Yo que mucha capa parda compré, mucha capa parda pagué. In English: Friend of the brown cloak, buy no more brown cloak, for whoever buys a lot of brown cloak pays for a lot of brown cloak. I bought a lot of brown cloak, and I paid for a lot of brown cloak. Drills P: capa parda, compra, paga.
Compré pocas copas, pocas copas compré, y como compré pocas copas, pocas copas pagué. In English: I bought few glasses, few glasses I bought, and as I bought few glasses, I paid for few glasses. Drills P and hard C: pocas copas.
El que poca papa gasta poca papa paga. In English: Whoever uses up little potato pays for little potato. Drills P.
Las papas que pelan Paca y Pola las pone Pepe, poco a poco, en pilas. In English: The potatoes that Paca and Pola peel, Pepe puts, little by little, in piles. Drills P.
Mi caballo pisa paja, paja pisa mi caballo. In English: My horse treads on straw; on straw treads my horse. Drills P and the throaty J of paja.
Papá, pon pan para Pepín; para Pepín pon pan, papá. In English: Dad, put out bread for Pepín; for Pepín put out bread, Dad. Drills P.
Pedro Pablo Pérez Pereira, pobre pintor portugués, pinta pinturas por poca plata para pasar por París. In English: Pedro Pablo Pérez Pereira, a poor Portuguese painter, paints pictures for little money so as to travel through Paris. Drills P at the start of nearly every word.
Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico. Con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas. In English: Pepe Pecas chops potatoes with a pick. With a pick Pepe Pecas chops potatoes. Drills P.
Pepe puso un peso en el piso del pozo. En el piso del pozo Pepe puso un peso. In English: Pepe put a peso on the floor of the well. On the floor of the well Pepe put a peso. Drills P with four vowels: puso, peso, piso, pozo.
Poquito a poquito Paquito empaca poquitas copitas en pocos paquetes. In English: Little by little, Paquito packs a few little glasses into a few packages. Drills P against the K sound of qu and c.

C, Ch, S and more 10

Como poco coco como, poco coco compro. In English: As I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut. Drills hard C and P.
¿Cómo que cómo como? ¡Como como como! In English: What do you mean, how do I eat? I eat the way I eat! (Como is I eat, like and how.) Drills hard C; one word said six times.
Cómo quieres que te quiera si el que quiero que me quiera no me quiere como quiero que me quiera. In English: How do you want me to love you, if the one I want to love me doesn't love me the way I want to be loved? Drills the K sound of qu: quieres, quiera, quiero.
Compadre, cómprame un coco. Compadre, coco no compro, que el que poco coco come, poco coco compra. Yo como poco coco como, poco coco compro. In English: Friend, buy me a coconut. Friend, I'm not buying a coconut, for whoever eats little coconut buys little coconut. As I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut. Drills hard C and P; the longer form of the coconut.
Cuando cuentes cuentos cuenta cuántos cuentos cuentas, porque si no sabes cuántos cuentos cuentas, nunca sabrás cuántos cuentos cuentas tú. In English: When you tell stories, count how many stories you tell, because if you don't know how many stories you tell, you will never know how many stories you tell. (Contar is both to tell and to count.) Drills cu: cuando, cuentos, cuántos.
Cuando digo digo, digo Diego. Cuando digo Diego, digo digo. In English: When I say digo, I say Diego. When I say Diego, I say digo. (Digo means I say.) Drills D and G.
Han dicho que he dicho un dicho, tal dicho no lo he dicho yo. Porque si yo hubiera dicho el dicho, bien dicho habría estado el dicho por haberlo dicho yo. In English: They have said that I have said a saying; no such saying have I said. For if I had said the saying, the saying would have been well said, for having been said by me. Drills Ch: dicho.
Juan junta juncos junto a la zanja. In English: Juan gathers rushes beside the ditch. Drills the throaty Spanish J.
Mi mamá me mima, y yo mimo a mi mamá. In English: My mum spoils me, and I spoil my mum. Drills M.
Si Sansón no sazona su salsa con sal, le sale sosa; le sale sosa su salsa a Sansón si la sazona sin sal. In English: If Samson doesn't season his sauce with salt, it comes out bland; Samson's sauce comes out bland if he seasons it without salt. Drills S.

How this list was compiled: Traditional Spanish tongue twisters (trabalenguas): rhymes with no known author, handed down by word of mouth. The Spanish wording of every line was checked on 15 October 2026 in a published collection: 39 in the Spanish page of the 1st International Collection of Tongue Twisters (tongue-twister.net/es.htm), two in the article Trabalenguas of Spanish Wikipedia (es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabalenguas), two in Spanish Wikiquote (es.wikiquote.org/wiki/Trabalenguas), and two, María Chucena and the older sky rhyme, in Francisco Rodríguez Marín, Cantos populares españoles, volume 1 (Seville, 1882), rhymes 193 and 196 (archive.org/details/cantospopularese01rodruoft). Accents and punctuation follow today's spelling. The English under each line is our own plain translation, written for this page to give the meaning and not to rhyme; none is taken from a collection. The two R sounds and where the tongue sits for T follow Wikipedia (Spanish phonology), read the same day. Licence: Traditional rhymes with no known author, in the public domain. The selection, the groups and the English translations are own work. Wordings were checked in Spanish Wikipedia and Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) and in the other collections the source note names.

How it works

These tongue twisters in Spanish with translation are 45 traditional trabalenguas in five groups by sound: R and RR; T and Tr; L, Cl and Pl; P; and a mixed group of C, Ch and S.

Read the full guide

One letter, two R sounds

Spanish has a quick tap, as in caro (expensive), and a trill, as in carro (car). Only the trill starts a word, so the R of rabo, rama and Roque is trilled as well. After a first consonant, as in tres, it is the tap.

T on the teeth

Spanish T is made with the tongue against the upper teeth. The tiger lines set it before the tap again and again: tres, tristes, tigres, trigo.

Start short: "Como poco coco como, poco coco compro." Then try the sky line and its long word, desenladrillador.

Questions and answers

What is a Spanish tongue twister for the letter T?

"Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal": three sad tigers were gulping down wheat in a wheat field. Choose T and Tr under the button for nine T lines, two of them built on tuvo (had) and tubo (tube).

What are Spanish tongue twisters with the letter L?

"El cielo está enladrillado. ¿Quién lo desenladrillará?" The sky is paved with bricks; who will unpave it? The L, Cl and Pl group holds more, among them Pablito's little nail and the colossal cabbage.

What is a tongue twister called in Spanish?

Un trabalenguas, built from trabar, to obstruct, and lenguas, tongues. The word does not change in the plural: un trabalenguas, dos trabalenguas.

Which Spanish tongue twister practises the rolled R?

"Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril" is built on the letter's own name, erre. Every line of the R and RR group but the dragon's repeats the trill. They are for fun and practice; about a child's speech, ask a speech-language pathologist.