Russian tongue twisters!

Tongue twisters are very useful for learning foreign language. Besides helping to warm up and stretch vocal muscles, it is a great way to practice your pronunciation. A good tongue twister can help you to: to learn and practice pronunciation and phonetics of the words, to learn and memorize new words, to practice your pronunciation speed, to focus and relax before speaking a foreign language!

Learn more about Russian language

How to practice language with tongue twisters!

1. Read it out loud slowly at first

2. Read and repeat each word separately

3. Now you can try to pronounce the whole thing slowly at first, speeding up after repeating it several times.

Ехал Грека через реку,

видит Грека в реке рак.

Сунул Грека руку в реку.

Рак за руку Грека цап!

[YE-hal GRYE-ka CHE-ryez RYE-koo

VEE-deet GRYE-ka v RYE-ke RAK

SOO-nool GRYE-ka ROO-koo v RYE-koo

RAK za ROO-koo GRYE-ka TSAP]

English Translation:

Greka was going over the river,

Greka saw a lobster in the river,

Greka put his hand in water,

The lobster snatched his hand.

На дворе трава, на траве дрова.

Не руби дрова на траве двора!

[na dva-RYE tra-VA, na tra-VYE dra-VA.

NEE roo-BEE dra-VA na tra-VYE dva-RA]

English Translation:

The grass is in the yard, the logs are on the grass.

Don’t chop the logs on the grass of the yard.

Проворонила ворона воронёнка.

[pra-va-RO-nee-la va-RO-na va-ra-NYON-ka]

English Translation:

A crow lost a little crow.

Сшит колпак, да не по-колпаковски,

вылит колокол, да не по-колоколовски.

Надо колпак переколпаковать, перевыколпаковать.

Надо колокол переколоколовать, перевыколоколовать.

[SSHEET kal-PAK, da nee pa-kal-pa-KO-fskee,

Vi-leet KO-la-kal, da nee pa-ka-la-ka-LO-fski.

NA-da kal-PAK pye-rye-kal-pa-ka-VAT’, pye-rye-VI-kal-pa-ka-vat’.

NA-da KO-la-kal pye-rye-ka-la-ka-VAT’, pye-rye-VEE-ka-la-ka-vat’]

English Translation:

The cap was made not as a cap,

The bell was made not as a bell.

The cap needs to be remade.

The bell needs to be remade.

Please note that Russian words переколпаковать, перевыколпаковать, and переколоколовать, перевыколоколовать were specifically created for this tongue twister. They are not normally used in Russian language.

Кукушка кукушонку сшила капюшон.

Примерил кукушонок капюшон.

Как в капюшоне он смешон!

[koo-KOOSH-ka koo-koo-SHON-koo sshee-la ka-pyoo-SHON.

pri-MYE-ril koo-koo-SHO-nak ka-pyoo-SHON.

KAK v ka-pyoo-SHO-nye on smee-SHON]

English Translation:

Cuckoo has made a hood for a little cuckoo.

The little cuckoo has tried on the hood.

He looks so funny in the hood!

От топота копыт пыль по полю летит

[at TO-pa-ta ka-PIT PIL’ PO-pa-lyoo lEE-TEET]

English Translation:

From stomping of hooves dust rises.

Наш Полкан попал в капкан

[NASH pal-KAN pa-PAL f kap-KAN]

English Translation:

Our Polkan (Polkan is a dog’s name) was caught into a trap.

У перепела и перепёлки пять перепелят

[OO pye-rye-pye-LA I pye-rye-PYOL-kee PYAT’ pye-rye-pye-LYAT]

English Translation:

A (male) quail and a (female) quail have five little quails.

У ежа – ежата, у ужа – ужата.

[OO ye-ZHA ye-ZHA-ta, oo oo-ZHA – oo-ZHA-ta]

English Translation:

A hedgehog has little hedgehogs, and a grass snake has little grass snakes.

Жужжит жужелица, жужжит, да не кружится.

[zhoo-ZHEET zhoo-zhe-LEE-tsa, zhoo-ZHEET, da ni kroo-ZHEE-tsa]

English Translation:

A ground beetle is making a humming noise, making a humming noise, but is not whirling.