Slovak pronunciation can be a minefield of consonant clusters and sneaky vowels. Tongue twisters are the perfect way to train your mouth to stop betraying you. Here are 12 of the trickiest, ranked from 'mildly annoying' to 'why does this language hate me?'
1. Strč prst skrz krk
The infamous Slovak classic. It means 'stick a finger through your throat' - which, coincidentally, is what you’ll want to do after attempting it.
Strč prst skrz krk
/str̩tʃ pr̩st skr̩z kr̩k/“Stick a finger through your throat”
2. Kôň ženie tigra k tigrici
Translates to 'a horse chases a tiger to a tigress'. Good luck with the 'ženie' and 'tigrici' part without sounding like you’re hissing.
3. V tŕní trčí tŕnie
'In the thorns, a thorn sticks out.' A poetic way to describe your tongue’s current state after attempting this.
4. Štyri štrky štrngajú štyri štrkáče
'Four gravels are rattling four gravel trucks.' If you can say this three times fast, you’re legally allowed to call yourself Slovak.
5. Hrom do hromu, hrom do domu
'Thunder to thunder, thunder to the house.' Less of a tongue twister, more of a tongue workout with all those 'hrom's.
6. Čičí čeľušť čínskeho čížika
'The tiny jaw of a Chinese siskin.' Yes, this is a real sentence. No, we don’t know why.
7. Povídala mucha muche
'A fly said to a fly...' The Slovak version of 'she sells seashells', but with more buzzing.
8. Naše starešiny starejšie ako vaše starešiny
'Our elders are older than your elders.' A flex and a tongue twister in one. Multitasking!
9. Kráľ križoval krížom krážom kráľovstvo
'The king crisscrossed the kingdom crosswise.' Try saying that after three shots of slivovica.
10. Vlk mlk, stĺp hlp, hlb plh
A nonsense phrase designed to make you question your life choices. It roughly means 'wolf silent, pillar help, depth cluck' - because why not?
11. Štebotavá štebotlina štebotáva štebotlivo
'The chirpy chirper chirps chirpily.' If you can pronounce this, birds will probably start responding to you.
12. Prešporák prišiel z Prešporka do Prešporka
'A Bratislavan came from Bratislava to Bratislava.' A tongue twister and a geography lesson. You’re welcome.
