6 Turkish Tongue Twisters To Try Out

You know what I find annoying? Tripping because my shoelaces are loose. It doesn’t happen that often anymore, but the memory is always there. Eek.

Another kind of tripping that I actually enjoy is the kind that happens when I try to say a tongue twister as fast as I can. This kind of "tongue gymnastics" is way more fun and less likely to get anyone physically hurt!

There are so many tongue twisters out there in different languages. Turkish tongue twisters, or Tekerlemeler, are especially great for practicing your Turkish pronunciation skills.

• Tekerleme: Al şu takatukaları, takatukacıya götür. Takatukacı takatukaları takatukalamam derse, takatukaları, takatukacıdan takatukalatmadan geri getir.
  Pronunciation: Al shoo ta-ka-tu-ka-la-ri, ta-ka-tu-ka-ji-ya goh-tur...
  English: Take these takatukas to the man who repairs takatukas. If he refuses, bring them back.
• Tekerleme: Dal kalkar kartal sarkar kartal salkar dal kalkar.
  Pronunciation: Dal kal-kar kar-tal sar-kar, kar-tal sal-kar dal kal-kar
  English: The branch rises as the eagle sinks, the eagle sinks as the branch rises.
• Tekerleme: Bir berber bir berbere bre berber beri beri gel, gel beraber bir berber dükkanı açalım demiş.
  Pronunciation: bir ber-ber bir ber-be-reh breh ber-ber beh-ri beh-ri gel...
  English: A barber said to another barber, "Hey Barber, come here, let's open a shop together."
• Tekerleme: Değirmene girdi köpek, değirmenci vurdu kötek; hem kötek yedi köpek, hem kepek yedi köpek.
  Pronunciation: Deh-geer-meh-neh geer-dee koh-pek, deh-geer-men-jee vur-doo koh-tek...
  English: The dog entered the mill; it was beaten, but it also ate the bran.
• Tekerleme: Kırk küp, kırkının da kulpu kırık küp.
  Pronunciation: Kurk koop kur-kin-in da kul-poo kur-uhk koop
  English: Forty jars with broken handles.