Exploring the easiest and hardest French tongue twisters to improve pronunciation

Along with jokes and slang, tongue twisters are undoubtedly one of the most entertaining things to learn in a foreign language. Learning and practicing French tongue twisters will also help you improve your pronunciation and articulation abilities, including some famous French vowels.

This guide will explore some of the easiest and hardest French tongue twisters, benefiting both beginners and advanced learners. “Tongue twister” is translated literally as “virelangue” in French. Surprisingly, while every French speaker knows about the French language and several “virelangues,” few know the exact term.

French tongue twisters: From easiest to hardest

Let’s start with some easy French tongue twisters that every beginner can learn and master. We have also mentioned the English translation to make it easier for beginners to grasp the meaning.

15 easiest French tongue twisters

French	English
Douze douches douces.	Twelve soft showers.
Les Autrichiens sont des autres chiens	Austrians are other dogs.
Seize chaises sèches.	Sixteen dry chairs.
Va t’en, Satan ta femme t’attend.	Go away, Satan your wife is waiting for you.
Son chat chante sa chanson.	Her cat sings her/his song.
Un grand gradé drague un gradé dégradé.	A great officer flirts with a degraded officer.
Cinq chiens chassent six chats.	Five dogs chase six cats.
Babette a fait bombance à bord du bateau de Bob.	Babette ate a lot on board of the boat of Bob.
Le ver vert va vers le verre vert.	The green worm goes towards the green glass.
L’assassin sur son sein suçait son sang sans cesse.	The assassin on her breast sucked his blood unceasingly.
Des blancs pains, des bancs peints, des bains pleins.	White breads, painted benches, full baths.
Un généreux déjeuner regénérerait des généraux dégénérés.	A generous lunch would regenerate degenerate generals.
As-tu vu le vert ver allant vers le verre en verre vert ?	Did you see the green worm going to the green-glass glass?
La cavale aux Valaques avala l’eau du lac et l’eau du lac lava la cavale au Valaques.	The cavale aux Valaques swallowed the water of the lake and the water of the lake washed the cavale au Valaques.
Si ton tonton tond ton tonton, ton tonton sera tondu.	If your uncle mows your uncle, your uncle will be mowed.

You may find several difficulties in learning French, but mastering these simple tongue twisters can help you improve pronunciation. Practice them as much as you can. The more you practice, the more you gain fluency.

35 hardest French tongue twisters

French	English
Les chaussettes de l’archiduchesse, sont-elles sèches ? Archi-sèches.	The socks of the archduchess, are they dry? Very dry.
Même maman m’a mis ma main dans mon manchon.	Even mom put my hand in my muff.
Fait faire à Fabien fourbe et fautif force farces fausses et fantasques.	Make Fabien, deceitful and at fault, play many false and fantastic pranks.
Voilà trois mois qu’il boit moins que toi.	For three months he has been drinking less than you.
Quand la montagne lui fait signe, il en gagne les cimes.	When the mountain beckons him, he reaches the summits.
Trois petites truites non cuites, trois petites truites crues.	Three small uncooked trouts, three small raw trouts.
Tata, ta tarte tatin tenta tonton; Tonton tâta ta tarte, Tata.	Auntie, your tart tatin tempted Uncle; Uncle felt your tart, Auntie.
Cinq gros rats grillent dans la grosse graisse grasse.	Five big rats roast in the fatty grease.
La roue sur la rue roule; la rue sous la roue reste.	The wheel on the street rolls; the street under the wheel remains.
Zazie causait avec sa cousine en cousant.	Zazie chatted with her cousin while sewing.
Un maçon macho mache machinalement un marshmallow mâché.	A macho mason chews a chewed marshmallow mechanically.
Un pâtissier qui pâtissait chez un tapissier qui tapissait, demanda un jour au tapissier qui tapissait : “ Vaut-il mieux pâtisser chez un tapissier qui tapisse ou tapisser chez un pâtissier qui pâtisse ? ”	A pastry chef who was pastrying at an upholsterer’s, asked the upholsterer one day, “Is it better to pastry at an upholsterer’s who upholstered or to pastry at a pastry chef’s who pastry? “
Ces cerises sont si sûres qu’on ne sait pas si c’en sont.	These cherries are so safe that you don’t know if they are cherries.
Le poivre fait fièvre à la pauvre pieuvre.	The pepper makes the poor octopus feverish.
Ces six saucissons-secs-ci sont si secs qu’on ne sait si s’en sont.	These six dry sausages are so dry that you don’t know if they are real.
Je veux et j’exige du jasmin et des jonquilles.	I want and I demand jasmine and daffodils.
Écartons ton carton car ton carton nous gêne.	Let’s put your box away because your box is in the way.
Ta tante t’attend. J’ai tant de tantes. Quelle tante m’attend ? Ta tante Antoinette t’attend.	Your aunt is waiting for you. I have so many aunts. Which aunt is waiting for me? Your aunt Antoinette is waiting for you.
Si ton bec aime mon bec comme mon bec aime ton bec, donne-moi le plus gros bec de la Province de Québec !	If your beak loves my beak as my beak loves your beak, give me the biggest beak in the Province of Quebec!
Natacha n’attacha pas son chat qui s’échappa.	Natacha did not tie up her cat, who escaped.
Trois tortues trottaient sur un trottoir très étroit.	Three turtles trotted on a very narrow sidewalk.
On part de la gare St. Lazare pour les ports de la mer du Nord.	One leaves the St. Lazare station for the ports of the North Sea.
Le cricri de la crique crie son cri et critique car il craint que l’escroc ne le croque et ne le craque.	The cricri of the creek shouts and criticizes because he fears that the crook will crunch him.
T’as tout un tas de tics et tu t’éteins ; tu t’attaques à ton teint en t’entetant Totor, t’as tort, tu te tues et t’as tort.	You’ve got a whole bunch of tics and you’re dying out; you’re attacking your complexion by calling yourself Totor, you’re wrong, you’re killing yourself and you’re wrong.
Je veux et j’exige d’exquises excuses du juge. Du juge, j’exige et je veux d’exquises excuses.	I want and I demand exquisite excuses from the judge. From the judge, I demand and I want an exquisite excuses.
Ciel, si c’est cinq sous ces six ou sept saucissons-ci, c’est cent cinq sous ces sept saucissons aussi.	Heavens, if it’s five cents for these six or seven sausages, it’s a hundred and five cents for these seven sausages too.
Un chasseur sachant chasser chasse sans son chien.	A hunter who knows how to hunt hunts without his dog.
Tu t’entêtes à tout tenter, tu t’uses et tu te tues à tant t’entêter.	You persist in trying everything, you wear yourself out and you kill yourself to be so stubborn.
Que c’est crevant de voir crever une crevette sur la cravate d’un homme crevé dans une crevasse.	How tiring it is to see a shrimp digging on the tie of a man digging in a crevasse.
Ces Basques se passent ce casque et ce masque jusqu’à ce que ce masque et ce casque se cassent.	These Basques pass this helmet and this mask until this mask and this helmet break.
Six scies scient six cyprès, six cent scies scient six cents cyprès.	Six saws saw six cypress trees, six hundred saws saw six hundred cypress trees.
Je cherche ces chiots chez Sancho. Je cherche ces chats chez Sacha. Je cherche ces seize cent seize chaises chez Sanchez.	I look for these puppies at Sancho’s. I look for these cats at Sacha’s. I look for these sixteen hundred and sixteen chairs at Sanchez.
Si ces six iris se hissent ici, son hérisson se hérissera aussitôt.	If these six irises get up here, his hedgehog will immediately bristle.
Macha la vache mâcha la mâche et se tacha. Macha la vache à tâches lava la tache.	Masha the cow chewed the chew and stained herself. Masha the cow washed the stain.
Des débiles déballent des boules, empilent des balles, épilent des boules. Sous le courroux, des gourous accourent et coursent les coucous roux aux cous courts.	Morons unpacked balls, stacked balls, plucked balls. Under the wrath, gurus run and chase the redheaded cuckoos with short necks.

Practice these French tongue twisters regularly to improve your pronunciation. You can also learn French by podcasts. These podcasts usually involve native speakers. Seeing native French speakers can enable you to develop fluency and accent.

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Conversational learning sessions: Conversational sessions will involve extensive interaction with italki’s conversational French tutors. The conversational learning method makes learning exciting and enjoyable. You can select the most appropriate learning format for your goals and objectives.

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The enrollment process at italki

• Set up an italki profile. Fill in the blanks with your preferred learning style, objectives, and goals.
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• Determine your goals for learning French. After determining your goals, work with your French tutor to develop a learning plan. To establish a consistent learning routine, we recommend choosing a regular session.
• Work on your French with your teacher. Improve your fluency by engaging in real-life scenarios.
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Frequently asked questions

Why are French tongue twisters useful?

French tongue twisters help improve pronunciation, fluency, and overall oral skills in the French language. They can also be a fun way to practice and challenge yourself.

How can I use French tongue twisters to improve my language skills?

Practice saying the tongue twisters slowly, focusing on each sound and syllable. Gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable. Recording yourself can also help you identify areas for improvement.

Are there different levels of difficulty in French tongue twisters?

There are various levels of difficulty in French tongue twisters. Some are short and relatively easy, while others are longer and more challenging. Choose ones that suit your skill level and practice regularly to improve.

Conclusion

French tongue twisters are a valuable tool for language learners, offering a fun and challenging way to improve pronunciation, fluency, and oral skills. By practicing regularly and focusing on accuracy, learners can enhance their command of the French language.

Additionally, getting a French tutor through italki can also help you speed up your learning process and develop fluency at a gradual pace.