Roodborstje zat op het randje van het rietje en at rijstepap met een rietje
Roodborstje zat op het randje van het rietje en at rijstepap met een rietje
The robin sat on the edge of the little reed and ate rice porridge with a straw
Why Is It Hard?
Roodborstje (robin), randje (edge), rietje (little reed/straw), and rijstepap (rice porridge) all begin with r or contain prominent r sounds. The Dutch guttural r appears in a different position in each word: opening, middle, and end. At speed the riet, rand, and rood sounds become very difficult to keep distinct.
History
Roodborstje (the robin) is a beloved bird in Dutch culture and appears frequently in children’s literature and folk songs. This tongue twister is a children’s favourite because of the charming image of a robin delicately eating porridge through a straw. It appears in Dutch nursery rhyme collections and primary school reading books.
Tips for Saying It
- Roodborstje: ROHD-bors-tye — five syllables, take your time on the first.
- Rietje appears twice: first as the reed the robin sits on, then as the straw.
- Rijstepap (rice porridge) is the hardest word — practise it separately.
More Dutch Tongue Twisters
- Dutch Tongue Twisters — full collection
- Tongue Twisters for Kids — great for children
- Tongue Twisters — main collection
Find hundreds more on alltonguetwisters.com.