Finnish Tongue Twisters
Kielivoimistelua

Rough Translations

1. A weird mosquito was arguing by himself in a pile of moss. 
2. The windy wind of Tuula and Tuuli blows in the winter here and there. 
3. The letter 'r' I wrap around a wooden pole, the letter 's' I put in my pocket. 
4. I am Pekka Pokerface and my pokerface holds up 
5. Say a fly to a fly, look there on the wall is your buddy is sticking on the wall and is dead. German: Sagt die Fliege zur Fliege, sieh mal dort an der Wand klebt dein Kumpel und er ist tot. 
6. the back pilar of the church 
7. The trustworthy Risto behind the barn while greasing the wagon wheels. German: "Der brave Risto hinter der Scheune beim schmieren der Karrenräder. 
8. A wild duck family in the bulrushes 
9. Appila vicarage's assistant pastor's beanpot is boiling on the stove. The vicarage's fat mongrel ate up the thick bean soup. kuohuu = kiehuu, 'boil' paksuposki 'fat', literally 'thick-cheeked' pisti poskeensa 'ate up', literally 'stuck in its cheek' 
10. I wonder if even without his lack of systemizing 
11. (?) I guess the cat (=kissa), in all the rivers it tries to angle in, it tries to mix the angles. 
12. The house is burning, said Tauno Palo when Tauno Palo's house burns. 
13. Don't hit (me), (you) idiot! The beer (will) spill. ääliö = idiot, moron (one of the many words for a stupid person), älä = don't, lyö = hit (imperative), ööliä = partitive of ööli = slang for olut = bier, läikkyy = 3rd person singular of läikkyä = to spill, to slop. 
14. Are you coughing alone in your one-room apartment, Yrhö? 
15. A weddingnight plan [hääyö = a weddingnight, aie = a plan, an intension] 
16. A bright church, screamed Kirka in the church. German: "Helle Kirche", schrie Kirka in der Kirche auf. 
17. At least I slapped myself with a birch-switch. German: Endlich habe ich mich mit der Birkenrute geschlagen. 
18. A feather was found on the work bench in the night. German: Eine Feder wurde auf dem Arbeitstisch in der Nacht gefunden. 
19. A cuckoo sat on the middlebranch. 
20. Are you sitting all alone, coughing by yourself? 
21. Reino found a rouble coin on the edge of a steep hill. Larry found a rouble coin on the edge of a steep hill. 
22. Don't tease your cat 
23. Älä [do not] rääkkää [torture] sitä [that] kääkkä(ä) ["old goat" as old man, in partitive form]! No [well, oh] en mää [I'am not] sitä rääkkääkkää [torturing it]! 
24. - Don't you tease the cat! - Well I'm not teasing it! 
25. Are show jumping (on horseback) or are you coughing alone? 
26. Check if the cactus got wet. 
27. Soap-bowl-flower-stone-cake-box seller 
28. Christmas celebration table cloth ornament 
29. The doctor prescribes a wrong medicine against headache. 
30. Name of a bar in Lapland 
31. The feeling you'll experience when you splash hot water on the stove in the sauna. 
32. In the low (lying) counties (there is) danger of frost. 
33. I walked in the evening on the bridge. 
34. A Priest named Mr. Rastas converted a newlyborn big-bellied child. (Pastori= Priest, kastoi= converted, vastasyntyneen= newlyborn, pystyvatsaisen= big-bellied/big stomach, lapsen= child) 
35. (Kokko= old finnish word for a group, koko kokko = the whole group, kokko= midsummer fire) 
36. When is stops raining, I will get the lacker from the port. 
37. An infant whose breastbone was broken was taken from Rintala. 
38. Now look! The plant said and grew. 
39. Take the cassette to the market and the chair to the pastor. 
40. Luoja = the Creator , luoda = 1. to create, 1. to shovel snow 
41. - Kokko (name), gather the whole kokko (midsummer fire)! - The whole kokko? - The whole kokko. 
42. Black cat's long, thick cheeks. 
43. epa- (non-, un-, ir-) jarjestelma ("system") -llis- (the postfix for "systematic-") -tamatto- ("not") -myydellaansa- ("with" in the singular 3rd person) -kaan ("also") -kohan (a postfix indicating doubt) 
44. Soap stone dealer (i.e. cleaning NaOH), Illicit soap-fish trader, Soap cup dealer, The result from a measurement laboratory for tomato. 
45. Appila vicarage's assistant pastor's beanpot is steaming and boiling on the stove. 
46. Pack grandpapas luggage bag. 
47. The water-spirit/sea-monster was hissing in the elevator. 
48. Are you sitting alone, crying by yourself? 
49. The black cat's thick cheeks. 
50. Hen talking: My grandma laid (the egg which was) my mom; my mom laid (the egg which was) me. High Finnisch: Minun mummuni muni minun mammani; minun mammani muni mut. 
51. an excited bull 
52. Ölli steal (a) house from Ölli. 
53. My grandma made my mom; my mom made me. 
54. A man got some land near Saimaa [a lake], there he was allowed to lie down and smoke Saimaa [an old brand of cigarettes]. 
55. Hilja is a woman who says to another woman called Hilja to be quiet ("hiljaa"). And she says it so quietly that Hilja can't hear how quietly Hilja says "be quiet". 
56. Alli banged the beaver with a folder. 
57. In the evening joyously drinking beer. In the morning pale and still. 
58. In the mornings, wheatfields were the joy of your father. 
59. to release the inocent from his/her decision. German: von seinem/ihren Beschluß (päätös + Elativ + Personalendung 3.P.Sg. od. Pl.), den Schuldlosen (syy= Schuld, Grund, Ursache) -ttä (Abessiv) freizulassen (jättäminen = das [Frei]lassen....jättää = [frei]lassen) 
60. Of course you shall get your talented daughters used to your aunt's acquaintances! 
61. Are you crying all alone, are you coughing by yourself? 
62. Searching detectives will search searching detectives . 
63. Here is a fresh egg directly from the henhouse. - It then never did become a chick. 
64. ? 
65. ? 
66. ? 
67. One who favours domestic market: - Remember, don't taste anything from other countries! 
68. Inventor invented a cookie. After inventing a cookie inventor invented that (the) cookie was already invented. 
69. An inventor invented a cookie. After having invented the cookie, the inventor invented that the cookie was already invented as an invention. 
70. A wedding night intension of a night-time worker from Köyliö. Köyliö = a muncipality in Finland, -läinen = a suffix to make a adjective (-läisen is the genetive form), yö = night, työläisen = genetive form of työläinen (= worker), hää = wedding, yö = night, aie = intension 
71. Inventor Cookie was invented to invent a cookie. Inventor Cookie invented a cookie. After inventing the cookie, inventor Cookie invented that a cookie was invented. 
 


Kiitos

Samu Aalto, Jarkko Ahonen, Miikka-Markus Alhonen, Linda Degerth, Tuulia Fuller, Matti Heikkilä, Jukka Heikkinen, Dennis Higley, Anssi Kainulainen, Anssi Kainulainen, Kimmo Karhu, Minna Karjalainen, Jessica Karlson, Jarkko Kekki, Jan Kiezebrink, Johanna Knuutinen, Anssi Kolehmainen, Seppo Korpela, Henriette Kress, Klaus Laalo, Markku Lampelo, Jani Lehtilä, Juha Lehtonen, Viliina Leppänen, Rolf Linderborg, David Loryman, Panu Mäkinen, Christian Mehl, Mari Nelimarkka, Matias Niinistö, Liisa Niveri, Tuulevi Ovaska, Juha Ovaskainen, Anna P., Leena Paananen, Tiina Pakarinen, Lauri Palokangas, Tiina Paulanne, Nathan Pearson, Taru Pesola-Väisänen, Leena Pietilänketo, Franz Puster, Riikka Raatikainen, Jukka Raunu, Eva Rems, Anna Ryödi, Rami Saari, Rami Saari, Riga Saari, Peter Shaw, Anssi Sillanpää, Kalervo Simo, Virpi Simonen, Mirja Sjodin, Matti Soininen, Christine Spies, Stig Stenholm, Michail Stoiculescu, Anja Sukkinen, Ansa Toikkanen, Leena Tolonen, Päivi Törmä, Tuomas Turku, Niina Uggeldahl, Jouko Valta, Raita Verkkoranta, Sanna Weaver

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