Wij smachten naar achtentachtig prachtige nachten.

Meaning: Five words carrying the Dutch guttural 'cht', the sound foreigners find hardest to produce at all.

Literally: We long for eighty-eight magnificent nights.

Origin: A Dutch classic used precisely because the harsh ch defeats most non-native speakers.

More Dutch tongue twisters

Liesje leerde Lotje lopen langs de lange Lindelaan. Eight consecutive l-words, with the vowel behind the l changing every time.
De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.
De koetsier poetst de postkoets met postkoetspoets. Turns on the gap between the Dutch 'oe' and 'o', with a run of 'ts' and 'p' stops layered…

Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.

Courir sur le haricot To get badly on someone's nerves.
Tienes menos luces que un barco pirata You're really not the brightest.
Eres más lento que el caballo del malo You're painfully slow — the villain's horse never catches the hero.

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