Quique quiere queso.
KI-ke KIE-re KE-so
Quique wants cheese.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Quique wants cheese! This is a perfect twister to practice the Spanish 'k' sound.
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The 'qu' Sound (Hard 'k')
/k/In Spanish, the combination 'que' and 'qui' makes a hard 'k' sound, just like the 'c' in 'cat'. The 'u' is completely silent! Think 'keh' and 'kee', not 'kweh' or 'kwee'.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start with the name. Pronounce it 'KI-ke'. Notice how the 'u' is silent. It's not 'Kwee-kay'.
Now add the rest. Apply the same rule: 'KIE-re KE-so'. The sound is a crisp, clean 'k' every time.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is one of the first 'trabalenguas' many Spanish learners and native-speaking children learn. Its simplicity and repetition make it a perfect exercise for mastering the fundamental rule of the silent 'u' in 'que' and 'qui'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Pronouncing the 'u'
Mistake: "The most common mistake is pronouncing the 'u' in 'Quique', 'quiere', or 'queso', making them sound like the English words 'quick' or 'queen'."
Correction: Remember this simple rule: in Spanish, 'que' sounds like 'keh' and 'qui' sounds like 'kee'. The 'u' is just a helper letter to create the hard 'k' sound before an 'e' or 'i'. It's always silent in this combination.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This tongue twister is universally known and used across the entire Spanish-speaking world as a basic pronunciation drill.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Cheese Challenge
Say 'Quique quiere queso' five times in a row as fast as you can without accidentally saying 'kwee'. Can you do it in under 4 seconds? Record yourself and listen back!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'Quique' a real name?
Yes! 'Quique' (pronounced 'KEE-keh') is a very common nickname for the name Enrique, which is the Spanish equivalent of 'Henry'.
Why is the 'u' silent in 'que' and 'qui' but not in 'gua'?
It's a Spanish spelling rule. The combination 'qu' is a special team that only works with 'e' and 'i' to make the /k/ sound. For other vowels like 'a' and 'o', the letter 'c' does that job ('casa', 'coco'). The 'gu' combination has its own set of rules, where the 'u' is sometimes silent (like in 'guerra') and sometimes pronounced (like in 'agua').