|
 |
Words that mean something else in another language | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| DaraghM Diglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 5940 days ago 1947 posts - 2923 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, Russian, Hungarian | Message 25 of 32 05 June 2009 at 12:10pm | IP Logged | ||
|
A few from Irish (Gaeilge),
Aid - their Air - numerous prepositional meanings depending on case. Bad - grove Ball - article Ban - woman Bean - wife Fear - Man, husband. Fine - clan, surname Flat - saucer Gun - rather, without Lap - Blank 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tyr Senior Member Sweden Joined 5571 days ago 316 posts - 384 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Swedish | Message 26 of 32 05 June 2009 at 12:30pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I remember a funny incident in Holland with a German friend.
She was trying to figure out how to speak Dutch with all her effort and instead of just dropping in English where she didn't know a word she'd guess at the Dutch word via German. So one day it happens that she's complaining about her neighbour always playing a flute late at night. She can't think of the word for flute playing so guessed instead ' ze is altijd pijpen.'....apparently this was a reasonable assumption to make and in German would have made sense but in Dutch means...she is always giving blow jobs. Edited by Tyr on 05 June 2009 at 12:30pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tupiniquim Senior Member Brazil Joined 5872 days ago 184 posts - 217 votes Speaks: Portuguese* Studies: English, Russian | Message 27 of 32 05 June 2009 at 1:11pm | IP Logged | ||
|
. Edited by Tupiniquim on 31 July 2009 at 11:26pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Toufik18 Bilingual Tetraglot Senior Member Algeria Joined 5533 days ago 188 posts - 202 votes Speaks: Arabic (Written)*, Arabic (classical)*, French, English | Message 28 of 32 05 June 2009 at 1:41pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Smocking in French means a tuxedo
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5627 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 29 of 32 05 June 2009 at 1:55pm | IP Logged | ||
Same in Swedish! Probably an imported word. But in Swedish it's spelled "Smoking." Some people pronounce it incorrectly in the English way. But the "right" way to prounounce it, is as if it had been spelled: "småking". A bit strange! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5627 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 30 of 32 05 June 2009 at 2:01pm | IP Logged | ||
I do that sometimes in German (in case of "emergency", usually in shops in Germany). I try to "Germanify" a Swedish word that I already know. Sometimes it works, sometimes there is no such word and sometimes it's a "false friend". This is not really a good idea. Much better to carry a pocket dictionary. :-) I have done the same in English in the past -- usually with the result that the word means nothing. It's a bit like Dark Sunshine's incident with saying "ambivalente" when speaking French! Who would have known it meant "bisexual"! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Hencke Tetraglot Moderator Spain Joined 6683 days ago 2340 posts - 2444 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Finnish, EnglishC2, Spanish Studies: Mandarin Personal Language Map | Message 32 of 32 05 June 2009 at 5:20pm | IP Logged | ||
|
If you try ordering a beer using the Swedish word "öl" , in Germany you'd be given oil instead.
I am guessing that Swedish "öl" is related to English "ale",and I am not aware of any German word with the same roots, while the German "öl" obviously comes from the same roots as the English "oil". 1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
