ITT share words from your native languages that are 'untranslatable' i.e. words that don't have an English equivalent and have to be explained as a concept or with a sentence.
Basically if you think of a word and you hesitate before giving an english translation, that word belongs in this thread.
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Dépaysement.
półtorej
ኣዋልድ (ኣወዳት) ግብረ ሕውስ ኣይኮኑን
Sobremesa, it's when you are having a meal with some people and when you finish you keep chatting for a while.
Estrenar, it's when you wear some clothes for the first time.
Regodearse, it's like schadenfreude
φιλότιμο
μάγkας
μεράkι
χαρμολύπη
ξεροσφύρι
λεβεντιά
lekker
How about simply "nice" or "sweet"?
Cutre
Esperpento
You'll find approximate translations of these but none of them satisfactorily convey their nuances
Smacznego
It's the same problem as with itadakimasu really
bajemand
Przedwczoraj
Mimochodem
fuck off blackie
>φιλοτιμο
putting the need of others over your own and being happy about it, a rare value
>μάγkας
"pretty big guy", gangsta, a nice fellow, a tough man, it generally means "positive masculine attribute" pretty much
>μεράkι
the way ofloving the work you do and putting "art" into it
>χαρμολύπη
bittersweet happiness
>ξεροσφυρι
the act of drinking alcohol without eating food while you are at it
>λεβεντια
a specific type of bravery and honour, can't really explain it well
Przedwiośnie
close, but not really. lekker in the sense of food really means tasty, without any regard to the looks. nice, when referring to food, implies that it looks good as well, and would need extra explaining to obtain the same meaning ("it didn't look nice, but it did taste nice").
lekker also can have the meaning of doing something regardless of whether or not someone wants you to: "ik doe het lekker wel" "dat ga ik lekker niet doen".
also, "nice" is ambiguous when used as an adverb. if you're drawing nicely, it might be nice because you enjoy it, or maybe the result looks very nice. "lekker" as an adverb always means you're enjoying the action
>lekker in the sense of food really means tasty, without any regard to the looks.
>lekker also can have the meaning of doing something regardless of whether or not someone wants you to:
>"lekker" as an adverb always means you're enjoying the action
Dank je for all of these mate! Not even close to what little you'd see on Duolingo.
It's difficult...uhh
木漏れ日
あはれ(old Japanese meaning)
おかし(old Japanese meaning)
俺 僕 私 あたし あたくし ワイ 朕 オラ オイラ 拙者....etc.(first personal pronouns in Japanese when the word express only normal type ''me'',a first personal pronoun is only ''I'' in English when the word do that.)
The difference between smart and querer.
The difference between ser and estar.
The difference between fuiste and eras.
Those can be understood by romance speakers but Anglos have a hard time with them.
no problem. Duolingo's a good base though. as long as you start consuming real media after it, you'll have no problem picking up nuances in words.
*Between AMAR and querer.
>Those can be understood by romance speakers but Anglos have a hard time with them.
How about as Asian(for example Altaic speaker)?
I don't know if it counts, but:
We have an "accidental" terms, to describe accidental events. We have two of them, actually.
1)
Shemomechama-I've accidentally ate it
Shemometkna-I've accidentally fucked it
2)
Shemichamia-Oh, looks like, i've accidentally ate it
Momitkvnia-Oh, looks like, i've accidentally fucked it
I have no idea. Does your language differentiate between two forms of love according to how strong it is?
Does it have different verbs for "to be" according to if the characteristics are essential or accidental?
Regarding verbal tenses, I've read Asian languages are pretty different to European ones, but i lack the knowledge to accurately answer you.
Adem
It's neither too cold or too hot. It's just perfect temperature for you.
Ngadem (the verb of adem, it's kind of "googling" or shit) is situation when you warming up your body to warmer place because you're chilled or cooling down your body to cooler place because you're suffering from heat.
None of those are actually hard to understand at all though. Spanish isn't exactly a hard language for English speakers to understand.
Besides those aren't really words that don't translate, more like grammatical concepts that aren't stated as explicitly in English. Still pretty easy to grasp though. If you want something grammatical that is legitimately difficult for English speakers it would be case marking. Learning to juggle grammatical case in, say, a slavic language is pretty fucked.
Seoinín - someone who imitates British behaviours; a West Brit.
Kalsarikänni, it means drinking alone in your underwear
We have a word with the same meaning that your but for the french-loving cucks: Afrancesado.
... I'm really surprised we haven't adopted that word
pamięciówka
masturbating while using memory of something you experienced or someone you know as a stimuli
That's actually a pretty solid word.
I'm trying to learn Spanish, so I'll incorporate that. Gracias.
馬鹿外人
I think the most common around here is saudade, i think it could be translated as the feeling of missing something or someone when they are not around or not around anymore.
The miss in the english in literal translation would be something in the lines of falta.
Hygge
häntäheikki - a male who's constantly trying to get it on with all the ladies, but usually without that much success
brings to mind some short man in a club trying to chat up all the ladies
it literally sort of means "a guy who's on tail"
longing?
Oh yeah, my sister bought The Little Book of Hygge and I swear she sleeps with it under her pillow
>aвocь / avosj
blind trust in sheer luck
>глaзoмep / glazomer
an ability to measure without any instruments
>пoпyтчик / poputchik
a complete stranger who happens to travel in the same direction as you
>кaпeль / kapelj
drops falling from trees and buildings in a warm day of early spring
>бeлopyчкa / beloruchka
a person shirking rough or dirty work
good word.
Fuck.
Not exacly, beacuse longing in the literal translation would be something more general, in the context of whishing something
Saudade includes a longing for things one may have never had. We feel "saudade" for the Fifth Empire we could have been.
Yearning; to yearn?
>глaзoмep / glazomer
Tvalzoma
>пoпyтчик / poputchik
megzuri
>кaпeль / kapelj
nami
>бeлopyчкa / beloruchka
We have a word like that too, but i forgot what.
Cutre can be translated as "shabby" or "tacky" afaik
Sarrasin
Cagot
Huguenot
>木漏れ日
That's a really nice image but wouldn't call it a "word". 木 is the base, 漏れ is the stem of a verb used in this compound and 日 is what is being modified in this clause.
Isn't that the default drinking environment?
>кaпeль / kapelj
That's rather beautiful.
Korean
잠깐 요 앞에 갔다 왔는데요.
"Ben enfin voilà quoi"
Word.
RATONNADE
oh sorry i no good at american
뷁
Thanks Google.
not even mister google can decode the 뷁
뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁뷁
I know it can, but when a Spaniard means cutre he means a special kind of shabby that is very associated with a number of very Spanish cultural signifiers. The same thing happens with "esperpento": you could translate it as "grotesque", but it doesn't carry the same cultural baggage and is never entirely satisfactory.
How accurate is this assessment?
shiningkorean.com
"pistma"
this verb refers to a very specific pain in the abdomen
it's theorised to be a cramp in the abdomen, or a build-up of gas in the intestines. It's often experienced when doing physical activity without proper warm-up.
I'm pretty sure the anglophone running or sports community has a specific term for this, but I don't know it.
Also, the distinction between "kaasas", and "kaasa". Both translate to "together", "with", "along".
The difference i.e is that "kaasa" is lative.
For example:
"ta on minuga kaasas" - he is together with me
"ta tuli minuga kaasa" - he came with me
"kaasa" answers to the question "to where?", "to somewhere"
"kaasas" answers to the question "where?", "somewhere"
>고소 (goso)
Closest word to it is umami, but specifically it means the savory taste of roasted sesame oil.
>화병 (hwabyeung)
This is considered a minor to moderate mental illness caused by the buildup of stress, especially in poorer housewives. You see red, feel like you're suffocating, and can feel your heart beat in your throat, and often you explode in anger. Symptoms like heartburn or fainting are secondary. I have it sometimes and it's not fun.
>한 (han)
Imagine it as qi/chi but about collective Korean anger/being denied by others/defiance. Sometimes is the "cause" for illness.
>눈치 (noonchi)
Awareness to small social/environmental cues and the ability to adapt accordingly, often acting in a "better" or more fitting social manner. For example, having the awareness to not bring up the topic of dating after your friend implies he didn't do so well on his date last night.
>시원하다 (shiweonhada)
Normally means cool or refreshing, but is also specifically used for hot and/or spicy stews or soups you eat during the summer, since you feel "cooler" inside. There's probably a similar term in Japanese or Chinese.
It's like 60% correct, but not very accurate.
I'd love to explain the true meaning but I can't explain it in english.
감칠맛나다.
Fair enough man.
I think these things which cannot be translated, only understood in their language context is actually rather nice.
Somalikuksugning
From Nahuatl:
>Quequeloa
Lie to oneself
>Ihcuilihto
Be written
>Ahuiaya
Smell good-exhale-be satisfied
Ah bah ouais non mais voilà mais bon
>i forgot what
Isn't Georgian your native language? How can you forget a word from your mother tongue?
>Ραφανιδουν (rhaphanidun)
To introduce radishes up to someone's anus.
Ouais bof m'enfin
>Badkruka (bath pot)
Someone who doesn't want to get in the water
>Solkatt (sun cat)
Reflection of the sun
>Linslus (lens louse)
Someone who wants to be on many photos
>Dygn
Day and night
>Fika
a social thing where we drink coffee and things like that, usually between 14:00 and 16:00 for me
>Orka
to have energy
Hinna
to make it in time
Blunda
Close eyes
Mor/Farföräldrar (mother/father parents)
Grandparents on mothers/fathers side
We say something similar for >глaзoмep.
"silma järgi panema" - lit. "to put by the eye"
>Dygn
>day and night
ööpäev (lit. "nightday")
>Hinna
>to make it in time
jõudma (also means "to be able to", "to have the energy to do sth")
I suppose if we are going down that route, there is the term "ferreting".
undskyld men hcad fanden betyder det?
>Orka
Wouldn't this be easily translated as "pumped"?
>>Linslus (lens louse)
>Someone who wants to be on many photos
we've got the exact same thing: linssilude
no, pumped doesn't mean to have energy
isn't pumped more being ready and fired up
>φιλοτιμο
Integrity
Yeah, but that word is archaic and isn't use often, so...
*Used
damn autocorrector
this happens to me with english all the time
t. viljami
gezellig
>The only common trait to all descriptions of gezelligheid is a rather general and abstract sensation of individual well-being that one typically shares with others. All descriptions involve a positive atmosphere, flow or vibe that colors the individual personal experience in a favorable way and in one way or another corresponds to social contexts.
>As this is a very vague and abstract notion, the word is considered to be an example of untranslatability, and is one of the hardest words to translate to English. Some consider the word to encompass the heart of Dutch culture.
sobremesa here means desert
Prozvonit
>the act of calling someone, but letting the phone ring only once and hanging up abruptly so that the other party has to call you back and you get to keep your shekels
"Zaris gashveba" in Georgian