False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

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Siemoród
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Siemoród »

:pol: szukać (search) - šukat (fuck) :ces:
:pol: brak (lack of something) - brak (marriage) :srp:
:pol: zachód (the west) - zahod (toilet) :srp: , záchod (toilet) :ces:
:pol: zapomnieć (forget) - запомнить /zapomnitj/ (remember) :rus:
:pol: dywan (carpet) - divan (sofa) :srp: , диван /divan/ (sofa) :rus:
:pol: pisać (write) - писать /'pisatj/ (piss) :rus:
Slavic false friends might be confusing...
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Sglod »

:swe: bläck ink - :eng: black
:swe: kort short - :eng: court
:swe: stol any sort of chair - :eng: stool
:swe: sex six - :eng: sex
:swe: smal thin, narrow - :eng: small
:swe: bord table - :eng: bored, board
:swe: träd tree - :eng: tread
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by GrandPiano »

I'm surprised this one hasn't been mentioned yet:

:esp: molestar "to bother" - :eng: molest
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Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Dormouse559 »

In that vein:

:fra: déranger "to bother, to disturb" - :eng: derange "to cause to go insane"
ol bofosh
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by ol bofosh »

This one makes me think...

:esp: etrecho narrow - :eng: stretch
GrandPiano wrote:I'm surprised this one hasn't been mentioned yet:

:esp: molestar "to bother" - :eng: molest
Yes, quite often there are traffic signs that say "perdón por las molestias". :roll:

One in French that makes me laugh is désolé, so when they French are sorry they are desolated. [xD]
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Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Dormouse559 »

ol bofosh wrote:One in French that makes me laugh is désolé, so when they French are sorry they are desolated. [xD]
I've posted this video before, but it goes with every occasion: Armstrong and Miller - German and French
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Thrice Xandvii
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Thrice Xandvii »

I still don't get the bit about the euros at the end... or the "What is this thing that is this thing that is this thing that you ask?" bits.
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Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Dormouse559 »

I don't know about the euros thing either, but "What is this thing …" is an exaggerated reference to French "Qu'est-ce que …", one of the main ways to form questions. It literally means "What is it that …" In other contexts it can become "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" (What is it that it is?) and even "Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?" (What is it that it is that this?), and both just mean "What is it/this/that?"

I guess you could say, "Qu'est-ce que c'est que vous me demandez?" (What is it that it is that you are asking me?)
HoskhMatriarch
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by HoskhMatriarch »

Haha, I love that video. If only it were longer.
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by clawgrip »

汽 means "steam/vapour/gas"
車 means "car/wheeled vehicle"

汽車 means "car/automobile" in Chinese and "steam locomotive" in Japanese.


手 means "hand"
紙 means "paper"

手紙 means "letter" in Japanese and "toilet paper" in Chinese.
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by GrandPiano »

clawgrip wrote:手 means "hand"
紙 means "paper"

手紙 means "letter" in Japanese and "toilet paper" in Chinese.
Ha, I like that one.
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by GrandPiano »

The toothpaste brand name Colgate is pronounced /kolˈgate/ in Spanish, which is just one phoneme away from colgarte "to hang you". This means that "I want Colgate" and "I want to hang you" end up sounding very similar (quiero Colgate and quiero colgarte, respectively).
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by ol bofosh »

GrandPiano wrote:The toothpaste brand name Colgate is pronounced /kolˈgate/ in Spanish, which is just one phoneme away from colgarte "to hang you". This means that "I want Colgate" and "I want to hang you" end up sounding very similar (quiero Colgate and quiero colgarte, respectively).
I keep hearing the same thing with cargar and cagar. ¿Está el móvíl ca(r)gado? (is the mobile charged/pooed?)


Edit:
I should have cleaned my adolescent ears out before hearing this one...
:deu: Vater "father" - :eng: farter
Squall
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Squall »

:por: advogado (lawyer) - :eng: avogado
:por: divertir (amuse) - :eng: divert
:por: cafeteria (coffeehouse) - :eng: cafeteria
:por: pretender (intend) - :eng: pretend
:por: entender (understand) - :eng: intend
:por: resumir (summarize) - :eng: resume
:por: bombeiro (fireman) - :eng: bomber
:por: rapariga (young girl) - :bra: rapariga (whore)
:por: cueca (panties) - :bra: cueca (briefs)
:por: rabo (ass) - :bra: rabo (tail)
:por: sinistro (left-handed) - :bra: sinistro (sinister)
English is not my native language. Sorry for any mistakes or lack of knowledge when I discuss this language.
:bra: :mrgreen: | :uk: [:D] | :esp: [:)] | :epo: [:|] | :lat: [:S] | :jpn: [:'(]
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Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Dormouse559 »

Squall wrote: :por: advogado (lawyer) - :eng: avocado
[;)]

Adding to two of Squall's

:por: pretender (intend) - :eng: pretend - :fra: prétendre (claim)
:por: entender (understand) - :eng: intend - :fra: entendre (hear)
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by clawgrip »

:jpn: tempu fairu
:eng: attached file (i.e. on an email)

This is confusing because fairu comes from English "file", and tempu is exactly how "temp" would be borrowed into Japanese, so you would expect it to mean temp file. But tempu (添付) is Japanese, not English, and means attach(ment).
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by GrandPiano »

Here are two from Cornish, with the Revived Late Cornish pronunciation:

:cor: ass /æs/ "how" - :eng: ass
:cor: hwor /ʍɔr/ [ʍɔɹ~ʍɔɾ] "sister" - :eng: whore
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Vlürch »

GrandPiano wrote:Here are two from Cornish, with the Revived Late Cornish pronunciation:

:cor: ass /æs/ "how" - :eng: ass
:cor: hwor /ʍɔr/ [ʍɔɹ~ʍɔɾ] "sister" - :eng: whore
Heh, Cornish and Breton have some of the most hilarious false friends.
:bre: anal (breath) - :eng: anal
:bre: mad (good) - :eng: mad
:bre: bro (country) - :eng: bro
:bre: had (seed) - :eng: had
:bre: stank (pond) - :eng: stank
:bre: liver (painter) - :eng: liver
:bre: sell (look) - :eng: sell
:bre: person (vicar) - :eng: person
:bre: sin (sign) - :eng: sin

I know it's not grammatically correct and makes no sense, but... SELL MAD STANK ANAL SIN, BRO!!1! [:x]

Bashkir киндер /kʲindɪ̞r/ (cannabis) - :deu: kinder /kɪndɐ/ (children)
There's also this, which is pretty good fuel for jokes:
:rus: паска /paskə/ (paskha, a type of dessert) - :fin: paska /pɑskɑ/ (shit)
:rus: пасха /pasxə/ (paskha, a type of dessert) - :fin: pasha /pɑsɦɑ/ (paskha, a type of dessert); but everyone I know pronounces it more or less like /pɑʃxɑ~pɑsħɑ/
It tastes awesome, though, but that doesn't make it any less funny when my mum goes, every single time when she buys some, "syödään paskaa!" (let's eat shit!) and other similar stuff.
:jpn: 閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - :fin: kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by Creyeditor »

Vlürch wrote: :jpn: 閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - :fin: kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
Also :ind: Papuan Malay
kakak /kaka/ Older brother
:deu: German
Kaka /kaka/ (childish) poop
Kacker /kakɐ/ someone who poops
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

Post by GrandPiano »

Creyeditor wrote:
Vlürch wrote: :jpn: 閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - :fin: kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
Also :ind: Papuan Malay
kakak /kaka/ Older brother
:deu: German
Kaka /kaka/ (childish) poop
Kacker /kakɐ/ someone who poops
Also: :esp: :fra: :por: :ron: caca "poop"
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