False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
szukać (search) - šukat (fuck) :ces:
brak (lack of something) - brak (marriage) :srp:
zachód (the west) - zahod (toilet) :srp: , záchod (toilet) :ces:
zapomnieć (forget) - запомнить /zapomnitj/ (remember)
dywan (carpet) - divan (sofa) :srp: , диван /divan/ (sofa)
pisać (write) - писать /'pisatj/ (piss)
Slavic false friends might be confusing...
brak (lack of something) - brak (marriage) :srp:
zachód (the west) - zahod (toilet) :srp: , záchod (toilet) :ces:
zapomnieć (forget) - запомнить /zapomnitj/ (remember)
dywan (carpet) - divan (sofa) :srp: , диван /divan/ (sofa)
pisać (write) - писать /'pisatj/ (piss)
Slavic false friends might be confusing...
Слава Словѣнамъ на вѣци вѣкъ!
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
bläck ink - black
kort short - court
stol any sort of chair - stool
sex six - sex
smal thin, narrow - small
bord table - bored, board
träd tree - tread
kort short - court
stol any sort of chair - stool
sex six - sex
smal thin, narrow - small
bord table - bored, board
träd tree - tread
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- mayan
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
I'm surprised this one hasn't been mentioned yet:
molestar "to bother" - molest
molestar "to bother" - molest
- Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
In that vein:
déranger "to bother, to disturb" - derange "to cause to go insane"
déranger "to bother, to disturb" - derange "to cause to go insane"
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- greek
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
This one makes me think...
etrecho narrow - stretch
One in French that makes me laugh is désolé, so when they French are sorry they are desolated.
etrecho narrow - stretch
Yes, quite often there are traffic signs that say "perdón por las molestias".GrandPiano wrote:I'm surprised this one hasn't been mentioned yet:
molestar "to bother" - molest
One in French that makes me laugh is désolé, so when they French are sorry they are desolated.
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
I've posted this video before, but it goes with every occasion: Armstrong and Miller - German and Frenchol bofosh wrote:One in French that makes me laugh is désolé, so when they French are sorry they are desolated.
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
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.
- Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
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?)
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?)
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- roman
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Haha, I love that video. If only it were longer.
No darkness can harm you if you are guided by your own inner light
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
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.
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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- mayan
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Ha, I like that one.clawgrip wrote:手 means "hand"
紙 means "paper"
手紙 means "letter" in Japanese and "toilet paper" in Chinese.
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- mayan
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
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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- greek
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
I keep hearing the same thing with cargar and cagar. ¿Está el móvíl ca(r)gado? (is the mobile charged/pooed?)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).
Edit:
I should have cleaned my adolescent ears out before hearing this one...
Vater "father" - farter
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
advogado (lawyer) - avogado
divertir (amuse) - divert
cafeteria (coffeehouse) - cafeteria
pretender (intend) - pretend
entender (understand) - intend
resumir (summarize) - resume
bombeiro (fireman) - bomber
rapariga (young girl) - rapariga (whore)
cueca (panties) - cueca (briefs)
rabo (ass) - rabo (tail)
sinistro (left-handed) - sinistro (sinister)
divertir (amuse) - divert
cafeteria (coffeehouse) - cafeteria
pretender (intend) - pretend
entender (understand) - intend
resumir (summarize) - resume
bombeiro (fireman) - bomber
rapariga (young girl) - rapariga (whore)
cueca (panties) - cueca (briefs)
rabo (ass) - rabo (tail)
sinistro (left-handed) - sinistro (sinister)
English is not my native language. Sorry for any mistakes or lack of knowledge when I discuss this language.
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- Dormouse559
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Squall wrote: advogado (lawyer) - avocado
Adding to two of Squall's
pretender (intend) - pretend - prétendre (claim)
entender (understand) - intend - entendre (hear)
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
tempu fairu
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).
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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- mayan
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Here are two from Cornish, with the Revived Late Cornish pronunciation:
:cor: ass /æs/ "how" - ass
:cor: hwor /ʍɔr/ [ʍɔɹ~ʍɔɾ] "sister" - whore
:cor: ass /æs/ "how" - ass
:cor: hwor /ʍɔr/ [ʍɔɹ~ʍɔɾ] "sister" - whore
Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Heh, Cornish and Breton have some of the most hilarious false friends.GrandPiano wrote:Here are two from Cornish, with the Revived Late Cornish pronunciation:
:cor: ass /æs/ "how" - ass
:cor: hwor /ʍɔr/ [ʍɔɹ~ʍɔɾ] "sister" - whore
:bre: anal (breath) - anal
:bre: mad (good) - mad
:bre: bro (country) - bro
:bre: had (seed) - had
:bre: stank (pond) - stank
:bre: liver (painter) - liver
:bre: sell (look) - sell
:bre: person (vicar) - person
:bre: sin (sign) - sin
I know it's not grammatically correct and makes no sense, but... SELL MAD STANK ANAL SIN, BRO!!1!
Bashkir киндер /kʲindɪ̞r/ (cannabis) - kinder /kɪndɐ/ (children)
There's also this, which is pretty good fuel for jokes:
паска /paskə/ (paskha, a type of dessert) - paska /pɑskɑ/ (shit)
пасха /pasxə/ (paskha, a type of dessert) - 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.
閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
- Creyeditor
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Also Papuan MalayVlürch wrote: 閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
kakak /kaka/ Older brother
German
Kaka /kaka/ (childish) poop
Kacker /kakɐ/ someone who poops
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
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Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 2 3 4 4
Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics
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- mayan
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Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Also: :ron: caca "poop"Creyeditor wrote:Also Papuan MalayVlürch wrote: 閣下 /kakːa/ (excellency) - kakka /kɑkːɑ/ (poop)
kakak /kaka/ Older brother
German
Kaka /kaka/ (childish) poop
Kacker /kakɐ/ someone who poops