# Do other languages have the equivalent of abusing "like" in every sentence? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336 "2009-05-13T20:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/41 "2009-05-14T18:43:58Z")
I don’t even speak the language but when my wife speaks to her mother in Japanese it always leaps out to me how often _ano_ and _ne_ are used. When I finally asked her about them she said “oh, that’s just like saying ‘um’.” But she doesn’t really use filler words like that when speaking English. I find the difference interesting. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/42 "2009-05-14T21:29:08Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > It is “este”, often said with a long last “e” to fill all the blank “esteeeeee”. “dizque” is also used in the rest of Central America and its close relative “y que” is also common. And I am under the impression that “pues” is more Andean than Central American. > > “O sea” is also extremely common in Venezuela and I think I have also heard it a lot from Spaniards. > > Also “ves?” (you see?), “verdad?” (right?) and “ok” which gets double bad points for being not only a “muletilla” (a crutch word, which is what they often call filler words in Spanish) but also an Anglicism. “O sea” is abused in Spain as well as “Me entiendes?” , “no-sé-si-m’entiendes”, “mire usted” and many others. “eh?” is very commonly used and I find it very condescending and distracting. I have South American friends who use “esteeee…” and “viste?” a lot. People do not realize just how bad those things sound when you are speaking in public. They sound terrible. It takes just a little tinking and practice to be a better speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/43 "2009-05-14T22:19:44Z")
So it seems the answer to the OP is “yes”! 🙂 This thread is an excellent example of why I love this message board. A quick, clear answer, complete with fascinating commentary and links. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/44 "2009-05-14T23:38:40Z")
I have heard it in Bengali and Hindi, basically the equivalent of “I mean.” I have a couple of relatives who use it multiple times in a single sentence. By the way, this is not necessarily just “abuse.” I heard something recently that suggests that these kinds of phrases play a practical role in communication, basically as a signal to the listener to pay attention to what comes next. I heard about a study that shows that this actually works – listeners tend to retain better what comes after the signal word, whether it’s “umm” or “like” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/45 "2009-05-15T00:31:44Z")
My SO’s parents are from India, and while they speak English to everybody else, they speak to each other in a mixture of Urdu, Kannada, Hindi, and English. Peppered liberally throughout their conversations is the word “kya.” It apparently translates roughly as “right?” When they’re talking to each other in front of me, it constitutes about 90% of what I can understand: What they say: [something] [something] restaurant [something] kya [something]. [something] kya, [something] [something] kya. Upstairs kya. Heh-kya? What I understand:[something] [something] restaurant [something] right(?) [something]. [something] right(?), [something] [something] right? Upstairs right? Is that right? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/46 "2009-05-15T01:12:24Z")
> [@Cat\_Jones](#): > > Some French use “tu vois” (lit. “you see” but used more as “you know”)[.] > … > There’s another on which one of my bosses uses to the Nth degree, he’s Tunisian but in France for years … I once counted him say “Je veux dire” (lit. “I want to say” / “I mean”) over forty times in a single minute[.] Interesting, I hear something similar in Mexican Spanish often enough that I’ve just taken it as part of the language. Rather than “tu vois” they would say “ves”: “Ve a la tienda, ves, y busca la refri, ves, y cuando encuentras los juevos, ves…” As for “I want to say” I’m not sure how much of a filler it is, but it’s used a lot in the same context as my previous example, to an annoying extent: “Compra juevos. Quiero decir [I want to say / I mean, as in French], ve a la izquina a traer juevos. Quiero decir…” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/47 "2009-05-15T01:36:46Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > …One that I think is less common now but was big a few years ago is ending sentences or phrases with じゃん (_jan_), a contraction of じゃない (_ja nai_), which more or less translates to “isn’t it…” Some Brits (lower class, perhaps?) use “innit?” in a similar way, especially at the end of declarative sentences. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/48 "2009-05-15T03:32:36Z")
In Gulf Arabic, they use “Yani.” Technically it means “that is.” ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/49 "2009-05-15T03:44:07Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > “O sea” is abused in Spain as well as “Me entiendes?” , “no-sé-si-m’entiendes”, “mire usted” and many others. I remember watching to comedy program _El Informal_ where they made fun of Aznar (former president) for saying the latter phrase so much. The comedian playing him in the sketch said, "_Mire usted, yo no digo tanto “mire usted.”_ “Look, I don’t say “look” that much.” It’s interesting to see all the regional Spanish filler words. In my experience, young Spaniards say _sabes?_ a lot, i.e. “you know?” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/50 "2009-05-15T03:53:09Z")
I teach EFL (among other subjects). I do teach them to understand that ‘like’ is a filler word that doesn’t actually mean a comparative is being drawn. I do teach the use of filler words such as ‘like,’ because they can really help fill a gap while you’re trying to think of the next real word, and you sound more natural. ‘Like’ is not a filler word that works well in business contexts, though. It’s also somewhat difficult to persuade students to use any filler words at all, because they just sound nonsensical if you’re not used to them. When learning German, I got great kudos for using ‘also’ (pronounced like the name Al plus ‘zoh,’ not like the English word ‘also’). It made me sound more natural. A lot of the groups I’ve taught have been Russian with a Russian group leader. I always take this as an opportunity to learn a bit of their language too. The word I heard most often from them was ‘tak,’ which they found hard to define. It’s another filler word, something like OK, but not hardbound in meaning. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/51 "2009-05-15T03:59:54Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Some Brits (lower class, perhaps?) use “innit?” in a similar way, especially at the end of declarative sentences. There’s also a sort of mirror of ‘innit’, ‘izzit’? In my (quite limited) exposure to Londoners in their natural habitat, I heard ‘innit’ a lot and ‘izzit’ once or twice. If I recall correctly, ‘innit’ is used a bit like ‘y’know’, and ‘izzit’ was a bit like ‘really?’ or ‘oh yeah?’ ---
**Author:** ![jormundgondir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jormundgondir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jormundgondir)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/52 "2009-05-15T04:51:21Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > I don’t think so. It seems to me that when people use the "I was all like. . . " phrase they’re talking about their feelings or thoughts. Maybe its a method of paraphrasing feelings and thoughts. I’ve had a few girlfriends that would tell me a story and use the ". . . and I was all like, ‘get outta here’. . . " line. When you asked them “you said that?” they said, “oh, no. I didn’t SAY that.” > > But, yeah, I guess it’s not exactly filler in that instance. Living in California, which I suspect is sort of a Tigris-Euphrates region for the word “like,” I think its meaning can’t be distilled that simply, and it fills in for many things. I was recently on a train between San Francisco and Berkeley, sitting near a couple of young women who were evidently students at UC Berkeley, and after a couple of minutes I couldn’t help but try to count their use of the word: the more talkative one used it 152 times over 18 minutes. The most fascinating thing was that her pal was using a very abbreviated “like” as an interjection, where you might say “mm hmm” or “uh-huh” or “yeah…” It was hard to catch at first because it was so fast, almost just “l’k,” kind of a guttural cluck of agreement. “So, like, he was like, I couldn’t, like, date someone unless I, like, _liked_ them, and then I was all like me too! Like, I really need to like someone before, like, I start like going out with him…” “Like…” “And then, like, I was all, like, we should like, hook up sometime and, like, get some coffee, y’know?” “Like…” So that’s a use we didn’t have even when I was in college in LA a few years ago! I’m entertaining a hypothesis that you can judge the age of a Californian by the prevalence of “like” in his/her vocabulary, since even a lot of 40-50-somethings let it slip occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/53 "2009-05-18T14:08:59Z")
In Texas, back in the 1950s, I had several Tex-Mex buddies who threw the word “esse” around as if it were a baseball. I sometimes thought I head entire sentences wherein the only word used was “esse;” the only thing that changed was the tone of the speaker’s voice. If those buddies of mine wanted me to understand Spanish, they had to speak using about a minute between each word to give me time to sort through my mental dictionary. Most of the time, they simply gave me a synopsis. I am still unsure of the exact meaning of “esse.” ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/54 "2009-05-18T14:15:30Z")
> [@BrightNShiny](#): > > For the last part (“I was all, like, ‘Oh, crap!’”), is it still a filler word? Isn’t the phrase “I was like” being used as an equivalent to “I said”? There was a wonderful essay in the New York Times a few years ago called “We Are, Like, Poets”, which discussed all the possible grammatical functions of “like”. Unfortunately, I can’t find it online. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/55 "2009-05-18T14:32:34Z")
“O sea” pulled together into a very nasal word is used very much by Spanish “pijos” (think Julio Iglesias’ children). It’s the one used by translators when dealing with Valley Girl speak. The Spanish versions of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Gossip Girl or 90210 have people oseaing all over the place, o sea, ¿no? My mother will sometimes fall into throwing “¿no?” at the end of every sentence: “so I was with Rita, no? and she tells me we should go to the square, no?” “I hope yes, Mom” “uh?” “you’re the one telling the story, stop asking ‘no’” “doh! :smack:” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/56 "2009-05-18T14:38:59Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > And yes, when I’m transcribing, I have to type out all those ‘likes’ and ‘you knows’. If someone can tell me how, I could do a count of the instance of those words in a typical one hour file! If you use MSWord in English: ctrl-H opens substitution subsitute “like” for “nukular” The program will say “12368 substitutions have been made” Open it again and susbtitute “nukular” for “like” Ta-daaaaah! ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/57 "2009-05-18T14:52:41Z")
Cool, cheers! Okay, so I’ve found 328 likes in an 80 minute session. That’s over four ‘likes’ per minute! That was a group of young (18 - 25) women. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/58 "2009-05-18T15:29:02Z")
Not all of those are filler, though. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/59 "2009-05-18T15:32:43Z")
Nobody has mentioned the use of “go” instead of “said.” Always used in the present tense. So I go “Like, I don’t like what you’re saying” and he goes "Well, so what?’ and I go “Well, it’s like a big what…” If you’ve ever had to listen to an entire hour lunchtime conversation fill of “I go…he goes…I go…he goes,” you understand the concept of justifiable homicide. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336/60 "2009-05-18T16:14:45Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Nobody has mentioned the use of “go” instead of “said.” Always used in the present tense. > > So I go “Like, I don’t like what you’re saying” and he goes "Well, so what?’ and I go “Well, it’s like a big what…” > > If you’ve ever had to listen to an entire hour lunchtime conversation fill of “I go…he goes…I go…he goes,” you understand the concept of justifiable homicide. Again, I’ve read that there’s a reason for this. In the patois of the young, there are semantic differences between “He says …,” “he goes …,” and “he’s all …” I can’t remember for sure, but I think it’s something like this. “He’s all …” indicates that what follows is neither a direct quote nor paraphrasing, but rather an interpretation of the intent of the speaker or the emotion behind the words. “He goes …” indicates that what follows is a direct quotation. “He says …” indicates that what follows is not necessarily a direct quotation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-have-the-equivalent-of-abusing-like-in-every-sentence/496336.md?page=4)