# Foreign Words That Look Like English, But Don’t Mean The Same **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 27, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902 "2010-05-27T02:04:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/121 "2010-05-31T21:14:15Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > I thought the stress was on the ‘n,’ but it could well be that I was just hearing people dropping the ‘a’ altogether. Stress can only ever be on a syllable, I don’t know what ‘stress on the ‘n’’ means. At any rate, stress in Czech is invariably on the first syllable. > [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > In Dutch I can only think of “Joke”, which is a somewhat old-fashioned but perfectly normal name, but you wouldn’t want to be called that in an English speaking country. How’s about ‘kok’, which means ‘cook’? We had a prime minister by that name for 8 years :eek: Also, ‘douche’, which means shower. Incidentally, duša (doo-sha) which means soul or spirit in most Slavic languages, can sound more or less exactly like ‘douche’… [QUOTE=ok11] Гад …God…Can’t think of a good translation, but it’s an insult (masculine) [/QUOTE] Гад means snake or serpent. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/122 "2010-05-31T22:23:53Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > The word _pule_ means to f\*ck in Norwegian, but it beats me how anyone could make the connection between that word and _puller_ as the pronunciations are totally different. The pronunciations are totally different…unless **movingfinger** is British. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/123 "2010-06-01T02:51:34Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > In Czech, “no” means “yes.” In Greek, “yes” sounds like “no”, and “no” sounds like “OK”. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/124 "2010-06-01T03:02:32Z")
In Thai, _men_ means “bad smell” or “stink.” (Newbie farang women over here really like that one.) _Prick_ means “chillie.” Oh, and any type of the vegetable squash is a _fak_, which sounds very close to “fuck” in actual pronunciation. Pardon me if I’ve missed it, but in German, _Gift_ means “poison.” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/125 "2010-06-01T07:16:46Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Stress can only ever be on a syllable, I don’t know what ‘stress on the ‘n’’ means. At any rate, stress in Czech is invariably on the first syllable. It was a typo for ‘no.’ And, yup, I’m aware of that. Not quite sure why you’re being so nitpicky. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/126 "2010-06-01T09:57:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > 😕 I corrected myself in a subsequent post. Slutspurt. Aha, the final stages of something. Only ambiguous in writing, not in pronunciation. > [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > The pronunciations are totally different…unless **movingfinger** is British. The same thing here. Even if talking with a heavy Scottish accent there is no way you would end up anywhere in the neighbourhood of _pule_ when saying _puller_. ---
**Author:** ![lshaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lshaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lshaw)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/127 "2010-06-01T10:06:46Z")
In French, if you are _en retard_, it means you are late, not that you are a retard. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/128 "2010-06-01T11:27:05Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > My accent’s British RP, in which Rambo and mambo definitely do rhyme. I’m sure they would in quite a lot of accents. I’m struggling to imagine an accent in which they _wouldn’t_ rhyme. 😕 How can they possibly be pronounced other than as the same word but with a different consonant at the beginning? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/129 "2010-06-01T13:53:30Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’m struggling to imagine an accent in which they _wouldn’t_ rhyme. 😕 > > How can they possibly be pronounced other than as the same word but with a different consonant at the beginning? Americans pronounce it as: RAM-boe and MAHM-boe. The difference is in the short “a” sound. “Rambo” takes the /æ/, and “mambo” takes /ɑ/. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/130 "2010-06-01T14:20:46Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’m struggling to imagine an accent in which they _wouldn’t_ rhyme. 😕 > > How can they possibly be pronounced other than as the same word but with a different consonant at the beginning? I assume by this post that your first language was not English. Now, dont get me wrong, I love English, I can’t remember the last book I read that was not in English, something by Perez Reverte probably. But English pronunciation is an occult science, the letters in the word have just a very vague relationship with the sounds you must produce when reading that word aloud. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/131 "2010-06-01T16:50:25Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I assume by this post that your first language was not English. I believe **Colophon** is English, in England. Mambo and Rambo rhyme in an English accent. And I think in pretty much all British accents too. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/132 "2010-06-01T17:31:56Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > As every English speaker learning Hebrew knows, who is he, he is she and dog is fish. > [@ABBOTT & COSTELLO LEARN HEBREW](#): > > Characters: Abbott (Katy), Costello (Jack) > > ABBOTT: I see you’re here for your Hebrew lesson. > > COSTELLO: I’m ready to learn. > > A: Now, the first thing you must understand is that Hebrew and English have many words which sound alike, but they do not mean the same thing. > > C: Sure, I understand. > > A: Now, don’t be too quick to say that. > > C: How stupid do you think I am—don’t answer that. It’s simple—some words in Hebrew sound like words in English, but they don’t mean the same. > > A: Precisely. > > C: We have that word in English, too. What does it mean in Hebrew? > > A: No, no. Precisely is an English word. > > C: I didn’t come here to learn English, I came to learn Hebrew. So make with the Hebrew. > > A: Fine. Let’s start with mee. > > C: You. > > A: No, mee. > > C: Fine, we’ll start with you. > > A: No, we’ll start with mee. > > C: Okay, have it your way. > > A: Now, mee is who. > > C: You is Abbott. > > A: No, no, no. Mee is who. > > C: You is Abbott. > > A: You don’t understand. > > C: I don’t understand? Did you just say me is who? > > A: Yes I did. Mee is who. > > C: You is Abbott. > > A: No, You misunderstand what I am saying. Tell me about mee. > > C: Well, you’re a nice enough person. > > A: No, no. Tell me about mee! > > C: Who? > > A: Precisely. > > C: Precisely what? > > A: Precisely who. > > C: It’s precisely whom! > > A: No, mee is who. > > C: Don’t start that again—go on to something else. > > A: All right. Hu is he. > > C: Who is he? > > A: Yes. > > C: I don’t know. Who is he? > > A: Sure you do. You just said it. > > C: I just said what? > > A: Hu is he. > > C: Who is he? > > A: Precisely. > > C: Again with the precisely! Precisely who? > > A: No, precisely he. > > C: Precisely he? Who is he? > > A: Precisely! > > C: It goes on from there. My daughter and her friend do this skit every year at Purim. They’re rather good at it by now! ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/133 "2010-06-01T17:43:38Z")
I thought Who was on first…? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/134 "2010-06-01T17:46:12Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > I thought Who was on first…? 😕 (deadpans) I have no idea what you are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902/135 "2010-06-01T18:09:06Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I believe **Colophon** is English, in England. Mambo and Rambo rhyme in an English accent. And I think in pretty much all British accents too. They dont speak English in England, they speak Englandish… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-words-that-look-like-english-but-don-t-mean-the-same/540902.md?page=6)