# Hesitant in Four Languages **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 26, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005 "2002-12-26T19:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/41 "2002-12-30T19:30:41Z")
I also know a few words of Serbian, the most important being: Zamalo, which means “almost.” It comes up a lot when I shoot pool. I spent a summer shooting pool with Serbians on an archaeologcal dig. I shoot. I miss. I turn to my partner: sorry, Vlada Vlada: \ zamalo ---
**Author:** ![Politzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ab097/32.png) [@Politzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Politzania)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/42 "2002-12-30T19:53:36Z")
I forget which comedian this is from - but he/she was talking about how languages sound to non-speakers & that French sounds sexy, no matter what you say - for example: “Mon chat est flambe” (My cat is on fire) The summer before high school - my best friend & I came up with several silly phrases based on the slang from _A Clockwork Orange_. The only ones I still remember are “bolshy pol” (big sex) and “nuking grazzy neezhnies” (smelling dirty underwear) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/43 "2002-12-30T20:24:59Z")
Well if you’re a Simpsons fan “die die mo” from the episode where the kids get snowed is is Vietnamese and means go go, or faster. There is also Du Ma which is mother f\*\*ker. There’s a lot you can learn as a high school kid. I also remember how to say a bit in Russian but can’t spell it out, not like my Vietnamese is any better though. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/44 "2002-12-30T21:58:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles \* > \*\*I used to know how to say the monkey-face line in Spanish, German, and French, but have forgotten them. \*\* In French – _tu as le visage d’un singe._ In German – _du hast das Gesicht einer Affe._ No, thank _you_. ---
**Author:** ![Anubis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Anubis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anubis)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/45 "2002-12-30T22:33:53Z")
Soy un buñuelo- spanish for _I am a doughnut_ ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/46 "2002-12-31T00:16:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Politzania \* > **I forget which comedian this is from - but he/she was talking about how languages sound to non-speakers & that French sounds sexy, no matter what you say - for example: “Mon chat est flambe” (My cat is on fire)** You might be thinking of French crooner **Charles Aznavour** visiting _The Muppet Show_. It must have been the early 80’s, but I caught the episode a few years ago on TV. It’s hilarious! As Miss Piggy swoons, he’s telling her (en Francais, naturellement) that her oil filter has a leak, and her carburetor needs some fine-tuning. 🙂 OK, so I’m easily amused. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/47 "2002-12-31T00:52:17Z")
When I went to France on an exchange program my sophomore year of high school, the phrase “NOT!” was popular in English. So, we “translated” it into French as: **"Pas!**. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/48 "2002-12-31T03:28:14Z")
> [@](#): > > “Ruce vam k posteli svazu” is one of the few phrases I remember from Czech 101 (it was the first line of a rather bizarre song I had to translate). It means “I will tie your hands to the bed,” and I expect it would be quite the conversation stopper if I actually had the courage to use it. Porcupine, wouldn’t it be funny if we translated that into several different languages and then walked up to random people (who spoke said languages) and said that to them? It would be interesting to see how different people respond; which nationalites would be more willing to go for it, which would be outraged, and which would think we screwed up the translation. ---
**Author:** ![zia\_nova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/bc79bd/32.png) [@zia\_nova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zia_nova)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/49 "2002-12-31T06:26:44Z")
I don’t have any phrases you can use but my granddad speaks several languages. Keep in mind he’s _old_ and, sad to say, fluent doesn’t really apply for such folks. But I want to be like him and, as my dear dad says, ‘illiterate in several languages’ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/50 "2002-12-31T06:43:23Z")
Well my native language is English, I USED to be fluent in French (4 years ago when I last studied it… still fairly functional I must say!) but my favorite useless phrases come from Japanese, which I studied for 2 years and managed to forget a lot of in just a few months. We learned tongue twisters to practice the sounds… for example: “_nama muge nama gome nama tamago_”… raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg (not so funny but fun to say :D). Then there is “_Smomo mo momo, momo mo momo, smomo mo momo mo momo no uchi_ " which means “A Japanese plum is a kind of peach, a peach is also a peach, both Japanese plum and peach are kinds of peaches.” Also, _Uraniwa niwa niwa niwa niwa niwa niwatori ga iru_” (There are two chickens in the backyard and one in the front yard), and "_tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da"_ ('My neighbor’s guest is a guest who eats lots of persimmons) Languages with limited combinations of sounds are so much fun 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/51 "2002-12-31T06:52:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Obsidian Flutterby \* > \*\* > In Gaelic I know Pog mo thoin, Cead mile failte, Slainte and I can’t spell it but it sounds something like ishka baha which translates literally as Water of Life aka Whiskey. > > [/sub] \*\* uische beatha 🙂 I only know this 'cause I spent a summer in Scotland hehe… don’t know if there’s a difference between Scots and Irish Gaelic, but interesting how the Scots drop the “e” and call it whisky ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/52 "2002-12-31T07:51:10Z")
Ich bin ein Berliner = I am a jelly donut Chinese for “you are a monkeyface”, as near as I can figure: _Nee shhr hou-tz lee-enn!_ ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/53 "2002-12-31T13:51:48Z")
\*Needuh pee hun tcho, woduh pee hun siang \* I hope I have represented that well, given the fact that I am a Dutchman living in France trying to write a Chinese phrase phonetically in English… 😃 It means your fart stinks, mine smells very nice… ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/54 "2002-12-31T15:19:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunoichi \* > \*\*uische beatha 🙂 I only know this 'cause I spent a summer in Scotland hehe… don’t know if there’s a difference between Scots and Irish Gaelic, but interesting how the Scots drop the “e” and call it whisky \*\* Actually _uisce beatha_ in Irish. Not sure what it is in Scottish Gaelic (yes, there is a difference). ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/55 "2002-12-31T16:18:38Z")
oops that was a typo. Yeah I know there’s a difference between the two languages, I meant to wonder rather if there was a difference in spelling of that particular word 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Weary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@Weary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weary)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/56 "2002-12-31T17:01:54Z")
I’m nearly fluent in English, American, Canadian and I’m working on Australian as well ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/57 "2002-12-31T17:11:23Z")
I went to college with an Iranian guy who’d gotten out of the place right before the Ayatollah outlawed fun. He spoke about thirty words of English. We taught him English. He taught us how to curse in Farsi. The only one I remember is the one he claimed was the most useful, which was sort of pronounced “h’k’gaggak-h’k’gagk”, partly spoken, partly coughed. It made me understand why they don’t use our alphabet – it really doesn’t fit their consonants. The phrase was “dog balls”, by the way, which he claimed was the universal foul language phrase in Farsi, more or less equivalent to “fuckin’ A”, in English… ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/58 "2002-12-31T19:15:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*Rasa \*\*\* > When I went to France on an exchange program my sophomore year of high school, the phrase “NOT!” was popular in English. So, we “translated” it into French as: **"Pas!**. In high school French classes my friends and I used to say _mon mal_ for “my bad.” We thought that was pretty funny. A few years back my friend taught me a phrase in Chinese that I have since forgotten. It was “You don’t love me, you only love my doggy style.” ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/59 "2002-12-31T19:17:57Z")
I know some French, El Hubbo does not. Sometimes he’ll be telling me a story or will spout a fact and I’ll say, “C’est vrai,” which means “That’s true,” in English. But it sounds like, “Say vray.” So he usually says, “Vray.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005/60 "2002-12-31T19:41:38Z")
En anglais, je puet dire une phrase seulement: “My hovercraft is full of eels.” Je ne comprend pas bien cette phrase, mais je crois qu’elle veut dire: “Mon oncle est besoin d’une praline” ou quelque chose comme ca. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hesitant-in-four-languages/145005.md?page=4)