# Let's talk curse words in foreign languages **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069 "2011-10-28T13:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/81 "2011-11-03T09:16:51Z")
What’s the Dutch for chancre? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/82 "2011-11-03T09:34:12Z")
> [@medicated](#): > > Canadian French cursing is really funny, especially to francophones from elsewhere. It’s largely based on stringing together various religious terms. Tabarnac de câlisse, for example, literally means tabernacle of the chalice. Seriously 🙂 No shit. That’s funny, no offense, I was going to chime in that French curse is basically what we have in English – shit whore ass etc. with some choice little suffixes :“putasse” and so forth. I don’t know how to spell all the best ones, but they’re pretty tame and gain strength by combination with anything else you can think to throw in. Can you imagine what a Parisian would think about the “tabernacle of chalice”? I’ve never heard it, and I’d imagine most would think you’ve had too much wine and just ignore it. C’mon, are you serious? I’ve only been to Toronto three or four times, not exactly the hub of francophonie. ---
**Author:** ![Aghris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@Aghris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aghris)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/83 "2011-11-03T09:37:32Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > What’s the Dutch for chancre? I would translate it to ‘zweer’, although that’s more the ‘sore’ part of the word. When talking about chancre sores, cold sores, or any other type, I don’t think we distinguish. ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/84 "2011-11-03T09:56:26Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > C’mon, are you serious? I’ve only been to Toronto three or four times, not exactly the hub of francophonie. Very serious. I’ve seen a French comedian make fun of it too. I can only imagine that to Europeans it sounds really, really old fashioned and strange. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/85 "2011-11-03T10:14:01Z")
(Standard) Italian: _cazzo_, dick, oh shit! _merda_, shit _puttana_, whore, bitch _vai a cacare_, fuck off (literally “go take a shit”) _vaffanculo_, fuck you (literally a contraction of “go and take it in the arse”) The Afrikaans phrases here seem mild to some that I’ve read elsewhere, which were literally some of the most offensive things I’ve read. I remember one phrase that translated to something like “your father didn’t fuck your mother, he took a shit in her cunt”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/86 "2011-11-03T11:07:49Z")
> [@Aghris](#): > > I would translate it to ‘zweer’, although that’s more the ‘sore’ part of the word. When talking about chancre sores, cold sores, or any other type, I don’t think we distinguish. Thank you. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2011, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/87 "2011-11-03T11:30:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Interestingly enough, calling someone “brother-in-law” - “saala” - can be both literal, or also a curse word, as in “I am fucking your sister.” Don’t forget “sasur” – father in law – as in "I’m fucking your daughter – for someone who looks too old to be your brother in law. Suwar ka bachcha – spawn of a swine. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/88 "2011-11-03T14:11:58Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > What’s the Dutch for chancre? “Heineken” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/89 "2011-11-03T14:16:07Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Don’t forget “sasur” – father in law – as in "I’m fucking your daughter – for someone who looks too old to be your brother in law. > > Suwar ka bachcha – spawn of a swine. Oh yeah, not one we use that often (sasur) where I am from. I remember the great line in Temple of Doom: Maaro, maaro, sewer ko, chamdi nocho, peelo khoon! “Beat the pig, rip his skin, drink his blood!” ---
**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:** [November 3, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/90 "2011-11-03T14:21:28Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I remember the great line in Temple of Doom: > > Maaro, maaro, sewer ko, chamdi nocho, peelo khoon! > “Beat the pig, rip his skin, drink his blood!” I think they lifted that from _Lord of the Flies_, which I’m reading right now. The boys keep re-creating pig kills with dancing and chants of “Kill the beast! Cut his throat!Spill his blood!” ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/91 "2011-11-04T00:48:57Z")
> [@auRa](#): > > Well, according to a friend of mine who spent half a year there on work commission, “Switzerland is a shitty country where they speak the world’s ugliest language” so yeah, maybe. (He didn’t have such a great time there, can you tell?) I also don’t think he was paying attention. Despite it being a small country, Switzerland has four official languages: French, German, Italian and Romansh. Which one of those was supposedly the world’s ugliest language? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/92 "2011-11-04T01:11:51Z")
Well, they don’t speak all four of them at the same time and German has, I believe, the largest proportion of native speakers by a considerable lead over the other three. Considering that I’ve heard Germans say disparaging things about the Swiss dialect, I’ll take a shot that Swiss German is the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/93 "2011-11-04T01:59:33Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > Can you imagine what a Parisian would think about the “tabernacle of chalice”? I’ve never heard it, and I’d imagine most would think you’ve had too much wine and just ignore it. > > C’mon, are you serious? I’ve only been to Toronto three or four times, not exactly the hub of francophonie. > [@medicated](#): > > Very serious. I’ve seen a French comedian make fun of it too. I can only imagine that to Europeans it sounds really, really old fashioned and strange. I can’t see video at work, but I think this is the right [link](http://admack.com/video/74XN76MYD7S8/Quebec-I-am-Canadian-ad-Spoof). It’s a parody of the old “My name is Joe, and I am Canadian” Molson commercial, where a Quebecois goes on about Quebec stereotypes. One of the lines is (due to Montreal’s traffic laws) “I may not be able to go right on red, but tabernac, I can go right through it!” ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/94 "2011-11-04T02:45:48Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > I can’t see video at work, but I think this is the right [link](http://admack.com/video/74XN76MYD7S8/Quebec-I-am-Canadian-ad-Spoof). It’s a parody of the old “My name is Joe, and I am Canadian” Molson commercial, where a Quebecois goes on about Quebec stereotypes. One of the lines is (due to Montreal’s traffic laws) “I may not be able to go right on red, but tabernac, I can go right through it!” I’m still at work, so I can’t plug in headphones and view the link, but that sounds hilarious. Like M. Le Pew gone berserk, or something. Maybe it’s true – Canadians are unfailingly polite, even when cursing. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/95 "2011-11-04T02:58:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > … Germans say disparaging things about the Swiss dialect … Geez, talk about the pot calling the kettle black! I find the Swiss dialect quite softer myself than, say, High German. ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/96 "2011-11-04T04:04:10Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > I can’t see video at work, but I think this is the right [link](http://admack.com/video/74XN76MYD7S8/Quebec-I-am-Canadian-ad-Spoof). It’s a parody of the old “My name is Joe, and I am Canadian” Molson commercial, where a Quebecois goes on about Quebec stereotypes. One of the lines is (due to Montreal’s traffic laws) “I may not be able to go right on red, but tabernac, I can go right through it!” That made me laugh, but the one that I saw was in French. It was a comic from somewhere in the south of France making fun of Joual. This was about 10 years ago. Yeah, it would be hard to track him down. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/97 "2011-11-04T23:10:23Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > It’s probably an urban legend that this message was found on the voicemail of the support center of one of the larger computer brands here, but it’s anyway a good example of good Northern Norwegian swearing: (-----Buncha Norwegian words----) > [@](#): > > Don’t ask me to translate, it’s quite untranslateable 😃 Google translation “Now e æ førrbainna, that is. Holy shit, forty Nokka skjit. Who in hælvett e what has fuinne up the master satans worm works. It is then fan-steiki-hell do not ant to hoilde to kuke with it here away respectively .. Main then have forty ainner damn thing to do, einn put there to fettle and Baillet with Satan musejævelen. Kainn the settings inside the green mist tykjeræva led formal ka e point of Nokka iron lumber standing there and gneill and yell a lot of hell lyda and flash and flicker uta fan and password and wires and knobs tyt like he tykjen everywhere. Y had bærre have fådd hold of one of the docks, docks hell kuklæsta of naan support gakkgakka so skuill æ well fansøkki have rævkjørt docks where docks hear at home, Satan utvrengte cousin of naan hæstkuka. Come fan not here to lure main dirt on people, to fortæller ka æ the punch, your Satan gjeddpeis. Va up te me to docks have been in the Arctic and Lancaster kobbekuk, førbainna bought in grocery stores so …, could dolls have sweet to konnfigurert docks themselves as utahælvettes far up in the utpulte ass docks the docks had sjite out of Oran next time docks to the bathroom, and when the docks va færdi me so, sku æ pærsonli have come formatted trynan docks, to installed shank in it baillhånka docks so that the dolls came to count diaphragm red serial number. Should there still life span in docks after that sku æ be plugged and plowed docks so utavhælvettes far into the largest rævhållet æ has found. And when the sku for the lantern mainnskjit the docks all the way tea dolls daua. Previous damn frying settings into the hottest utsvidde hælvette of satan, let me get OMSA only one of the docks. Æ has surely forty hell delete hauet of hysjævla before. Æ come to tea måkke all the førbainna muck in the box and send it in return æ fan will not have him. Then dolls tea hell put there to Lancaster alone in the hell phone docks.” Heh. Some good phrases in there: “master Satan’s worm works” “yell a lot of hell” “plugged and plowed” “muck in the box” I’m not quite sure what all of the references to “docks” and “dolls” are about, but I wish I understood the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/98 "2011-11-05T00:46:41Z")
> [@medicated](#): > > Yeah, it would be hard to track him down. I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not. I’d try to find something in French which points out this “eccentric” Fr-Canadian habit, but I’m almost going to be late for getting ready for my job, but it could be very amusing to hear. It seems there is a pretty large amount of francophones on here – someone must know of a link! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/99 "2011-11-05T01:11:26Z")
Well, I do have a couple Norwegian buddies, I could see if it can be translated a bit better than that … ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069/100 "2011-11-05T01:11:44Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not. I’d try to find something in French which points out this “eccentric” Fr-Canadian habit, but I’m almost going to be late for getting ready for my job, but it could be very amusing to hear. It seems there is a pretty large amount of francophones on here – someone must know of a link! Sorry, not sarcastic at all. I just meant that it would probably be hard to find that specific comedian. I’m not sure how often Québécois accents and dialect come up as subjects of humour in France generally though. Any French people care to enlighten me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-curse-words-in-foreign-languages/601069.md?page=6)