Sunday, 10 August 2014
Let me hug you (German)
Below is a screen shot shared by a follower on our facebook page:
Can't say the phrase in itself is one I'm familiar with. I'd have to agree with the translation software over the human on this one...word for word.
There are many other more approved way to ask for a hug in German though. Just a few of those below:
Lass mich dich drücken (drücken meaning "to press")
Lass mich dich in die Arme nehme (let me take you in my arms)
Lass uns umarmen (let us hug one another)
Lass mich dich knuddeln (knuddeln = "cuddle")
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Friday, 1 August 2014
Language Mishaps! (Lonely Planet)
Lost in translation, or a watersports call-to-arms? Image by Ajay Tallam / CC BY-SA 2.0
My own pronunciation error: I once asked at a Christmas market in Germany for a Hot Chocolate "mit Zähne" (with teeth) instead of "mit Sahne" (with cream)
A friend of mine had a similar french vowel stumble, telling an undesired suitor "léche-moi" (lick me!) instead of "lâche-moi" (leave me alone
...pronounce "merci beaucoup" (thank you) wrong and you'll be telling a french chap/lass that they have a "beau cul" (nice ass).
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Bénabar - Tu Peux Compter Sur Moi (French)
Bénabar is a personal favourite of mine. Whilst the music can sound a little "middle-of-the-road" there is an incredible depth to his lyrics which is often very amusing and paints a vivid portrait of a character or makes light of relationship problems.
Tu peux compter sur moi is a song about a rather fickle chap who promises to be there for you no matter what, but then goes on to list times and places that are inconvenient for him. Some such contradictions are below. Enjoy!
Helpful Bénabar:
si tu as besoin de moi... - If you need me...
peu importe le problème - No matter what the problem
tu peux compter sur moi - you can count on me
je serai toujours là pour toi - I will always be there for you
Si tu as perdu le chemin... - if you have lost your way...
Si tu te sens seul... - if you feel lonely...
si t'as besoin d'une épaule... - If you need a shoulder (to cry on)...
t'hésites pas, tu m'appelles - don't hesitate, call me.
Flaky Bénabar
j'ai des obligations - I have duties/obligations
il faut pas que ce soit trop loin - as long as it's not too far away
je prends pas l'avion j'ai trop peur - I won't fly I have a fear of it.
je prends pas non plus le bateau parce que j'ai le mal de mer - I won't take the boat either because I get seasick
Le week-end ça m'arrange pas - weekends are no good for me
la semaine j'suis pas trop joignable - During the week I'm not very reachable
Je peux je crois en juin, mais vaut mieux que je vérifie - I think I can in June, but probably best that I check
il faut choisir le bon jour - you'll have to pick the right day
Friday, 25 July 2014
Smile and Say Cheese/Marmoset/Aubergine!
In English we don't really have too much need to question the phrase that we use to encourage folks to smile when we are taking a photo:
Say Cheese!
This is probably because we also have the associations with "cheesy" and our smiles. And a cheesy smile makes for a great photo.
In reality, though, the two are most likely not linked, and cheese is just a word with an elongated vowel that makes us smile as we say it.
There are some great foreign language examples in this Wikipedia entry :
A couple of my favourites, though - checked via other sources - are as follows:
French: Marmoset
ouistiti
Chinese: Aubergine
茄子
qiézi (sounds like cheese)
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