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50 Times Non-Native English Speakers Tried To Say Something And It Came Out In Funny And Sweet ‘Translations’
Interview With Author
A TikToker shared a funny story of a non-native English speaker creating some beautiful, unintentional poetry when trying to discuss moths and it spawned a frenzy of similar stories, phrases, and wonderful expressions. We reached out to Chris Rory, who created the original TikTok, to hear more about his experience and see some other examples. So get comfortable, pick up a notebook, and get ready to write down some excellent expressions that you should include in your everyday vocabulary. Be sure to upvote your favorites and check out Chris’ TikTok account here.
More info: TikTok
Image credits: chris.rory
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
mooshoflove 2 years ago
I'm desperately waiting for the moment of cherries 🍒!!!
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Schtroumphette Zezekof 2 years ago
In greek, "season" (epochi) is the same word for "era" as well, so a greek would say "it is the era of the mellon"
Chrissyfox 2 years ago
My French neighbour and I were talking about how few birds there were in the garden. She informed me philosophically that it was the love season. I loved that.
Brigit Sole-March 2 years ago
My dear husband of 30 years still tells me, 'I'll let you down here.' (Oh no, please don't!) when he means 'I'll drop you off here.' (BTW, husband just read comment over my shoulder and retorted faux indignantly, 'You Americans talk weird!')
Brigit Sole-March 2 years ago
My dear Italian husband still says (after 30 years) 'I'll let you down here,' when he means he'll drop me off. (BTW, he just read this comment over my shoulder and retorted faux indignantly, 'You Americans talk weird!')
RELATED:
#2
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
Just want to take this moment to say that I have a garlic grinder called Gracula. I did not name it; that's what it's called on Amazon and it looks like a vampire
#3
Phoenix(or nix)they/them 2 years ago
Me too because I feel so nauseous but nothing will come out 😭
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TonyTee 2 years ago (edited)
Universities can drain alot of human battery life 👉🏻🪫
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Id row 2 years ago
I worked with someone who was from Costa Rica and English wasn't his first language, although he was very good at it. I called him one time and his VM greeting had me in stitches - "You have reached [name]. I am busy with myself right now. Please leave a message." After I got done laughing, I told him he should think about changing that, lol.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
Naw, I wouldn't change it. Maybe explain the idiom to him and encourage him to leave it :-)
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Bored Panda reached out to Chris Rory, who created the original TikTok, to ask some more questions. First, we wanted to know if he had any other examples of “accidental poetry that he liked. ”Gosh, it’s hard to think of the beautiful ones, a lot of it is just in the phrasing, adding an extra word here or there that adds emphasis to a sentence that wouldn’t normally be there, but here are some ones I can think of: “Rather is better than better is rather!”
An Italian friend trying to explain something like “It’s better than nothing!” I enjoy that our phrase for remembering how to tighten screws (righty tighty - lefty loosey) has a Spanish equivalent “The Right oppresses, the Left liberates” which I think is wonderful.”
#4
Lauren S 2 years ago
English is my first (and only) language. And I most certainly asked for the drink-sucking-through-er today. Straw. I wanted a straw.
Mere Cat 2 years ago
Finnish is my first language. I could not remember the Finnish word for amniotic fluid, which is literally just "child water", lapsivesi. Instead, I said "fetus fluid" (sikiöneste). Did I mention that I'm an MD and have worked in pre-natal care...
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Tatjana gellert 2 years ago
I once forgot the name of egg yolk and called it that yellow dot. 10 years later my husband still asks me if I want my yellow dot sunny side up 🫣
JayhawkJoey 2 years ago
Dating now-husband, in a hotel room. I ask him, "Can't you turn on the smell-go-away thingy in the bathroom?" He asks, "You mean the fan?"
Su Smith 2 years ago
Oven gloves are hot grabbers, pens are writing sticks, and finally lemonade is silver fizzy😂 But my favourite (from my son) is Stinky wisher, not so much a miss translation as a different way of saying the thing - I bet you can't guess what it is!
Jane Cortez 2 years ago
I couldn’t remember the word for ‘pillow cases,’ or ‘pillow protectors,’ so instead decided that they were ‘zipper pouches.’
#5
Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
The word for gloves in German is Handschuhe - literally, Hand Shoes ; I love Germany.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
I do love how creative the German language is.
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#6
Skyla King 2 years ago
My Italian friend always says, “the pieces are eating each other!” Whenever we play chess. It’s hilarious and adorable.
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
Might be literal translation. In Finnish you would say something like "horse eats messenger" when you mean "knight takes bishop" 😄
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TonyTee 2 years ago
And after a few minutes of looking he gets fed up and goes “ahh ba-fongool”
Brigit Sole-March 2 years ago
. . . that is, ohhh, go f**k yourself in Sicilian or Neapolitan dialect.
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Brigit Sole-March 2 years ago
We mess up hilariously, too. When I was just learning Italian in Rome, I wanted to get a money order (vaglia telegrafica) and kept asking bemused Italians around me where I could get a 'valigia telegrafica', that is, a telegraphic suitcase.
SILVIA SAAD JAFET 2 years ago
We say "eating" instead of taking when playing chess too. I live in Brazil.
He was also kind enough to share examples he had heard from friends and acquaintances. “A Norwegian colleague once asked me what the English word for “the first piss of the day” was, which alerted me to the idea that we might not have one, but also, that other people do. My Polish mother-in-law often tells jokes but picks the wrong word for the punch line. “A man walks into the doctor totally naked but wrapped in cling film. The doctor says ‘I can clearly see your balls.’”
#7
Iffydust 2 years ago
I didnt remember the word for ashes in dutch. So I called it crumbs. I was talking about human ashes to humans crumbs 😅😱
#8
Noname 2 years ago
I was at my MIL's crémation funeral, but didnt know how to say "cremation" correctly in french (it's the same word but with the accent on a different syllable) so, in frustration, I referred to it as the "bbq".
Noname 2 years ago
My American family always had a sense of humor about death,-we joked about the deceased in a loving way, we ate food and invited friends to engage in our sorrow in a light-hearted way, so being part of a French funeral for the 1st time was really weird because the French don't have a sense of humor, and the biggest joke was my mils ex husband arriving at her funeral in a Hawaiian t-shirt and p**s stained shorts was just the bomb for me.
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One strange Corinthian 2 years ago
Isn't it really? We celebrate we made it for one more year!
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UpupaEpops 2 years ago
I did something similar when I was 5. Terrarium: place where dry land animals live. Aquarium: place where water animals live. Herbarium: place where (dry) plants live. So *clearly* a place where lots of nuns live is going to be called a "nunarium".
“I used to live in Japan and I found out while living in Japan that for quite a while, instead of saying ‘housewife’ I had been saying ‘prostitute.’ Turns out I had been mispronouncing either shufu or shoufu,” he added, a good reminder to all of us attempting a new language. Make sure to check if there are similar-sounding words. After all, ship, duck, and stitch are all one letter away from curses.
#10
gerard julien 2 years ago
Interesting fact : "According to Merriam-Webster, the term rooster (i.e. a roosting bird) originated in the mid- or late 18th century as a euphemism to avoid the sexual connotation of the original English c**k" Puritanism at its best (even BP censors it ! ) emoji-6460...5d1487.png 
Fat Harry 2 years ago
Yep, because Americans are actually really prudish. See also "snicker" instead of "snigger" and "tidbit" instead of "titbit"
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glowworm2 2 years ago
I remember a story where a man didn’t know how to say chicken so when needing help looking for it, he held up an egg to an employee and asked “ Where mother?”
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Fat Harry 2 years ago
Why wouldn't they simply say c**k, given that's both correct and more similar to the French anyway.
gerard julien 2 years ago
c**k : "male of the domestic fowl," from Old English cocc "male bird," Old French coc (12c., Modern French coq).
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Valerie G. 2 years ago
Are we on French teacher stories now? I made my teacher's face go rather pink when I said "Madame Sinclair, back in grade eight you told me if I got straight A's for three years you would teach me all the swear words? Time to pony up the prize."
#11
sturmwesen 2 years ago
This got me thinking... Why do we call the shell a house but a slug us a "naked snail" and not a homeless snail?
Ivana Bašić 2 years ago
My mother tongue doesn't have a different word, they're literally called nude snails.
#12
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Only for the cow really. Can cows swim? To the googles!... Yes cows can swim. Apparently they're quite good swimmers. "There was even a case of cows swimming miles to safe land after being pushed out to sea by Hurricane Dorian."
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reiko_liesegang@yahoo.de 2 years ago
Oh, we have the same one in German. „Die Kuh ist vom Eis.“
Natalie Bohrteller 2 years ago
TIL. I'm German, never heard of it. It's cool :D
Load More Replies... VeryDarkMatter 2 years ago
In german we say "wie bringen wir die Kuh vom Eis?" (How do we get the cow off the ice?) if we looking for the solution of a problem.
Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
Danish : sliding in on a Shrimp Sandwich (meaning he/she hasn't had to work hard to get where they are.)
Madster 2 years ago
"We're not out of the water yet" would be the English equivalent of the opposite (ish) of that phrase.
Lotekguy 2 years ago
With global warming, it's "we're not out of the water that used to be the ice the cow was on".
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PrettyJoyBird 2 years ago
What does it translate to or sound similar? Ex the saying "hold your horses" to tell someone calm down?
Lennart 2 years ago (edited)
As reiko said, there at least seems to be a german equivalent loosely translating to 'we got the cow off of the ice' meaning a critical situation that could break in any second has been diffused or resolved. Same saying works in reverse going something like 'the cow is not off the ice yet' meaning it looks better, but still can turn into a shitshow at a moments notice. Edit spelling
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Ian Webling 2 years ago
The Proto-Celtic equivalent for this is 'The cow is not in the river'.
Chris gave some other examples from Japan.” A Japanese friend once got her hair cut and I tried to tell her it was beautiful and it didn’t get the reaction I expected. I later found out I had told her it looked scary or ugly. The Japanese word ‘chin’ means ‘penis’ so when I taught children things like ‘ears, eyes, chin” they were rolling in laughter and I had no idea why.”
#13
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
"Hello darkness my old friend..." - Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence https://youtu.be/NAEppFUWLfc
Passerby 2 years ago
In my native language, close (the door etc.) and turn off (the light etc.) are the same word. Even though I am an English teacher and have been speaking English for many years, I still find myself saying closing the light or closing the TV sometimes.
Evan H 2 years ago
A French co-worker of mine always said "close the light" too. But from an engineering perspective it's incorrect: when you click a light switch off you "open" the electrical circuit, so you open the circuit to close the light!
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Upstaged75 2 years ago
Spiderman the Musical: Turn Off the Dark. (Yes, this was a real show on Broadway. A big flop!)
#14
Thegoodboi 2 years ago
Ok but watching a turtle eat is like watching paint dry. It's amazing..
#15
Gwynne Greene 2 years ago
Well that puts a whole new perspective on "a burden to carry " lol 😆
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
In my mind's eye, I literally "see" people's emotional burdens as giant overstuffed weighty backpacks... so I guess "mortal sins" also weigh as much as backpacks
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Hilary Mol 2 years ago
Finally, a perfect description of what it's like to carry around a Norton's Anthology in your backpack across campus. (Back in the old days. When the internet was new. And you still had to do all of your research in books. And you sent information home by smoke signals.)
CypressTree 2 years ago
My backpack weighs 5 mortal sins, one for every subject I have stuff in there for
Brigit Sole-March 2 years ago
When my Italian husband is infuriated, he yells out 'Porco dio!' or pig god. Along those lines we also have 'porco Judah' and 'porca puttana' and porca madonna, that is, pig Judah, pig hooker and pig madonna, when he's a bit less pissed.
“I guess language is flexible and is supposed to be expressive. Poetry is a way of pushing language by playing with syntax and pairing words in novel ways to create feeling and imagery. When people learn a language they do this naturally because they don’t yet know all of the ‘rules’ of the language, so they break them - the same way poetry does,” he added, when we asked about his thoughts on why these phrases sometimes seem so beautiful.
#16
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
More of a food algorithm. I have aphasia. You can tell when I don't know the word for "menu" but I do know "food algorithm."
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Lawrence Nahlik 2 years ago
I speak Thai. The Thai words for recipe & formula are the same word.
Vera Diblikova 2 years ago
Recipes with tutorials are better than a list of ingredients, which are for advanced cooks only (aka recipes by my granny from the late fifties).
#17
Thom Serveaux 2 years ago
I tell my husband his birthmarks are stars. Sometimes I find constellations in them. He hates them but I love them
Strawberry 2 years ago
my friend is insecure about her freckles, but she’s so nice. her freckles are like sprinkles on a sweet cupcake ❤️
Marykay Klim 2 years ago
When my daughter was young, she loved her freckles, because they were fairy kisses.
#18
Phoenix(or nix)they/them 2 years ago
The Japanese direct translation of hedgehog is "needle mouse". I don't remember the actual word though.
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 2 years ago
Lap cactus. Cactus imitator. Prickly land urchin
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Frappuchino the hedgehog 2 years ago
That’s offensive to my kind we are not related to rats other than moonrats
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
I was teaching Grade 6 English in the Nineties and a child came and asked me what the Afrikaans word "ystervark" (ace-tur-farrr-k) meant in English. I said, "Iron pig (the literal translation). I don't know; go ask the Afrikaans teacher." She came back and said, "It's a porcupine." I didn't think more of it until I was marking her book. She used a sentence about a person touching a wire and he "got shocked and his hair stood up like a porcupine". Hehe.
“I’m not a linguist and I only know scraps of other languages, not enough to speak, but I did use to live communally with about 15-20 people, many of which were non-native speakers, it made for some excellent late-night conversations.” You can find Chris’ TikTok here where he posts funny sketches and talks about his life experience. He also has an Instagram page, which you can find here as well as a studio photography page, which you can find here.
#19
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
One of many obscure and archaic English words that need revival.
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Jo Davies 2 years ago
In South Africa I is common for Sotho-speaking people to say "next of next day" instead of the day after tomorrow and I love that.
OhBlahDi OhBlahDa 2 years ago
Came here to say this but instead I get to upvote you :)
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Paul Scheermeijer 2 years ago
That would have been a proper movie title for "the day after tomorrow"
#20
reiko_liesegang@yahoo.de 2 years ago
It is a word to word translation of the german Word „Staubsauger“
Lennart 2 years ago
Though 'dust sucker' would also work as literal translation and would not sound as cute...
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setsuriseikou 2 years ago
It literally is dust sucker in Russian (пылесос)
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Anna Lundquist 2 years ago
The Word by word translation of the Swedish Word for vacuum cleaner would be ”dust sucker” 😂😂
StitchIsCuteAndFluffy 2 years ago
Sounds like something Dr. Doofenshmirtz would say! Dust-Inhalor-inator!
Auntriarch 2 years ago (edited)
Most people in UK call their vacuum cleaner the hoover, and speak of hoovering the carpet. Also greedy persons may be accused of hoovering the snacks. It's a word now
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Luke Branwen 2 years ago
Okay but that phrase is so raw that I had to pause and ponder it for a moment
Maggie 2 years ago
I just love all those alternatives, we should use them. Makes life more colourful.
#22
Stannous Flouride 2 years ago
To my Spanish speaking friends I usually say, "Bailar con lobos" instead of "Vaya con Dios" (said fast they sound very similar and often not noticed) I started back in the 80s after seeing "Dances With Wolves" in a Venezuelan theater.
janey nimu 2 years ago
Good-bye in my mother tounge (an African Bantu language) literally translates to "have good moments"
#23
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
One of my Grandmas had a birthday cake fire when she turned 90.... it was awesome
Cold Eagle 2 years ago
I giggled and then my brain kicked in with cheeky sod. 👍
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Heather Menard 2 years ago
I had a customer looking for eye drops and the called them ice drops
#24
The Other Guest 2 years ago
I call 'em "Satan's candy." Horrible, nasty little things... (YMMV of course)
Nice Beast Ludo 2 years ago
"They used to be fat and juicy and now they're twisted. They had their lives stolen. Well, they taste sweet, but really they're just humiliated grapes. I can't say I am a big supporter of the raisin council."
Susan Robinson 2 years ago
What was it they called raisins in the movie Benny and Joon? Dehydrated grapes? No…something else 🤔
#25
#26
#27
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 2 years ago
Reminds me of my brother at an American wedding. He forgot the name for "best man" and called him "spare groom".
Lemme get the lemons 2 years ago
Let's hope the bride didn't think that as well
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Karen Krause 2 years ago
My sister (An American) once forgot the word, airport, and called it a plane station.
#28
Amber 2 years ago
When asking someone in Spanish how old they are, you ask how many years they have
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 2 years ago
Spanish verb "tener" (have) is often used similarly as "to be" in English. That's why Spanish speakers first learning English will say things like "I have cold" or "I have hunger". In Mexico, I had a student at an entry level that spent the entire first class believing my name was Late...
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R 2 years ago
That’s the exact translation from Swedish and probably Norwegian, how you ask for the time. We actually say that in our languages.
Disco Hippie 2 years ago
That is a literal transfer also from finnish and I have used it several times in the past.
Dynein 2 years ago
Also very similar to the German wording, although the more accurate transcription into English would probably be "How much o'clock is it?"
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Noyfb noyfb 2 years ago (edited)
In the film “Casablanca,” a German couple plan to emigrate to America and practice telling time. “What watch?” “Ten watch.” “Such watch”!”
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
In Afrikaans you ask, "Hoe laat is it?" which translates to, "How late is it?" So when Afrikaans people ask me that I just tell them the time.
WhatEvenIsLife 2 years ago
It's similar in German. The literal translation is "how many hours is it?"
#29
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Well that's how they work in old video games with ASCII graphics.
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
Haha.English is my wife’s second language and she called a ladder “the long stairs”
#30
Becca Kuehn 2 years ago
I've had trouble remembering the word colander, so I called it the 'hole bowl'. 🕳 🥣 ☺️
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 2 years ago
Reminds me when a Russian friend forgot the name for fridge. She called it a "cooling oven".
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
For some reason, the word sieve is the only one I ever rememger. "The big hole sieve" is a colander. The "mesh sieve" is an actual sieve.
OmBoyGanesh 2 years ago (edited)
Maybe it’s regional? Where I’m from a strainer is usually a wire mesh bowl & often has a handle. A colander is a large bowl with holes.
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The Other Guest 2 years ago
My mom & I once got in a (friendly) argument over whether the birds in the backyard were doves or pigeons. I finally googled it; they were rock doves, also known as rock pigeons. Thanks, google!
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#32
Awesome At Being Autistic 2 years ago
When my Grandma would go to visit the cemetery, she'd say "I'm going to visit those people that don't get out too much."
Fantastic Mr Fox 2 years ago
I looked the word origin up and it’s surprisingly close. “ from Greek koimētērion sleeping chamber, burial place, from koiman to put to sleep”
KnightOwl 2 years ago
My 5yr old neice randomly asked me if I could take her to a cemetery a few weeks ago. I asked why and she said she wants to look at the stones, a few minutes later she asked "how long does it take for the bodies to turn to stones?" She was so disappointed when she found out that the stones aren't made of bodies, and stomped away angry muttering about how "she'll never turn into a stone" she genuinely thought bodies turned onto stones with the person's info magically printed on them and wasn't happy to fin out this wasn't the case (she's kinda obsessed with death and dead things right now)
Marsha Brown 2 years ago
At the age of 4, my brother was asked if he knew what a cemetery was when we passed one while driving home and he pointed it out. "Sure," he said, "It's a place where dead people live."
Karyn Wylie Korhorn 2 years ago
We live near a cemetery and have lived her 18 years. When my daughter was 3 years old she called it 'the quiet zoo. Where everyone is quiet 'under ground" and raised her hands up to her eyes.
#33
Sheila McCarthy 2 years ago
Granddaughter called them white trees and broccoli, green trees. I never forget this.
Gemma Howard 2 years ago
My daughter calls cauliflower cheese cottage cheese cottage cheese and viennetta is Vietnam lol oh and one cucumber is cubunger, we're are vey English but they have stuck and been these since she was 3/4 she is nearly 12 now
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
That’s cute for a 3-year-old but not so cute when she’s about to be a teen/adult. People will tease and mock her, and she may appear foolish or stupid to other adults when she says “cubunger”. Plus, it might be a wee bit offensive to Vietnamese people that your daughter refers to a dessert with the name of their country.
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Anna Stephenson 2 years ago
My Malaysian ex couldn't remember he name of a famous Aussie/NZ snack (called "Lamingtons") he kept calling them "Washingtons!"
#34
Passerby 2 years ago
I must be tired, or hungry, as I read it as "My french fries 🍟" and break up as "ketchup".
Mary Peace 2 years ago
Hello Passerby, that definitely takes the chat in a different direction! I hope you got the food or sleep you needed!
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Mark Cowell 2 years ago
When I first started seeing my (French) wife, I sent her a text & ended with what Google said was hugs & kisses - I effectively told her that I was going to ravage her! Don't trust Google for a translation!!
#35
Majungasaurus 2 years ago
My friend was drunk once 15 years ago and called one “Dabby lagoo” so now we call them dabby lagoos 😂😂
Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
In German: Weberknecht. Difficult to translate. Weaver servant?
#36
#37
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
I'm American and I usually call them strainers not colanders.
Mario Strada 2 years ago
I am boring. When I forget "Colander", I say "pasta strainer" which is also correct.
kenneth Boos lamy 2 years ago
Cats: in Turkey cats are well taken care of and all stray cats are homey cats
nala simba 2 years ago
Reminds me of my parents and their generation - "I go, you go, bus go, Glasgow!"
Julie Lemaire 2 years ago
Well, that is the one word you will NEVER learn if you don't live in an English speaking country. Never heard of someone using colander in a series or a song 😆
#38
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago (edited)
That Scottish accent you do sounds weirdly Australian
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Bill Marsano 2 years ago
Perhaps because they are un-owned, and often cared for by the community. Turks are like that with cats, too, according to a fascinating documentary I saw some years ago.
#39
meowi.anne 2 years ago
My mom is kenyan and whenever we're in the car and the sun is glaring she says the sun is poking her eyes.
Terri Blakley 2 years ago
I had an EFL student in Portugal in 1983 who wrote a sentence including this phrase “and the Sun smiled every day.”❤️ I’ll remember it always.
#40
Tanja J 2 years ago
"Do you suffer tickling" is a direct translation from italian for asking if you're ticklish.
Mario Strada 2 years ago
Yep, although it took me a while to remember it. I haven't tickled many people recently.
Load More Replies... Dragons Exist 2 years ago
I mean the sensation of being tickled is biologically the same as pain
Lennart 2 years ago
Wait what? Source? There are spwcific nerve cells in your skin sensitive to touch and vibration, as there are 'loose nerve endings' susceptible to pain, but your body being able to descriminate between a spider going up your leg and a honey badger chewing said leg of is not in any way, form or shape 'biologically the same'
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#41
vikilein 2 years ago (edited)
Careful, in which language you say it: in Hungarian “night butterflies” (= éjszakai pillangó) means sex workers!
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#42
Olivia Dean 2 years ago
Similar- a Chinese teacher of my girls used to say "turtle speed" when she wanted them to slow down. That phrase came home - so cute
Mary Peace 2 years ago
At school I had a reputation for being slow, so they called me 'tortoise'.
Isabel Care 2 years ago
My friends mobility buggy had tortoise and hare pictures on the speed dial
I Am, In Fact, That Weirdo 2 years ago
Turtle PLEASE. Sorry is lo siento.
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rumple slunkskin 2 years ago
As log as it's in season you can forage a baby for personal consumption on public land.
Load More Replies... Lauren S 2 years ago
I’m sort of baby bananas. So if you ever accidentally get a kid I’m happy to take it off your hands! (But… less creepy that this sounds lol) I just told my husband I should get a job in a daycare center with babies about two days ago.
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#44
A B C the Third 2 years ago
I tend to call them proto humans cause they're not quite finished yet
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Amanda Rose 2 years ago
My dad's dog absolutely loves kids. We've taken to calling them people puppies around him. We've both gotten some odd looks when using it out of context.
#45
Stacy M 2 years ago
I love you. I take “rabitat” to have and to hold forever.
Load More Replies... cerinamroth 2 years ago
Cos you make me feel… you make me feel… you make me feel like a nat-u-ral rabbit, rabbit
#46
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 2 years ago
Literally, they translate in Spanish as "Molars of Judgment" (Muelas del Juicio)
Meowmeow 2 years ago
I'm glad to know I have less judgement in my life as opposed to not having as much wisdom
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LooneyMoons 2 years ago
Judgment Teeth, both in Spanish and Italian. What does the fact that only 2 of mine came out mean?
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Strangely enough, I have all four of mine in. Not especially wise though.
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
I don't have any. They x rayed me and... they're not there. So l'm going to go with no judgemental instead of plain dumb.
Load More Replies... Sour Cherry Candy 2 years ago
"Dientes que han ido a la escuela por muchos años" [Teeth that have gone to school for many years]
#47
#48
Shehzadi Amal 2 years ago
When my Pakistani friend was first learning English he would say "I have believe in you!" in place of *I believe in you*. I have never used the latter again. 😂 ❤️
Debra Smith 2 years ago
Alfredo, the man who owns the cleaning crew that comes in and helps us out after large events, says “nice to meet you”. Every single time we see each other. For years. I’m pretty sure he means nice to see you. I’m also pretty sure he’s hoping we will all learn Spanish someday. But no. We are too lazy
#49
Ami Tokuda 2 years ago
Intrigued by the situation where one would be in distress to identify a pear
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
I’d love to be able to come up with a hilarious pun here XD But, I imagine they may have meant that they were trying to speak of a pear in a conversation, forgot the word for it, struggled to remember it, and became distressed because they COULDN’T remember, and were worried they looked stupid and foolish, maybe?
Load More Replies... Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
Trying to explain what linguine are, I came up with "spaghetti with corners"
SmooshyFries 2 years ago
Had a patient tell me she wanted to see the housewife for the milking classes- she wanted to see the Midwife for the Breast-feeding classes. Adorable
Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
And why not, if the French can call Limes 'Citron Vert' (literally, Green Lemon) , apple with a point is fine !!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
They both make delicious alcohol if you know what you're doing.
#50
TheSilentEngineer 2 years ago
I have done the same thing, because in my native language our word for gloves translates to "hand shoes"
Escapist Panda 2 years ago
In Japanese, that's the actual word for toes! 足の指 (ashi no yubi / foot's finger).
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#51
OneHappyPuppy 2 years ago
Where I'm from, we call it the horse tail. Pony tail, horse tail, guess what that makes your head...
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
My mother, whose first language WAS English, used to put my hair up in a ponytail on the top of my head and called it a fountain!
#53
The Other Guest 2 years ago
I like this one! Gonna have to start using it (presuming I can remember it the next time the opportunity arises)
#54
Ghx 2 years ago
When my sibling was a little kid, they called the part under the knee a "leg armpit" 😆
Upstaged75 2 years ago
On horses (and other animals) the rear leg joints are called hocks. My friend's kid always says "backwards knees". He's actually not wrong when you think about it. :)
#55
Lisa Zehr 2 years ago
Right, but I think the phrasing is 'That's not my cup of tea'. Close...
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Cihan Ekizoglu 2 years ago
It sounds more accurate than the original. Especially if you stress the word "my" when you say that.
#56
#57
Verinder of the Valley 2 years ago
I have had that said to me multiple times.
Load More Replies... OneHappyPuppy 2 years ago
In my country we say "poison comes in small bottles" so that checks out
#58
Amanda Rose 2 years ago
Crispy would definitely apply to me. I'm super fair skinned and I don't tan at all, just go straight to burnt.
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
A colleague told me of the time she went overseas (maybe to Germany? I can't remember) and was trying to say she was overheated. But the word she used for "hot" actually meant "sexy" so she was going round telling everyone how 'hot' (sexy) she was instead!
Terran 2 years ago
In German you say "mir ist heiß" which literally translates to "me is hot" to say you are overheated. If you literally say "I am hot" it's "ich bin heiß", which basically means "I am sexy". It's a very funny and innocent mistake, that actually is quite common.
Load More Replies... #59
Luna Crow 2 years ago
Unwilling participant.. why don't we get to choose? I would've been a great dog or bird or something
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 2 years ago
I would've been the best cat. I'm so close yet so far :(
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Toasted Applesauce 1 year ago
I LOVE people coming up with ridiculously complicated translations
#60
#61
Lauren S 2 years ago
That’s cute. At my kid’s school some of the kids say “cheese and crackers” instead of Jesus Christ. My son started saying “Jesus Crackers”. So close my boy. (Ps, I’ve never corrected him because I love it).
Cold Eagle 2 years ago
Oh that's what Sheldon meant on young Sheldon. I just figured it was a phrase not a direct switch. Ty
Load More Replies... DumYum 2 years ago
When you have an upset tummy, this is what you need, Jesus Crackers and Jesus Sprite.
Load More Replies... #62
#63
Lindy Mac 2 years ago
Just gentle reminder that Kraut is derogatory... so don't use it if you don't want to offend a German person.
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#65
Mary Peace 2 years ago
Good idea, becos the customer is 'always right', unlike the poor employee!
Load More Replies... #66
Fatal Immortality 2 years ago
I've heard both "manhole pancake" and "bumpy pancake" for waffle
Michelle Quiej 2 years ago
In Swedish the word waffle rhymes with the word for slippers, and apparently I used to say that instead of waffle as a kid. My whole family says that now, so when my now-husband heard it the first time, he was so confused, asking why we were eating slippers for breakfast :D
#67
Mary Peace 2 years ago
But I have memories about people that are still alive, and about other things as well.
Mary Peace 2 years ago
It might be a combination of significant numbers, like previous phone nos and house/flat nos. Once you've said/typed it a few times, it probably sticks in your mind.
Load More Replies... #68
The Other Guest 2 years ago
I used to have a dog who loved grapes. We couldn't say the word around him because he knew what it meant & got all excited. We couldn't *spell* the word around him for the same reason. They became "round fruits that grow in bunches." Ah, I miss him still; he was the goodest boi! (PS, yes I know dogs shouldn't have grapes, but I didn't know it then. He lived to be 15 so I don't think they hurt him much.)
Baseball is Life 2 years ago
This reminds me of my mom. I was going to the grocery store and asked if she needed anything and she says: Oh yes, some dried grapes. After a couple seconds of silence, I said: do you mean raisins?? She laughed and said, Yes that's what I meant. Ohh how I miss her. I am happy to have read this, thank you💗
#69
#70
#71
Matthew Currie 2 years ago
Long ago my wife had a Japanese room mate in college, who called the shower "the little rain room." The term still gets used occasionally.
Dynein 2 years ago
I mean, come to think of it "shower" is also the word for a quick rain, so in English it IS basically the rain room!
Load More Replies... #72
#73
Mary Peace 2 years ago
Have you ever been to a classical music concert and seen the kettle drum?!
#75
Mary Peace 2 years ago
Interesting, Mariele. Office clasp reminds me more of a bulldog clip. (I guess that's more confusing, it sounds like something you put on the dog!)
Load More Replies... T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
In Afrikaans a paper clip is a :skuif speld" (movable pin), but few people know this. When I use that word, even the Afrikaans people give me the stink-eye. (I'm English-speaking but am fluent in Afrikaans.)
#76
2 years ago
It is, they didnt understand that phrase and that's why it's funny
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LK 2 years ago (edited)
This is perfectly acceptable English. It is correct, and not a weird translation .
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
The person didn’t understand and said “don’t be afraid”
Load More Replies... Paul Scheermeijer 2 years ago
As dutch we use op sentence "ik ben bang, dat ik dat niet kan leveren" that translates to I'm afraid.. I can relate
#77
#78
Ace 2 years ago
In what strain of English is this _not_ correct and normal usage? I guess the poster is thinking of it as only ever meaning considerate.
Lois Reese 2 years ago
You're right...totally correct in both circumstances. I think 'pensive' is used more for being deep in thought since thoughtful is used more for being considerate.
Load More Replies... Iva Kazalova 2 years ago
Technically because in Bulgarian it’s zamislena, full of thoughts yeah but more like pensive, that is what he means ;)
#79
Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago (edited)
Same in German. Zahnfleisch. Gums is a really weird word choice when you think about.
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#80
Mari 2 years ago
Avoir des fourmis= having ants In Dutch we say "mijn been slaapt"= my leg is asleep
Gastón Salgueiro Iglesias 2 years ago (edited)
Similar in Spanish! "Hormigueo en las piernas" (the feeling of having ants running through my legs) or "se me durmió la pierna" (my leg is asleep)
Load More Replies... Lois Reese 2 years ago
Restless Leg Syndrome makes me feel like I have insects or worms under my skin. It sucks.
#81
#82
#83
#84
VeryDarkMatter 2 years ago
germans call it reisswolf (fusion of the words "reiss/reissen = rip apart and wolf) so.. its a rip-apart-wolf in english. Every german office should have a rip-apart-wolf since we love our Datenschutz :P
#85
Ace 2 years ago
Well in several languages it's simply grenade, like the explosive device, so I prefer this one.
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
It’s Grenade, but taken from Granada, which means pomegranate in Spanish. Grenadine which is also made from pomegranates comes from Granada. Grenade (as in the explosive thing) was named after the fruit as the early examples were filled with loads of small pieces of shrapnel rather like the seeds of a pomegranate.
Load More Replies... #86
#87
#88
Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
A student of mine intentionally used the term "animal prison". He wasn't wrong.
#89
Amaryllis 2 years ago
I had a high school French teacher whose first language was Hungarian and he spoke seven languages. But when he wanted to quiz us on a French word he would say "Chair. What does it mean?"
Insono 2 years ago
7 languages, my god, I remember already getting confused all the time when I was learning Spanish and French at the same time in high school.
Load More Replies... Michelle C 2 years ago
« Comment-on dit…. » (How does one say…) is the customary question in French!
Ace 2 years ago
Well yes, but in English "how do you say" is more common, although to be fair it's a phrase that would normally only be used by non-native speakers, so any variant is probably as correct as any other.
Load More Replies... #90
Mary Peace 2 years ago
I wonder why (in English) I reach for something with my fingertips, and if I stretch up I stand on my tiptoes, but I never reach with my tipfingers or stand on my toetips.
#91
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
A place (I think like a cafe/bar) where people go to smoke (hookah) together
Load More Replies... #92
Moezzzz 2 years ago
My husband hates that song. It's in every Mexican restaurant too. He's from the US, but his family is Mexican, so he grew up speaking it until he was about 6. I understand Spanish much better than I can speak it. Seems weird, but yeah. I remember meeting his aunt after we'd married and she said to me, in Spanish "do you speak Spanish? No? Not at all? Not even a little bit??? Well... " and then my wonderful father in law jumped in and said "We speak English in this house! We're not in Mexico anymore!! And I fought in Vietnam for christs sake!" In the most redneck, Texas way possible. I'm not the most affectionate, but I hug him extra hard when I see him. (And he's noticed, bc he asked why I hug him so hard, like I don't want to let go- he now knows that he IS my only father figure, and now we make a big show of not letting each other go when we hug lol)
Johnnynatfan 2 years ago
I’m guessing you’re one of those “we speak English in this country! If you don’t speak English you can leave! “ people.
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#96
Terran 2 years ago (edited)
I'd recommend listening "Winterstorm in the Night" by Nanowar of Steel, it's an epic metal song about dandruff.
Mary Peace 2 years ago
My brother used to have bad dandruff, we always said it was a snowstorm.
Load More Replies... #97
#98
LillieMean 2 years ago
As a Finn, I didn't know the correct English word, so I said a claw that prevents laundry from flying away.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
I know it as clothes pin but I'm sure there are other names. (I'm from US)
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#100
Claire Bailey 2 years ago
I vote water zoo. Fish museum makes me think they will all be taxidermied.
Load More Replies... #101
#102
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What do you think ?
Terran 2 years ago
The first thing everyone should know about learning foreign languages is that no matter how good you know a language, if you don't speak it a lot, you won't remember words. So creatively describing stuff in your own words is a very usefull skill to keep the conversation going. These stories here aren't just funny anecdotes, but are testaments to human creativity and our unbreakable will to successfully communicate with each other.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
One of the ways people are officially tested for different levels of language proficiency (European Board of language proficiency which starts from level A1- complete beginner to C2 (complete native speaker fluency) is just how creatively non-native speakers can use clever anecdotes or descriptions if they don’t know a specific term. One of the questions you are sometimes asked for c1 or c2 fluency is to teach someone how to tie teach a child how to tie their shoes which is actually a lot harder than you think.
Load More Replies...
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
Because we Brits are so good at foreign words...I once tried to ask my French teaching assistant if I could call her "tu" by saying "puis-je tu toyer", but it came out as "tu tuer", which meant "can I kill you"?
ЛеснойКороль(ForestKingHe/Him) 2 years ago
when i was still learning english i once said “i want to utilize your toilet” and have never lived it down amongst my friends
Mila Preradović 2 years ago
Take some comfort in knowing that a friend of mine once described red, horn-shaped peppers as "horny peppers"😁🌶🌶🌶
Load More Replies...
Violet Jensen 2 years ago
My girlfriend (French speaking) called applesauce “scrambled apples” and we will NOT let her forget
Bhadrika Love 2 years ago
My daughter couldn't think of the word for pidgeons, so she called them "city chickens"
Laura Mortensen 2 years ago
My grandparents told the story of asking a waiter in Germany what something was on the menu. He tried to think of the English word and finally smiled and said "Bambi!" They didn't have the Bambi.
Aria the Dog Lover 2 years ago
My dad is dyslexic, first language is english. But he regularly needs to be told how to spell something, literally he didn't know how to spell waffles so he just wrote "pancakes with abs".
Azolane 2 years ago
Being French living in the US, I was changing old windows on my house and told the contractor I needed good isolation instead of insulation. False cognates are dreadful, but we had a good laugh over it.
Mari 2 years ago
I say also isolation and I didn't even know that this is wrong 😐
Load More Replies... Mari 2 years ago
I love in Turkish how they say grandmother anneanne or babaanne (mother of mother)or (mother of father)
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago
Not a mistranslation, but an Indian doctor I used to work for once referred an awkward patient as "a buggering damn nuisance", which is a phrase no native English speaker would ever say but is perfect, rhythmic and beautiful.
Rens 2 years ago
I have a buggering damn nuisance neighbour, this phrase is perfect for describing him!
Load More Replies... Terran 2 years ago
The first thing everyone should know about learning foreign languages is that no matter how good you know a language, if you don't speak it a lot, you won't remember words. So creatively describing stuff in your own words is a very usefull skill to keep the conversation going. These stories here aren't just funny anecdotes, but are testaments to human creativity and our unbreakable will to successfully communicate with each other.
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago
One of the ways people are officially tested for different levels of language proficiency (European Board of language proficiency which starts from level A1- complete beginner to C2 (complete native speaker fluency) is just how creatively non-native speakers can use clever anecdotes or descriptions if they don’t know a specific term. One of the questions you are sometimes asked for c1 or c2 fluency is to teach someone how to tie teach a child how to tie their shoes which is actually a lot harder than you think.
Load More Replies... Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
Because we Brits are so good at foreign words...I once tried to ask my French teaching assistant if I could call her "tu" by saying "puis-je tu toyer", but it came out as "tu tuer", which meant "can I kill you"?
ЛеснойКороль(ForestKingHe/Him) 2 years ago
when i was still learning english i once said “i want to utilize your toilet” and have never lived it down amongst my friends
Mila Preradović 2 years ago
Take some comfort in knowing that a friend of mine once described red, horn-shaped peppers as "horny peppers"😁🌶🌶🌶
Load More Replies... Violet Jensen 2 years ago
My girlfriend (French speaking) called applesauce “scrambled apples” and we will NOT let her forget
Bhadrika Love 2 years ago
My daughter couldn't think of the word for pidgeons, so she called them "city chickens"
Laura Mortensen 2 years ago
My grandparents told the story of asking a waiter in Germany what something was on the menu. He tried to think of the English word and finally smiled and said "Bambi!" They didn't have the Bambi.
Aria the Dog Lover 2 years ago
My dad is dyslexic, first language is english. But he regularly needs to be told how to spell something, literally he didn't know how to spell waffles so he just wrote "pancakes with abs".
Azolane 2 years ago
Being French living in the US, I was changing old windows on my house and told the contractor I needed good isolation instead of insulation. False cognates are dreadful, but we had a good laugh over it.
Mari 2 years ago
I say also isolation and I didn't even know that this is wrong 😐
Load More Replies... Mari 2 years ago
I love in Turkish how they say grandmother anneanne or babaanne (mother of mother)or (mother of father)
Vix Spiderthrust 2 years ago
Not a mistranslation, but an Indian doctor I used to work for once referred an awkward patient as "a buggering damn nuisance", which is a phrase no native English speaker would ever say but is perfect, rhythmic and beautiful.
Rens 2 years ago
I have a buggering damn nuisance neighbour, this phrase is perfect for describing him!
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