Share an idiom (or some idioms) you like from your country/language and try to translate it in english (or to find the english version)
Here some idioms that I like from my country:
- 'No hay mal que por bien no venga' or: 'Todo lo que sucede, conviene'.
= Every cloud has a silver lining / Not all devils leads to harm / To be a blessing in disguise
Meaning: sometimes bad things/situations can bring us other good things/situations that we didn't expect.
- 'El que excusa, se acusa'
= 'He who excuses himself, accuses himself' (literal translation)
Meaning: When someone is giving too many explanations, maybe it's 'cause he/she is guilty :P
- 'Si dices las verdades, pierdes las amistades'
= If you tell the truth, you'd lose your friends' (literal translation)
Meaning: Sometimes it's better not to be 'too honest' :P
-'Rectificar es de sabios'
= Similar to say in english: 'To err is human', but not exactly the same...
Meaning: It takes a wise man/woman to recognize that he/she was wrong
-'Poco a poco se anda lejos'
= He who perseveres will succeed
Meaning: When you work on something every day, you can get/achieve great things.
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And here some links to help you to look for the english version of your idioms:
or just Google :P
Replies
Hello, here in Italy where I live, we say that "volere è potere", translated as follows: where there is a will, there is a can (this is one of my favourite sayings because with your will you could have many things that in other ways are impossible to reach). Other sayings very popular are as follows: il diavolo non è così brutto come lo si dipinge that we can tranlate in this way the devil is not so bad as he appears (this is used to say that we couldn't judge anything/anyone from the appearance, but from the substance). La gatta frettolosa fece i mici ciechi e tali poi restarono we could translate it as follows: the impatient cat had the mices but they remained blind (it is a warning to not become impatient, because impatience is one of worst things we have in our life).
Other sayings/idioms are here reported: Ogni cosa al suo tempo/a tempo debito (Everything at due time, it's used to say that everything needs its time to be realized), Zucca e melone alla sua stagione (Pumpkin and cantaloupe at its season, in fact pumpkin is a fall/winter product while cantaloupe is a summer product, so they can't be find at the same time in all supermarkets in the fruit/vegetable section).
For me it is very useful much moore than Google translator this website:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org
that shows you every word you need to know in the best way you could wish. Have a nice Sunday and best wishes to everyone of you.
Ciao Rita!
Oh, I love to read italian language... Some of the idioms that you have mentioned here are very similar in my country... but I guess that's obvious ;)
Btw, i think the first idiom you mention is: 'when there is a will, there is a way'. I really like that idiom as well.
The Cambridge Dictionary site is another good resource. Thanks for sharing!
That first idiom of yours is like the old saying: 'like mother, like daughter'. Notice that I say 'old' because now people tend to avoid using this kind of idioms that have been always used in a very sexist context.
But this version yours sounds even worse (because of the 'mouth' thing)... Anyway, as I said before: idioms says a lot about how is the culture of a country or community.
Oi there, folks
I am in a tight spot as most of Polish words are a nightmare for a foreigner to pronunce properly, therefore I shall take the liberty to choose some less nightmarish to pronunce idioms/sayings:
For a start I shall present a Polish saying with "sausage" in it as it caught the fancy of the readers here:
Nie dla psa kiełbasa - The sausage is not for the dog - This saying is used when something wanted by somebody is not for him to have.
Kto daje i zabiera, w piekle się poniewiera - Who gives and takes it back in hell he will end, [I guess no explaining is needed here]
Daj chłopu zegarek! - Give the redneck a watch! Don't give any complicated gadgets to a simpleton.
Gdzie kucharki dwie, nie ma co jeść - Where there are two cooks, there is nothing to eat. The English version is - Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu - Don't call the wolf out of the woods. Do not tempt/provoke/dare.
I did not give the pronunciatin intentionally as not to get the readers' tongues tied in a knot! ;-)
Rys, your language is a German train station to me! I was trying to pronouce these words but I feel like if I was speaking a kind of alien language XD
How nice of you to share more idioms about sausages. Yesterday I didn't know any and today I can name 4! haha...
From these idioms you've shared, I knew the one about the cooks; and I like that one of Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu... I kinda like to call the wilka in MyEc sometimes :D
:D Interesting!
The idioms about kielbasa and cooks sound very funny to me!
We have something similar here, but with housekeepers instead of cooks.
I ment the idioms, not a single word :)
Actually, I was able to understand Rys's idioms without English translation. To my surprise they somehow contain the words, that are very similar or the same with Ukrainian words.
Hi, MARY. I love idioms, too. We have in Germany endless numbers of them.
Here just a few of them.
I hope you enjoy.
1. "Das ist mir Wurst"
In English, this literally means "This is sausage for/to me"
What does the term mean and how is it used? This expression is used when you are a little indifferent or you have no opinion on something. Germans often respond with that idiom - so if somebody asks you, "What would you like to do today?" And you do not care, then you can simply say, "That's sausage for/to me!"
2. “Nur Bahnhof verstehen”
The literal translation into English would be: "To only understand train station"
What does the term mean and how is it used? If someone tells you, "I only understand train station," that means that nobody has any idea what you're talking about. Either you have to explain it to him again or change the subject. The English equivalent would be "It's all Greek to me".
3. “Ich glaub' mein Schwein pfeift!"
The literal translation into English would be: "I think my pig whistles"
What does the term mean and how is it used? Do not think now that we have become completely crazy; Of course, we know that the idea of a whistling pig is totally ridiculous. And that's where the phrase comes from because a whistling pig would be so silly that no one would believe it existed anyway. Germans use this term when they can not believe or grasp something, or to express that they are extremely surprised. In English, the phrase "I think a horse is kicking me" the thing probably the next.
4. “Fix und Fertig sein”
The literal translation into English would be: "To be fixed and finished"
What does the term mean and how is it used? That's how you usually say that you are completely exhausted. In English you would probably say in this case something like "I am completely cracked" or "I am all wiped out". If you want to use this expression correctly, then you say: "I'm all ready!" Alternatively, you can sigh: "I'm fixed and all" - where the word "all" means "empty".
5. “Die Nase vollhaben.”
The literal translation into English would be: "To have the nose full"
What does the term mean and how is it used? Here we have only a creative variant of "enough is enough". The term is often used when someone is tired of a particular situation and does not want to talk about it anymore. For example, if you really can not hear your neighbor's loud music any more, then you say, "I'm fed up with the loud music!". English idiom = "I'm fed up!" - then the word "nose" is replaced by the less polite expression "snout" (snout).
Good to hear, AG. If you like, I can speak the words for you in German. Then you can listen to the sound of German.
1 - 'This is sausage for me', I love it! ahhaha.... I love to know that german ppl have idioms with sausages! haha... how cool! That proves my thought that idioms tell a lot about the culture of a country/community, and that's why I find them so interesting :))
2 - I like the second one too. So, if I go to Germany and I don't get sh*t, I can say that 'it's all train station to me'... uhm... That also leads me to think that there are lot of people lost in train stations in Germany 'cause nobody gets the signals :D
3 - I like to picture a pig whistling :D
5 - Oh, I like that one too. We have a very similar idiom in Spain: 'Estar hasta las narices', that literally means: 'I'm up to my nose', or 'I'm fed up to the nose'. And other variants like: fed up to the hat, or to the bun, or to the... erm... a very femenine body part that I can't say here XD
Cool idioms, Rose. I can say that I've learnt some things today :)
Thanks for sharing!
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