Some words doesn't exist in a different language in one only word and need to be explained somehow. Can you share any?
In Spanish (from Spain) I know these ones, some of them really curious that doesn't exist in English...
-'Tutear' (verb): addressing someone in an informal way. This makes sense in my language since there's a variant in the second person (you) used formally when addressing old (or older) people, higher rank, or simply when we meet someone we don't know even with similar age. (To be honest I hate it when childs address me like that)
-'Empalagar' (verb): when you eat something which is extremely sweet for your taste that makes you sick. Used also as an adjective.
-'Sujetavelas' (noun): it's like an unwanted extra person who goes out with a couple (yeah.. annoying)
-'Estadounidense': Native from the USA. This is actually the most shocking to me and I guess that's why they call themselves Americans or North Americans but can be controversial for other citizens from the American continent. In this way I'd say this confusion is caused by the lack of this simple word.
-'Entrecejo' (noun): the space between the eyebrows (awful word btw)
-'Estrenar' (verb): Use / wear / perform something for the first time (I believe this words exists in your language, no?
-'Friolero' (adj): someone who is sensitive to the cold weather or dislike it.
I might be wrong and some of these words do exists in English, in such case let me know.
Inversely there're English words that doesn't exist in my language like the last one I learned; 'jaywalking'. I'd have never believe this word could exist in any language :D
Replies
It is usually on fingers, and it will last for days. I feel it recently. :(((
can you imagine how many words are in Arabic!
They are 12 million and 300 thousand words.So, we have many words that haven’t existed in English.
It is a nice topic .
Actually a so rich and accurate language, and another reason not to start to learn Arabic haha... well at least I know five or six words already :D
Glad you like the topic Tawfeeq.
Hello Estanis!
Sorry for my late reply. I mean "soursweet" tasting both sour and sweet, a good example is balsamic vinegar.
Arabic and Persian(Farsi) are similar in alphabet, so it's difficult for you to distinguish between them, but they are different languages, Persian belongs to Indo-Iranian languages which is spoken in Iran, Afgganistan and Tajikistan but Arabic belongs to the Semitic language family.
Thank you for the clarification Saba. I have an Iranian client living near my town but never heard him speaking Farsi. Well he speaks Spanish like a native indeed.
Hi there
Your topic is really interesting.
The word “malas” (ملس) in Persian means a combination of both flavors sweet and sour, I looked it up but I couldn’t find a direct translation for it. It seems that in English there is no one word which captures both these flavors.
By the way, the Spanish words you mentioned, do not exist in Persian too, except the word “friolero” (adj) : In Persian language there are two words “sarmaii” ( سرمایی) and “garmaii”(گرمایی) for people who are intolerant to the cold/ heat weather. A person who is “sarmaii” is sensitive to the cold weather and wears heavy clothes in winter, Perhaps the word “nesh”in English is an equivalent for it and a person who can’t stand heat is “garmaii”.
Oh "malas" is like "mayhoş" in Turkish.
Hi Saba!!
I know the word 'bittersweet' but not sure if you mean that exactly.
It's difficult to me to distinguish Persian and Arabic. To be honest I can't. I guess out they're similar somehow, no?
Thank you for your reply Saba, I appreciate it. By the way, I,m a garmaii too :)
Mmm , words that do not exist . Long time ago I was watching a TV interview . The guest claim that the word " lie " Don't exist at all in red Indian language . Because , these people don't lie at all so , they never use any word for lie . I don't know if his claim is true or not .
In a book called " the yellow age " about the Arab and Jewish conflict in the middle east . The Jewish author says that the Jewish people have no bad words in Hebrew so they borrow them from the arabs . :D and this is another claim , which , I don't know if it is true or not
Thank you Rosemary for your comments and sorry for my late reply.
Actually I came back yesterday from an Arab country and learned some very basic words like 'mashala' (surely not well typed) when I asked a local guide how to cross the street in such chaotic traffic, he just asked me to pronounce that word and cross, something like God willing or whatever God wants :D To be honest I enjoyed this trip and realized they keep values that were lost in my country time ago.
It'd take me a whole Iife learning this language. As you said I also heard of Arabic language is so rich in terms and words, no wonder why poems are so beautiful and loved.
Shukran Rosemary.
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