| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Poll: Do you have a favorite word in each of your languages? Please share! Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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biankonera 
Latvia
Local time: 18:57
Italian to Latvian
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| phrases more than words | Feb 29, 2008 |
I can say Ive more favorite phrases than words, especially in English but if Ive to chose words those would be:
- English: unbelievable, gorgeous and gracious (I like the sound of them more than anything)
- Italian: primavera, allora and stella (Italian is full of fabulous words and my list could be endless really).
| | | | Reed James
Chile
Local time: 11:57
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
| Many languages, several favorite words | Feb 29, 2008 |
Here are some of my favorite words in a few languages:
Spanish: Me tinca. (A Chilean phrase supposedly coming from "methinks").
English: pleasurable. I love the /zh/ sound. Saying "pleasurable" is a pleasurable experience!
German: ziemlich. I had a German professor in college who always used that word. She would say "Das ist ziemlich kompliziert".
French: blé. I like it because most French words are long and expressive and this one is oddly bl... See more Here are some of my favorite words in a few languages:
Spanish: Me tinca. (A Chilean phrase supposedly coming from "methinks").
English: pleasurable. I love the /zh/ sound. Saying "pleasurable" is a pleasurable experience!
German: ziemlich. I had a German professor in college who always used that word. She would say "Das ist ziemlich kompliziert".
French: blé. I like it because most French words are long and expressive and this one is oddly blunt.
Portuguese: obrigado. The way it is pronounced in Brazilian Portuguese sounds much more thankful to my ear than "thank you" or "gracias". It goes down, then up, then down, and then up again when people say it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Is dialect valid? | Feb 29, 2008 |
I have tons of words I like in my dialect, some of them are practically untranslatable, but let's keep to the "official languages":
German: Papperlapapp, Papierkram
English: lackadaisical, bombastic, inadvertently
Italian: nothing comes into my mind right now
| | | | Diana Arbiser
United States
Local time: 09:57
English to Spanish
+ ...
| A word in English that I love and hate at the same time... | Feb 29, 2008 |
The poll made me think of "burglary", which I love and hate at the same time, because it's one of those terms that cannot possibly be translated into Spanish with less than three words (it's either "allanamiento de morada", "entrada ilegal con fines delictivos", "robo con escalamiento"...) I hate it, because every time I have to interpret it, it takes lots of my precious time to render it into Spanish (PLUS, everybody else might think I am saying too many words...) But, at the same time, I love ... See more The poll made me think of "burglary", which I love and hate at the same time, because it's one of those terms that cannot possibly be translated into Spanish with less than three words (it's either "allanamiento de morada", "entrada ilegal con fines delictivos", "robo con escalamiento"...) I hate it, because every time I have to interpret it, it takes lots of my precious time to render it into Spanish (PLUS, everybody else might think I am saying too many words...) But, at the same time, I love just how much you can say with so little: burglary. ▲ Collapse
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jacana54 (X)
Uruguay
English to Spanish
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| I love this poll discussion ! | Feb 29, 2008 |
Åsa Maria K wrote:
I also love the whole concept residing in the word "ojalá".
In Portuguese (as spoken in Brazil) :
lixo : doesn't it make garbage sound wonderful?
chimarrao: their way of saying "mate" (the beverage from yerba mate).
In Spanish: I absolute love the concept in "ojalá" and I try to use this word whenever possible.
Also: mangrullo: according to RAE: . "m. Arg. y Ur. Torre rústica que servía de atalaya en las proximidades de fortines, estancias y poblaciones de la pampa y otras regiones llanas." Great sound.
French: practically every single word in that language is music to me.
English: the words that summarize several others, words that make it a concise and sharp language.
Thank you, Keren, for suggesting this discussion.
Lucía
[Edited at 2008-02-29 22:58]
| | | | Fabio Descalzi
Uruguay
Local time: 12:57
Member (2004)
German to Spanish
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In German: Gesamtkunstwerk
In English: to bequeath
In Spanish: obviamente
In Portuguese: saudade
In French: badinerie
In Italian: pulcinella
In Catalan: il·luminació
In Galician: Fisterra
In Latin: credo
In Norwegian: fjord
| | | | mariana24
Uruguay
Local time: 12:57
Spanish
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I very much like the word "indeed" in English. Don't ask why, I don't know myself. It has to do with the sound and something snobbish (in my head, of course).
Also: "relentlessly". No idea why.
In Spanish: "consuetudinario". It has to do with my late father. Also "eviscerado". Same reason. And "individuo". I love the way my father spoke. I'm realising that.
This is fun. Thanks.
Mariana
| | | | | tinca... o tink'a I think it comes from quechua | Mar 1, 2008 |
[quote]Reed D. James wrote:
Spanish: Me tinca. (A Chilean phrase supposedly coming from "methinks").
Tinka/T'inka (s.) Presentimiento de ansiedad. info. Tinku (s. .... Si quiere ver toda la lista del diccionario Quechua aprete una de las letras de la ...
www.katari.org/diccionario/diccionario.php?display=23&listletter=quechua
Me tinca que "tinca" es una palabra del quechua
I think or I have the feeling that "tinca" is a quechua word
Greetings
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KathyT
Australia
Local time: 01:57
Japanese to English
| Just a foodie at heart... | Mar 1, 2008 |
Spanish: lechuga (another one for the "don't ask why - have always just loved the word" category)
Italian: tagliatelle (the pasta)
Japanese: sushi (OK, truth be told, I just love the way my little ones get all tongue-tied trying to say it and it ends up as "shushee")
Malayalam/Tamil: papadum
French: béchamel
Greek: moussaka (also love the name 'Papadopoulos,' btw!)
Bon Appétit!! ... See more Spanish: lechuga (another one for the "don't ask why - have always just loved the word" category)
Italian: tagliatelle (the pasta)
Japanese: sushi (OK, truth be told, I just love the way my little ones get all tongue-tied trying to say it and it ends up as "shushee")
Malayalam/Tamil: papadum
French: béchamel
Greek: moussaka (also love the name 'Papadopoulos,' btw!)
Bon Appétit!! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Özden Arıkan
Germany
Local time: 17:57
Member
English to Turkish
+ ...
I had said this in another forum -a similar thread, but not a poll- my favorite English word is overkill: the concept couldn't have been expressed any better! I also like voluptuous - its sound fits its meaning so much that even if you don't know what it means, you can understand, or better, feel it - and despite the fact that it begin... See more I had said this in another forum -a similar thread, but not a poll- my favorite English word is overkill: the concept couldn't have been expressed any better! I also like voluptuous - its sound fits its meaning so much that even if you don't know what it means, you can understand, or better, feel it - and despite the fact that it begins with a sound as non-sensuous as V (OK, V for Voluptuous )
In Turkish, my favorite words are kardeş and can. The former means "sibling", but I like it because of its etymology. Its original form was "karındaş" and this literally means "those who share the same womb" (like, "womb fellows" ). Maybe I like the matriarchal thinking behind the concept The latter, can means life, soul, vitality, human being, person, heart, mood, life force, pain sensitivity, brother/sister (or, comrade), darling, beloved... and so many other things. It's a very precious word for a speaker of Turkish. I also like adap, which loosely means the etiquette of a certain thing, as well as its slang equivalent, racon.
As for the languages I don't speak or work with: in German Tussi - it sounds so funny and... well, tussig! Also, Körper - it sounds similar to the Turkish "körpe", which means fresh, young. So, when you say Körper (body), I can only think of a very young person Ah, the derivative Verkörperung sounds impressive, too!
In French, I love the word chez - so cute and handy! And look how lovely "chez Özden" sounds!
And my all-round, all-time favorite: the Russian word for "pencil": karandaş, karandash, carandache, Caran d'Ache. No word has ever fascinated me like this - have no idea why, though ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lisa Roberts
France
Local time: 17:57
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Choos, Potter | Mar 1, 2008 |
I'm not a German speaker, but when I went to Berlin last year I was equally taken and amused by the word 'Choos' (Bye)...perhaps more to do with the intonation...
And I've always loved the word 'Potter', as in 'to potter about'...I think both the word and concept are quintessentially English
| | | | Lisa Nottmeyer (X)
Spain
Local time: 17:57
Spanish to German
+ ...
| true, but ... | Mar 1, 2008 |
Lisa Roberts wrote:
I'm not a German speaker, but when I went to Berlin last year I was equally taken and amused by the word 'Choos' (Bye)...perhaps more to do with the intonation...
I know from Spanish friends that the word definitely has some fascination for non-German-speakers ... but it´s spelled in a different way:
I hope you don´t mind if I correct it ...
Tschüs ! Tschüß ! or Tschö !
Best
Lisa
[Edited at 2008-03-01 12:29]
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Anita du Plessis
South Africa
Local time: 17:57
Member (2008)
English to Afrikaans
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| The "S" words | Mar 1, 2008 |
I don't know why, but I like the sound of s in any language.
English: sunshine
Afrikaans: sonskyn
French: soleil
German: Sonnenschein
Maybe it is because I am a child of Africa and a big sun lover!
[Edited at 2008-03-01 09:14]
[Edited at 2008-03-01 09:17]
| | | | Kristin Vold
Italy
Local time: 17:57
Italian to Norwegian
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I answered "other" because I don't have a favourite word in all my languages, only in Sicilian. I love the wrd "gatufo", which means "kitten". (And I love cats, of course)
| | | | Kristin Vold
Italy
Local time: 17:57
Italian to Norwegian
+ ...
I suppose it should have been written "gattufo", with a double "t".
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