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Bodice ripper
bag applicator
Sep 16, 2013 09:00
11 yrs ago
English term

I don't think!

Non-PRO English to Turkish Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Commonly used idiom
A common usage in English which is used after a statement to indicate an emphatic or ironic negative. Would yesinler do?
'Yes, I should love to go to that party, I don't think!'
'He's a really good guy, I don't think!'
Could you use yesinler?
Proposed translations (Turkish)
4 Tabii tabii
5 hiç sanmam
5 sanırım / zannImca
5 umarım öyledir
5 Sanmıyorum ya!/ Emin değilim ya!
References
Background info

Discussion

Hellinas (asker) Sep 17, 2013:
Thank you Mehtmet! I wasn't being, or trying to sound exasperated; I am more frustrated with myself for not putting my query more clearly & rephrasing it to get the exact nuance for Turkish speakers.
Mehmet Ali Bahıt Sep 17, 2013:
It's just that the ironic undertones of the idiom are not readily apparent to everyone, that's all...
Hellinas (asker) Sep 17, 2013:
It is amazing what difficulty & confusion this post has caused. I must therefore put the nearest equivalent & hope for the best. 'I don't think!' (always stressed on the 'don't'):-
'Yes, I would love to go to that party, LIKE HELL I WOULD!'
'He's a really good guy, MY EYE/MY ARSE!
That is the nearest equivalent to 'I don't think' I can think of. It's a bit like 'hadi ordan/asla'.
Mehmet Ali Bahıt Sep 17, 2013:
Tell me about it/If you say so "Tell me about it" is closer to "Hem de nasıl". It is not an exact equivalent but there are certain cases where it can be translated this way. There are other cases where it can be loosely translated as "Sorma".

As for "if you say so", a more direct translation is possible, such as "sen öyle diyorsan öyledir", but of course, in this case, there is a hint of incredulity.
Salih YILDIRIM Sep 16, 2013:
Dear Hellinas, Just ignore and excuse him he is war away from the past, present context and future expectations, nothing more than over loyal peer with my definitions!
Hellinas (asker) Sep 16, 2013:
Kim's comment is not quite correct in that the use of 'not' after a positive statement was a common usage by teenagers, whereas 'I don't think!' Is a standard English colloquialism, used commonly by everyone. The rest of his note is quite correct. I suspect that my query has not been properly understood by most of those here proposing an answer. I have used this idiom often & I can vouch for the fact that it goes back to at least the nineteen seventies. At any rate, it is found in English dictionaries of that time.
Salih YILDIRIM Sep 16, 2013:
Tabii, tabii is expressed (it not mistaken) with the phrase of "Tell me about it" or "surely!", "If you say so" etc.
Hellinas (asker) Sep 16, 2013:
'I don't think!' Isn't formal but colloquial. It is a euphemistic way of saying 'no way!''like hell'!''you must be joking!' It is thus an emphatic & ironic negative, like asla seems to be in Turkish. It doesn't mean 'I do not think so' but something more on the lines of Mehmet's 'tabii,tabii!
ATIL KAYHAN Sep 16, 2013:
"I do not think" versus "yesinler" First of all, "yesinler" is completely informal whereas "I do not think" is formal. You would not use "yesinler" in any formal occasion. Second, "yesinler" only shows that the expression prior to it is not to be believed, but does not make any specific comments beyond that. On the other hand, "I do not think" reflects obviously the thought of the person making the comment.

Proposed translations

14 mins
Selected

Tabii tabii

There are a few equivalents depending on the context. "Tabii tabii" would be more like "yeah, right" but could be used.

Another alternative would be "eminim öyledir" ("I'm sure he/she/it is") but as you can guess, it would not fit the first example you wrote.

As for "yesinler", that won't do because that one is used when you want to undermine, say, a statement by someone, or something someone is flaunting. It is more like the "oooooo" sound the British use.

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Note added at 12 hrs (2013-09-16 21:34:17 GMT)
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I believe it is rather clear but let me reiterate that all the alternatives I suggest here are used in an ironic fashion.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Salih YILDIRIM : I do remember that I have ever let you act on my behalf, just be polite enough to keep distance when addresing to ones older than you since it is a curtesy rule.
13 hrs
a) I am not acting on your behalf. This is a place of business and a platform where people exchange ideas. We do not need constant bickering. b) Your profile info has changed so many times and is so inconsistent that I am not even sure about your age.
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2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "None of the answers fitted my query but this had at least the merit of providing me with a sarcastic 'yeah, yeah!' Maybe my question was at fault because it is hard to say exactly the nuance is of 'I don't think' in another language. I have since learnt from friends on another website that the Turkish equivalent is 'hadi ordan=haydi oradan= haydi canım sen de' sometimes putting tabii at the start of the sentence. Or use -miş as well:- "Tabiî, o partiye gitmek için ölürüm. Haydi oradan!" "Harbiden iyi adammış. Haydi oradan!" Thanks to all. Kim's comment was also instructive."
7 mins

hiç sanmam

imho
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30 mins

sanırım / zannImca

Sonunda 'so' olmadan kullanıldığında bu anlamdadır.
Something went wrong...
11 hrs

umarım öyledir

uau
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2 hrs

Sanmıyorum ya!/ Emin değilim ya!

Derdim

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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2013-09-17 11:45:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I am 67years old as seen readily from my nick name "Salih1946" Dear Mehmet and I cannot (nobody can though!) when somebody constantly act a shadow to indicate its "disagree" comment even if othetr linguist friend like you would give affirmative comments supported by rational reasons. Have a great day.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Kim Metzger : See explanation below.
4 hrs
I am afreaid you have a mental regression!
agree adem kaya : funny
8 hrs
Thanks a lot Dear Adem, Just ignore my loyal peer above.
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Reference comments

6 hrs
Reference:

Background info

To translate your "I don't think" into Turkish, your helpers would have to understand that it's certainly not formal usage at all. They would have to understand the background of the phrase and come up with a similar unconventional nonsense in Turkish.

As a result of its popular success, Wayne’s World is guilty of introducing a number of inane expressions to American pop culture, e.g., Schwing!, NOT!, We’re not worthy!.

"Wow, what a totally amazing excellent discovery— NOT!"

http://www.altfg.com/blog/movie/waynes-world-movie-mike-myer...

Older users of this site may recall the 'Bill & Ted' 'Wayne's World' series of movies of the early 1990s. They were mindless but fairly amusing and their eponymous characters spoke in a unique vernacular, part-stoner, part-surfer, part-moronic generation MTVer. One of the features of this sub-language was the use of the word 'Not' usually written as (NOT), a convention which served to negate the content or validity of what had been said previously.

"I seem to remember it wasn't uncommon to append ", I don't think!" as a jocular negating addendum, as far back as the 60s. You often hear "Nah! - Just kidding!" used today to the same effect. But I must admit that (NOT) has overtones of "baby-talk" to me."

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/40774/is-waynes-w...


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Note added at 6 hrs (2013-09-16 15:13:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So "Tell me about it" or "surely!", "If you say so" is completely wrong.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Salih YILDIRIM : "If you say so Turkish Language Specialist!
2 hrs
To translate from English, you have to know what the English term means.
neutral Mehmet Ali Bahıt : Since we are in movie territory, let me just say that you two are like The Sunshine Boys and Grumpy Old Men rolled into one, minus the friendship.
6 hrs
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