Words and their unintended meaning in other languages

[Yamarus]

Hey everyone!

Since this is a multilingual board with countless fascinating languages, I thought it could be funny to share the unintended meaning of foreign words if pronounced in your native language.

I thought about this because I am currently learning Turkish. I have learned the verb "süslemek", which means "to decorate".
But in French, "suce les mecs" is pronounced exactly the same, and means "suck the guys" .

I'm sure you have hilarious examples to share!

 

[Metafeller]

I just get it.

 

[r3gg13]

There's this Belgian brewery called Chimay, most of you probably know about it.

In Tagalog/Filipino chimay means a household maid, in almost an insulting way . So, when I first saw the brewery name, I seriously lolled. 3

 

[amateur]

Well, I'm not sure what I'm about to write actually belongs to this thread, but there isn't a better place to write it.

First, two very similar looking and sounding sentences:

Maşını o ağacın dalında saxla, mən düşərəm.
Makineyi o ağacın dalında sakla, ben düşerim.

Azerbaijani meaning: Stop the car after that tree, and I will get out.
Turkish meaning: Hide the machine in the branches of that tree, and I will fall down.

 

[Grinch]

You mean "false friend", right? I'll post here later, Finnish and Turkish languages have a lot of words common words

 

[Stargazer]

Swedish false cognates:

Slut = end
Fart = speed
Element = radiator
Glass = ice cream
Gift = poison/married
Bra = good
Semester = vacation
Fack (pronounced like the f-word) = trade union
Bad = bath
Full = drunk
Kind = cheek
Barn = child/children

 

[Jukica]

I'll post some too

For the beginning - Sir = cheese

 

[Kicker]

My favorite one for German is:
"Gift" means in german "Poisson"

And somewhere I read that "fikken" means "to burn" in Dutch. In German, "ficken" means "to f.uck"

 

[Israeliboy]

Some in Hebrew :

Or = Light
He = She
Tom = End
Tout = Strawberry
Dean = Law
Hut = You
At = Thou

 

[Kicker]

Some in Hebrew :
Hut = You

In German, "Hut" means Hat

 

[rajo]

Awww, lovely, I used to learn lots of Faux amis and false friends in my French and English classes. But by now, none of them comes to my mind

 

[rajo]

I've got one:

"Bubble tea" does not mean "Blasentee" in German

 

[Terorero]

Panna = cream (in Italian)
Panna = to put, to have sex (in Finnish)

So when Italian asks from a Finn "Do you want cream?", the Finn's face is worth to be seen

 

[doctormalisimo]

Green peas translates as piseanna glas in Irish (pronounced piss in a glass)

 

[Canuck]

In French, foq means seal, but it's pronounced exactly like the F-word in English. It was a word that most of the people in my high school French class loved.

 

[yulara]

phoque
Here is a famous moment of the Cesar Ceremony last year (the french movie awards)

In France, "gosse" means kid / child. In french canada, it means balls...
Just imagine the reaction when a french ask a french canadian if he wants to see a picture of his "gosses"...

 

[Canuck]

phoque

oops, im not sure why I spelled it that way, I knew that

 

[ParadiseES]

There are not many "false friends" between English and Spanish. Indeed, French is the one with most of them for me

I don't remember any right now. But these two between Spanish and Italian are funny:

Penne (type of macaroni in Italian)
Pene (penis in Spanish)

Morossa (girlfriend in Italian)
Morosa (a woman who doesn't pay her bills in Spanish)



Oh and "Grattis" (Congrats in Swedish) and "Gratis" (Free, cost 0, in Spanish)

 

[Yoni]

for NSC players

in Hebrew:

Lach - Moist

 

[amateur]

I've got another one:

Bok = Hello/hi in
Bok = Sh*t in