klotať v. gargle
So, the in-laws are visiting. Coming back from an evening at the theatre, I offered my brother-in-law something to eat, but all he wanted was salt. Now, I know about the importance of salt in Slovak culture, but it seemed a bit odd to just want salt for supper. He explained that his girlfriend had a sore throat and wanted to gargle with salt water.
I do realise that the word kloktať may not seem like a very useful one to know. The number of occasions where you need to tell someone you want to gargle will probably be few, and a little demonstration will probably make the point clear on those occasions. But this might just be a word that punches above its weight. After all, if you know how to say "gargle", you must speak the language pretty well...
Showing posts with label word of the day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label word of the day. Show all posts
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 11: zápästie
zápästie n. neut. wrist
In the latest in an occasional series about famous people with broken bones, the Pope fell and broke his wrist while on holiday in the Italian Alps. Fortunately, the operation was a success.
I wonder how long I will be able to keep this going...
In the latest in an occasional series about famous people with broken bones, the Pope fell and broke his wrist while on holiday in the Italian Alps. Fortunately, the operation was a success.
I wonder how long I will be able to keep this going...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 10: dych
dych n. masc. breath
So I was sitting next to my wife on the train the other day and she offered me a mint. Wondering whether there was a subtext, I asked her quite simply či smrdí duch. She fell about laughing.
I had thought I was doing quite well to remember the word for breath, but I had confused dych (breath) with duch (spirit). What I had asked was either a deeply metaphysical question, or a hilarious error.
I should have known better. From duch comes duchovný (spiritual; also used as a noun to mean "priest). Hence the fact that for a Slovak speaker, David Duchovny, from The X-Files, has such an appropriate name. It should have been unforgettable; it will be now!
So I was sitting next to my wife on the train the other day and she offered me a mint. Wondering whether there was a subtext, I asked her quite simply či smrdí duch. She fell about laughing.
I had thought I was doing quite well to remember the word for breath, but I had confused dych (breath) with duch (spirit). What I had asked was either a deeply metaphysical question, or a hilarious error.
I should have known better. From duch comes duchovný (spiritual; also used as a noun to mean "priest). Hence the fact that for a Slovak speaker, David Duchovny, from The X-Files, has such an appropriate name. It should have been unforgettable; it will be now!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 9: sýty
sýty adj. satiated, full
This one came to mind when reading Janette Maziniová's blog. I can't claim to really follow everything she is saying, but I did notice a nice Slovak idiom - vlk sýty aj ovca cela (a full wolf and a whole sheep). It's quite a common idiom as far as I can tell and the meaning is fairly obvious - something like to have your cake and eat it. I suppose it's exactly the same idea, except that in Slovakia the poor sheep takes the place of the cake...
Another good Slovak wolf-related idiom which you hear a lot is hladný ako vlk (hungry as a wolf, which again is pretty self explanatory). Of course foreigners wanting to look smart by knowing the idiom have to get their pronunciation right, because announcing you are chladný ako vlk is, as we have seen, likely to provoke more hilarity than admiration!
By the way, this blog approaches the Anglo-Slovak communication issue from the other side. It mentions hladný ako vlk (as an alternative to "hungry as a hunter", which I didn't realise was an English phrase...), but I am particularly proud to discover that "cool as a cucumber" should be translated pokojný ako Angličan!
This one came to mind when reading Janette Maziniová's blog. I can't claim to really follow everything she is saying, but I did notice a nice Slovak idiom - vlk sýty aj ovca cela (a full wolf and a whole sheep). It's quite a common idiom as far as I can tell and the meaning is fairly obvious - something like to have your cake and eat it. I suppose it's exactly the same idea, except that in Slovakia the poor sheep takes the place of the cake...
Another good Slovak wolf-related idiom which you hear a lot is hladný ako vlk (hungry as a wolf, which again is pretty self explanatory). Of course foreigners wanting to look smart by knowing the idiom have to get their pronunciation right, because announcing you are chladný ako vlk is, as we have seen, likely to provoke more hilarity than admiration!
By the way, this blog approaches the Anglo-Slovak communication issue from the other side. It mentions hladný ako vlk (as an alternative to "hungry as a hunter", which I didn't realise was an English phrase...), but I am particularly proud to discover that "cool as a cucumber" should be translated pokojný ako Angličan!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 8: verný
verný adj. faithful
This one is designed to explain the comment on my earlier post that a translation is like a woman: ak je verná, nie je pekná, ak je pekná, nie je verná (if she is faithful, she's not pretty; if she's pretty, she's not faithful).
It's and easy word to remember because it is obviously related to veriť (to believe). It also calls to mind nevera (unfaithfulness), as in the Elán song Amnestiu na neveru (Amnesty for Unfaithfulness).
I'll come back to Elán when I can - in fact, it's remarkable that I have managed to write even this much about the Slovak language and culture without mentioning Slovakia's biggest rock band. I joke with my wife that 50% of the songs on Slovak radio are by Elán and I don't think that is much of an exaggeration. Fortunately their music is excellent, as well as being a brilliant source of Slovak idiom.
Incidentally, my wife's friends, who were already suspicious as to why rozvod came up earlier, will really be wondering what is going on now. I'm on the lookout for something cheerier for Word of the Day 9
This one is designed to explain the comment on my earlier post that a translation is like a woman: ak je verná, nie je pekná, ak je pekná, nie je verná (if she is faithful, she's not pretty; if she's pretty, she's not faithful).
It's and easy word to remember because it is obviously related to veriť (to believe). It also calls to mind nevera (unfaithfulness), as in the Elán song Amnestiu na neveru (Amnesty for Unfaithfulness).
I'll come back to Elán when I can - in fact, it's remarkable that I have managed to write even this much about the Slovak language and culture without mentioning Slovakia's biggest rock band. I joke with my wife that 50% of the songs on Slovak radio are by Elán and I don't think that is much of an exaggeration. Fortunately their music is excellent, as well as being a brilliant source of Slovak idiom.
Incidentally, my wife's friends, who were already suspicious as to why rozvod came up earlier, will really be wondering what is going on now. I'm on the lookout for something cheerier for Word of the Day 9
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 7: obežník
obežník n.masc. circular
Most of the time I find it hard to remember Slovak words, because I'm new to Slavic languages and it's hard to relate a new word to something I already know. I remember, when my wife and I were first dating, her trying to teach me some basic words of Slovak. The names for the colours bore no resemblance to their names in any other language that I knew, and pretty soon I was wondering whether I would ever make any progress with this language.
Three years down the line, somehow through endless repetition those things have stuck. But it's still very nice when a word creates an image which sticks in your head all on its own. Obežník is a good example - bežať means to run, so of course an obežník is a runner-around: a circular.
Most of the time I find it hard to remember Slovak words, because I'm new to Slavic languages and it's hard to relate a new word to something I already know. I remember, when my wife and I were first dating, her trying to teach me some basic words of Slovak. The names for the colours bore no resemblance to their names in any other language that I knew, and pretty soon I was wondering whether I would ever make any progress with this language.
Three years down the line, somehow through endless repetition those things have stuck. But it's still very nice when a word creates an image which sticks in your head all on its own. Obežník is a good example - bežať means to run, so of course an obežník is a runner-around: a circular.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 6: novela
novela n.fem. amendment
SME informed us yesterday that Gašparovič opäť nepodpísal protiextrémistickú novelu. This false friend was news to me. My first thought was how strange it was that Gašparovič, the Slovak President, was refusing to sign copies of his anti-extremist novel. Why was he ashamed to be associated with such a novel and who knew that, like the British Prime Ministers Disraeli and Churchill, Gašparovič was a novelist?
But sadly, that was not the case. Novela (which according to my dictionary can also mean "novella"), in this case meant "amendment". As far as I understand the story, the Slovak Parliament has just passed an amendment to the Criminal Code providing for penalties in the case of violence committed with extremist motives and production, dissemination or possession of extremist material, over the President's veto.
The proper word for "novel" in Slovak, by the way, is román.
SME informed us yesterday that Gašparovič opäť nepodpísal protiextrémistickú novelu. This false friend was news to me. My first thought was how strange it was that Gašparovič, the Slovak President, was refusing to sign copies of his anti-extremist novel. Why was he ashamed to be associated with such a novel and who knew that, like the British Prime Ministers Disraeli and Churchill, Gašparovič was a novelist?
But sadly, that was not the case. Novela (which according to my dictionary can also mean "novella"), in this case meant "amendment". As far as I understand the story, the Slovak Parliament has just passed an amendment to the Criminal Code providing for penalties in the case of violence committed with extremist motives and production, dissemination or possession of extremist material, over the President's veto.
The proper word for "novel" in Slovak, by the way, is román.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 5: podobať sa ako vajce vajcu
podobať sa ako vajce vajcu to be as alike as two peas in a pod
This one comes from an unexpected source. I've been reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist translated into Slovak. The book itself I find rather overrated (but then what's not to like about the message "follow your dream"), but it's short, simple and available (according to the book jacket) in 66 languages. I'd like to get into reading some original Slovak books rather than translations, but for now it's much easier to read something I have read before in a different language.
Right at the start (I haven't got very far yet!), Santiago the shepherd meets the shopkeeper's daughter, who rozprávala o živote v dedine, kde dni sa podobajú ako vajce vajcu. In the original, it just says in literal terms "where one day was the same as the other". Is the Slovak translator getting poetic, or would it not seem right in Slovak to express that literally?
This one comes from an unexpected source. I've been reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist translated into Slovak. The book itself I find rather overrated (but then what's not to like about the message "follow your dream"), but it's short, simple and available (according to the book jacket) in 66 languages. I'd like to get into reading some original Slovak books rather than translations, but for now it's much easier to read something I have read before in a different language.
Right at the start (I haven't got very far yet!), Santiago the shepherd meets the shopkeeper's daughter, who rozprávala o živote v dedine, kde dni sa podobajú ako vajce vajcu. In the original, it just says in literal terms "where one day was the same as the other". Is the Slovak translator getting poetic, or would it not seem right in Slovak to express that literally?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 4: chladný
chladný adj. cool, chilly
Today's Slovak Word of the Day comes thanks to a friend of my wife's, and as a little warning to us about the importance of proper pronunciation.
The word chladný means cool or chilly not only in the literal sense (chladné pivo, cold beer), but also applies figuratively to someone who is cool or distant (an Englishman, for example...)
My friend's English colleague, very proud of his Slovak and wishing to show it off, arrived at a party and announced, very reasonably, Ja som hladný (I am hungry). Unfortunately he must have been trying quite hard at that time to get his ch sound (rather like the ch in "loch") just right, because it came out as Ja som chladný (I am cold, distant, English...)
There's an encouraging side to this, and a disheartening one. The encouraging side is that everyone makes mistakes. The downside is that the accidentally hilarious ones will never be forgotten.
My wife still reminds me of how, visiting Slovakia at New Year and noting how everyone around me was always saying zima je (it's cold, in the sense of cold weather) I announced about a soft drink, zima je (I should have said it was studená). Psychologists say we are more likely to remember things we have learned if they are associated with strong emotions. Well, it works with embarrassment!
Today's Slovak Word of the Day comes thanks to a friend of my wife's, and as a little warning to us about the importance of proper pronunciation.
The word chladný means cool or chilly not only in the literal sense (chladné pivo, cold beer), but also applies figuratively to someone who is cool or distant (an Englishman, for example...)
My friend's English colleague, very proud of his Slovak and wishing to show it off, arrived at a party and announced, very reasonably, Ja som hladný (I am hungry). Unfortunately he must have been trying quite hard at that time to get his ch sound (rather like the ch in "loch") just right, because it came out as Ja som chladný (I am cold, distant, English...)
There's an encouraging side to this, and a disheartening one. The encouraging side is that everyone makes mistakes. The downside is that the accidentally hilarious ones will never be forgotten.
My wife still reminds me of how, visiting Slovakia at New Year and noting how everyone around me was always saying zima je (it's cold, in the sense of cold weather) I announced about a soft drink, zima je (I should have said it was studená). Psychologists say we are more likely to remember things we have learned if they are associated with strong emotions. Well, it works with embarrassment!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 3: rozvod
rozvod n. masc. 1. divorce 2. distribution
This story reports that Pavol Rusko's marriage may be in trouble. Rusko is well known in Slovakia as the former owner of TV Markíza, which according to Wikipedia is the most watched channel in Slovakia. It's certainly very popular with my wife's family, mainly for showing quite a good range of foreign films. Unfortunately for me it's still a bit of a stretch to watch a film dubbed into Slovak, even if (as happened at Christmas) we've just watched the same movie in English on DVD the day before.
In this connection, my wife tells me a story of mendacious headlines from the early days of Plus 7 Dní, a tabloidy weekly magazine. The headline screamed Rusko a jeho rozvod and of course, hungry for a bit of gossip, she bought it at once to find out all about Rusko's divorce. Little did she imagine that the headline actually referred to the second meaning of rozvod - distribution, as in distribution of power. The article was not about Rusko's divorce but about his new electrical wiring.
She tells me she has never bought Plus 7 Dní since.
This story reports that Pavol Rusko's marriage may be in trouble. Rusko is well known in Slovakia as the former owner of TV Markíza, which according to Wikipedia is the most watched channel in Slovakia. It's certainly very popular with my wife's family, mainly for showing quite a good range of foreign films. Unfortunately for me it's still a bit of a stretch to watch a film dubbed into Slovak, even if (as happened at Christmas) we've just watched the same movie in English on DVD the day before.
In this connection, my wife tells me a story of mendacious headlines from the early days of Plus 7 Dní, a tabloidy weekly magazine. The headline screamed Rusko a jeho rozvod and of course, hungry for a bit of gossip, she bought it at once to find out all about Rusko's divorce. Little did she imagine that the headline actually referred to the second meaning of rozvod - distribution, as in distribution of power. The article was not about Rusko's divorce but about his new electrical wiring.
She tells me she has never bought Plus 7 Dní since.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 2: diel
diel n. masc. part
Whenever a member of my wife's family comes to visit, they bring a range of Slovak food, including ryža (rice). I've tried to explain that you can get perfectly good rice from the rice fields of England, but to no avail...
Anyhow, today it was my job to make the rice. I usually use 3 parts water to 2 parts rice, but I could see from the side of the rice packet that the proper proportions were 2:1. Unfortunately, in showing off to my wife that I had managed to make sense of the instructions, I inadvertently referred to the Czech word díl rather than the Slovak for part, diel.
It was an understandable mistake, because my Slovak still isn't good enough to notice that I'm reading Czech (unless I notice a stray ř or ě in there somewhere). And, in a nakedly discriminatory manner, they always seem to print the Czech on top of the Slovak. But I am already in trouble for pretending to think that Czech and Slovak are really the same language, so I had to apologise fast.
It was an understandable mistake, because my Slovak still isn't good enough to notice that I'm reading Czech (unless I notice a stray ř or ě in there somewhere). And, in a nakedly discriminatory manner, they always seem to print the Czech on top of the Slovak. But I am already in trouble for pretending to think that Czech and Slovak are really the same language, so I had to apologise fast.
In penance for that statement, diel is today's Slovak Word of the Day.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Slovak Word of the Day 1: lakeť
lakeť n. masc. elbow
Why start with elbows? Well, when I saw this article about Hilary Clinton having fallen and broken something called a lakeť, my imagination ran wild...
Why start with elbows? Well, when I saw this article about Hilary Clinton having fallen and broken something called a lakeť, my imagination ran wild...
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