Ana 何雅洁
Community Tutor
Is there any word in your language that do not exist in other languages?
Is there any word in your language that do not exist in English? Or a few words to describe one same thing (For example Eskimo languages have a few words to describe snow)?


Jun 22, 2020 6:53 PM
Comments · 28
4
Døgn - Norwegian.
Since day and night time fluctuate quite a lot in Norway during the year, so words like "dag" (day) and "natt" (night) changes meaning depending on the season and your location. Therefore we have a word that means 24 hours - døgn.
June 25, 2020
4
In German, "Fernweh" means longing for places far away.
June 23, 2020
4
Marlana,
My educated guess, as an American of British descent, is that the lack of such a phrase in English is about cultural attitudes towards food among Anglophones. The British comedian and writer Stephen Fry, in the documentary episode where he investigates the Eastern European Jewish branch of his family history, mentions how “un-English” it was for his Hungarian grandfather to talk about food (and to do so with obvious interest and joy).

I can also say that both in history and still today, White Anglo-Saxon Americans were notorious for the blandness of their (mostly boiled) food.

If you come from a culture where the food is flavorful due to spices, good sauces, and cooking techniques like sautéing (a French word) and roasting, of course you will have good wishes for the guests.
June 23, 2020
4
When I started to learn Arabic I noticed, that it has many words with no equivalent in German.

German:
Torschlusspanik (Closing gate panic)
It’s mostly used for those who sense their biological clock is running out and feel the need to settle with a partner or have children immediately before it's too late.

Pantoffelheld (Slipper hero)
A man who may act tough in front of his friends but can't stand up for himself against his wife.

verschlimmbessern
To make something worse by trying to improve it.
June 22, 2020
4
In Czech, the word "shánět" means to look for something, but with a considerable effort involved in order to get hold of it. For example, if you are looking for a product in this way, you might have to visit many different shops, have good personal connections, or bribe someone in order to obtain the product. It was common before 1989 that people had to "shánět" premium products or even basic ones in case there was a shortage. Nowadays, people use the word all the time, even if they don't have to put that much effort into searching.
June 22, 2020
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