misleading differences between Polish and English languages

benszymanski:

I would take offence too and I am from London. I think that calling someone a cock when not intended as an insult is probably very regional to where you are from. I have heard of it before though - is that from Lancashire? (Or whereever Coronation Street is set anyway...)

Easy_TerranThreads: 4 Posts: 473 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Apr 4, 08, 13:31 / #
JustysiaS: pet in Polish is a fag I know 'pet' as a cigarrete's butt, smoked (out?) cigarette

MelusineThreads: 6 Posts: 20 Joined: Oct 15, 07	Apr 4, 08, 13:44 / #
In French "preservatifs" are condoms. (Condom is the name of the French town where presumably they originated.) In English a "preservative" is something you put in your homemade jams to stop them going mouldy. I gather that since jam-making British ladies have colonised large swathes of rural France there have been plenty of red faces and misunderstandings when they've been chatting to their neighbours ;)...

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Edited by: z_darius Apr 4, 08, 14:33 / #
fagot and faggot

bajkaThreads: 1 Posts: 105 Joined: Mar 7, 08	Apr 4, 08, 14:38 / #
would that be like faggotki ?

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Apr 4, 08, 14:44 / #
English: nigger -- Polish:

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06	Apr 4, 08, 15:04 / #
Pollution - Eng. for 'contamination' Polucja - Pol. for 'ejaculation during sleep'

benszymanskiThreads: 9 Posts: 510 Joined: Feb 29, 08	Apr 13, 08, 05:29 / #
steve08: this thread is very interesting, where i come from in england people call each other "cock" which could mean "mate" for example, so when i said it to a polish friend of mine he got upset because he thought it meant the same as "kutas" lol I would take offence too and I am from London. I think that calling someone a cock when not intended as an insult is probably very regional to where you are from. I have heard of it before though - is that from Lancashire? (Or whereever Coronation Street is set anyway...)

steve08Threads: - Posts: 3 Joined: Feb 2, 08	Apr 14, 08, 16:29 / #
benszymanski: I would take offence too and I am from London. I think that calling someone a cock when not intended as an insult is probably very regional to where you are from. I have heard of it before though - is that from Lancashire? (Or whereever Coronation Street is set anyway...) he he:) i must stop using it...im actually from cheshire, but i think the saying is from lancashire or yorkshire;)

BubbaWooThreads: 46 Posts: 4,438 Joined: Sep 26, 06	Apr 14, 08, 16:55 / #
alright me ol cock sparra apples and pears wet kipper nods as good as a wink cor blimey guvna well i neva did old kent road dog an bone your avin a bubble

isthatu2Threads: 13 Posts: 5,225 Joined: Apr 3, 08	Apr 14, 08, 17:08 / #
eeh flower tha knows bar t'at its reet cold

TheKrukThreads: 5 Posts: 389 Joined: Apr 14, 07	Apr 15, 08, 00:30 / #
When I first went into an internet cafe in Poland and knew very little Polish I pointed to a computer and said "Internet" the guy said "no" so I moved to the next computer and pointed and he said "no" , I moved to the third and he said "no" I looked like I was about to cry from confusion and he shouted "TAK"

MajciaThreads: - Posts: 2 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Apr 15, 08, 03:25 / #
when we say: "not really" ex:"Are you hungry?" "Not really" Does it mean-he is not hungry at all or he is not hungry but in the same time he is a little bit?I had that conversation with my Polish mates during the English class,we found it a bit funny

panienkaThreads: 2 Posts: 215 Joined: Mar 4, 08	Edited by: panienka Apr 15, 08, 07:58 / #
Majcia: Does it mean-he is not hungry at all or he is not hungry but in the same time he is a little bit? i think that he is hungry a little little little bit, like Polish "nie bardzo" or maybe "nie tak naprawdę"

F15guyThreads: 1 Posts: 230 Joined: Jan 14, 08	Apr 15, 08, 08:18 / #
z_darius: fagot and faggot Polish fagot is a bassoon. 1913 Webster's dictionary lists five noun definitions for fagot, one of which is a bassoon: 1. A bundle of sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees 2. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes 3. (Mus.) A bassoon. See Fagotto. 4. A person hired to take the place of another at the muster of a company. 5. An old shriveled woman.

BubbaWooThreads: 46 Posts: 4,438 Joined: Sep 26, 06	Apr 14, 08, 17:09 / #
aye lad, grim

benszymanskiThreads: 9 Posts: 510 Joined: Feb 29, 08	Apr 19, 08, 07:35 / #
When my Mum came over from the UK to visit recently she was in a shop and said "super duper" whilst looking at some of the products, meaning "very good" or "great". I explained to her that "super dupa" means something a little different in Polish....

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Edited by: z_darius Apr 19, 08, 08:14 / #
benszymanski: she was in a shop and said "super duper" I called out to my aunt in a supermarket - ciocia! A few Latinos turned around with he expression of disgust on their faces.

ZgubionyThreads: 21 Posts: 2,037 Joined: Oct 20, 06	Edited by: Zgubiony Apr 19, 08, 08:17 / #
z_darius: I called out to my aunt in a supermarket - ciocia! A few Latinos turned around with he expression of disgust on their faces. Yeah, that's a funny comparison :) I had the same happen at work...knowing damn well what they both meant ;) Foreign lang. is fun

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Apr 19, 08, 09:59 / #
Zgubiony: Foreign lang. is fun It is, but sometimes people just refuse to learn it; In secondary school I had Latin. Nobody wanted to read aloud: post huius* mortem Numa Pompilius regnem ocupat*

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08	Apr 19, 08, 10:43 / #
No, these are faux amis (false friends) -- cognates that mean something different in different langauges although usually they come from the same root. Curve/kurwa are not cognates but constitute a coincidental similarity.

Tiny Tom	Apr 21, 08, 09:00 / #
You have not spelled the words correctly. They should be 'bank' and 'fag'.

jump_bunnyThreads: 8 Posts: 332 Joined: May 14, 09	Jun 7, 09, 11:59 / #
When English says pathetic it means sad, When Pole says patetyczny it means elegiac. When English says sad it means unhappy, When Polish says sad it means orchard.

Victoria-Guest	Jun 7, 09, 18:16 / #
Now I am getting an ideas why Polish is confusing with our English. They should think English all the time while in America. And they should think Polish in Poland. You need to changes languages whenever you are. For example: I am having ball today. (It mean I am having Fun.) I am playing with ball. (It mean round beach ball or other balls) I am going to Ballroom. (It mean dancing place) You have to understand and use your judgements. Ball have different meanings.

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,727 Joined: Mar 10, 08	Edited by: SeanBM Jun 7, 09, 18:19 / #
Sympathy in English is when you feel sorry for someone Sympatyczne in Polish means nice, as in "nice person."

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Jun 7, 09, 19:55 / #
Victoria-Guest: I am having ball today. (It mean I am having Fun.) I am playing with ball. (It mean round beach ball or other balls) I am going to Ballroom. (It mean dancing place) that should be I'm having a ball today. I'm playing with a ball. I'm going to the ballroom. (or a ballroom) you're welcome.

Arlene	Jun 8, 09, 18:14 / #
To mafketis:: (((that should be I'm having a ball today. I'm playing with a ball. I'm going to the ballroom. (or a ballroom) you're welcome.))))) Very Good! Mafketis!!! See how well you are doing. I am - I'm I have - I've It is - It's This is example of America English. Keep up good work.

benszymanskiThreads: 9 Posts: 510 Joined: Feb 29, 08	Jun 8, 09, 18:58 / #
Arlene: This is example of America English. as opposed to what? I'm Britsh and we happen to use "I'm" in the UK too... ????

Arlene	Jun 9, 09, 01:35 / #
To benszymanski That is up to people which they prefer to write. It make no difference how you write as long it is same words. Don't worry what British teach you. Your country is different and America is different. America have their language because America want to be separate from England so we know who is who. Don't forget British Settlers were living in America and this is how it became.

benszymanskiThreads: 9 Posts: 510 Joined: Feb 29, 08	Jun 9, 09, 12:11 / #
I don't understand what you are talking about or what point you are trying to make. Arlene: This is example of America English It's an example of English, used in America, Britain, everywhere, so I don't understand what point you are trying to make to Mafketis, apart from that it looks to be an attempt at sarcasm.

piotr_auThreads: - Posts: 7 Joined: Jul 4, 09	Jul 4, 09, 17:57 / #
I remember my first Polish winter, and the person I was speaking to mentioned the "Fatalny pogoda". I of course understood the English equivalent - fatally as in deadly or lethal. Fatalny means dreadful, fatal means śmiertalny!