Job Discussion Forums

Will. · Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 783 Location: London Uk

A spin off from the how many languages thread.

I think one of the most useful is 'Do you speak English' (substitute with your language if your not 'one of us')

Here we go, my 10;

Yes
Please
No
Thank you
How much?
Where?
Iwant/would like
Stop thief!
Help!
Airport PLEASE!

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

THis is really tough to do but a good exercise I think. I'm a fan on lexical items as opposed to words i.e. sets of words that collocate (go together) such as "my name is..." as opposed to just "name" as the latter is, on its own, pretty useless.

Here I go...

1. hello (however it's done depending on time of day, addressee etc)
2. thank you
3. yes
4. no
5. My name is...
6. <country you are in> is great!
7. how much
8. when
9. where
10. who

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

How about:
- where's the toilet?
- I'd like to order a beer.

Not necessarily in that order.

Celeste · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 5:48 am Post subject:

1. I'm sorry
2. How much is it?
3. Where is the washroom?
4. Thank you.
5. Does this bus go to _______?

Mike_2003 · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 344 Location: Bucharest, Romania

As "yes and "no" would most likely be understood in almost any country you are liable to find yourself in, maybe we could swap them for another two...

a. Take me to the nearest English speaker.
b. Can you write that down?

"How much" has appeared in most people's lists but it is fairly useless unless you have also thoroughly learnt the numbers (hence (b) above). I always have trouble understanding the reply to "how much", especially as most of the countries I visit have currencies with values running into at least tens of thousands, and subsequently the locals often rattle them off at high speed with some kind of abbreviated form.

Mike

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

interesting topic. on a slight diversion, I compiled what i believed to be the 12 most important expressions to be understood by foriegners in indonesia/jakarta several years ago. i believe some reflect the state of the nation/city and life there.

1. nggak tahu = i dont know
2. habis - there's no more/it's finished
3. yaaah, gimana yah ? = mmm, what can we do, i wonder ? (subtle response in order to get someone to grease another's palm).
4. nanti aja, dech = later, later !
5. ngapain, lu ? = what the hell are you doing ?
6. mungkin = maybe
7. udah = already
8. belum = not yet
9. berapa = how much
10. rusak = it's broken
11. ayo, dong = come on/hurry up ?
12. kotor = dirty
basil

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

"Yes" and "no" are not universally understood - especially when accompanied by body language.
Try shaking your head in Bulgaria, where it means the opposite of what YOUthink it means !

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

1.Inshallah.
2.Bukra Inshallah.
3.Mashallah.
4.Exit visa please.

Mike_2003 · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 344 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Well shaking your head isn't saying "no" and probably not a "phrase" as such and "most likely understood" and "universally understood" are not quite the same thing. I would still dare to say that these days most people have a pretty good idea of "yes" and "no" even if they haven't studied English formally. Anyway, it was just a way of freeing up a few slots for some more expressions.

By the way, does shaking the head mean something like "I don't really know", "I don't quite follow you" or "No way, really?" as it does in Turkey? Or does it mean "yes", which would be the opposite of what most people think it means?

Mike_2003 · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 344 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Similarly, "thank you" in Turkish is normally understood to mean "no, thank you".

I remember the first time I went to Turkey as a tourist. The waiter asked me if I would like another tea and I proudly answered "thank you" in Turkish and sat there waiting like a lemon for 20 minutes wondering at the terrible service... Smile

You could probably get away without "no" (hayir) in Turkey. Mostly they use one of the forms of "thank you" for refusing offers and the ever-present "yok" for most other situations. Or you can just tut...

leeroy · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 777 Location: London UK

And in an ESL setting.. I have no idea about spelling or romanisation here, as they were all learnt and practised orally while in the pub. No doubt most of these are wrong, or at the very least highly innappropriate.

1. (Kurva!) Nyemov po polsko - Don't speaking (fucking) Polish!
2. (Cho leh!) Hangu ma hanei, hangu ma haji ma! - Don't speak (fucking) Korean!
3. No hables (puta) espanol! - Don't speak (fucking) Spanish!
4. Bor yao shor chong wun! - Don't speak Chinese!

And a few others - all of which essential for classroom interaction...

1. Yestesh gupi! - You are stupid! (Polish)
2. Voce e uma mulier linda! - You are a beautiful woman! (Portuguese)
3. Ana tawa kirei! - You are beautiful! (Japan)
4. De ne moi le shit - Give me the marijuana (French)
5. No-nun adem dawo, no rang ja gush po?- You are beautiful, do you want to sleep with me? (Korean)

Capergirl · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 11:40 am Post subject:

Actually, leeroy, that should be "donnez-moi" (French) and don't you think you should add "sei yo" to your Korean phrase, to be polite? Wink

jud · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 127 Location: Italy

In Italian the essentials are:

Boh?!: an expression meaning "it beats me"
Va bene: ok, no problem, usually used when there is a problem
Non ti preoccupare/non si preoccupa: Don't worry. This means you should.
Vai via: Go away, as stated in a previous post.
Permesso: Excuse me, can I pass/enter, often best said in a loud, irritated voice

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

yaramaz · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2003 1:13 pm Post subject:

Oooof ya!

Yok ya!

Sus ya!

Yapma ya!

Mashallah
Inshallah
bismillah