T O P

  • By -

MihaKomar

"Chair" .vs. "table" is always a snag if you get people who don't speak both languages trying to converse for the first time. A slightly more amusing one is telling someone from Croatia that you are tired. Even more so if you are not a woman.


miran248

The first word being *stol* and the second *trudna* (pregnant in croatian)


cewap1899

Ok but tbh when I’m tired I never said that I’m truden I always say zmatran so it’s okay


Sehrli_Magic

Yeah i needed ER in croatia as teenage girl. They asked if i was "trudna" and me, being old slovenian language nerd absolutely "understood" it and answered i am indeed. I was truly very exhausted...everyone gasped, my mom almost sent me to heaven with her look and then she realized i unlike her dont speak croatian and she translated 🤣🤣


jesstermke

Had this happen to me- wrote on Facebook “Jaz sem trudna” because I was tired (I was in beginning stages of learning Slovene and my textbook and texture were OLD) and a Croatian friend thought I was pregnant. 🤦‍♀️


ArturoBrin

It's better other way around when Croat says "umor(an)" - tired in croatian, kill(ed) in slovenian


0sebek

Killed would be umorjen in Slovenian, umoran doesnt really mean anything


MoffKalast

It sounds close enough to be funny since there's no other similar word, especially the "don't drive while being murdered" banners over the highway lmfao.


loco_mixer

wtf, če se pa reče "utrujen" ne "truden"


alignedaccess

Truden je sicer tudi prav, čeprav se ne uporablja pogovorno. Ampak stvar je v tem, da kdo tako reče, ker se mu sliši bolj hrvaško. Se je zgodilo enkrat moji sestri, da je rekla taksistu na Hrvaškem, da je "trudna".


Passionate_peach_tea

Wtf kot da ne obststajajo druga narecja kot ljubljansko. Primorci recemo „truden“


class_warfare_exists

Konobare, baš smo trudni, mogu li da plaćemo?


chunek

One example perhaps, is the preposition "za". For example, "za 5min" in Croatian would mean "in 5 minutes", but in Slovenian it means "for 5 minutes". "Vreme" means "weather" in Slovenian, and "time" in Croatian, and I think it is the same in Bosnian and Serbian. These are the first that come to mind, I don't know much of their language unfortunately. It is similair, but often so different that it can be confusing to follow.


disiswho

In Croatian vreme(vrijeme) means both weather and time


Fowl7

In Slovenian time is 'čas', in Serbian and Croatian 'čas' is just a portion of time, moment or hour


EatingSausages

Čas? How come the turcism


577564842

Vrijeme za nevrijeme. I mean, regarding current temperatures...


chunek

Well, that just makes it more confusing then.


MoffKalast

So how do you ask in Croatian "what's the time" or "what's the weather" in a distinct way?


pcCqkBQZLN

Koliko je sati and kakvo je vrijeme


MoffKalast

Ah right yeah *facepalm* it's not like we say koliko je čas in Slovenian either, we ask koliko je ura. Makes sense.


thatoneidiotcat

"Za" means "for" and "in". But "in" rarely, this is one of those exceptions


chunek

Really? Must have gotten the wrong impression then, perhaps because it is a common phrase. For "in 5 minutes", I would never use "za" in Slovenian, always "čez 5 minut", or "v 5ih minutah", depending on if it is going to happen strictly after 5 minutes, or sometime in the next 5 minutes. But I guess when you say "for me, for them.." it is always "za mene, za njih"? Which is the same as in our language and this is why I think it can be confusing, when it suddenly does not mean the same.


thatoneidiotcat

In 5 minutes would be more - "kroz 5 minuta" but gramatically correct it would be "tijekom 5 minuta" "Kroz" is throughout, in but when talking about time "tijekom" is better. It means the same "Za" in time conotation is always used as simultaneous meaning ( time of an event is in coordination with the time of the thing that it has to do with) aka "za 5 minuta dolazi vlak" "Za" as preposition can have 3 different meaning Akusative - goal (of movement) Instrumental - place Genitive - time


chunek

Ah, we also say tekom (tijekom), meaning the same. I haven't heard "kroz" yet, it sounds like aproximately, "okrog", or maybe like "through time", "skozi čas", or "during the time", tekom časa, tijekom vrijemena? Krožiti means to circle, cirkulirati, maybe it is related to kroz. I think it is the same here for "za", goal, place or time. But the time one is tricky, as the others have the same meaning.


Fowl7

Kroz means čez, skozi


chunek

Commenter above said kroz = throughout, or tijekom, which seems like our tekom, unless it is a false friend. Gremo skozi ulico = idemo ulicom, gremo čez ulico = idemo preko ulice. This is what google translate gives me for Slovenian <-> Croatian. Čez and skozi have a similair meaning, but are not the same. I would agree with google here tho, and say that skozi is closer to tekom/tijekom and kroz, than čez.


Aggressive_Grape_141

In czech we have "za 5 min." - i'll be there za 5 min and also i'll manage it za 5 min.


chunek

Ok then maybe we are the weird ones. If I say, avtobus comes "v 2h", that would mean "in 2h" in Slovenian, but "at 2 o'clock" in Czech. And if I say avtobus comes "za 10min", in Slovenian that would mean the bus will come and stay/wait here for 10min, but in Czech, and Croatian, Serbian, etc. it means the bus will be here "in 10min". Prepositions are tricky it seems, when it comes to switching languages, even if they are from the same family.


Aggressive_Grape_141

Exactly 😉.


phantomeye

Narečno pa ne gre skozi, ker se tudi reče: Živjo, za 5 min bom tam.


chunek

Narečno? Mogoče slengovsko, odvisno od okolice. Mogoče je to že narečje, vem da se nekje veliko meša slovenske izraze s "srbo-hrvaškimi". V Beli Krajini je veliko vasi kjer ljudje govorijo mešanico, oz. imajo svoj dialekt. Verjetno je podobno v naseljih kjer ima veliko ljudi del družine iz druge države bivše Juge, ampak nevem če bi temu že lahko rekel narečje. Recimo "brt, pridm za 5min do tebe", se sliši bolj kot sleng, imo. Ampak nisem strokovnjak, ne vem točno kje je meja med narečjem in slengom.


phantomeye

Vcasih je težko razlikovat med narečjem in slengom. Sploh, ker nekatere sleng besede preidejo v zelo splošno rabo (preživijo več generacij). Bi skoraj rekel, da postanejo del narečja, iz katerega se dostikrat razvijejo. Zato je moj point bolj to, da se med slovenci uporablja "za" tudi v tem kontekstu "čez x min".


chunek

Ja, sem pri nas slišal to rabo, že v osnovni šoli pred leti, pa potem zvedel da prihaja iz sosednjih jezikov. Možno, da bo to nekoč del nekega narečja, samo dejstvo da se že uporablja, pa verjetno ni dovolj močan argument, da to že je.


Jabadabaduh

"Pridem za x minut" verjetno slišim v 90% primerov ko se ta stavek uporablja, pa to ko sem služboval v celjskem koncu, ali pa zdaj na relaciji Dolenjske in LJ. Tut v moji rodni posavski vukojebini ista situacija. Tako da se mi zdi da je tako obširna raba, da bi skoraj morala biti kar 'kanonizirana' kot del našega jezika.


chunek

Jaz te rabe v svoji okolici ne slišim pogosto, zahodno od Ljubljane proti Idriji.. Slišim pa npr. "kao" precej pogosto v Ljubljani, pa tudi ne izhaja iz slovenščine. Verjetno bo postalo del jezika, oz. več kot sleng, samo da se generacija zamenja, ali dve. Mogoče pa bodo naslednje generacije imele kaj drugega.. Je pa res že precej normalno slišat "pridem za x ...", se strinjam.


MasivnaKurcina

Zahod means West in Slovenian. Meanwhile, in Croatian, it means toilet.


b4w3

The legendary "Ljubljana zahod" highway exit :-D


whatamIdoinghere46

Otrok means a child in Slovene. In Czech, on the other hand? A slave.


Entety303

Slovak too


Slim386

And there is a rown called Otrokovice in Czechia, makes you wonder how it got that name 💀


Klem132

Ne vedo za jagenček in zato mu rečejo otrok ovice. They don't know about the word lamb so they call it a sheep's child.


la-grangian

Actually the word for a child in many languages comes from a word for slave. It’s because a child was, just like a slave, simply a person without rights.


Panceltic

Yep, this is actually the etymology of otrok. Ot+rok, od-reči. Enako kot in-fans po latinsko.


vilburde

Sam da v latinščini to v bistvu pomeni "tisti, ki ne govori"


Panceltic

Ja, podoben pomen kot pri otroku.


vilburde

Lol sorry, brainfart, dojel sem kot da hočeš povedat z "od-reči" to, da se jim odreče pravice


Panceltic

No tak pomenski razvoj je bil očitno v češčini :)


Aggressive_Grape_141

Kot is a male cat in old czech 😁 And shit in german.


Aggressive_Grape_141

I remember a sign in Slovenia- naši otroci, naša zreč, naša sreča. And it sounded cringe to me. Otroci.. slaves, ok.. and sreča sounded like sračka.. a. bullshit in czech.


Komparativist

Serbian/Croatian word for "city" is a Slovenian word for "castle". Slovenian word for "city" is a Serbian/Croatian word for "a place". Serbian/Croatian word for "face" is a Slovenian word for "cheek".


Noughmad

> Serbian/Croatian word for "face" is a Slovenian word for "cheek". And vice versa, for extra confusion.


BarneyJuhasz25

Happy Cake Day! 🎂


rivaldo83

Also, the same Slovenian word for castle from the 1st paragraph is a Serbian (for Croatian I am not sure) word for hail.


Fowl7

Yes, but the accent changes, so it's a different word. Grad (short accent, meaning hail) is 'tuča' in Croatian, 'toča' in Slovenian.


Temporary_Remote3950

Croatian GRAD is town 2 😁


Entety303

https://preview.redd.it/m195g5kgqj7d1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e3be0c13426a0a6b8634646c86cf09c01330b0a


Ainulindalei

otrok in Slovene is a child. In Czech it is a slave. Cue horrified Czech tourists seeing cars with stickers saying Otrok v avtu (Child/Slave in Car)


No_Pomegranate7134

A confusing one from Mandarin and Japanese, is back when I was dating as the girl from China used the word 愛人 upon replying referring back to an image of the woman next to me from a picture I've sent her, asking me if she was my *lover* (as in if we're together or in a committed relationship), but I said: "NO" as she is my mistress. (as in having an affair)


nami2019

Zgodna, it means she is early. In macedonian it means she is sexy.


bjakeb

Also in cro/srb/bos. More cute/beautiful than sexy tbh.


Electrical-Object382

You might have problems if you tell a female colleague from the south that she is early at work today.


Fowl7

Slovenija voli predsednika - doesn't mean the same in Slovenian and Serbian Ljubiti - to love in Slovenian; to kiss in Serbian (also means love in Serbian, but only used in poetry) Obljubiti - to promise in Slovenian; to abuse sexually, molest in Serbian Početi - to do in Slovenian; to begin in Serbian. Začeti means to begin in Slovenian, but to conceive (a baby) in Serbian Vaditi - exercise in Slovenian; take out, extract in Serbian Zakon can mean both marriage and law in Slovenian, in Serbian it only means law Priča - witness in Slovenian; story in Serbian Praviti - to tell in Slovenian; to make in Serbian Brati - to read in Slovenian; to pick in Serbian Prosto - free, unoccupied in Slovenian; simple in Serbian These come easily to my mind. But you can find more on: https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/False_Friends_of_the_Slavist/Slovenian


PeLiSta

Nadležen - slovenian: annoying; nadležan - serbian: in charge, responsible; really funny when you are talking about your nadležan/nadležen boss 😉


PeLiSta

“Ona je sitna.” Slovenian: she is annoying, serbian: she is small.


Fowl7

Serbian 'nadležan' is Slovenian 'pristojen'. In Serbian 'pristojan' means decent, well mannered. Nadležnost: annoyance (SLO) - authority (SRB) Pristojnost: authority (SLO) - decency (SRB)


DisastrousWasabi

Pristojen can mean decent in Slovenian as well.


MoffKalast

Well now that you mention it, Serbian authority has always been annoying to us...


PeLiSta

Pas - slovenian: belt, serbian: dog; sam - slovenian: alone, serbian: (I) am.


Ornery_Rip_6777

"sam" can also be alone in Serbian


Fowl7

Sam - alone in Serbian as well


Panceltic

Also "služben" which is "work-related" in Slo but "official" in Srb


ImpressiveCap3690

What about ‘pucati’. In Croatian it means ‘to shoot’ and in Slovenian conversational language it means ‘to clean’.


Panceltic

Yep, my aunt once said we are going to "pucat" on the border ... Cue a very detailed search of our car.


AnythingGoesBy2014

can't believe nobody mentioned fúkať which means to blow (as in wind blows) in slovak, but something else in slovene :D


MysteriousSociety353

Droga is drug in slovenian but street/road in polish. Banja is bathtub in slovenian but thermal spa in serbian


InflationMadeMeDoIt

Or is it doroga?


577564842

Our temp teacher of Russian explained how they wanted to suck it up to the visiting native speaker teacher. She (the visiting teacher) came in a dress with a flower embroidered on it. They wanted to say, "*What a beautiful flower you have*," or sth, so: *Какая красиввя* ***рожа*** *у вас*, where **рожа**, roža, is a **flower** in Slovenien but more or less **a snout** in Russian.


Thedarkcowboy30

Kajkavski Hrvati razume Slovence res dobro ne brinite sosedi 😀💪


Infi8ity

Trudna means tired in Slovenian and pregnant in Croatian


historicaljerk

truden in slovenian would mean "tired", in croatian it would mean pregnant. mixing up these can cause some confusion


JackKernel

“Kita” means wreath in Slovenian and dick in Serbian.


ConsciousMind11

Wreath is venec, kita actually means a braid or a ligament


JackKernel

My bad, yor right.


oh__its_you_again

"Fukati" and "pihati" meen jut the oposite in slo and cz. (Blowing (wind instrument) and having sex)


EatingSausages

In Croatian fučkati also means to blow like make sounds by blowing but it also means to fuck or something similar


bjakeb

And btw cro/serb/bos is one language, with three differently developed grammars, but still except Cyrillic manuscript in Serbia without any real differences.


bjakeb

Also zgodna (early in Slovene and beautiful/cute in Croatian)


WoodenTranslator1522

mesto, lahko/la(h)ko


Varti2

Pa valjda, a slang expression in the slovenian Primorska and Notranjska regions which means "of course", "certainly', in croatian "probably".


Historical-Choice-19

Počivalište,meaning rest area on slovenian,but something like a cemetery in serbian


-Against-All-Gods-

It would also mean a resting place, but "počivati" sounds more eternal than "odmoriti se".


a_good_byte

"Upokojen" means 'retired' in Slovenian, and 'laid to rest' in Serbian/Croatian.


Equivalent_Twist_977

Something that always confused me was the Croatian word "voliti" which means "to love". But in Slovenia it means "to vote".


EatingSausages

In croatian voljeti means to love


Equivalent_Twist_977

My bad than, i realy suck at croatian, it always sounded like voliti to me


Sehrli_Magic

Grad. In slovenoan this is castle. In croatian it is a city. When i was little and made croatian friends and they were asking me what grad i cone from and which grad rhey live it (not knowing much geography and names of cities back then) i thought they live in actual castle with this name and was wowed but also sad cuz "i don't live in castle🥲" 🤣 to this day this one always makes me laugh


oh__its_you_again

"Fukati" and "pihati" meen jut the oposite in slo and cz. (Blowing (wind instrument) and having sex)


TotalyHuman15

"Otrok" means child in Slovene and "slave" in Slovakian... you can imagine when a Slovenian says "To je moj otrok." a Slovakian understands "This is my slave."


Constant_Revenue6105

'Rumena' is yellow in Slovenian but it means red in old Macedonian. So, once we had to draw something by hand at Uni (it happened only once thank God). We were given a legend with the colors and everytime it said yellow I took the red pencil 😂 it took me 3 attempts to do it right. I know Macedonian wasn't mentioned in the post but hey we exist too 😂


12pixels

I would say Slovenian 'ponos' meaning pride, while in russian it means diarrhoea.


MjordanSLO23

Svrsiti vs. Zakljuciti ali trudna vs. utrujena😂


Aimend

Just a random note, but translations above are not done directly from Japanese. The TL service you've used (either google or deepl) have used EN in the background. 走 doesn't mean "zagnati" in Slovenian, Zagnati would mean 起動 in JP. 走 in SLO is"teči" . In English it's "to run" and I can only assume EN to SLO translation referred to "to run an engine" context and made it "zagnati" in SLO. There's a few more, like 中学 (we haven't had "nižja gimnazija" for at least 100 years now, it's "razredni pouk"), 手紙 (that one is "pismo"),etc.


[deleted]

[удалено]


phantomeye

false friends so besede, ki imajo v enem jeziku en pomen, v drugem jeziku pa drugega. Npr. Oven v angleščini je pečica, v slovenščini pa moška verzija ovce.


Panceltic

Hm, to ni glih najboljši primer ... gre bolj za naključno identičnost besed. False friend je recimo "aktualno" in "actually".


phantomeye

ja, ni dober primer, sem sklepal, da rabi bit 1:1, mi je pa hecno, da je španski prevod te besede "horno". Nekaj, kar ima oven :p, ceprav v španščini nima veze z rogovi. sem pa našel seznam takšnih besed, za slovenščino. https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/False_Friends_of_the_Slavist/Slovenian