На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.
Which means the best course of action may be to meet Dubaku’s demand and withdraw our forces.
А значит, теперь лучшим развитием событий будет выполнить требования Дубаку и отозвать наши войска.
Which means the best way to fight a Navy SEAL in the water is to force yourself to be as calm as they are.
Что означает, что лучший способ одержать победу над морски котиком в воде это заставить себя быть таким же спокойным как и он.
During this period, most of the physical qualities (strength, endurance, flexibility) manifest themselves to the maximum, which means the best effect from the exercises.
В этот период большинство физических качеств (сила, выносливость, гибкость) проявляются по максимуму; как результат наилучший эффект от занятий.
As a result of a well-considered bidding strategy, lifecell received the largest number of spectrum per user, which means the best user experience for operator’s subscribers ensuring the operator’s leadership in 4.5G services.
В результате продуманной тендерной стратегии lifecell получил наибольшее количество спектра в пересчете на одного абонента, что означает лучший пользовательский опыт для абонентов оператора и гарантирует его лидерство в предоставлении услуг 4G.
So I’m making clothes that interest me, which means the best detail, the best fabric, the best quality.
Вот я и делаю ту одежду, которая интересная мне лично: самые лучшие детали, лучшие ткани, лучшее качество.
Well there are lots of things to think about in this respect, which means the best course of action is to set up a plan so you have some kind of road map to follow.
Где на земле Вы начинаете? Хорошо есть много вещей думать о в этом отношении, что означает, что лучший план действий должен настроить план, таким образом, у Вас есть некоторая дорожная карта, чтобы следовать.
There is a connection point to the LY-IX traffic exchange and to the tens of upstream, which means the best possible connectivity.
Имеется подключение к точке обмена трафиком AMS-IX и к десяткам апстримов, что означает самую лучшую связность.
Direct VoIP calls within SIPNET (SIP ID-SIP ID calls) do not use city or long-distance loops and communication is over the Internet which means the best voice quality and zero connection fee.
При прямых VoIP звонках между абонентами SIPNET (вызовы с SIP ID на SIP ID) ни городские, ни дальние линии связи не используются — разговор передается только по каналам интернета, поэтому качество голосовой связи наилучшее, а стоимость таких соединений равна нулю.
In the article it is studied the terminology and clarified the concept of «Best Practice» which means the best business practices in logistics and SCM.
Исследована терминология и уточнено понятие «Best Practice» — передовых бизнес-практик в логистике и УЦП.
The peoples of the East, in particular the Uzbeks, used the name Mumijo (or mumiyoi) from their ancient heritage, often the word «asil» was added to this name, which means the best.
Народы Востока, в частности узбеки, название «мумиё» (или «мумиеий») употребляют с древнейших времен, причем нередко к этому названию добавляли слово «асиль», что означает «наилучший», «настоящий».
Результатов: 10. Точных совпадений: 10. Затраченное время: 86 мс
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What word means the best of the best?
WORDS RELATED TO BEST OF THE BEST
- aristocracy.
- beau monde.
- beautiful people.
- best of the best.
- cream of society.
- cream of the cream.
- crème de la crème.
- haut monde.
How do you say that something is the best?
Improve Your English Vocabulary: 10 Great Alternatives to “Good”
- Cool. In addition to being used to describe temperature, “cool” also means very good or fashionable.
- Excellent. “Excellent” is used to describe something very good or of high quality.
- Wonderful.
- Perfect.
- Fantastic.
- Exceptional.
- Terrific.
- Outstanding.
What word means the best?
best
- adj.most excellent.
- adj.correct, right.
- adj.most.
- adv.most excellently.
- nounmost outstanding thing in class.
- nounhighest personal effort.
- verbdefeat; gain advantage.
What is a better word for amazing?
astonishing, astounding, surprising, bewildering, stunning, staggering, shocking, startling, stupefying, breathtaking, perplexing, confounding, dismaying, disconcerting, shattering. awesome, awe-inspiring, sensational, remarkable, spectacular, stupendous, phenomenal, prodigious, extraordinary, incredible, unbelievable.
What word best replaces looking?
gaze
- fish eye.
- glaring.
- gun.
- look.
- looking.
- ogling.
- peek.
- peep.
What is slang for looking good?
Snatched – Looks good, perfect, or fashionable; the new “on fleek”
What are replacing words?
Some common synonyms of replace are displace, supersede, and supplant. While all these words mean “to put out of a usual or proper place or into the place of another,” replace implies a filling of a place once occupied by something lost, destroyed, or no longer usable or adequate. replaced the broken window.
What does ravishing mean?
: unusually attractive, pleasing, or striking.
How do you use ravishing in a sentence?
- The film is ravishing to look at and boasts a sensuous musical score.
- Darling, you look simply ravishing in that dress!
- She looked absolutely ravishing in a pale blue suit.
- She looked ravishing/She was a ravishing sight in her wedding dress.
- Cynthia looked positively ravishing this evening.
Can you say absolutely beautiful?
‘Beautiful’ is not (grammatically) an ‘extreme adjective’. ‘Totally beautiful’ and ‘absolutely beautiful’ are much rarer phrases, and sound more informal. If you used very beautiful and absolutely beautiful with a native speaker of American English, there would be nothing unusual or strange in what you’ve said.
What does pulchritudinous mean?
Pulchritudinous is an adjective that means physically beautiful or attractive.
Which is the hardest word in English?
As a follow up to our article on confusing words, here are ten of the most difficult words in English.
- Literally. If you know a language purist, watch out.
- Ironic.
- Irregardless (instead of regardless)
- Whom.
- Colonel.
- Nonplussed.
- Disinterested.
- Enormity.
Is pulchritudinous a bad word?
Even though it looks (and sounds) like it would describe a disease or a bad attitude, pulchritudinous actually describes a person of breathtaking, heartbreaking… beauty. Let’s be honest: Your opportunities for using this word in casual conversation are probably pretty slim.
What does amazingly beautiful mean?
adj causing wonder or astonishment. amazing feats.
Can I say amazingly beautiful?
Somebody else will probably be able to give a more comprehensive answer, but the short version is: you can say “beautifully amazing” or “amazingly beautiful”, never “amazing beautifully”.
Is breathtakingly beautiful a word?
Meaning of breathtakingly in English. in a way that is extremely exciting, beautiful, or surprising: The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
What is the meaning of amazingly?
1 : to an amazing degree amazingly low prices. 2 : as is amazing Amazingly, she wasn’t hurt by the fall.
Is amazingly a real word?
amazingly adverb (EXTREMELY) extremely, or in a way that is extremely good: The food was amazingly good.
What does astonishing mean?
: causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder : surprising an astonishing discovery.
How do you use amazingly?
Amazingly sentence example
- They say she is amazingly beautiful.
- He was amazingly good, his fingers plucking the strings with quick nimble strokes.
- After Professor Amund Helfand had, in July 1875, discovered the amazingly great velocity, up to 644 ft.
What an amazing experience meaning?
You say that something is amazing when it is very surprising and makes you feel pleasure, approval, or wonder.
What does amazingly talented mean?
adj causing wonder or astonishment.
What is the sentence of amazing?
Examples of amazing in a Sentence He showed an amazing lack of concern for others. The amazing thing is that no one knows where it came from. He has an amazing ability to learn new languages. Her grandmother was really an amazing woman.
Where do we use amazing?
Use the adjective amazing to describe something that is so good, it surprises you, like the amazing beauty of the Rocky Mountains or the amazing feats of a truly great athlete.
Does Amazing mean good?
very good: This wine is really amazing.
How do you express something amazing?
astonishing
- amazing.
- astounding.
- bewildering.
- breathtaking.
- extraordinary.
- impressive.
- marvelous.
- miraculous.
What is a fancy word for special?
Some common synonyms of special are especial, individual, particular, and specific.
What can I say instead of fun?
fun
- amusing.
- enjoyable.
- entertaining.
- lively.
- pleasant.
- boisterous.
- convivial.
- merry.
What are different ways to say beautiful?
Ways to Say You Are Beautiful
- You look gorgeous!
- You look as pretty as always!
- You look drop dead gorgeous!
- I think you are very attractive!
- Wow, you are gorgeous!
- I think you are stunning!
- I think you are super cute!
- You look absolutely fantastic!
How do you call a girl beautiful in a cute way?
Ways to Say You Look Beautiful
- I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you.
- I think you’re stunning!
- You look drop-dead gorgeous.
- Delightful.
- Wow, you’re gorgeous!
- You look absolutely fantastic.
- Alluring.
- I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.
Continue Learning about Other Arts
What is the latin translation for the word best?
The Latin word meaning Best is Optimús.
What is the Latin word for hurry?
The Latin word for hurry is festino that means to hasten or
speed. Another Latin word that means speed is celeritas..
What Latin word means emerald?
The Latin word for Emerald is Smaragdus.
What is the latin word for fear?
Metus is a Latin word that means «fear.»
What is the Latin word for Red?
The word ruber means red in Latin. The word roseus means
rose-red. The word ravus means gray, and the word albus means
white.
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#1
Which is correct? Or are they both acceptable? Does it depend on the formality of the letter? Example:
Team members,
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at this evenings meeting. It should be truly memorable.
Bests,
Chaz
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#2
chaz said:
Which is correct? Or are they both acceptable? Does it depend on the formality of the letter? Example:
Team members,
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at this evenings meeting. It should be truly memorable.
Bests,
Chaz
If i were you I would write
Best Regards,
Chaz
I don’t know, just writing «Best» sounds kind of open to me, and I’ve never heard «Bests» as a closing. That’s just my opinion. Well, i guess «Best» could work…
Also, small correction, i think it should be «this evening‘s meeting».
Rob
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#3
I’ve never seen «bests». It sounds strange to me.
All my best
Best regards
-
#4
So as not to drift too far off this thread’s topic, I agree with the others that «bests» is completely foreign to me.
If this is a business letter, or even inter-office correspondence as has been suggested, I would «err» on the side of formality:
Regards
Best Regards
Sincerely
Any of these seem appropriate given the context.
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#5
Best has to be an abbreviation of something else.
As far as I am concerned, if someone hasn’t the time to write/type what best things they are wishing me, I’d rather they didn’t bother.
They might as well sign themselves off:
B
Panj
PS. Of course the apostrophe is required.
elroy
Moderator: EHL, Arabic, Hebrew, German(-Spanish)
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#6
Nevertheless, I’ve seen «best» as a closing. I think of it as an abbreviation of «all the best.» Never seen «bests,» though.
PS — this evening‘s meeting — no doubt about it.
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#7
«Best» is short for «best wishes» natch. «Bests» is not correct.
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#8
Oh yes, the sempiternal «Best.» Personally I more or less abhor it, though I imagine this is a personal skirmish, as is «Thanks much» and worse, «Do you want to go with?» Some of my professors close their emails with it—the ones I respect most, even—and I don’t know way.
As for its origin, I always thought it was short for «best regards,» though it could come from other expressions such as «my best to you and yours,» etc.It is undoubtedly informal, so you would only use it in business if you knew the person well.
Z.
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#9
Moving into conciliatory mood for some reason.
It is likely that «Bests» this is a friendly closing used routinely by this team. In that case I wouldn’t be concerned, much. I am sure they have many other concise ways of communicating amongst themselves.
However, if I got a communication with «Bests» at the end I would be irritated. Jargon needs to be used carefully, and only among those who can be expected to understand.
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#10
I often see «Best,» used to close letters, although not frequently formal ones. I don’t mind it, but my parents think it sounds ridiculous and claim to have never seen it before seeing me use it.
I have never heard of «Bests». It might be a typo, or something that only that certain «in-group» uses. Sounds silly to me though!
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#11
I use «Best,» to close letters among colleagues. I’m never sure if they’d prefer wishes or regards so I let them assume I meant the one they like to receive.
«Bests,» strikes me as a bit odd.
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#12
Many people agree that «Bests» sounds weird and is incorrect.
Ending a message with «Best» is equally weird and meaningless.
The word «best» is an adjective which means it describes a noun — it does not stand alone.
Lots of people have seen this closing to a message, but that does not make it correct.
A closing is an implied thought. Something like «Regards» or «Love» implies that your are sending your regard or love to someone.
When closing with only an adjective like «best» — the result it to imply something that implies something.
In that case, you imply that you are sending something, but not saying what — only that it is the best.
That is taking the implication a level too far.
Another case sometimes heard is to admit a mistake by using the term «my bad».
Again, an adjective is used without a noun. The term is then meaningless.
Some argue that if we understand what a person says, the form is not important.
It will be interesting to see how far the English language can go by leaving out words here and there so that meanings are implied rather than stated.
Skye
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#13
Nevertheless, I’ve seen «best» as a closing. I think of it as an abbreviation of «all the best.» Never seen «bests,» though.
If someone has too little time or concern to spell out the closing they mean —
I prefer it be omitted rather than abbreviate it into oblivion…Skye
PS — this evening‘s meeting — no doubt about it.
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#14
Sorry, what? Adjectives can’t go without nouns? What about substantives/nominalizations? (He’s a socialist; he reads the Socialist International. He cares about the poor and the downtrodden.)
You list «best» and «bad» as adjectives that cannot be used alone. What about «You have to take the good with the bad»? Or, say, «I promise that if you hire me for this position I’ll give you nothing less than my best»?
(Also, «best» isn’t just an adjective. Think about «she’s the best-dressed in the class» for a minute.)
Look, you can come up with a million good reasons not to use «best» in the salutation of a letter. But you have to come up with a good reason, not a nonsensical one. Apparently lots of these posters find «best» too flippant and impersonal; in my own experience, I’ve seen so many emails end in «best» that it doesn’t bother me.
Finally, what about the common and proper salutation «Yours»? That’s clearly a descriptor, not a substantive. The rule «salutations must be nouns» just doesn’t hold water, sorry, over and above the comment about adjectives needing nouns.
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#15
Lucas, regardless of whether you think «Best» is an appropriate way to end an email — it doesn’t worry me particularly, though I don’t use it myself — have you ever seen «Bests»?
I haven’t, myself….
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#16
«I wish you nothing but the best» is an example of a rather vague «best.» That having been said, I note that my British correspondents tend to close their emails with «Best wishes» or «Best regards» so now I do the same.
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#17
Exactly. I’ve never seen «bests.»
I guess I could imagine a situation in which «bests» would be used to make some sort of a joke on the verb «to best.» Like, say:
Well, I have to go attend to the preparations for my father’s funeral. A grim task indeed. Which,
bests,
Lucas
But that would be pretty exceptional, in my opinion.
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#18
Which is correct? Or are they both acceptable? Does it depend on the formality of the letter? Example:
Team members,
I am looking forward to seeing all of you at this evenings meeting. It should be truly memorable.
Bests,
Chaz
«Bests» is a relic from when e-mail and text messaging was shiny and new. «Bests» meant «Best regards and best wishes» in one. This affectation was pretty popular for a while. It went out of fashion maybe 10 or 15 years ago. In other words, some day in the future, there will be a thread asking, «What did LOL used to mean?»
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#19
Welcome to the forums, sfpic!
That sounds like a very wise comment to me.
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#20
Perhaps bests is just a deformed second cousin of laters
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#21
I know this is old, but for the record—I had a very savvy English professor from New Zealand who signed her letters, «Bests, Dr. Liebert.»
I asked her about this at one point, and she said this was common where she came from. So maybe it’s a just a convention from there?
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#22
I think I’ve seen (and possibly received) emails signed off with «Bests». It could be a regional thing or just peoples’ personal preference. I’m not keen on it and wouldn’t use it, but then I don’t use the singular «Best» either.
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#23
I’ve just been banging on in another part of the forum about how English adjectives don’t conjugate for number, but now it seems that they do.
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From Afrikaans to Zulu, here are 203 most beautiful untranslatable words in other languages from around the world that should exist in English.
If you’ve ever tried to learn a language, then you’ll know that translating is not always an easy task. There are over 7,000 languages in the world and just as many words and ideas that get ‘lost in translation’ due to differences in grammar and semantics, or even linguistic complications. When a language fails to convey the essence of a word during translation, the word is considered to be ‘untranslatable.’
There are many terms that drip with feeling and emotion that are simply untranslatable into English. By taking a closer look at some of the most beautiful untranslatable words from around the world, they can give us a glimpse into different cultures and belief systems that help us to understand the people who speak these marvellous languages.
English is no stranger to borrowing words from other languages and even inventing new ones like ‘hangry‘, a combination of anger and hunger because you need something to eat asap. Then there is ‘nomophobia‘, an irrational fear or sense of panic felt when you’ve lost your phone or are unable to use it. Even English playwright William Shakespeare invented plenty of words too such as ‘faint-hearted‘ and ‘tongue-tied‘. These new words have entered English dictionaries at a fast pace, keeping up with the diversity of the English-speaking world.
In spite of this, the English language can’t explain everything so succinctly, and yet there are many other languages that have, in just one word. This comprehensive list looks at some of the most beautiful words in different languages that are simply untranslatable into English. Many of which we should definitely borrow.
From Afrikaans to Zulu, here are 203 of the most beautiful untranslatable words from other languages.
Afrikaans
Loskop – Used to describe someone who is forgetful, absent-minded and a bit air-headed. It’s literally means, ‘loose (los) head (kop)’.
Learn Afrikaans for travel! Get my free Afrikaans travel phrase guide here.
Albanian
Besa – An Albanian verb and pledge of honour that means to keep a promise by honouring your word. It’s usually translated as “faith” or “oath”.
Arabic
Samar (سمر) – Staying up late after the sun has gone down and having an enjoyable time with friends. Samar is also an Arabic name meaning ‘evening conversations including Arabic music and poetry’. Samar in Arabic is a cognate of the Hebrew name Shamar which means ‘to preserve’.
Taarradhin (تراض) – Taarradhin is the act of coming to a happy compromise where everyone wins. It’s a way of reconciling without anyone losing face.
Ya’aburnee (يقبرني) – This word is an emotional declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person to express how impossible it would be to live without them. The literal meaning of the Arabic word ya’aburnee is ‘you bury me’. The underlying idea goes deeper than that (no pun intended). Ya’aburnee is said in the hope that a loved one will outlive you. It is a painful yet beautiful expression of a desire to save yourself the pain of a life without a person you love.
Learn Arabic for travel! Get my free Arabic travel phrase guide here.
Basque
Aspaldiko – This untranslatable Basque word describes the euphoria and happiness felt when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time.
Learn Basque for travel! Get my free Basque travel phrase guide here.
Bengali
Ghodar-dim (ঘোড়ার ডিম) – Pronounced [gho-rar-deem], this Bengali word is a sarcastic term for ‘nothing’ or false hope. It literally means ‘horse’s egg’, therefore representing something that doesn’t exist.
Bulgarian
Ailyak – Ailyak is a beautiful Bulgarian term for the subtle art of doing everything calmly and without rushing, whilst enjoying the experience and life in general.
Learn Bulgarian for travel! Get my free Bulgarian travel phrase guide here.
Chinese (Mandarin)
Guanxi (关系) – Pronounced [gwan-shee], guanxi is often translated as ‘connections’, ‘relationships’ or ‘networks’ and refers to having a strong personal relationship with someone which involves moral obligations and exchanging favours. This is one of the essential ways of getting things done in traditional Chinese society. To build up good guanxi, you do things for people such as give them gifts, take them to dinner, or other favours. If you need to call in a favour then you ‘use up’ your guanxi.
Once a favour is made, an unspoken obligation exists. Because of this, people often try to refuse gifts, because, sooner or later, they may have to repay the debt. However, the bond of guanxi rarely ends, because once the relationship exists, it sets up an endless loop that can last a lifetime.
Ré nao (热闹) – The Chinese word ré nao is usually translated as ‘lively’ or ‘bustling,’ but its true meaning goes beyond these adjectives. It refers to a fun, lively place with an inviting vibe that makes you want to be there.
Czech
Litost – Litost is nearly untranslatable, but Czech writer Milan Kundera describes it as ‘a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery’.
Mít kliku – This Czech verb means to have luck on your side or be lucky enough to achieve something. It literally means, ‘to have a door handle’.
Prozvonit – Prozvonitis when you call but only let it ring once so that the other person calls back without so you save money or minutes.
Learn Czech for travel! Get my free Czech travel phrase guide here.
Danish
Arbejdsglæde – Pronounced [ah-bites-gleh-the], this compound word is make up of arbejde meaning ‘work’ and glæde meaning ‘happiness’ so arbejdsglæde literally means ‘job joy’, ‘job satisfaction’ or ‘happiness at work.’ It’s the heightened sense of happiness, fulfilment, and satisfaction you get from having a great job. This untranslatable word also exists in the other Nordic languages, including Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic.
Hygge – Pronounced [HEU-guh], Hygge is a well-known Danish term that describes the emotional warmth created by relaxing in the company of loved ones such as good friends and family. Hygge usually involves spending the evening at home, and getting cozy by candlelit with warm blankets, and maybe some alcohol. Watching the glow of a roaring log burner is hygge and so too is building a snowman with your children – however old they are. Similar words are also found in German (gemütlichkeit), Swedish (gemytlig) and Norwegian (hyggelig).
Learn Danish for travel! Get my free Danish travel phrase guide here.
Dutch
Uitwaaien – Uitwaaien is an idiomatic Dutch expression which means to go out in windy weather, particularly into nature or a park, in order to refresh and clear one’s mind. Uitwaaien comes from the Dutch uit– ‘out-‘ and waaien, ‘to blow’, of wind.
Voorpret – Voorpret is the build up of anticipation, joy or pleasure you feel ahead of the actual event such as setting up for a party and can’t help but dance as you do it. Voorpret literally means, ‘pre-fun’ but means more than just the anticipation of something fun, it’s enjoying the anticipation. It’s voorpret!
Gezelligheid – This Dutch word combines the Danish concept of hygge and the German gemütlichkeit. Gezelligheid is the idea of being in a comfortable, cozy atmosphere with loved ones, catching up with an old friend, or just the general togetherness that gives people a warm feeling. It suggests a sense of closeness that many consider encompasses the heart of Dutch culture.
Epibreren – Pronounced [ep-i-BREER-un], epibreren describes giving the appearance of being busy and important in the workplace when in reality you’re being super lazy. This term comes with an interesting origin story too. It was originally coined by Simon Carmiggelt, a Dutch newspaper columnist who explained in one of his columns that this previously unknown term had been revealed to him in 1953 by a civil servant from whom he had requested some papers. The civil servant said that the papers still needed epibreren. Not knowing what he meant, Carmiggelt asked, and the civil servant eventually confessed that he had made it up to fend off enquiries.
Learn Dutch for travel! Get my free Dutch travel phrase guide here.
Estonian
Leiliviskaja – A person who throws water on hot rocks to make steam in a sauna.
Finnish
Hyppytyynytyydytys – This may look like I fell asleep on my keyboard, but this Finnish word literally means, ‘bouncy cushion satisfaction’. It describes the pleasure and satisfaction derived from sitting or bouncing on a bouncy cushion. I want to learn Finnish just so I can use this word!
Jaksaa – A severe absence of enthusiasm to do something. When you just don’t have enough strength, will power to do something or can’t be bothered.
Kaamos — Kaamos is more than just Polar Night when there are 24 consecutive hours of darkness, kaamos describes the longing for sunshine, and a feeling of depression and lack of motivation and enthusiasm. It signifies long dark days and bad weather, no social life, and a lack of inspiration.
Lieko – A trunk of a tree that has submerged to the bottom of a lake.
Myötähäpeä – Experiencing a shared embarrassment or shame when seeing someone else do something embarrassing. Myö means ‘we,’ myötä means ‘with’ and häpeä is ‘shame’, so it can be roughly translated to something like ‘co-embarrassment’ or ‘secondhand embarrassment’.
Poronkusema – Talk about very Finnish problems, poronkusema describes the distance a reindeer can comfortably travel before taking a break to urinate. In case you were wondering, it’s around, 4.7miles / 7.5km. Poronkusema was once an official unit of measurement until the metric system was introduced in the late nineteenth century.
Sauna – A sauna is a small room used as a hot-air or steam bath for cleaning and refreshing the body. Saunas were invented in Finland several millennia ago and are still a cornerstone of Finnish culture, as well as of every Finnish home. So much so that, traditionally, when people moved they used to build the sauna first, and only then the house.
Sisu – Sisu is a Finnish concept that describes a stoic resilience, determination and hardiness considered to be necessary to face the difficulties of life in general and of life in harsh conditions in particular. This Finnish term that can be roughly translated as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. Sisu isn’t momentary courage, but the power to sustain that courage to see something through.
Tokka – Pronounced [talk-uh] is a Finnish collective noun for a large herd of reindeer. It is said that there are as many reindeer as there are people in Finland.
Learn Finnish for travel! Get my free Finnish travel phrase guide here.
French
Bérézina – A sense of panic associated with a huge defeat. The word Bérézina is used in the French idom ‘C’est la Bérézina’ meaning a complete defeat, loss. The origin of this expression dates back over 200 years to the banks of the river Berezina in Belarus. It was here that a fierce battle took place between Napoleon’s retreating army and the Imperial Russian army. The battle ended in a victory for the Russian Empire and heavy losses for the French.
Dépaysement – Dépaysement is a feeling of restlessness that comes with being away from your country of origin and feeling like a foreigner. It’s a mix of disorientation to culture shock. Dépaysement can also be used when you’re a bit fed up with your environment and need a change of scenery. Literally, dépaysement means something like ‘to be uncountried’.
Bricoleur — A bricoleur is a handyman who uses whatever materials he can get his hands on to create a construction (or bricolage). Think of the well-known term Bric-à-brac – miscellaneous objects and ornaments of little value. The closest equivalent in English would be something like a DIY-er.
Flâneur – Flâner is a verb meaning ‘to stroll’ but a flâneur is a person of leisure who enjoys wandering the streets and soaking in the city and surroundings and appreciating its beauty. The term flâneur was first coined in the 19th century to describe a literary man of a certain social class, who would spend his time exploring the streets of Paris.
La douleur exquise – If French is the language of love, then it seems only fitting that it has a term to describe all the feelings associated with unrequited love. La douleur exquise literally means ‘the exquisite pain’, the pain of wanting something you can’t have, such as someone who will never return your feelings.
L’appel du vide – L’appel du vide is that little voice in your head telling you to do something stupid like jerking the steering wheel to the right and take a flying leap off the edge or staring out at the view from a balcony and have a sudden urge to jump over the ledge. In English, you might refer to it as the call of the Siren song.
L’esprit de l’escalier – Literally ‘stairwell wit’, l’esprit de l’escalier is the feeling that you’ve got the perfect comeback, but you think of it too late. Similar to the German, treppenwitz, mentioned earlier.
Retrouvailles – This beautiful French word means ‘refindings’, referring to the reunion you would have with someone you care deeply for but haven’t seen in a long time. The English word ‘reunion’ doesn’t quite capture this intense feeling.
Yaourt – The need to sing along to a song even though you don’t know the lyrics. Instead, you use nonsensical noises that vaguely resemble the lyrics of a song.
Learn French for travel! Get my free French travel phrase guide here.
Georgian
Shemomedjam – When you eat something because it’s so yummy and delicious, even though you’re not hungry.
German
Backpfeifengesicht – German is full of hilarious phrases and backpfeifengesicht is one of the most inventive. This German compound word literally means a ‘face that should be slapped’ or ‘a face in need of a slap!’ Backpfeifengesicht is made up of 3 separate words: back – from die Backe, meaning cheek; pfeifen – German verb meaning to whistle; das Gesicht – The German word for face. You might be thinking, but, Michele, that means ‘cheek whistle face’. True! But when you combine the words back and pfeife you get die Backpfeife, which means slap in German.
Drachenfutter – Literally, ‘dragon fodder’, this is a gift someone gives to placate and apologise to someone, especially a spouse, after they’ve done something wrong or stupid.
Erklärungsnot – The urgent need to explain something, either yourself or the situation. It can also mean to struggle explaining something. Erklärungsnot is made up of the German words Erklärung (‘explanation’) and not (in this case, can be translated as ‘need.’)
Extrawunsch – A term used to call someone who complicates things by being fussy or picky, and thus slows things down.
Fachidiot – Fachidiot, literally it means ‘subject-idiot’. A fachidiot is a person with expert knowledge in their own field and are well-accomplished but are clueless when it comes to anything outside that area.
Fahrvergnügen – The love and pleasure one feels from simply driving around. The German compound word fahrvergnügen comes from fahren (‘to drive’) and vergnügen (‘pleasure’). This term was popularised in the USA by Volkswagen advertisements in the 1990s.
Fernweh – Fernweh is one of my favourite travel words that describe wanderlust perfectly. Fernweh is a feeling of homesickness for a place, even though you’ve never been there. The word fernweh is made up of fern (‘far’) and weh (‘pain’) and can be literally translated as ‘farsickness’ or longing for far-off places. This is the opposite of heimweh, which means homesickness.
Fisselig – This represents a temporary state of sloppiness, usually elicited by a person’s nagging. This often means that a person is flustered to the point of incompetence.
Kabelsalat – Kabelsalat literally means, ‘a cable salad’, a beautiful word to describe the mess of tangled cables.
Handschuhschneeballwerfer – Handschuhschneeballwerfer is German slang for ‘coward’. It literally means, ‘someone who wears gloves to throw snowballs’. In other words, a cowardly person who criticises and abuses something from a safe distance.
Kummerspeck – Guilty of eating your feelings? That’s called ‘grief bacon’ or kummerspeck. This term refers binge eating as a result of an emotional blow and the excess weight you can gain from emotional overeating.
Lebensmüde – Lebensmüde is a German compound noun made up of the words leben (life) and müde (tired), and literally means ‘life tired’. It describes the feeling of being tired or weary of life. Its closest English equivalents are probably world-weary, depressed, fed up, restless and dissatisfied.
Schadenfreude – A feeling of joy and pleasure that comes with seeing another’s misfortune. Usually. someone you really dislike.
Schilderwald – A street that is so overcrowded and rammed with street signs, that you’re more prone to getting lost rather than finding your way.
Schlimmbesserung – Something that was meant to be an improvement, but actually makes things worse.
Schnapsidee – Literally, ‘schnapps idea’, is a plan so ridiculous you must have been drunk when you thought it up.
Sitzfleisch – Literally translated, sitzfleisch means ‘sitting meat’ or ‘sitting flesh’ – in other words, your bottom. This German refers to a person with the ability to sit through something very boring. But not only. It’s also used to refer to someone who is hardworking and has the physical discipline to sit down and get on with the job. If you have, sitzfleisch, you possess the ability and the stamina to stay seated for extended periods of time in order to be productive and get the job done.
Torschlusspanik – This beautiful word is used to refer to the feeling you experience at a certain point in your life where you see an imaginary door closing on all your opportunities, and you wonder what could have been. Tor means ‘gate,’ schluss means ‘closing’ or ‘ending,’ and panik means, ‘panic.’ So, torschlusspanik literally translates to ‘gate closing panic.’
Treppenwitz – Possibly the most useful untranslatable word on this list, treppenwitz describes all the things you should have said in the heat of the moment but only think of when it is too late. Also known as, the best comeback line you never said.
Waldeinsamkeit – The feeling of being alone in the woods. Derived from two German words ‘wald,’ meaning forest, and ‘einsamkeit,’ meaning loneliness, it refers to a connectedness with nature and the peace experienced in that moment.
Weichei – Weichei is a German slang term which used to refer to a cowardly person. Literally meaning ‘a soft egg’, the closest English equivalent would be ‘wimp’.
Weltschmerz – The literal translation of the word is ‘world grief’, or ‘world-pain’, a term first coined by the German author Jean Paul. Weltschmerz refers to a deep sadness about the imperfection and pain of the world.
Verschlimmbessern – Verschlimmbessern describes the act of trying to make something better, only to end up making it worse than it initially was. In English, you might say something like ‘to put your foot in it’.
Learn German for travel! Get my free German travel phrase guide here.
Greek
Filotimo (φιλότιμο) – Filotimo is almost impossible to translate but can be summed up as ‘love of honour’. It describes a person who understands the responsibility to themselves, as a human, being to always do the right thing and with honour. Even if their wealth, safety, freedom, or even life is at peril. No matter what, this person will do the honourable thing, regardless of the consequence.
Parea (παρέα) – In Greek culture, a parea is when a group of friends gather to share life experiences, philosophies, values, and ideas.
Psithurism (Ψυθισμός) – Psithurism is the rustling sound of leaves in the wind. It comes from the Greek psithuros, meaning ‘whispering, slanderous.’
Meraki (μεράκι) – Meraki is when you pour yourself wholeheartedly into doing something with soul, creativity, or love that you leave a piece of yourself in your work.
Learn Greek for travel! Get my free Greek travel phrase guide here.
Hawaiian
Pana Po’o – The act of scratching your head in an attempt to remember something you’ve forgotten.
Akihi – When you ask someone for directions, walk off, then immediately forget what they said. You’ve gone ‘akihi’.
Hebrew
Firgun (פירגון) – Firgun is a Hebrew term and concept in Israeli culture used to describe genuine and sincere happiness for another person without any ulterior motives. This often means a feeling of pure joy on seeing someone else’s accomplishment.
Learn Hebrew for travel! Get my free Hebrew travel phrase guide here.
Hindi
Chai-Pani (चाय पानी)– The phrase ‘Chai-Pani’ literally meaning, ‘tea and water’, is used to offer welcome drinks and facilitate guests in houses of India. It can also refer to a bribe given to someone, often a bureaucratic worker, to get a job done quickly.
Jijivisha (जिजीविषा) – This Hindi word conveys an intense desire to live life to the fullest. The word often refers to a person who lives with intense emotions and ambitious desires, seeking to thrive.
Namaste (नमस्ते) – Namaste is both a gesture and divine greeting that sends a message of peace to the universe in the hopes of receiving a positive message back. Namaste comes from the Sanskrit namas (bowing) te (to you) and is often translated to ‘I bow to the divine in you’.
Viraha (विरह) – Realising you love someone only after you’re separated.
Learn Hindi for travel! Get my free Hindi travel phrase guide here.
Hungarian
Elmosolyodni – A kind of smile that forms when something isn’t especially funny, but you can’t help but smile anyway.
Házisárkány – A nickname for your spouse or better half who is constantly nagging. It literally means an ‘Domestic Dragon’
Icelandic
Dalalæða – A low waist-deep fog that forms after a warm and sunny day. It literally means, ‘a fog that sneaks up from the bottom of a valley’ or ‘valley-sneak.’
Gluggaveður – When the weather looks pleasant from your window, but is actually really cold that you need a jacket. Gluggaveður literally means ‘window-weather.
Þetta reddast – Pronounced [THETTA red-ahst], Þetta reddast is Iceland’s unofficial motto that loosely translates as ‘everything will work out in the end’.
Tima – Being unwilling to spend time or money on a particular thing, even though you can afford it.
Learn Icelandic for travel! Get my free Icelandic travel phrase guide here.
Indonesian
Jayus – A joke so terrible and unfunny that you can’t help but laugh. It’s funny because it’s not funny, kind of like a dad joke.
Mencolek – A lighthearted prank where you trick someone by tapping their opposite shoulder from where you’re standing in order to fool them. That’s mencolek!
Inuit
Iktsuarpok (ᐃᒃᑦᓱᐊᕐᐳᒃ) – From the Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada, Iktsuarpok is the act of repeatedly going outside to keep checking if someone (anyone) is coming. Somewhere between impatience and anticipation. Iktsuarpok refers to the feeling of anticipation and impatient excitement that the person you’re waiting for has arrived.
Irish
Cúbóg – A batch of Easter eggs.
Learn Irish for travel! Get my free Irish travel phrase guide here.
Italian
Abbiocco – This is one of my favourite Roman dialect words. It describes the drowsiness or ‘carb coma’ you feel following having eaten a big meal.
Attaccabottoni – Literally, ‘attach buttons’, an attaccabottoni is a chatty person who corners you to tell you long, meaningless stories, in endless detail about their life.
Cavoli riscaldati – Literally reheated cabbage, this is essentially an attempt to reheat an old romance. In other parts of Italy, ‘minestra riscaldata‘ or ‘zuppa riscaldata’, meaning reheated soup, is used to describe the same sentiment.
Commovente – Often translated as ‘heartwarming,’ but it directly refers to being moved to tears. The verb commuovere means to move, to touch, to stir emotions.
Culaccino – Culaccino refers to the dregs in a glass but also the residue or water ring left on a surface by a moist, cold glass or other small container. In Italian, ‘culo‘ means bottom.
Gattara – A woman devoted to caring for and feeding stray or domestic cats. A more extreme version of a cat lover.
Fare la scarpetta – To finish up the contents of your plate, especially the sauce, with a piece of bread.
Meriggiare – An Italian verb meaning to rest or relax at midday, usually in a shady spot on a sunny day. From ‘meriggio’ meaning ‘midday’.
Learn Italian for travel! Get my free Italian travel phrase guide here.
Japanese
Age-otori (上げ劣り) – Pronounced [aah-gey-oh-toh-ree], Age-otori is a beautiful Japanese word that perfectly sums up a disaster haircut that makes you look worse than before.
Arigata-meiwaku (ありがためいわく) – This is used to refer to an act that someone does for you, even though you didn’t want to have them do it and tried to avoid having them do. They might have gone ahead, determined to do you a favour, then things going wrong, causing you a lot of trouble. In spite of this, social conventions required you to still express gratitude. What a mouthful! Yet the Japanese have a simple concise term that says it all in just 2 words, arigata-meiwaku.
Bakku-shan (バックシャン) – This dating slang term literally means ‘back beautiful’ and is used to describe a girl who is beautiful, as long as you’re looking at her from behind! Harsh! An English equivalent could be either ‘good from afar, but far from good’, or ‘Butter face’ – where everything but her face is attractive). What makes this Japanese word so interesting is that it’s not Japanese at all, it’s a composite of バック (bakku, ‘back’, from English back) and シャン (shan, ‘beautiful’, from German schön).
Boketto (ぼけっと) – Gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking of anything specific, in other words, daydreaming.
Chindōgu (珍道具) – A prank originating from Japan, which is done by a person seemingly inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem, but are in fact nothing more than a useless gag. Literally translated, chindōgu means unusual (珍, chin) tool (道具, dōgu).
Ikigai (生きがい) – Ikigai is a Japanese concept often translated to ‘your life purpose’, ‘a reason for being’ or getting up in the morning. Ikigai refers to having a direction or purpose in life which makes one’s life worthwhile and full of meaning. But is not just limited to this, it can also be something as small as a daily ritual you enjoy.
Kaizen (改善) – Kaizen is a Japanese term and method meaning ‘change for the better’ or ‘continuous improvement.’ It’s a method for transforming habits incrementally, one step at a time, in order to continuously improve. It’s also a famous Japanese business philosophy where employees make small adjustments to processes that compound over time resulting in increased productivity.
Koi no yokan (恋の予感) – The feeling of excitement you get when you first meet someone and know that you will eventually fall in love with them and are hopeful about being more than just friends. This is a more realistic version of ‘love at first sight’. Koi no yokan comes from 恋 (koi) is romantic love, and 予感 (yokan) roughly translates to ‘premonition’ or ‘hunch’, and roughly translates to ‘premonition of love’.
Komorebi (木漏れ日) – This Japanese word beautiful describes the scattered sunlight that filters through the leaves on the trees. The word is composed of three kanji and the hiragana particles れ. While the first kanji refers to ‘tree’ or ‘trees,’ the second one means to ‘escape,’ and the third signifies ‘light’ or ‘sun.’
Kyōiku mama (教育ママ) – Pronounced [ky-oh-ee-kuu-mama], Kyōiku mama is an offensive Japanese term used to describe a mother who relentlessly pushes her children to achieve academic excellence. It literally translates to ‘education mother’.
Mono no aware (物の哀れ) – Literally ‘the pathos of things’, and also translated as ‘an empathy toward things’. The term Mono no aware was coined by Motoori Norinaga, an eighteenth century literary scholar, who combined aware, which means sensitivity or sadness, and mono, which means ‘things.’ Norinaga believed that this feeling was at the very centre of Japanese culture.
Nekama (ネカマ) – Nekama refers to a certain type of male, who in their normal daily life are usually heterosexual, however, online they represent themselves as female. Thus, this term commonly refers to a man pretending to be a woman on the internet, regardless of his sexuality.
Shouganai (しょうがない) – A Japanese philosophy that states that if something is meant to be and cannot be controlled, then why worry about it? The idea is that worrying won’t prevent the bad things from happening; it will only deprive you of the joy of enjoying the good things in life. Translated literally, shouganai means ‘it can’t be helped’.
Tatemae (建前) and Honne (本音) – Tatemae has the specific cultural meaning. It refers to the behaviour that Japanese people adopt in public, according to what is socially accepted or not by Japanese society. It could be translated as the ‘public facade’. Privately held views that you would never admit in public is called honne.
Tsundoku (積ん読) – How many times have you bought a book but never read it? This is called tsundoku, a beautiful word used to describe the act of buying books but letting them pile without ever reading them. The term originated in the Meiji era (1868–1912) as Japanese slang. The word consists of tsunde-oku (積んでおく, to pile things up ready for later and leave) and dokusho (読書, reading books). It is also used to refer to books ready for reading later when they are on a bookshelf.
Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) – This is a beautiful Japanese concept that represents finding beauty in imperfections. It allows us to accept that growth and decay are a natural process. In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. Wabi-sabi is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence (三法印, sanbōin), specifically impermanence (無常, mujō), suffering (苦, ku) and emptiness or absence of self-nature (空, kū).
Yoko meshi (横飯) – Used to convey the stress-induced while speaking a foreign language, the literal meaning is ‘a meal eaten sideways’. Need help learning a language? Check out my guide to the best language learning resources here.
Yūgen (幽玄) – Yūgen is an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics. It refers to the sad beauty associated with human suffering, coupled with a sense of profound mysterious sense and beauty of the universe.
Related: 69 Wonderful Japanese Expressions That Will Brighten Your Day
Kivila
Mokita – From the Kivila language native to Papua New Guinea, mokita is a commonly known truth that no one wants to admit or talk about.
Korean
Dapjeongneo (답정너) – A situation where you’re ‘the right thing’ by telling the other person what they want to hear, even though you might not actually believe it. Sort of like telling a white lie to avoid causing offence.
Gosohada (고소하다) – The feeling you get when someone finally gets what they deserves. When you think to yourself ‘HA serves you right!’, that’s Gosohada.
Gilchi (길치) – What you call someone who has a terrible sense of direction and who constantly gets lost.
Hyo – Pronounced [hee-yo], this is both a name meaning ‘dutiful’ and a term to describe the sense of duty children have towards their parents and the expectation that they may need to make sacrifices for them out of respect.
Latvian
Kaapshljmurslis – Kaapshljmurslis is used to describe the uncomfortable cramped feeling you get when you’re in a crowded bus or train during rush hour.
Lithuanian
Nepakartojama – A never-to-be-repeated perfect situation. Directly translated, it means ‘unable to repeat’
Malay
Manja – Manja is a person who shows so much outward love and affection towards someone they care about, like a spouse, partner, or child, to the point where they are pampering or spoiling them
Pisan Zapra – The time it takes to eat a banana. Which apparently, is roughly two minutes.
Māori (Cook Islands Maori)
Papakata – To have one leg shorter than the other.
Norwegian
Dugnad – Is a type of community day where Norwegians get together to help clean up their neighbourhoods by fixing, cleaning, painting or just tidying things up. A dugnad takes place around the change in seasons. Every Norwegian has participated in a dugnad. It’s a great occasion to socialise with your neighbours, which – if you live in Norway – you will know is pretty rare. The added benefit is that a dugnad is usually accompanied by kaffe og kaker (coffee and cakes).
Forelsket – The indescribable euphoria you feel when you start to fall in love with someone.
Pålegg – Anything that you can put on top of open-faced sandwiches, such as brun øst (Norwegian Cheese) cold cute, tomatoes, lettuce, spreads or other topping.
Utepils – Pronounced [OOH-ta-pilz], Utepils is a beautiful Norwegian compound word where ute means ‘out, outside, outdoors’ and pils means ‘lager’, so it literally translates to ‘outdoors lager’. Utepils is the act of enjoying a beer while sitting outside on a sunny day – usually after surviving a long winter. Utepils is also the name of a famous brewing company.
Uffda! / Uff da! – Is a versatile interjection and expression which basically means ‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that’. It expresses surprise, astonishment, exhaustion, relief, and can be used to express empathy. It means a combination of ‘Ouch for you!’ and ‘I’m so sorry that you hurt yourself’. Within Scandinavian-American culture, Uff da often translates to, ‘I am overwhelmed’.
Yr – Yr can only be described as a very specific kind of rainfall with tiny, almost floating raindrops (or snowflakes). It’s similar to drizzle or mist but one as one Norwegian puts it ‘It paints a picture not only in how it’s spelled but how it’s said, it’s more a sound than a word. Also when conjugated: ‘det yrer litt‘. I see foggy whispers of misty rain in the fjords.’ (Source). I think this is the most beautiful untranslatable word I’ve learned so far since learning Norwegian.
Learn Norwegian for travel! Get my free Norwegian travel phrase guide here.
Pascuense (Easter Island)
Tingo – Continuously borrowing items from a neighbour’s house and not returning them, thereby gradually stealing everything from them one-by-one until there is nothing left.
Persian
Zhaghzhagh – Pronounced [zhaang-zhaah-gh], it’s the uncontrollable chattering of teeth, either due to the cold, or from intense rage.
Polish
Dożywocie – A contract between parents and children, guaranteeing lifetime care in exchange for real estate.
Formacja – Formacja is used in colloquial speech to describe a state of mind that is widespread across a particular generation or period of time. The closest English word would be ‘zeitgeist’.
Kilkanaście – This Polish word refers specifically to any number between 12 and 19 and is used in a similar way as the English ‘umpteen’ or ‘many’, but neither translation is quite correct.
Kombinować – To make something or try to resolve a problem with the bare minimum and in an unusual way. This could be as a result of having limited access to resources or knowledge.
Radioukacz – Telegraphists who were part of the resistance movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain.
Zalatwic – Zalatwic means ‘to get done’, but in a very specific way and is often either illegal or bends the rules. It involves using a bribe, political clout or connections, or simply personal charm to get the job done. This was especially common in Poland during the days of communism in Poland where it was probably impossible to live without ‘zalatwic’.
Portuguese
Saudade – Saudade is an untranslatable Portuguese term that describes a solemn and melancholic feeling of longing. Saudade can be a longing for something which does not and probably cannot exist or refer to the love that remains long after someone or something is gone and may not return – a nostalgic longing for a person or thing that was loved once, but is now lost. This feeling is a recurring theme in Portuguese and Brazilian literature. Brazil celebrates a day of Saudade every January.
Desenrascanço – Desenrascanço literally means ‘disentanglement’, a term used in Portugal to describe the act of ‘disentangling’ oneself from a difficult situation by using all available means to solve the problem.
Cafuné – The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair in a loving way.
Learn Portuguese for travel! Get my free Portuguese travel phrase guide here.
Romanian
Dor – A sad longing or yearning for someone.
Soare cu Dinti – When you look out the window and it looks lovely and sunny until you actually step outside. Soare cu Dinti describes a beautiful sunny, but very cold day.
Rukwangali (Namibia)
Hanyauku – Pronounced [ha-ahn-yoh-kuu], this Rukwangali word spoken by Namibians, refers to the act of tiptoeing across warm or hot sand.
Russian
Listopad (листопа́дъ) – The falling of leaves.
Odnoliub (однолюб) – Someone that only has one love in their life or is only capable of a single person at a time.
Pochemuchka (почемучка) – Pochemuchka is a person, usually a child, who asks too many questions. Pronounced [POH-chay-MOO-chka[, it comes from the Russian word pocemu [POH-chay-MUH], which means ‘Why?.’ Pochemuchka was first used in a popular Soviet-era children’s book whose boy hero was given the nickname Alyosha Pochemuchka because he was never satisfied with the answers he got. Pochemuchka is a light-hearted put-down that might be expressed in English with a warning like ‘curiosity killed the cat’.
Razljubit (разлюбить) – Razljubit is the opposite feeling of the Norwegian forelsket when you first fall in love. It’s the feeling you have towards someone you were once in love with. When you see or think of them, you may feel a twinge of affection, but by now it’s totally platonic. That’s razljubit.
Toska (тоска) – Toska is the feeling of anguish, sadness, or melancholia, even though there’s no specific cause. Often spiritual in nature, this is a deep sadness that touches the soul.
Zapoi (Запой) – Zapoi describes being drunk for several days and waking up in an unexpected place that you don’t recognize.
Zloradstvovat (злорадствовать) – Zloradstvovat means to be devilishly happy’, in the evil way, when seeing someone’s misfortune, pain, or loss.
Learning Russian? Check out these hilarious Russian idioms and expressions
Samoan
Faamiti – Pronounced [fah-mih-tee], faamiti is a high-pitched noise made by sucking air through tightly-sealed lips in order to attract the attention of a pet or children.
Scottish
Sgrìob – This Scottish Gaelic term describes the tingle of anticipation felt in the upper lip before drinking whisky.
Suilk – Pronounced [swilk], this Scottish word means to make an abnormal amount of noise whilst such as to swallow, gulp, or suck with a slobbering noise. Suilk is now used in English and even has English verb conjugations, ‘suilking‘ is the act, and a ‘suilker‘ is one who suilks.
Tartle – The moment where you hesitate when introducing someone because you’ve just forgotten their name. You’ve just tartled, so you say, ‘Pardon my tartle!’
Learn Scots for travel! Get my free Scots travel phrase guide here.
Serbian
Merak – This beautiful Serbian word refers to the pursuit of small pleasures everyday, which all adds up to a feeling of contentment, fulfilment and oneness with the larger purpose and the universe.
Slovenian
Vedriti – To shelter from the rain, either literally or metaphorically, such as when you’re in a bad mood and you’re waiting for the negative emotions to pass.
Spregledati – To simultaneously understand someone on a deeper level, whilst also overlooking it.
Spanish
Anteayer – This single word means ‘the day before yesterday’. Anteayer is made up of the Spanish word ante, meaning before or in front of, and ayer, meaning yesterday. In some parts of Latin America and rural Spain, antier is used instead.
Chingada – Chingada is a vulgar term commonly used in colloquial Mexican Spanish that shouldn’t be thrown around lightly. It can either refer to a special kind of hellish place that’s far away, where you send anyone who irritates you, like when you say ‘go to Hell’, or can be used as a variation of the f-word. Chingada stems from the verb chingar which means to ruin, annihilate, screw or f**k. Like I said, be careful how you use it, if at all!
Desvelado – While the Spanish are known for their siestas, they also have a word which means the complete opposite. Desvelado literally means ‘awake’ and comes from the verb desvelar, which means ‘to reveal’ or ‘to keep awake’. It can also be translated into English as being wide awake, unable to sleep, or sleepless.
Duende – The word duende has two distinct meanings. The term derives from ‘duen de casa‘ (master of the house), referring to a magical, mythical creature or spirit such as an elf, leprechaun, or even a goblin found in Spanish and Latin American folklore. The second, and more interesting and beautiful definition, describes the heightened state of emotion, expression, and expression that a performer gives off that draws in the audience. Duende or tener duende (‘to have duende’) is a Spanish term that is traditionally connected with flamenco and other activities that evoke Spanish fiery passion, like bullfighting. In some parts of Spain, duende is used to describe someone who is charming or alluring.
Encandilar – The aftermath of seeing a sudden bright flash of light, often associated with seeing spots. Encandilar comes from the Spanish verb encandilarse, meaning ‘to be dazzled/blinded by’.
Estrenar – Estrenar means ‘first time’ or the beginning of something. It’s used to describe the first time you do, wear or use something for the first time. Don’t you just love that feeling?
Friolero – Friolero describes a person who is particularly susceptible and sensitive to cold weather, prone to easily feeling cold. A similar term also exists in Italian, freddoloso.
Madrugada – The term madrugada is both Spanish and Portuguese and means to get up early in the morning at twilight – the time between midnight and the crack of dawn.
Pena ajena – Ajeno/a generally means ‘someone else’s’ or ‘other people’s’. Literally, meaning ‘sorry for others’, pena ajena is the feeling of humiliation or embarrassment you get upon watching another person’s embarrassment. It’s so embarrassing that it makes you cringe.
Sobremesa – Shared mealtimes are a very important part of Spanish culture, and the time spent after the meal just chatting and relaxing is very important. So important that they even have a word to describe it. Sobremesa literally means ‘over the table,’ is a Spanish expression that describes that wonderful period after the meal is finished but you continue sitting at the table chatting and enjoy each other’s company.
Tuerto – A one-eyed man, blind in one eye .
Tutear – To speak to someone you know well (usually friends and family) informally by addressing using the ‘tú‘ form instead of the more formal ‘usted‘. The term tutoyer is used in French to describe the same thing where the speaker uses the informal second-person pronoun tu rather than the formal vous.
Vacinlando – Vacilando is a beautiful Spanish word which describes the journey or experience of travelling, is more important than reaching the specific destination.
Learn Spanish for travel! Get my free European Spanish travel phrase guide here and my Latin American travel phrase guide here.
Swahili
Hakuna matata – In the Swahili language, Hakuna matata can be directly translated to ‘there are no troubles’. This phrase was made popular in the English-speaking world thanks to the 1994 Disney movie The Lion King. It can be translated to ‘no worries’ or ‘no dramas’ and means to avoid worrying about things outside of your control. If you’re a fan of the film, here are 20 beautiful African words in ‘The Lion King’ that will make you smile.
Swedish
Badkruka – A person who feels somewhat hesitant or doesn’t like to swim in an open body of water due to its low temperature.
Blunda – Blunda is a Swedish word that means to close or cover your eyes to avoid seeing something or facing a hard truth. It’s similar to the English expression ‘turn a blind eye’, or can be the simple act of ignoring something.
Duktig – If a Swede says you’re duktig, that’s a huge compliment, because they are saying you’re skilled, capable, or hard-working. Duktig comes from the Swedish verb duga, which means ‘to be good for / to be acceptable for’. You can use duktig on its own, just as you would say ‘you’re such a hard-worker!’ or ‘good girl/boy!’ to a child. Duktig refers to an action of some sort, whether that’s a job or a specific task.
Fika – Fika is a special kind of Swedish coffee break that could go on for hours and is more about socialising than drinking coffee. It’s all about gathering together to enjoy coffee, pastries, and conversation.
Gökotta – I adore this beautiful untranslatable Swedish word. Gökotta describes waking up at dawn, and going outside, just to hear birds chirping and singing.
Harkla – Harkla is a fantastic verb that means something very similar to ‘to clear one’s throat’. A perfect example would be the moment before you’re about to give a speech and make a half-cough so you can speak clearly.
Hinna – Hinna is a common Swedish verb that means ‘to be on time’ ‘to find the time’.
Jobbig – Jobbig is an all-encompassing word that means troublesome or trying, annoying or difficult. It can be used to refer to people, things, events – almost anything that is difficult, annoying, or tedious.
Lagom – Lagom means ‘just the right amount’, it’s neither too much, nor too little, but juuuuuust right. Lagom is important in Swedish culture, where you don’t want to ‘stand out’ but having or doing too much.
Mångata – Mångata refers to a long, wavy, road-like reflection of the moon that often appears on water. It draws its origin from ‘måne‘ meaning moon, and ‘gata‘ meaning street or road. So, mångata literally means ‘moon road’.
Mormor / farmor / morfar / farfar – We could definitely use these genius Swedish compound words in English to describe each of our grandparents. Mormor, farmor, morfar, farfar literally means mothermother, fathermother, motherfather, fatherfather – respectively. That is, mormor is your mother’s mother, farmor is your father’s mother, morfar is your mother’s father and farfar is your father’s father. So, the question is, do you want to see more of mormor and less of farfar? So see farmor far less? And while we’re at it, barnbarn (literally, ‘childchild’) is the Swedish word for grandchild.
Mysa – Mysa is a Swedish verb for feeling content, cozy and enjoying oneself, especially at home. Not to be confused with the Danish, hygge which relates to any activity or part of your day, mysa refers specifically to being at home.
Orka – This common verb in the Swedish language means ‘to have the energy’.
Resfeber – Resfeber refers to the mixture of anxiety and anticipation before a trip or journey begins. Resfeber is considered one of the most beautiful travel words.
Tidsoptimist – Literally, a ‘time optimist’ this is a person who is constantly late because they think they have more time than they actually do.
Tretår – When two cups of coffee isn’t enough, you go for a second refill or ‘threefill’ of coffee. In Swedish, ‘tår’ means a cup of coffee and ‘patår’ is the refill of said coffee. A ‘tretår’ is therefore a second refill, or a threefill.
Vobba – Describes the very specific act of a parent taking a paid day off to take care of their sick child but still work, for example they check emails or take calls. Vobba is a mash-up of the two verbs att vabba (to take care of a child) and att jobba (to work).
Vabba – From vobba, comes vabba, a shortened version of vård av barn, which means ‘to be at home with the kids’.
Learn Swedish for travel! Get my free Swedish travel phrase guide here
Tagalog
Gigil – Gigil is the overwhelming feeling that comes over you when you see something unbearably cute that you want to squeeze or pinch it. Kind of like when your grandma wanted to pinch your cheeks when you were a child.
Tampó – In Filipino culture, tampó is when a person withdraws his or her affection or cheerfulness towards someone who has hurt them. A mild case of ‘to hold a grudge’ where you’re someone between hurt and disappointed. It usually occurs between people related to each other. For example, when a husband forgets to bring his wife flowers for their anniversary, she can have ‘tampó‘ against him.
Kilig – Kilig can be roughly translated as ‘romantic excitement’, it describes the happiness and giddiness you feel when something romantic takes place, either to you or someone else. It’s the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when you catch your crushes’ eye for the first time, witnessing a marriage proposal, or watching your favourite TV show couple.
Tamil
Oodal – An exaggerated, fake anger that usually follows a quarrel between lovers.
Tshiluba (Congo)
Ilunga – Pronounced [ee-lun-ga], this is a person who is ready to forgive someone once, tolerate it a second time, but never a third time. Kind of like, three strikes and you’re out!
Tulu (Indian)
Karelu – The mark left on the skin from wearing something tight, such as jeans, socks, or a bra.
Turkish
Ciğerpare – This beautiful word literally has Persian origins and literally means ‘liver part’. It refers to someone that you love as much as your own body. Lovers or friends may call each other ciğerparem, meaning ‘my liver part.’
Urdu
Goya – This Urdu word refers to a feeling of wonder and disbelief that accompanies a particularly realistic fantasy. The suspension of disbelief makes it seem so real that it temporarily becomes reality. This is usually associated with good storytelling.
Wagiman
Murr-ma – This beautiful word comes from Wagiman, an almost extinct Australian Aboriginal language spoken in Australia’s Northern Territory. It describes feeling around in water with your feet to find something.
Welsh
Glas wen – The literal translation is ‘blue smile’, and is used to describe a mocking sarcastic smile.
Hiraeth – Pronounced [here-eyeth] (roll the ‘r’), this beautiful Welsh word is much like the Portuguese saudade mentioned earlier or the Romanian dor, it conveys a feeling of homesickness, sense of regret, along with a general sadness over the lost or departed. This is a longing for one’s homeland, or even a romanticized past, with a yearning for it to come back.
Yaghan
Mamihlapinatapei – The word mamihlapinatapai (sometimes also spelled mamihlapinatapei) comes from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego in Southern Argentina. Mamihlapinatapai is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘most succinct word’ and is considered extremely difficult to translate. Mamihlapinatapai is a meaningful, but wordless exchange between two people, who both desire to initiate something but are hesitant to act on it. It also can refer to a private but non-verbal exchange shared by two people, one where each knows that the other understands and agrees what is being expressed.
Yiddish
Shlimazl (שלימזל) – A chronically unlucky, usually inept, clumsy person.
Trepverter – Literally, ‘staircase words’, trepverter is a witty comeback you think of only after it’s too late.
Luftmensch (לופֿטמענטש) – Luftmensch is used to refer a person with their head in the clouds. They are more concerned with airy intellectual pursuits than practical matters like earning an income. From the Yiddish לופֿט (luft, ‘air’) and מענטש (mentsh, ‘man’).
Farpotshket – Pronounced [fahr-POTS-SKEHT], farpotshket is when you or someone you trust tries to fix something but only ends up making things worse, causing irreparable damage. All you can do is shrug, knowing that you should’ve known better. Farpotshket also has an associated verb – potshky (POTs-ski), which means ‘to fiddle with something in a well-meaning and purposeful way, but with a complete lack of competence.’
Chutzpah – Is an untranslatable Yiddish word for adopting a ‘don’t-take-no-for-an-answer’ attitude where you’ll build up the guts to do something ballsy.
Zulu
Ubuntu – The act of being kind to others because of one’s common humanity. Ubuntu is frequently translated as ‘I am because we are,’ or ‘humanity towards others’.
Over to you!
Which one of these words in your favourite? Was it the Malay, pisan zapra – the time it takes to eat a banana or the Portuguese cafuné – the act of tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair. Share your favourites in the comments.
Can you think of any other ‘untranslatable’ words? Have you ever come across words and phrases that could not be translated into your native language? Let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!
Want to know more about learning languages? Start here!
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A word that we find in so many English sentences, we need to know when and where to use “which”. One of its top uses is the example “which means”, *which* can cause problems for the English speaker. We’re going to explore this phrase, looking at where it’s found, its different forms and its meaning.
“Which means” used in a sentence
Firstly, where’s it found in a sentences? We must establish the word class of “which”: it’s a relative pronoun. We give it this name because it’s related to another noun in the sentence, be it a noun that’s previously mentioned in that sentence, or a noun that’s implied.
To begin, we should learn to make sentences where “which” refers to a noun that’s been mentioned, an explicit noun. As the Cambridge Dictionary correctly tells us, relative pronouns introduce a relative clause. But what’s a relative clause? If you have a simple sentence, such as “There’s the school“, and you want to extend the sentence to give more information, you can say “which has 2,000 students” and the new, longer sentence is a relative clause. In this example, “which” is related to “my school”. Check it out next to a second, different example:
- There’s the school which has 2,000 students.
- He’s unhappy which means we’re unhappy.
What’s the difference? Well, in the second example, “which” is representing the entire clause “he’s unhappy”. The pronoun “that” is extremely dynamic as a word and can replace “who” or “which” when we want to define something like “there’s the school that has 2,000 students”, but we can’t use “that” in the second sentence to replace an entire clause. The Cambridge Dictionary says that replacing “which” with “that” in the first example will sacrifice formality.
The Writing Center explains how certain speakers think “that” is better for clauses like sentence 1. This sentence includes a restrictive relative clause, where the “which has 2,000 students” gives us more information to define the noun. Some speakers believe “that” is more appropriate than “which”, but both are technically accurate.
The Cambridge Dictionary also explains to us how “which” is the relative pronoun that we use for animals and things. This contrast with other relative pronouns, such as “who” which we use exclusively for talking about people.
- He’s the man who stole the bread.
- I like cameras which come with a stand.
- I like cameras that come with a stand.
Now, what’s this other instance where we can have which refer to an implicit noun? This is most commonly seen in wh- question formation when “which” is related to an object outside of the question, either implied previously in the conversation of by other contextual queues. Here are some examples:
- Which are yours?
- Which do you like best?
In both of these questions, “which” has no corresponding noun. The speaker could be referring to something mentioned like “I love my shoes“, “Which are yours?”. Or maybe someone is pointing at the pair of shoes as they ask the question.
A good what to simplify this, as highlighted again by The Cambridge Dictionary, uses “what” questions as a comparison. Questions beginning with “what” are open-ended versions of “which” questions, where the former have an unrestricted number of answers while the “which” questions are restricted by options presented by the speaker.
- What song is best?
Any song in the world can be the answer.
- Which song is best? Don’t Stop the Music or Funky Town?
Here, we can’t simply say “Which song is best?” with no other information.
So, that covers which and its different functions as a relative pronoun. Now, we must deal with “means”. The verb is used to explain the significance, or meaning, of something. To use a linguists’ vocabulary, we can say that “to mean” is used to translate one piece of information into a different interpretation.
- Bonjour’ means ‘hello’.
- The bell means it’s dinner time.
When we combine “means” with “which”, we get a phrase that offers an explanation.
- The teacher is ill which means there’s no class.
There’s no class because the teacher is ill.
In examples such as this, the first clause “the teacher is ill” is translated as “there’s no class”. There’s also an omission of “that” in this sentence, which is very common in relative clauses where they act as an object. Have a look below, where the words are grouped into their functions.
- “… which (subject) means (verb) that there’s no class (object)”
As “that there’s no class” is the object, we’re free to delete the “that”. However, this is entirely optional and you may want to keep “that” for stylistic reasons. Stylistic reasons are important, because it’s possible to have the following sentence.
- More money means that that can be afforded.
But the double “that” does sound a bit strange, so let’s get rid of it an instead say:
- More money means that can be afforded.
- More money means we can afford that.
“Which means” or “which mean”
The English language can feel a bit daunting when someone says “It’s ‘Which mean‘, not ‘Which means‘”. You might be wondering why it matters when “which” seems to be a 3rd person pronoun so it needs that ‘-s’ in agreement. However, if you remember, we’ve learned how “which” corresponds with another noun, and the way we change the following verb (the conjugation) is determined by this corresponding noun. All sound a bit complicated? Let’s see some examples:
- The symbols which mean “welcome” are on the sign.
The plural “symbols” are represented by “which”, so we need the 3rd person plural form “mean”.
- A loud bark, which means the dog’s getting hungry, makes the house shake.
The singular “bark” is represented by “which”, so we need the 3rd person singular form “means”.
- There’s so much rain which means that group of kids should come inside.
The entire clause “There’s so much rain” is represented by “which”, so we need the 3rd person singular form “means” by default.
These three examples demonstrate the different contexts in which we see “which mean(s)”. We get “mean”, with no “-s” verb agreement, in just one instance: where the expression extends a plural noun phrase. When we have a singular noun phrase, we use the singular verb form and when it needs to agree with an entire clause, the singular verb form is also the default.
What about “by which means”?
It’s possible that you’ve come across sentences containing the thee-word combo “by which means” and you may well have noticed that these sentences don’t exactly resemble the relative clauses that we’ve seen today. That would be for good reason, because the “by which means” actually contains the plural noun “means” rather than a form of the verb “to mean”, despite looking exactly the same… Confusing stuff! We need to look closer at some sentences to see the difference.
- There’s bad language on the web which means teenagers learn it more easily.
- In the coming days, the government decided by which means they’d tackle this problem.
The first sentence uses “which means” to form a relative clause, as we’ve already seen. The second sentence uses “by which means” as the object of the verb “decide”. That’s because “means” are a way that we do something, or resources.
- The army used means of aggression to strike fear in their enemy.
- I don’t have the means to live independently.
This expression gives us a second opportunity to see how “which” refers to something specific and restricted in quantity, while “what” is quite the opposite.
- In the coming days, the government decided by which means they’d tackle this problem.
(They’ll use an online security company)
- In the coming days, the government didn’t decide by what means they’d tackle this problem.
(They could use any of their unlimited options)
You can see that “by what means” gives no impression of the governments decision whereas “by which means” suggests that their decision has been made.
Synonyms and antonyms of “which means that”
Synonyms of this phrase are going to immensely improve your writing style, especially if you write pieces dealing with complicated information that needs explaining, they’re going to help you vary your language and help to avoid repetition. We can see a list of synonyms for “which means that” and use any of them alternatively. We’re going to take a look at the best of them, and the contexts in which they may be a good alternative.
In such a way that
- He organized his drawer in such a way that he could easily find old outfits.
Try to use this phrase to connect clauses. That’s to say that it isn’t appropriate to replace “which means” when we’re describing a noun phrase, but it’s better for those longer sentences where we want to explain one clause with a second, as in the above sentence. Besides the grammatical function, “in such a way that” will work best when you want to put emphasis on a process, such as the organization of your clothes!
In order that
- I’ve packed you your bags in order that you still leave before the end of the day.
This phrase is quit a formal alternative, the right option for use in professional contexts, but something like “so that” is good enough most other instances. The meaning here is “with the result that”, as specified by the Cambridge Dictionary, and it’s a best for this specific meaning whereas we get to use “which means that” to offer an explanation.
With the result that
- The team conducted a search with the result that 5 international corruption scandals were found.
Again, this is similar to “in order that” and it’s used to connect clauses. This option puts the emphasis on the result, and it’s quite word-y so we’d tend to only employ it in longer pieces of writing, when we have the space and time to be so specific.
As a result of which
- There had been several instances of teenagers vandalizing the local mall as a result of which the mall raised its security.
Similar in meaning to the previous two alternatives, “as a result of which” is much more formal, as is usually the case when we use relative pronouns in positions like this, away from the verb.
Whereby
A solution whereby participants could stay at home will be an asset to the company in the long-term.
Another formal option, “whereby” is best translated to “by which” and we can say it after a noun to explain some detail about it. In the above sentence, “whereby” explains the finer details of the solution, offering some clarity to the reader.
Which is why
I found better answers in the dictionary which is why I used it instead of the internet.
Finally, a great synonym for “which means” in the everyday context. This is noticeably less formal than most of the other examples on this list, because it’s quite difficult to avoid a certain level of formality when connecting clauses and offering explanations, as these are processes that are themselves synonymous with formal contexts. This is definitely the alternative that you’re most likely to hear in conversational language.
Concerning the antonyms, we don’t need a thesaurus, we just need to negate the clauses on one of the side. Check out the following sentences which will hopefully make things clearer.
- The teacher’s here which means that we should go to class.
- The teacher’s ill which means that we shouldn’t go to class.
You can see above how it’s not necessary to search for antonyms of “which means”, as we can work around it with other elements of the sentence.
That wraps up the phrase “which means”, so you hopefully now feel comfortable using it and any similar phrases.
c) complete the definitions with the appropriate word (“inn”, “hotel” and “motel”) and mind the difference between them.
…………. is a hotel for people travelling by car
…………. is a building where people stay and pay for their room
.………… is a small hotel or pub (it’s an old fashion word)
Task 3 a) match a word from the box with one of the definitions below:
-
a workshop facilities a social to confirm a requirement(s)
- to state or show that smth is definitely true or correct, especially by providing evidence –
- a party that is organized by a group or club –
- a period of discussion and practical work on a particular subject, in which a group of people share their knowledge and experience –
- something that you need or want –
- buildings, services, equipment, etc. that are provided for a particular purpose –
- to provide yourself/smb/smth with the things that are needed for a particular purpose or activity –
b) fill in the gaps with the words from the box in a) and translate these sentences into Russian.
- The hotel has special ……………………. for welcoming disabled people.
- Our immediate …………………. is extra staff.
- Please write ………………………….. your reservation (= say that it is definite).
- The service in this hotel meets our ……………………….
- Can you ………………………what happened?
- All rooms have private ………………….. (= a private bathroom).
- The centre is well ………….ed for surfing and diving.
- The manager is arranging …………………. on cultural differences for the employees of his division.
- The division manager …………………… that the meeting will take place next week.
- She got a bank loan to rent and ………….. a small workshop.
Task 4 a) read Joannie and Stephen’s letter to their son and daughter-in-law and make a list of their arrangements.
-
1041, Penn Street Staten Island
New York
16 November
Dear Maisie and Tom,
Well, it’s all arranged! We’re spending Christmas with you and then we’re going to Toronto to see Gary and Holly on 27 December. We’re staying with them for three days, and then we’re returning home on 31 December in time for New Year at home.
We are coming to Chicago by train because we hate flying, as you know.
We hope you can meet us in Chicago.
Love
MOM & POP
b) make a list of your arrangements for the next week.
Task 5 a) translate the dialogue into Russian and reproduce it in class.
RECEPTIONIST: | Good morning. May I help you? |
TONY: | Good morning. A week ago we booked a room for us, in the names of Tony Marshall and May Hunter. |
RECEPTIONIST: | Umm, just a moment. Yes, two single rooms with en-suite bathrooms? |
TONY: | That’s right. We’re attending the “Sun, Sea and Sand” conference and exhibition. Does that mean we get a discount? |
RECEPTIONIST: | Yes. We are one of the conference partner hotels, so there is a ten per cent discount. Is it for ten days? Is that correct? |
MAY: | Yes, until the thirteenth. That’s ten days. |
RECEPTIONIST: | Good. Right then. We’ll need you to sign a credit card voucher in advance. But when you check out, you can settle the account by card or cash, or cheque, as you wish. |
TONY: | OK, thanks. |
RECEPTIONIST: | Right. You, Ms. Hunter, are in room 202 and Mr. Marshall, you are in room 207. If you take the lift over there to the second floor the porter will accompany you with the baggage. |
MAY: | Thank you very much. |
TONY: | Cheers. Do you have a map of Manchester? We want to go out later. |
RECEPTIONIST: | Yes, here you are. |
MAY: | And can you recommend any good places to eat? |
RECEPTIONIST: | Well, why don’t you try Chinatown? There are a lot of good Chinese restaurants there. |
MAY: | Oh, that sounds great, I love Chinese food. Thanks. |
RECEPTIONIST: | Have a good day! |
Task 6 a) translate these dialogues into English; b) think of similar situations and make up your own dialogues.
I
— Доброе утро! Отель Азимут. Меня зовут Элен. Чем могу Вам помочь?
— Здравствуйте! Я бы хотела забронировать двухместный номер.
— Оставайтесь на линии. Да, у нас есть сейчас номер на двоих. Это уютный номер с душем, кондиционером, телевизором, холодильником. Окна номера выходят на парк.
— Замечательно! Мне нравится. Сколько стоит номер?
— 2000 рублей в сутки.
— Очень хорошо. Я беру этот номер.
— Когда Вы планируете приехать и уехать?
— Мы собираемся пробыть в отеле с 30 апреля по 5 мая.
— До свидания. Ждём Вас 30 апреля.
II
- Могу я забронировать одноместный номер на двое суток до пятницы?
- Да, Вы можете взять номер 35. Окна номера выходят во двор.
- Сколько стоит номер?
- 89 долларов, полный пансион.
- У вас есть что-нибудь подешевле?
- Боюсь, что нет.
- Вы можете показать мне номер?
- Конечно. Я уверена, что Вам понравится номер.
- Да, здесь очень комфортно. Я беру этот номер.
- Хорошо. Вот Ваши ключи.
Task 7 a) translate the interview into English and conduct a roleplay.
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Простите, вы едете на поезде сегодня или ждёте кого-то? |
ГЕНРИ: | Мы едем на трёхчасовом поезде в Чикаго. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | А что вы собираетесь делать в Чикаго? |
ГЕНРИ: | Мы проводит рождество с нашими внуками. Они обычно отмечают его у нас в Нью-Йорке, но на этот раз мы едем к ним. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Итак, семейное рождество в Чикаго? |
ГЕНРИ: | Да, сначала мы празднуем рождество вместе с семьёй, потом летим в Торонто, где проведём несколько дней с нашими друзьями. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Во сколько вы прилетаете в Чикаго? |
ГЕНРИ: | В 9 утра. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Когда вы уезжаете домой в конце каникул? |
ГЕНРИ: | Кода наши друзья устанут от нас. |
СТЕФАНИ: | Не слушайте его. Он шутит. Мы возвращаемся 31 декабря. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Чем вы занимаетесь? |
ГЕНРИ: | Мы уже пенсионеры. Мы не работаем. Я раньше работал брокером на Уолл Стрит. |
ЖУРНАЛИСТ: | Вы живёте в Нью-Йорке? |
ГЕНРИ: | Нет, мы живём на Стейтен Айленд и гордимся этим. |
Task 8. Story time: a) use the information below to compose a story about Tony and May’s experience travelling to Prague. Use the Past Simple Tense.
Vacation in Prague to go to Prague on summer vacation • to arrive at the airport • to take a taxi • to try to go to their hotel • not to know the way to the hotel (a taxi driver) • to speak little English • to be a bad start of their journey • to take them 3 hours to get to the hotel • to be very tired and angry • to meet nobody at the reception desk in the hotel • to turn up at last (the receptionist) • to have no reservations for them • to be very upset • to have only two small rooms at the front of the hotel • to have no choice • to fill a new registration form • to have no passport on smb • to carry their bags to their room • to have no money to tip the porter • to decide to buy a sandwich • to be closed (the room service) |
b) talk about your own experience staying in a hotel. Was it a good experience?
Task 9. Find English equivalents for the following phrases in Russian.
Прекрасные виды на город, оставлять ценные вещи в сейфе на ресепшн, проводить семинар, менеджеры подразделений, увидеть подводный мир, беспошлинные магазины, 50 ТВ каналов на 5 языках, проводить семинар об особенностях работы с многонациональными командами, разрабатывать целый ряд материалов для обучения, курсы с самостоятельным доступом в режиме онлайн, нанимать международные команды, иметь опыт работы заграницей, удовлетворить потребности в обучении, испытать культурный шок, датироваться разными веками, пешая экскурсия по Праге, чай/кофе машины, освободить номер к вечеру, отсутствовать в городе в течение 2 дней, пожарный выход, приносить извинения за задержку рейса, забронировать номер на двоих, предоставить окончательную информацию (детали).
Task 10. Translate the sentences form Russian into English.
- Понимание культурных различий – жизненно важно для успеха любой компании.
- МГИМО предлагает студентам и преподавателям целый ряд дополнительных образовательных курсов.
- Я бы хотел одноместный номер на двое суток (на две ночи). – К сожалению, все номера заняты.
- Мы приносим свои извинения за задержку рейса.
- Основными темами последних семинаров были культурный шок, язык жестов, создание многонациональных команд.
- Этот дворец датируется 15 веком.
- Большие гостиницы предлагают своим клиентам целый ряд услуг.
- Она получила огромный опыт, когда жила прошлым летом в Швейцарии и работала в международной организации ООН.
- На следующей неделе мы проводим семинар по вопросу межкультурной коммуникации.
- Группа китайских и итальянских студентов подготовили прекрасную презентацию о культурных различиях в своих странах.
- Когда вы собираетесь подтвердить бронирование номера в гостинице?
- Окна моего номера выходили на парковку.
- Мы можем предложить вам номер на двоих.
- Я уезжаю завтра. Подготовьте мне счёт, пожалуйста.
- Завтра в конференц-зале я выступаю с презентацией о культурных различиях перед своими сотрудниками.
- В ближайшем будущем мы планируем провести выставку разных обучающих программ (курсов) для деловых людей.
- Наша компания успешна, так как качество обслуживания и продукции удовлетворяет запросам наших покупателей.
- Рестораны предоставляют людям возможность отлично поесть и пообщаться друг с другом.
- Необходимо расширять международные контакты, увеличивать иностранные инвестиции, чтобы сделать гостиничный бизнес успешным.
- Где располагаются самые лучшие и комфортабельные гостиницы в городе? – Обычно в центре города, но они и самые дорогие.
- Завтра весь день я провожу собеседование с соискателями на работу.
- Гостиница Милуоки переживает сейчас возрождение.
- Исследуйте подводный мир Тихого океана в парке Seaworld в австралийском городе Gold Coast.
- Она не хочет питаться в отеле всё время. Еда там дорогая.
Task 11. Read and translate into Russian the script from a BBC programme. Talk about what you have learnt about the way hotels work and how to make a reservation.
A Hotel Operations Manager
Hotels employ many people, from chefs and receptionists, to porters, maids and managers. Here we are going to meet a person who is responsible for most of what a hotel does. His name is Gregory Pepek and he is the Operations Manager for Le Meridien Wardorf.
THE COMPANY. My name is Gregory Pepek. I’m the Operations Manager of the Waldorf Meridien hotel in London, which is a five star hotel which is under the brand of Meridien.
THE JOB. I’m responsible for the day-to-day running of the hotel. So all the managers of each division, for instance, the restaurant, or conference and banqueting or housekeeping, report to me. It’s my role to set them goals. They all carry out these objectives in their own divisions.
Our hotel is part of a chain and that is the reason we are required to meet certain standards and visitors’ needs. We are required to provide certain services, such as 24 hour room service, 24 hour porterage and 24 hour valet as well. It is my role to ensure these standards are maintained at all times.
Also, as Operations Manager, I have direct responsibility for the reservations department in the hotel which is the most important department in the hotel in terms of profit and revenue. It’s where we make sixty per cent of our revenue in the hotel.
HOTELS AND INTERNET. People can book hotel reservations in a number of ways. Internet is becoming more and more important for hotel bookings. I wouldn’t say overall it is going to increase our bookings, we have to be aware of it because it’s a different method of the way guests can book.
So, we have to make sure we are offering the right rates, at the right time and in simple English, so that everyone around the world can understand, as now it is not just travel agents accessing the hotel information, it’s somebody sitting at home.
Gregory’s four top tips on booking hotel rooms:
- When making a booking, I suppose the most important thing to remember, if you are a leisure traveller, is to book as early as possible because that is the time when most of the discount or special offers are available.
- When you make the reservation by phone or the internet always ask for or write down the confirmation number. And they can easily find your booking, even if they spelt your name wrong or something went wrong.
- If you have any special requirements for rooms, such as you’d like a room which is quiet, or at the front of the hotel, or it’s not near a lift or it is near a lift, then again I would suggest, or recommend, that you make these at the time of booking. Once you check in on the day, those preferences might not be available when you check in.
- To guarantee your room, hotels in London, or in England specially, will ask for a credit card or a confirmation which will guarantee that your room is held, basically all night or for late arrival. In most UK hotels, if it is not guaranteed by a credit card, or some form of payment, people have to vacate the room between 2 and 4 pm now.
Task 12. Find English equivalents for the Russian phrases from the text above.
Забронировать номер по телефону, нанимать персонал, забронировать номер в гостинице, нести ответственность за, пятизвёздочный отель, соответствовать определённым стандартам, докладывать кому-либо, ежедневное руководство делами отеля, скидки и акции, знать о чём-либо, осуществлять цели, ставить цели, обеспечить соблюдение стандартов, получить доступ к информации о гостинице, предпочтения, освободить номер.
Task 13. Answer the questions to the text.
- What is Gregory Pepek?
- What hotel does he run?
- What is he responsible for?
- How can people book hotel reservations?
- What tips on booking hotel rooms does Gregory Pepek give?
Task 14. Translate the text into English and say if you plan or are going to visit these places and why/why not.