Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Brite
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (Cyborg)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

CIRCLE WITH A DOT

  1. Home
  2. Uncategorized
  3. Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Uncategorized
offtopic
103 Posts 78 Posters 280 Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

    Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

    In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

    When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

    Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

    In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

    #offtopic

    xeno@hexokina.seX This user is from outside of this forum
    xeno@hexokina.seX This user is from outside of this forum
    xeno@hexokina.se
    wrote last edited by
    #58

    @randahl@mastodon.social the hardest is the pronounciation, honestly swedish and even norwegian have a lot of the silly-sounding-in-english words too

    i tried to explain to a native english speaker how like "Københavns Hovedbanegård" or "Hvis jeg kunne" is actually pronounced and they were just stunlocked for a few seconds

    xeno@hexokina.seX 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • xeno@hexokina.seX xeno@hexokina.se

      @randahl@mastodon.social the hardest is the pronounciation, honestly swedish and even norwegian have a lot of the silly-sounding-in-english words too

      i tried to explain to a native english speaker how like "Københavns Hovedbanegård" or "Hvis jeg kunne" is actually pronounced and they were just stunlocked for a few seconds

      xeno@hexokina.seX This user is from outside of this forum
      xeno@hexokina.seX This user is from outside of this forum
      xeno@hexokina.se
      wrote last edited by
      #59

      @randahl@mastodon.social it might have been "Kan jeg sidde ned" that's another really goofy one

      energetic_nova@mastodon.socialE 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

        Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

        In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

        When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

        Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

        In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

        #offtopic

        muzicofiel@mastodon.nlM This user is from outside of this forum
        muzicofiel@mastodon.nlM This user is from outside of this forum
        muzicofiel@mastodon.nl
        wrote last edited by
        #60

        @randahl Oh dear, just learned that a social platform gonna correct “not allowed” Words in a chat conversation. It’s start with such Words you mentioned. Soon #trump dissides what Words are allowed. Hopefully wassingmachines Will still work after such update 😉

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • ciarani@mastodon.greenC ciarani@mastodon.green

          @brianjohnson @randahl Haha - that one had never occurred to me. How disappointed they must be when they open the door and find cleaning cloths and biros.

          brianjohnson@mastodon.sdf.orgB This user is from outside of this forum
          brianjohnson@mastodon.sdf.orgB This user is from outside of this forum
          brianjohnson@mastodon.sdf.org
          wrote last edited by
          #61

          @CiaraNi @randahl Indeed. I worked for a very famous Danish brewery for some years and people obviously expected there to be a cupboard full of beer.

          ciarani@mastodon.greenC 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

            Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

            In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

            When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

            Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

            In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

            #offtopic

            richardwrightfan@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
            richardwrightfan@mastodon.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
            richardwrightfan@mastodon.social
            wrote last edited by
            #62

            @randahl
            Hilarious! And I thought Japanese was confusing.😂

            #offtopic

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

              Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

              In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

              When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

              Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

              In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

              #offtopic

              xs4me2@mastodon.socialX This user is from outside of this forum
              xs4me2@mastodon.socialX This user is from outside of this forum
              xs4me2@mastodon.social
              wrote last edited by
              #63

              @randahl

              It is actually funny if you take it from an english point of view 🤭

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                #offtopic

                tekguru@social.vivaldi.netT This user is from outside of this forum
                tekguru@social.vivaldi.netT This user is from outside of this forum
                tekguru@social.vivaldi.net
                wrote last edited by
                #64

                @randahl @czottmann That is totally awesome!

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • ahalam@social.vivaldi.netA ahalam@social.vivaldi.net

                  @randahl I didn't know that Danish has so close to Dutch! 💀

                  steltenpower@social.edu.nlS This user is from outside of this forum
                  steltenpower@social.edu.nlS This user is from outside of this forum
                  steltenpower@social.edu.nl
                  wrote last edited by
                  #65

                  @ahalam @randahl I, Dutchman (mother tongue Dutch, reasonably decent English, some German), can make some sense of written Danish, but not from spoken Danish.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                    @rhempel nowadays were have the opposite problem, as window signs will often say "Sale!", which is confusing to Danes, as that means "Halls!", as if there is some big rooms inside the building.

                    mdione@en.osm.townM This user is from outside of this forum
                    mdione@en.osm.townM This user is from outside of this forum
                    mdione@en.osm.town
                    wrote last edited by
                    #66

                    @randahl @rhempel in French, "sale" means dirty (feminine), but it can be used as short for "dirty whore".

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • caman@connectop.usC caman@connectop.us

                      @randahl I love linguistic crossover words and phrases with different meanings! I remember my high school German class when our rather jaded teacher was ready to teach a room full of adolescents how to conjugate the verb fahren. He told us to go ahead and get the guffaws and belly laughs out of the way so we could continue our lesson. He was right.

                      When visiting Denmark, I’ll take the stairs. I do wonder if those elevators go both to the basement and the top floor. Just don’t ever hit the down button.

                      mdione@en.osm.townM This user is from outside of this forum
                      mdione@en.osm.townM This user is from outside of this forum
                      mdione@en.osm.town
                      wrote last edited by
                      #67

                      @CAman @randahl so, the god lift takes to to heaven and hell? 🙂

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • lies_das@digitalcourage.socialL lies_das@digitalcourage.social

                        @randahl
                        english 'gift' means in german 'poison'

                        me_@sueden.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                        me_@sueden.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                        me_@sueden.social
                        wrote last edited by
                        #68

                        @lies_das @randahl And 'married' in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian...

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • brianjohnson@mastodon.sdf.orgB brianjohnson@mastodon.sdf.org

                          @CiaraNi @randahl Indeed. I worked for a very famous Danish brewery for some years and people obviously expected there to be a cupboard full of beer.

                          ciarani@mastodon.greenC This user is from outside of this forum
                          ciarani@mastodon.greenC This user is from outside of this forum
                          ciarani@mastodon.green
                          wrote last edited by
                          #69

                          @brianjohnson @randahl A reasonable expectation!

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                            Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                            In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                            When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                            Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                            In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                            #offtopic

                            taatm@mathstodon.xyzT This user is from outside of this forum
                            taatm@mathstodon.xyzT This user is from outside of this forum
                            taatm@mathstodon.xyz
                            wrote last edited by
                            #70

                            @randahl 🤣
                            The people of the Netherlands of talk of ‘spread shit’ as it sounds in to English ears.

                            Then they show you their spreadsheet.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                              Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                              In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                              When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                              Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                              In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                              #offtopic

                              thepolishdispatch@mstdn.socialT This user is from outside of this forum
                              thepolishdispatch@mstdn.socialT This user is from outside of this forum
                              thepolishdispatch@mstdn.social
                              wrote last edited by
                              #71

                              @randahl oh, and counting. Don't forget the counting.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                                Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                                In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                                When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                                Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                                In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                                #offtopic

                                malaule@mastodon.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                malaule@mastodon.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                                malaule@mastodon.social
                                wrote last edited by
                                #72

                                @randahl may be they need to learn danish

                                swggrkllr3rd@mastodon.worldS 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • caman@connectop.usC caman@connectop.us

                                  @randahl I love linguistic crossover words and phrases with different meanings! I remember my high school German class when our rather jaded teacher was ready to teach a room full of adolescents how to conjugate the verb fahren. He told us to go ahead and get the guffaws and belly laughs out of the way so we could continue our lesson. He was right.

                                  When visiting Denmark, I’ll take the stairs. I do wonder if those elevators go both to the basement and the top floor. Just don’t ever hit the down button.

                                  dravyptak@mastodon.mlD This user is from outside of this forum
                                  dravyptak@mastodon.mlD This user is from outside of this forum
                                  dravyptak@mastodon.ml
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #73

                                  @CAman @randahl there might be a "stairway to Heaven" near the Gods Elevator 😄

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                                    Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                                    In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                                    When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                                    Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                                    In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                                    #offtopic

                                    projektionsyta@mastodon.nuP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    projektionsyta@mastodon.nuP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    projektionsyta@mastodon.nu
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #74

                                    @randahl

                                    Reminds me of the British gentleman who stepped off the train somewhere in northern Sweden, and saw the sign Godsexpedition (=freight office). He asked "Where am I?" The answer was "Welcome, you're in Häll!"

                                    Häll is, of course, pronounced "hell".

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • dahukanna@mastodon.socialD dahukanna@mastodon.social

                                      @NatureMC

                                      @Pascal_dher @waldschnecke @randahl

                                      I’m learning Danish as an English and French speaker and the “half of score(20) or 2 hands plus a number” mental model took some time to get used to - 😬!

                                      naturemc@mastodon.onlineN This user is from outside of this forum
                                      naturemc@mastodon.onlineN This user is from outside of this forum
                                      naturemc@mastodon.online
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #75

                                      @dahukanna It is interesting to observe that most people who work in the gastronomy sector often count in their native language, even if they are completely fluent in the other language.
                                      @Pascal_dher @waldschnecke @randahl

                                      dahukanna@mastodon.socialD 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • randahl@mastodon.socialR randahl@mastodon.social

                                        Examples that Danish is the most confusing language for English speakers:

                                        In Denmark, when washing machines are done, their displays write, "Slut!", which means "Finished".

                                        When someone enters an elevator, the display changes to "I fart", which means "On the move".

                                        Tourists have difficulty finding a nice WC, because the signs often say "Bad toilet", meaning "Bathroom and toilet".

                                        In lobbies with multiple elevators, one sign may say, "Gods elevator", which means "Freight elevator".

                                        #offtopic

                                        darkpaw@mstdn.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                                        darkpaw@mstdn.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                                        darkpaw@mstdn.social
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #76

                                        @randahl Ah, but Danish people have no idea what an English diaphragny on the fluffnivalve is.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • naturemc@mastodon.onlineN naturemc@mastodon.online

                                          @dahukanna It is interesting to observe that most people who work in the gastronomy sector often count in their native language, even if they are completely fluent in the other language.
                                          @Pascal_dher @waldschnecke @randahl

                                          dahukanna@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                                          dahukanna@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                                          dahukanna@mastodon.social
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #77

                                          @NatureMC @Pascal_dher @waldschnecke @randahl
                                          Instinctual, no cognitive effort to recall and time-effective system 1 vs deliberate, brain cognitive effort required to recall and slower system 2.

                                          naturemc@mastodon.onlineN 1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups