Embarassing moments in language learning

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby OldBoring » 2016-12-25, 5:04

For years I thought that [flag=]pt-BR[/flag] tesão ("erection, hard-on") meant "treasure" (which is actually tesouro). Thank God Brazilians are humorous people and thought I was joking around... :mrgreen:
But also their astonishment when I said that in China it's common to call lovers and children tesão...
Last edited by OldBoring on 2016-12-25, 16:10, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-25, 15:58

OldBoring wrote:For years I thought that [flag=]pt-BR[/flag] tesão ("erection, hard-on")

(cis) Women also feel "tesão", I don't know how to translate that.
But also to astonishments when I said that in China it's common to call lovers and children tesão...

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby OldBoring » 2016-12-25, 16:11

Osias wrote:(cis) Women also feel "tesão", I don't know how to translate that.

Wet?

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-25, 17:37

No, tesão is more a psychological state than a physical one. You can even say you have tesão for eating something or playing guitar.
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-12-26, 0:48

Sensuality?

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-26, 2:14

Maybe 'horniness'. Someone with tesão is someone horny.
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-12-26, 3:37

But horniness is specifically about sex. You can't be horny for food or playing a guitar AFAIK. :hmm:

"Craving"?

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-26, 3:48

The word is by default about sex. It's like people say "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

OldBoring wrote:But also their astonishment when I said that in China it's common to call lovers and children tesão...


BTW, saying someone is a tesão means they are sexually attractive. :D
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-12-26, 4:11

Osias wrote:The word is by default about sex. It's like people say "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

I've never heard that sentence in my entire life, and even Google doesn't seem to return any results for "horny for eating" in quotes that are remotely non-sexual.
BTW, saying someone is a tesão means they are sexually attractive. :D

Kind of like saying someone's a babe, I guess (though that's typically used of young women in English).

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-26, 12:44

vijayjohn wrote:
Osias wrote:The word is by default about sex. It's like people say "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

I've never heard that sentence in my entire life,
Of course not, sorry. I should've write

It's like if people said "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

My bad.
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-12-26, 13:25

Osias wrote:
vijayjohn wrote:
Osias wrote:The word is by default about sex. It's like people say "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

I've never heard that sentence in my entire life,
Of course not, sorry. I should've written

It's like if people said "I'm horny for eating now" in English.

My bad.

Well, what you wrote earlier was correct, too, just ambiguous. :) So it's me who misinterpreted what you meant. :P

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2016-12-26, 14:14

vijayjohn wrote:I've never heard that sentence in my entire life,
Of course not, sorry. I should've written
I was pretty sure I've typed "written" here. Mandela Effects are popping everywhere these days.
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby mōdgethanc » 2016-12-26, 16:14

The closest English equivalent for that I can think of is "excited", which can be a sexual euphemism. "Aroused" is too clinical and "turned on" or "horny" are too sexual. (In the past "turned on" was sometimes used to mean "high on drugs" though.)
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby OldBoring » 2016-12-26, 16:50

I've also seen "orgasm" used figuratively for non-sexual things.

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Prowler » 2017-01-06, 20:10

That time when I was 12 and referred to a black person as a "negro person" online since I had heard someone referring to black people like that in a movie before.

...oh boy :|

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-01-06, 23:23

OldBoring wrote:I've also seen "orgasm" used figuratively for non-sexual things.

Yeah, that would seem to work.

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby OldBoring » 2017-01-07, 14:26

viewtopic.php?p=1064290#p1064290
mikemike18 wrote:[flag=]pt-BR[/flag] Xingar = to Swear / Yell at
[flag=]es-MX[/flag] Chingar = to have sexual intercourse...

This happened to me too…

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Osias » 2017-01-07, 15:21

It must have been a fucking fuck.
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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-01-07, 15:31

The Portuguese word comes from a Bantu language of Angola, and the Spanish one comes from the Caló (Hispanoromani) verb stem for '(to) fight'. (Sorry, couldn't resist throwing in a bit of random language-nerdiness :P)

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Re: Embarassing moments in language learning

Postby Prowler » 2017-01-07, 17:18

I didn't evne know what xingar meant...

Also, why isn't "molestar" a sexual aggression in the Spanish language. "we're sorry for the molestings!" Seeing that in signs is hilarious :rotfl:


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