Words that just won't stick

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Bubulus
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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby Bubulus » 2016-03-26, 5:44

TheStrayCat wrote:A few Spanish verbs like estregar, estragar, arrastrar, arrancar, arrojar. They just all look very similar to my brain.

The second one is very literary; you don't really have to worry about it (I'd be willing to bet most native speakers don't even know it). Four to go. :P

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby OldBoring » 2016-03-26, 6:14

When I was focusing on Portuguese (2008-2014), I couldn't (and still can't) remember the words for: carrot, celery, fork, spoon, knife -> cenoura, aipo, garfo, colher, faca.
I eventually managed to remember that knife is faca, but still now can't remember fork and spoon.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-03-26, 16:11

OldBoring wrote:I'm not sure if brother-in-law and sister-in-law mean both.

Yes, they do.
prozio is your parent's uncle. Grand-uncle?

Great-uncle
prozia your parent's aunt. Grand-aunt?

Great-aunt

Koko

Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby Koko » 2016-03-26, 22:38

OldBoring wrote:I eventually managed to remember that knife is faca, but still now can't remember fork and spoon.

I will never forget what knife is :lol: Very first word I learned simply because my Portuguese friend liked the resemblance to the f-word.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby linguoboy » 2017-07-31, 14:36

[flag=]es[/flag] carcajada

I keep confusing this with carcomer ("eat away [at]") and thinking it has something to do with decay rather than laughter.
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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby voron » 2017-07-31, 18:14

[flag=]tr[/flag]
itiraf - confession
iftira - slander
irtifa - altitude

Confusing as hell. :| (Even though I know their Arabic etymologies).

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby linguoboy » 2017-07-31, 18:17

voron wrote:[flag=]tr[/flag]
itiraf - confession
iftira - slander
irtifa - altitude

:shock:

Are these all spelled with ت in Arabic?
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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby voron » 2017-07-31, 18:53

linguoboy wrote:Are these all spelled with ت in Arabic?

Yep.
itiraf - إعتراف
iftira - إفتراء
irtifa - إرتفاع

Actually in all of them ت is not a part of the root but a derivational element.
Given the root فعل, masdar of form VIII is اِفْتِعال.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby voron » 2017-07-31, 19:11

Another one:
[flag=]tr[/flag]
onaylamak - to confirm
oyalanmak - to idle around

These are Turkic. I recognize them perfectly passively but when I have to say them I stumble and think which is which.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby linguoboy » 2017-07-31, 19:23

Just a little while ago I needed the word "propósito" in Spanish and totally choked. I think I tried every arrangement of those letters beginning in "pr" and ending in "o" before finally giving up.
"Richmond is a real scholar; Owen just learns languages because he can't bear not to know what other people are saying."--Margaret Lattimore on her two sons

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby eskandar » 2017-08-03, 3:07

An English vocab word I keep getting confused: querulous (complaining in a petulant, whining manner). For some reason every time it comes up in Anki, I think it means "persistent".
Please correct my mistakes in any language.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-08-03, 4:25

Well, people who complain in a petulant, whining matter can be very persistent about it. :silly: But maybe think quarrel?

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby Yasna » 2017-08-03, 6:22

eskandar wrote:An English vocab word I keep getting confused: querulous (complaining in a petulant, whining manner). For some reason every time it comes up in Anki, I think it means "persistent".

I associate that word with "quejarse".
Ein Buch muß die Axt sein für das gefrorene Meer in uns. - Kafka

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby eskandar » 2017-08-03, 7:17

Interestingly enough, querulous and quejarse are false cognates, but nevertheless that association might help it stick - thanks.
Please correct my mistakes in any language.

הענט

Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby הענט » 2017-08-03, 11:14

I had troubles with [flag=]de[/flag] bestellen, but once I learned [flag=]sv[/flag] beställa I managed to remember this basic word.

Sometimes I have a different problem. For example [flag=]tr[/flag] aralık comes to my mind, but I can't tell what the meaning is, nor where I've seen it.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby Luís » 2017-08-03, 20:25

In English I always mix up straggle and stagger.
Quot linguas calles, tot homines vales

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-08-04, 6:13

Luís wrote:In English I always mix up straggle and stagger.

I see straggle used so rarely that I have to look up what it actually means.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby linguoboy » 2017-08-04, 15:09

vijayjohn wrote:
Luís wrote:In English I always mix up straggle and stagger.

I see straggle used so rarely that I have to look up what it actually means.

You never travel in groups often enough to have "stragglers"?
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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-08-04, 16:11

linguoboy wrote:
vijayjohn wrote:
Luís wrote:In English I always mix up straggle and stagger.

I see straggle used so rarely that I have to look up what it actually means.

You never travel in groups often enough to have "stragglers"?

I see straggler relatively often but not just straggle.

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Re: Words that just won't stick

Postby linguoboy » 2017-08-24, 12:32

(fr) écarter
"Richmond is a real scholar; Owen just learns languages because he can't bear not to know what other people are saying."--Margaret Lattimore on her two sons


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