general Things you miss in foreign languages

[Vefka 1,499]

Are there things from your first language that you you miss when using different language(s)?

When I speak English (or any other language) I miss idioms. Yeah, I can learn then, but I'll never be able to use them as precise and fluent as a native speaker. Also I miss genders in English, it's handy on the internet to hide your identity, but it's a bit uncomfortable for me, I really got used to that I can see who I'm talking to immediately

[Ittoni 538]

I actually like that I don't have to gender everything in english, or get immediately stereotyped because of it. So for me is opposite. 

What I miss though is that in spanish you have a ton of synonyms and ways of saying the same thing to not repeat yourself while writing. Is really weird to me to say "I" so many times. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Ittoni

[Kamii 595]

I do agree that having genders in a language is a plus for communication overall, but it does make English easier to learn. I remember trying to learn German and having a hard time with genders as they're different from my native language, Portuguese. And, just like @Ittoni, I think having various ways of saying words we use a lot is also an asset.

The one thing I have a hard time with not being able to use is the word "saudade". Not only is it a symbol of my country and culture, it's a word we use a lot. "Saudade" is the feeling of longing for something or someone that you don't have currently (more often than not, it's longing for childhood memories/objects or people who died/who went away/who you've not seen in a long time). I find it difficult to tell my boyfriend how much I miss him without that word.

[Splashee 28,564]

There are many thing in the Swedish language that cannot be used in English. But I don't miss it, since I have grown used to using the more optimized English language to explain things.

 

All languages have some optimization of some kind, to make it easier to explain an action. You just have to figure out what you can use in the other language and adapt, instead of relying on your base language's unique stuff.

[Vefka 1,499]

9 hours ago, Ittoni said:

What I miss though is that in spanish you have a ton of synonyms and ways of saying the same thing to not repeat yourself while writing. Is really weird to me to say "I" so many times. 

Yeah, I notice it too. You reminded me that I also miss free words order, sometimes I want to make my text a bit more creative, but English has strict words order (as far as I was taught)

5 hours ago, Splashee® said:

All languages have some optimization of some kind, to make it easier to explain an action. You just have to figure out what you can use in the other language and adapt, instead of relying on your base language's unique stuff.

True, but sometimes things can't be expressed directly like @Kamii's "saudade" or can't be mimiced at all like black ghetto speech can't be translated (at least to my lang)

[Dreambiscuit 9,874]

I don’t miss anything if it simplifies the overall structure. Gender-assigned words are a pointless complication and I’m glad English doesn’t have it, unless used to specify a person. If I find a new language that omits something unnecessary I embrace it gratefully! When speaking Japanese the sentence order is very different and that’s something I wish was similar to English rather than being inverted the way it is. I think it’s cool that it has its own unique identity but it doesn’t make learning it any easier.

[Stardust 641]

Idk Japanese was always much softer and felt less forced more ambigious. I learnt Japanese before I did english. The grammar is pretty simple. It's only when it comes to formality and actual buisness language it is annoyin.

I'm sure glad not having all this gender stuff why do I have to gender a table or make things like so clear seems pointless to me lol. But if u used to it u would probs miss it.

If u want another language with simple grammar I reccomend learning Chinese.

Edited September 5, 2020 by flurry

[Oleks 1,993]

The only thing I sometimes miss is the absence of articles. In Ukrainian we don't have any articles, and when I was learning English it took some time to get used to them.

[Vefka 1,499]

1 hour ago, Oleks said:

The only thing I sometimes miss is the absence of articles. In Ukrainian we don't have any articles, and when I was learning English it took some time to get used to them.

Yeah articles are one big problem with learning English. I still don know how to use them properly, I just place them when I feel like I should. Even teachers sometimes have troubles with them

2 hours ago, Dreambiscuit said:

When speaking Japanese the sentence order is very different and that’s something I wish was similar to English rather than being inverted the way it is

That's why I prefer free sentence order

[Splashee 28,564]

10 hours ago, Vefka said:

like black ghetto speech can't be translated (at least to my lang)

Yea, we have some odd variant of that that was created in Sweden. Not the same thing, but it has a specific tone to it. Swedish rap music capitalized on that.

[Summer Breeze 2,528]

I miss certain words from my mothertongue when I speak English, but it's also the other way around that I want to use English words when I speak Dutch just because I feel the English word is better suited to the thing I'm trying to say in terms of connotations and such. Also certain expressions and sayings don't translate to the other language, sometimes I forget which one is which originally and then it just gets confusing overall. 

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

While researching for the story I'm writing, I came to learn how other languages use different texts and different narratives that undergird the emotional personal spirit of what many kinds of words and sentiments mean.

For example, in Finnish they have a word "sisu", which is very difficult to translate into English. One rendering would be "determination". But it's a word that encapsulates the entire national character; stoic, resourceful, and ever resilient even unto death. It is personal, psychological, and even physical.

In Danish and Norwegian, they have the word "hygge", which has no equivalent in English. One rendering would be "to give joy/comfort". It is a property of pleasantness, homely-ness, conviviality and wellness one has in their home when making it hospitable and comfortable for family, friends and visitors. 

In Hebrew they have the word "shalom". It literally means "peace", but this concept is very multifaceted. It refers to wholeness of mind, body, household tranquility, unity of family, health of community and most importantly of all, spiritual wellness in faith, love and prayer towards god.

English is very effective at talking about things like work, sex, romance and objects. But it struggles to articulate ideas closely related to our relationships with nature, friends and our inner feelings.

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by Blue

[Stardust 641]

Tom scott has a lot of good videos on language:D here is a playlist

The relevent ones I think is features we don't have in english

Edited October 5, 2020 by flurry

[Astralshy 26,836]

I miss idioms mostly. For anything else I found my way around in english by now.