français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
l’avant-dernier | the last but one | yr olaf/diwethaf ond un | |
la tuile | (roof) tile | teilsen; teilen; priddlech | teol |
le carreau | (wall/floor) tile | teilsen (lorio/wal) | karrezenn |
carreler | to tile (a floor) | llorio â theils; teilsio | |
la dalle de moquette | carpet tile | teilsen garped | |
faire la fête/la java | to have a night on the tiles | cael noson ar y criws / ar y sbri | ober bos/fest |
l’âne (m); le cancre; l’imbécile; un(e) nullard(e) | dunce | dỳns; twpsyn; penbwl | azen; penn-karn; yann ar yod; paotr ar yod; loull |
le bonnet d’âne | dunce’s cap | cap twpsyn/dỳns/papur; capan penbwl | |
la loupe (grossissante) | magnifying glass | chwyddwydr | loupenn |
à la loupe | in minute detail | mewn manylion lleiaf | |
sous la loupe | under the microscope | dan y microsgop |
Category: Welsh (Cymraeg)
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
vaciller; danser | to flicker (light) | fflachio; neidio | trabellat; horellat |
le vacillement | flicker (flames) | naid; dychlamiad | horelladenn |
la lueur | flicker (light) | llygedyn | skleur |
la coupure de courant | power cut | toriad trydan | troc’h tredan |
le véhicule haut | high-sided vehicle | cerbyd ochrau uchel | karbed uhel (?) |
se retourner | to overturn | troi drosodd | treiñ |
marécageux | marshy | corslyd, corsiog, siglennog | geunieg; gwazheg |
le marais; le marécage | marsh | cors | gwern; gwazh |
le marais salant; le salin | salt marsh | morfa heli | palud-holen; holenek |
Playing and sounding
The other day I discovered that to play in Italian is giocare or divertirsi, but if you’re playing a musical instruments the word you need is suonare, which also means to ring, sound, strike or toot. So I can say, Suono la chitarra, il piano(forte), il mandolino, il flauto dolce e il fischietto. (I play the guitar, piano, mandolin, recorder and tin whistle.)
You can also use this verb to talk about striking clocks: l’orologio ha suonato le cinque (the clock struck five) and ringing phones: sta suonando il telefono (the phone is ringing). Also to talk about metaphorical sounds: Potrà suonare avventato, da un lato troppo aggressivo e dall’altro troppo ottimistico. (That may sound presumptuous, too aggressive for some, too optimistic for others.)
Related expressions include:
– fare suonare = to misuse, to over-use, to abuse
– suonare a morto = to knell
– suonare come ritornello = to reprise
– suonare per strada = to busk
In English you use play for both playing instruments and playing games, you can also play around while playing an instrument – how would you say that in Italian, or in other languages?
Welsh has chwarae as the general word for play and canu (to sing) for playing instruments, especially harps, though chwarae is also used for instruments.
In Mandarin there is 玩 (wán) for general play, while the words for playing instruments depend on the type of instrument: 拉 (lā), to pull, is used for bowed instruments such as violins and cellos; 吹 (chuī), to blow, is used for wind instruments; 弹 [彈] (tán), to pluck, is used for string instruments like guitars; 打 (dǎ), to beat/strike, is used for percussion instruments, and 演奏 (yǎnzòu) is a general word for playing an instrument or performing.
Do other languages has separate words for playing instruments and playing games?
Sources: Collins Italian Dictionary, bab.la dictionary
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
se multiplier comme des lapins | to breed like rabbits | magu fel cwningod | |
un raccourci; un moyen rapide | short cut | llwybr llygad/tarw | berradenn |
prendre un raccourci | to take a short cut | mynd y ffordd gyntaf; dilyn llwybr llygad/tarw |
hent miliner |
une borne | bollard | postyn; clymbost | matezh |
faire la une; faire la première page |
to be front-page news | bod yn brif newyddion; bod ar y dudalen flaen |
bezañ a bajenn gentañ (?) |
un demi-tour (lit); un revirement, une volte-face (fig) |
U-turn | tro pedol | hanterdro; distroenn; |
faire volte-face | to do a U-turn (fig) | gwneud tro pedol | ober hanterdro (?) |
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
le gel; la gelée | frost | rhew; llwydrew; barrug | rev |
le givre | hoarfrost | barrug; glasrew; llwydrew | kler |
faire tourner | to spin | troi; troelli | reiñ tro |
jouer à pile ou face | to spin a coin | taflu ceiniog | |
inspecteur de police principal | chief inspector | Prif Arolygydd (yr Heddlu) | pennenseller polis |
le tollé | outcry | protest; banllefo brotest; gwrthgri | hulch’o |
un tollé général | a public outcry | protest cyhoeddus | |
la benne | skip | sgip | benn |
mécanique | clockwork | perfedd; clocwaith; peirianwaith | mekanek |
marcher comme sur des roulettes | to go like clockwork | mynd fel cloc; troi fel deiol | |
thé (de cinq heures); thé de l’après-midi |
afternoon tea | te prynhawn/pnawn; prynhawnbryd | te goude kreistez (?) |
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
recommandé; prudent; conseillé | advisable | doeth; call; buddiol | erbedet; avizet |
récurrent; périodique (math) |
recurring | dibaid; cylchol | oc’h addonet; mareadeg |
soins intensifs | intensive care | gofal arbenning; gofal dwys |
prederioù askoridik |
cours intensif | intensive course | cwrs carlam | staj d’an daoulamm |
la paquet | bundle (clothing) | sypyn; swp; bwndel | pakad |
la liasse | bundle (banknotes; newspapers | sypyn; swp; bwndel | strobad |
un vrai boute-en-train | a bundle of fun | hwyl anfarwol | ur kaser ar cholor |
ce n’était pas une partie de plaisir | it wasn’t a bundle of laughs | doedd hi ddim yn hwyl anfarwol | |
coûter bonbon; coûter une fortune |
to cost a bundle/packet | costio yn ddrud; costio ffortiwn |
bezañ un dirañson |
la brique | brick | bricsen; priddfaen | brik |
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
veinard; chançard | lucky devil/bugger | cenau lwcus | chañs |
avoir de la veine; avoir de la chance |
to be lucky | bod yn lwcus | |
chanceux | lucky | lwcus | eürus |
l’échapée belle | lucky escape | dianc lwcus | |
le jour de chance | lucky day | dydd lwcus | |
le coup de vein | lucky break | ergyd lwcus | taol -chañs |
la cuve | tank; vat; bunker | byncer; daeardy; cerwyn | pip |
la cellule | (prison/animal/plant) cell | cell | kellig |
l’aquarelle (f) | watercolour | dyfrlliw | dourliv |
boiteux | lame | cloff | kamm |
la note | chit | darn papur | notenn |
délicat; nauséeux; barbouillé | queasy (stomach) | sâl; swp sâl; (stumog) wan | da sevel ar galon; klañv |
mal à l’aise | queasy (uneasy) | anesmwyth; anniddig; aflonydd | diaes |
le cercle vicieux | vicious circle | cylch cythreulig; cylch anfad | kelc’h bac’h |
la cote | (betting) odds | ods; ots |
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
la cabine de plage | beach hut | cwt/caban glan môr | logell aod (?) |
le petit nom d’amitié; diminutif | pet name | enw anwes | bihanaat |
le terme d’affection | term of endearment | gair anwes | |
les paroles tendres | endearments | geiriau tyner | |
le sol; la terre | soil | pridd | douar |
le banc (d’église) | (church) pew | côr; sedd; sêt | plas |
Les mots de la semaine
français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
---|---|---|---|
nain | dwarf | corrach | korr; korrigan |
les préparatifs (mpl); le dispositions (fpl) | arrangements | trefniadau; paratoadau | darbaroù; danvezidigezh |
prendre des dispositions | to make arrangements | trefnu; paratoi | aozañ; brientiñ |
se mettre d’accord; parvenir à un arrangement | to come to an arrangement | dod i gytundeb/ddealltwriaeth (â rhywun) | glevet e yezh all |
prendre des dispositions nécessaires pour faire qch | to make an arrangement to do sth | trefnu i wneud rhywbeth | |
la composition florale | flower arrangement | trefniad blodau | bokederezh |
la betterave | beetroot | betysen (goch); bitrwden | beterabez |
rouge comme une tomate | red as a beetroot | cyn goched â gwaed |
La Saint-Sylvestre
As today is New Year’s Eve I thought I’d look at what this day is called in various languages:
French:la (fête de) Saint-Sylvestre, which is celebrated with le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre, a feast which well involve champagne and foie gras, and a party, with kisses under the mistletoe at midnight. Saint Sylvestre was Pope between 314 to 335 AD and his feast day happens to be on 31st December. [source].
German: Silvester or Silvesterabend, which is celebrated with parties and fireworks, and/or by watching the 1920s British film Dinner for One [sources].
Spanish: la Noche Vieja, which is celebrated with parties and by eating 12 grapes for each of the 12 chimes of midnight [source].
Welsh: Nos Galan (“night of the calend”), which is celebrated with parties and fireworks, and there’s a tradition of giving gifts and money, or these days bread and cheese on New Year’s Day [source].
There are more details of New Year traditions on Wikipedia.
How do you celebrate new year?
Happy New Year, by the way.