I had a request for this one (text provided, believed to be correct, in part based on it being used by an "angry Welsh person") 😆
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We are definitely on.
Have already seen that it's not going to be a translation as such, which is fine (and exactly why I wanted to ask Proper Human People).
It is definitely the sense and usage of FFS I'm after.
So... whatever you mutter under your breath when you see the news headlines in the morning, that's what works.
But if you can give me a literal translation too that would be ace - already a couple of interesting ones in the thread
So you want an idiomatic translation rather than a literal one. Makes sense.
I love when people fluent in another language explain an idiom from that language in English. Something like you ask "What's the <language> equivalent of `he couldn't pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel`?" and they tell you it's <...> which translates as "His grandmother hid his fish behind the outhouse door" or something like that
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@eclectech
In German the usual translation might be "verdammt noch mal!" (like damn it).A bit more vulgar could be: "Ja Scheisse!" (well, shit).
I am curious what my fellow Germans come up with, though.
@Lojie @eclectech
I would add the more "literal" translation "Verfickt nochmal" and "verflixt nochmal" although I would not use those in the example of the bad news. If it's REALLY bad news one might merge some of the above to "Verfickte Scheiße!" (≈ fucked shit).Also, if you count this as a separate language, in Bavarian I would probably say "Zefix!" (or "Sackradi!" or "Oida!")
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In Spain's Spanish, the latter sounds weird — expression here is "la madre" (the mother), not "la puta"
I do not recommend either, though; both are used to blame women for what some other shitbag (who's usually a guy) does, and the Argentinian version also insults whores along the way; we got enough shit on our plates without being blamed for others' 🫠
Even if it's used "impersonally" (eg, to the table you just stubbed your pinkie into) it still feels kind of wrong to be implicitly blaming women when they have nothing to do with the issue :3I'd suggest "por todos los cojones" instead.
️That would translate more literally as "for testicles' sake", except, ruder, so I guess it matches.
It's also used on its own the way "fuck" is (such as the pinky-stubbing). And it doesn't blame anyone in the way 
@erin @eclectech absolutely. On the other hand, the minced oaths are “cavolo” (cabbage) and “pucha”.
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>> let me know how to write "for fuck's sake" in your language (native, or one you're pretty fluent in…). Of course the big question is whether it's used elsewhere?
#forFucksSake isn't used directly in any of the Indic languages I know. My *literally* crude translations:
#Hindi: Chode ke liye — चोद के लिए
#Bengali / #Bangla: Choder janye — চোদের জন্যে
#Gujrati: Chodu khatar — ખોદુ ખાતર
#Punjabi: Chode di khatar — ਚੋਦ ਦੀ ਖ਼ਾਤਰ
#Urdu: Chode ke liye — چود کے لیے (right-to-left)
️ @CiaraNi >> In Irish, 'in ainm Dé' is literally 'in the name of God', but in context has the stronger sense of 'for fuck's sake'. Both when said in Irish and in English, given the tone.
Same in Indic languages. So, amending my previous post:
#Hindi: Bhagwan ke liye — भगवान के लिए
#Bengali / #Bangla: Bhogobaner janye — ভগবানের জন্যে
#Gujrati: Bhagwan ni khatar — ભગવાન ની ખાતર
#Punjabi: Rub di khatar — ਰਬ ਦੀ ਖ਼ਾਤਰ
#Urdu: Khuda ke liye — خدا کے لیے (right-to-left)
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OK, lets give this a shot. Basically with my linguistics skills I will be able to do ONE more. That would be quite a short series. To make it longer a fedi collaboration will be required
If you fancy helping please let me know how to write "for fuck's sake" in your language (native, or one you're pretty fluent in - no literal translations from machines please).
Of course the big question is whether it's used elsewhere?
It *might* be a very short series
@eclectech chilean Spanish, "conchetumadre"
its literal meaning is "the vagina of your mother"
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@MiaMarkTwo @eclectech oh for sure! At a guess, cazzo feels stronger because the consonant sounds are harsher.
@adriano @eclectech "made of stuff you can't find in most places"
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So you want an idiomatic translation rather than a literal one. Makes sense.
I love when people fluent in another language explain an idiom from that language in English. Something like you ask "What's the <language> equivalent of `he couldn't pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel`?" and they tell you it's <...> which translates as "His grandmother hid his fish behind the outhouse door" or something like that
@cazabon Oh, that is the exact phrase I should have used (and, indeed, may well steal it tomorrow as based on initial response I will try and write up a better post about it).
To be honest I wasn't sure whether there would be a lot of literal ones, or more idiomatic, but there are definitely more of the latter.
My notifications are fascinating atm!
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@erin @eclectech absolutely. On the other hand, the minced oaths are “cavolo” (cabbage) and “pucha”.
@adriano
In Italian..? No comments about that, I have no idea of Italian :3
But I find the idea of swearing cabbages amusing
@eclectech -
@MiaMarkTwo @eclectech That's fairly widespread, I think. In Irish, 'in ainm Dé' is literally 'in the name of God', but in context has the stronger sense of 'for fuck's sake'. Both when said in Irish and in English, given the tone.
@CiaraNi @MiaMarkTwo @eclectech I'd also include "A dhiabhail!" (The devil!)
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@Lojie @eclectech
I would add the more "literal" translation "Verfickt nochmal" and "verflixt nochmal" although I would not use those in the example of the bad news. If it's REALLY bad news one might merge some of the above to "Verfickte Scheiße!" (≈ fucked shit).Also, if you count this as a separate language, in Bavarian I would probably say "Zefix!" (or "Sackradi!" or "Oida!")
@selflesssloth @Lojie @eclectech
May I add my two Pfennige and plead for "verfickte Scheiße" too?
There is no good translation. British swearing is so much better (Bavarians may do the best swearing in German).
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OK, lets give this a shot. Basically with my linguistics skills I will be able to do ONE more. That would be quite a short series. To make it longer a fedi collaboration will be required
If you fancy helping please let me know how to write "for fuck's sake" in your language (native, or one you're pretty fluent in - no literal translations from machines please).
Of course the big question is whether it's used elsewhere?
It *might* be a very short series
@eclectech In polish I'd say:
- Do kurwy nędzy!
- No żesz kurwa!
- Kurwa, no.
- No ja pierdolę.
- Jezu, kurwa.
- No ja jebię.All with very specific intonation. I can't even say how specific these are to my own register, though. A garden variery 'Kurwa mać!' naturally works, too.
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@MiaMarkTwo @eclectech cazzo and minchia both mean “cock” and are interchangeable, yes. But “eccheccazzo” is its own thing.
@adriano @MiaMarkTwo @eclectech I wonder if the British use of ‘balls’ has the same root? Handy as a swear word as it also has a benign meaning and so can be explained away when used in front of children.
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OK, lets give this a shot. Basically with my linguistics skills I will be able to do ONE more. That would be quite a short series. To make it longer a fedi collaboration will be required
If you fancy helping please let me know how to write "for fuck's sake" in your language (native, or one you're pretty fluent in - no literal translations from machines please).
Of course the big question is whether it's used elsewhere?
It *might* be a very short series
@eclectech Another one in Spanish I personally use a lot is "Me cago en todo lo cagable". It translates to something like "I shit on everything that's shitable".
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I had a request for this one (text provided, believed to be correct, in part based on it being used by an "angry Welsh person")
Considering making this the first in a series. A multilingual collection of "for fuck's sake".
I could eventually make a poster of colourful global disgruntlement.
My sister-in-law who teaches German says that the idiomatic translation in German would most likely be "Ach, du Scheiße!" though there are a variety of idioms that would work depending on where in Germany you live.
It literally translates as "Oh you shit!"
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@eclectech you can say “eccheccazzo!” in Italian to mean ffs. And in Spanish you could use “La puta que lo parió” for this. At least in Argentina.
Respectively, their literal meanings are “which dick?” and “the whore who birthed it”.
In "chilean" it would be:
"Por la puta" (for the whore)
"Por la conchasumadre" (mutation of "for the <vagina?> of the mother")
"Por la mierda" (For the shit)
"Por la puta madre" (For the mother whore)And I know I'm forgetting at least one more
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In "chilean" it would be:
"Por la puta" (for the whore)
"Por la conchasumadre" (mutation of "for the <vagina?> of the mother")
"Por la mierda" (For the shit)
"Por la puta madre" (For the mother whore)And I know I'm forgetting at least one more
@Tiempo @eclectech "Por la cresta" is the common minced oath.
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@eclectech the closest swedish equivalent would be "för i helvete" (for hell [sake]). The word for fucking isn't a swear.
@silhelm @eclectech yeah, this was the closest one I could think of too.
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@Tiempo @eclectech "Por la cresta" is the common minced oath.
Esa olvidaba, pero cada vez se usa menos. Es como más de gente o más vieja o más cuica
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@CiaraNi @eclectech Sure, but what I meant was that swear words aren't related to sex in the way they are, for example, in French (va te faire foutre/nique ta mère etc).
@MiaMarkTwo
I was reminded recently of the idea that swear words have origins in three categories: religion, sex, and excrement. I find it interesting that there's (at least) one less category represented in Scandinavian languages.
@CiaraNi @eclectech -
OK, lets give this a shot. Basically with my linguistics skills I will be able to do ONE more. That would be quite a short series. To make it longer a fedi collaboration will be required
If you fancy helping please let me know how to write "for fuck's sake" in your language (native, or one you're pretty fluent in - no literal translations from machines please).
Of course the big question is whether it's used elsewhere?
It *might* be a very short series
@eclectech In french I'd translate as "bordel de merde" (lit. "shit brothel"), or just "bordel" for short.
