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Animals can be dirty too, and are used in many insults, but animals are not normally near the morality-based social control structures, so they’re not usually what we think of as swear words – except when they come from veiled references, as with Mandarin guītóu (turtle’s head, standing in for penis). Likewise, mental deficiency is widely looked down on, but while insults the equivalent of ‘idiot’ are common enough, it’s only in a culture such as Japanese that it makes one of the most popular ‘bad words’ ( baka). Social control structures differ somewhat from country to country, but they are, after all, developed by the same human animal on the same planet. It’s the same magma bubbling up. Is this really a question you even need to ask? To be clear, Germans swear a lot — about as much as anyone else — but the swears, at least according to one of our native German experts, are more straightforward and less creative than they are in some languages. Truthfully, German insults are pretty hilarious and creative, but maybe in a more ironic, deadpan way. Kon’ v palto!) — “Horse in a coat!” It’s a rude way of saying “none of your business” or sarcastically responding to someone asking you who you are. If everyday language is like the earth’s crust and the soil we garden our lives in, strong language is like volcanoes and geysers erupting through it from the mantle below. Our social traditions determine which parts of the crust are the thin points. It’s not enough to feel strongly about something; it has to have a dominating societal power and control structure attached to it. Strong language often involves naming things you desire but aren’t supposed to desire; at the very least, it aims to upset power structures that may seem a bit too arbitrary. If what you want is to become a sophisticated sommelier of curse words in other languages, this article is a good place to start diversifying your palate. We answered some of the most frequently Googled questions about curse words in other languages. Enjoy! Common Questions About Curse Words In Other Languages, Answered How do you curse in Portuguese?
Among Christian cultures, the line between those that swear a lot about mothers and whores and those that don’t looks quite like the line between those where Mary is a co-star with Jesus and those where she’s part of the supporting cast. Mention a man’s mother in Finland, for instance, and he’ll more likely assume that you have a personal quarrel with her than that you’re trying to offend him. Yes, in Finland the term for female genitaliais one of the rudest words available. But the other rudest words are saatana (Satan), perkele (devil – converted from the name of a pre-Christian thunder god), and helvetti (Hell). These are also the go-to set in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish.
pagafantas — A man who pays (“ pagar“) for all your Fanta drinks (or whatever else you’ll be having) because he’s desperate to win you over. Delivery is on a selected date, you can choose a delivery day of your choice, up to 10 days in advance (Excluding next day delivery. Postcode restrictions apply) The reason I can say this is because I am writing in English, not Finnish, Dutch, or Québécois French. The fire-and-brimstone missionaries burned the fear of evil into them. Similar direct evidence of church control shows up a little in English (centuries ago, swearing by various parts of Christ’s body was as bad as you could get; now “damn” and “hell” are still iffy). France may like its putains and cons, but in Quebec, which until a few decades ago was heavily dominated by the Catholic Church, much of the preferred strong language is formed from words for things you’ll find in a church: hostie (consecrated communion wafer), tabernacle (where you store it), ciboire (what you carry it with) and calice (the chalice of wine).
Sometimes the humor also derives from the fact that you can get very creative with Spanish obscenities. Compound words are important when you’re getting into the cursing game. What do you get when you combine tocar (“to touch”) and pelotas (“testicles”)? A tocapelotas. Me cago en… — “I shit on….” what exactly? Your call. Someone’s milk? Everything that moves? The world is your toilet. Idiot” may not be your idea of a vulgar insult, but when it comes to curse words in other languages, there are some pretty funny takes on this classic burn. Chtob tebe deti v’sup srali) — “May your children shit in your soup.” What are the funniest Spanish swear words?If you’re visiting France and want to be prepared for some of the strange hand gestures you might encounter, here’s a pretty good run-down. And if you’d like to insult someone verbally, we’ve got you covered. What are the most popular Swedish swear words? Russians are known to be pretty colorful and creative in their verbal expressions. Sure, you’ll hear a lot of the stereotypical блять ( blyat’, which literally means “whore” but is used like the F-word) and сука ( suka, or “bitch”). You’ll even hear them strung together, like “сука блять!”. Try it, it’s fun. Spanish profanities can cover a wide range of emotions, but the Venn diagram of feelings they elicit often overlaps with “funny.” You can find a comprehensive list of Swedish insults here. Otherwise, here are some common ways to invoke the underworld in Swedish: Need a slightly stronger version of this? Slap your bicep with your palm as you jerk the other forearm toward your face.
And besides, how do you know that English swear words are really where it’s at? When we surveyed a small panel of our Babbel colleagues who grew up in other countries, most agreed that English profanities are kind of repetitive and overly focused on sex. Perhaps the tradeoff is that you can lob an F-bomb anywhere in the world and be understood. That’s a certain kind of privilege, but are you really getting what you want out of life? Not all taboo language counts as swear words. Some taboo language is still strong language, even if we don’t think of it as ‘swearing’ – racial epithets, insults based on disabilities and sexual orientation – but some relates to things you avoid naming because of their power. Our word ‘bear’ comes from a word for ‘brown’ that was used in place of the ‘true’ name of the animal; nobody wanted to say its name lest it appear. In southern Africa, some cultures have a ‘respect’ speech that is imposed on women in regard to their in-laws: for instance, their father-in-law’s name is taboo, as is any word that sounds like it – but that doesn’t turn the father-in-law’s name into an expletive they shout when they hurt themselves. An essential phrasebook for the world traveler, How to Swear Around the World features dozens of favorite curses, insults, and sayings from all over the globe. Get rid of a pesky hanger-on in Brazil by telling him to dig for potatoes— vai ceifar batatas. To express disgust toward your brown-nosing German friend, accuse him of being a bicycle-rider— radfahrer, or tell someone off in Laos by letting him know you think his mother enjoys keeping intimate company with dogs— Ma see mea mung! Make new friends and enemies abroad with this handy guide filled with fighting words, scatological expressions, dozens of ways to insult someone’s mother, and many other suitably offensive phrases. Generally speaking, Scandinavian countries love to invoke the devil, Satan and Hell more than the sex- and potty humor–related fixations of English speakers. But to be sure, Swedes have no problem throwing in a kuk or a fitta when they feel moved to (the male and female sexual organs, respectively, but in disrespectful terms).If you’re looking for even more creative ways to insult someone in Portuguese, we have ideas. Which hand gestures are offensive in France? Also features phonetic pronunciations and handy illustrations to provide guidance to these colorful exclamations.
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