English is a language with over a million words, so it is hard to imagine that there are words from other languages that cannot be translated into English. However, there are many words from the over 6,000 languages spoken in the world that do not have an English equivalent. In this blog, we will go over some of our favorites.

Sobremesa (Spanish)

noun: conversation around the table after eating a long lunch together

In Spain, is common to enjoy long meals together. Engaging in stimulating conversation after the meal is partaking in sobremesa.

Verschlimmbessern (German)

verb: when you try to improve something, but end up making it worse

Dépaysement (French)

Noun: a feeling of displacement from not being in your home country.

见外 jiànwài (Mandarin)

Verb: This literally means “to look outside.” This refers to when you treat someone who is your friend as though you do not know them well, such as by being too polite.

Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan)

Noun: The wordless, significant look two people share who both want to initiate something, but are reluctant to do so.

Utepils (Norwegian)

Verb: To sit outside in the sun with a beer.

Age-otori (Japanese)

Verb: To look worse after you get a haircut.

Shlimazl (Yiddish)

Noun: Someone who is always unlucky.

Saudade (Portuguese)

Noun: The feeling of longing for something that you love and have lost.

As you can see, learning a foreign language offers a whole new way to describe the human experience. For Mandarin, Spanish, German, or French classes in Houston, contact Crossing Borders today!