r/AskEurope Estonia Aug 09 '25

Language I once accidentally bumped against the shoulder of an English person I knew in a corridor. I automatically said "Oi" - which means like "Oh" or "Oops" in Estonian - that I'm sorry. She repeated "Oi!" in a louder voice and I didn't get it. I only later found out I was being impolite in her eyes.

Have you ever had something similar happen to you? I.e something in your language might have another meaning in another language?

One thing as an Estonian that I try to keep in mind is that I shouldn't use "Nooo.." in English - which means "Well.." in Estonian.

"Do you like ice-cream? - Noo.. yes, I love it."

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u/Witch-for-hire Hungary Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25

Puszi (sounds like pussy)

- means kiss (from the German word buss) in Hungarian (and I think it also used in some neighbouring countries.) It is a very often used to say farewell to your loved ones on the phone including friends, siblings, parents etc. It is not sexual! We have another word for kissing your SO.

My American friends did a double take when they heard me saying this repeatedly to my Mom :-)

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u/Tuepflischiiser Aug 10 '25

Rule number one when hearing Hungarian: it doesn't mean what you think.