but didn't know who to call to ask.
How to answer the phone in ten languages.
Now when Vladimir Putin calls you this afternoon to ask your advice on how he might handle a delicate issue, or some other world leader calls you for an opinion, you'll know just how
to answer the phone...
The Polish Dude is the only one who actually says he's listening. Too funny.
ReplyDeleteThe Italian says "I'm ready."
ReplyDeleteCroatian, Serbian and rest of the middle south Slav languages: DRRRING or ZVRRR and answer is clean "HALO?"
ReplyDeleteSome people say "MOLIM?" "PLEASE?" (like "yes, please?" when the barman asks what will you order) or simply "DA" - "YES" or "DA MOLIM?" (this is more common in Slovenia and they say "(JA) PROSIM?") also you can hear "SLUĊ AM" - "I'M LISTENING". But mostly you will hear one "HALO?" or "ALO?", depends if the dialect pronounces "H" on the beginning of the word or not.
I'm curious what will I hear in Hungary:-)
I've noticed that animals speak differently in other countries when I started to learn English: I thought that the rooster says KUKURIKU, because he cries KUKURIKU from Slovenia over Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia down to Montenegro and Macedonia, but above the picture of the rooster in my English Workbook it was written COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!? Somebody did a huge work about it here: http://www.bootstrappin.com/2008/10/cock-a-doodle-doo-dialects-of-the-rooster/ Our dogs bark VAU VAU, cats say MJAU, and when people feel the pain they instantly shout "JAO!" or "JOJ!" and I've heard foreigners shout "OUCH!" or "AUTSCH!"
Croatian (used to be Yugoslav) Lady Sonja
Thankyou...
Delete