Help your fluency in a nifty way

[Pole, the]

the internet was too slow to visit the ZBB

This isn't an error, and it's a totally natural thing to say, but it's just such an adorable parsing ambiguity that I had to highlight it!

Mikä?
What?

[kusuri]

インターネットはＺＢＢに寄ることが出来ない。私も笑った。
The Internet couldn't visit the ZBB. Also gave me a chuckle.

[Salmoneus]

The "X is Y to Z" structure is ambiguous in parsing between [X is Y [to Z]] (infinitive) and [X is [Y to Z]] (supine). There is also an ambiguity in the subject of Z.

Hence:
1. The internet was too slow to visit the ZBB
2. The President was too slow to condemn racists

The first is instinctively read with an infinitive with an implied animate subject; the latter is read with a supine (he's not necessarily "slow" in general, he's "slow to condemn") with the same subject as the copula.

"Slow" is an adjective that is particularly open to the supine interpretation. So it's tempting to read 1 with the grammar of 2 - that is, "the internet", conceived of as an animate creature, is "slow to visit" (reluctant, loathe, just incapable somehow) the ZBB. Jal was standing there shouting at it, whipping it along because it didn't want to come here. It was just an adorable image. Poor internet. We like you, internet, you can visit whenever you want!

The infinite/supine parsing ambiguity can also be seen in pairs like:
3. The music was slow to keep the partygoers calm (infinitive of purpose)
4. The drugs were slow to lower the patient's heart rate (supine)

or:
5. The test was hard to deter applicants (infinitive)
6. Your name is hard to pronounce (supine)

[generally the infinitive can be made clear by adding "in order to" or the like, while the supine cannot.]

Similarly, the ambiguity in subject allocation can be seen by itself in pairs like:
7. The roads are too icy to drive (switch)
8. The President is too drunk to drive (no switch)

And
9. That girl is too young to drink (no switch)
10. This milk is too old to drink (switch)

[generally the switching form can take an added "for me/you/him/it" before the "to", whereas the non-switching form can't]

And the two ambiguities can be combined in pairs like:
11. The sexually-aroused President was too hard to concentrate
12. The exacting schoolteacher was too hard to please.

And when both interpretations are sufficiently available, or the context is sufficiently silly, you get a pun, like:
13. A good gigolo is hard to please.


EDIT: and no, I can't say that in Irish.

[Imralu]

Msee alinifuata-fuata katika duka la vitabu kwa dakika kumi akiniangalia-angalia wakati wote nilipoangalia kitabu. Haikuwa vigumu kumwona akiniangalia. Ningalipendezwa naye ningalizungumza naye.
A guy followed me around in a bookshop, staring at me anytime I was looking at a book. It wasn't hard to see him looking at me If I had been attracted to him, I would have talked to him.

[Imralu]

Wazazi wangu walifanyiwa ukaguzi wa kijenetikia. Nimegundua kwamba mimi ni mtu wa jamaa wa Joseph Stalin.
My parents had themselves genetically tested. I've found out that I'm related to Joseph Stalin.

[ˈd̪ʲɛ.gɔ kɾuˑl̪]

Wazazi wangu walifanyiwa ukaguzi wa kijenetikia. Nimegundua kwamba mimi ni mtu wa jamaa wa Joseph Stalin.
My parents had themselves genetically tested. I've found out that I'm related to Joseph Stalin.

Mon première réaction étais chercher le like bouton, la deuxième étais rire (de moi).
My first reaction was searching for the like button. the second was laugh (at me).

[Znex]

Jeg vet ikke hvem i stor detalj var mine forfedre, men jeg er sikker at mange av dem var bra mennesker.
I don't know who my ancestors were in great detail, but I'm sure many of them were good people.

Og jeg er sikker at Stalin ikke er en av mine forfedre.
And I'm sure Stalin is not one of my ancestors.

[Pole, the]

Og jeg er sikker at Stalin ikke er en av mine forfedre.
And I'm sure Stalin is not one of my ancestors.

Minä sanoisin, ettei hän ole minunkaan, mutta ei sitä koskaan tiedä.
I'd say he isn't one of mine either, but you never know.

[Imralu]

Haiwezekani awe mhangu wangu, basi ahali wangu, kama binamu wa mbali.
He can't be an ancestor of mine, but a (distant) relative of mine, like a distant cousin.

[hwhatting]

Ma première réaction était chercher le like bouton, la deuxième était rire (de moi).
My first reaction was searching for the like button. the second was laugh (at me).

I don't think that everything I didn't mark is correct, but somebody with better French than me should look at that.

He can't be an ancestor of mine, but a (distant) relative of mine, like a distant cousin.

Jeżeli wrócimy dość daleko, wzsystcy jesteśmy dalekimi kuzynamy.
Si nous rémontons assez longtemps, nous tous sommes des cousins éloignés.
Als wij ver genoeg teruggaan, zijn we helemaal kozijnen in de verte.
If we go back far enough, we all are distant cousins.

[jal]

Als we ver genoeg teruggaan, zijn we helemaal familie in de verte.

You had me chuckle there, a "kozijn" is a frame, like a window frame :).

Genau, wir sind alle Brüder!
Indeed, we're all brothers!


JAL

[hwhatting]

Als we ver genoeg teruggaan, zijn we helemaal familie in de verte.

You had me chuckle there, a "kozijn" is a frame, like a window frame .

Hm. Heeft dit woordenboek simpel ongelijk of is kozijn maar zeldzaam (of verouderd) met de betekenis "cousin"?
Hm. Is this dictionary plain wrong or is kozijn just rarely used (or obsolescent?) in the meaning "cousin"?

[Imralu]

He can't be an ancestor of mine, but a (distant) relative of mine, like a distant cousin.

Jeżeli wrócimy dość daleko, wzsystcy jesteśmy dalekimi kuzynamy.
Si nous rémontons assez longtemps, nous tous sommes des cousins éloignés.
Als wij ver genoeg teruggaan, zijn we helemaal kozijnen in de verte.
If we go back far enough, we all are distant cousins.

Ndiyo, lakini inaelekea niko karibu naye kuliko wewe.
Yes, but I'm probably closer to him than you are.

[jal]

Heeft dit woordenboek simpelweg* ongelijk of is kozijn maar zeldzaam (of verouderd) met de betekenis "cousin"?

*Or "gewoon".

Es ist offensichtlich ein informelle Flämische Gallizismus.
It appears to be a colloquial Flemish gallicism.


JAL

[hwhatting]

Es ist scheinbar ein informeller flämischer Gallizismus.
It appears to be a colloquial Flemish gallicism.

Dziękuję za wytłumaczenie!
Hvala za izjavu!
Merci pour l'explication!
Gracias por la explicación!
Grazie per la spiegazione!
Dank je voor de verklaring!
Açıklamadan teşekkür ederim!
Түсіндіруге рақмет!
Tushuntirish uchun rahmat!
Thanks for the explanation!

[linguoboy]

Findest du es okay, HaWe, wenn du wie ein informeller Flame klingst?
Are you okay with sounding like a colloquial Fleming, H-W?

[hwhatting]

Findest du es okay, HaWe, wenn du wie ein informeller Flame klingst?
Are you okay with sounding like a colloquial Fleming, H-W?

Tak, nie mam nic przeciwko.
Oui, ça ne me gêne pas.
Ja, dat vind ik niet erg.
Yes, I don't mind.

[Imralu]

Kuna vitu vibaya zaidi.
There are worse things.

[linguoboy]

Ich hatte vorgebhabt, unsere Sommerjobberin zu einem Eis einzuladen als Dank für ihre hervorragende Arbeit. Dann hat sie eine Menge Katalogisate gelöscht und ich hab mich entschieden stattdessen mit einem Kollegen ein Pint Gelato zu teilen.
I'd planned to take our summer student out for ice cream to thank her for her terrific work. Then she deleted a bunch of records from the catalog and I decided instead to split a pint of gelato with a coworker.

[Imralu]

Kwa nini alifuta faili? Au alifanya bila nia?
Why did she delete the files? Or did she do it unintentionally?

[jal]

Wann ich auf Urlaub in Frankreich war, habe ich endlich eine französische Version von "Der Hobbit" gekauft. Ich habe jetzt eine spanische, italienische, französische, dänische, englische und niederländische Version. Aber noch immer keine deutsche :(.
When I was in France on holiday, I finally bought a French version of "The Hobbit". I currently have a Spanish, French, Danish, English and Dutch version. But still no German one :(.

Btw, the translation of the first chapter title is a bit weird: "Une fête inattendue". Can French "fête" be used like English "party", i.e. a travelling party? Or has the translater completely missed the point??


JAL

[Salmoneus]

Wann ich auf Urlaub in Frankreich war, habe ich endlich eine französische Version von "Der Hobbit" gekauft. Ich habe jetzt eine spanische, italienische, französische, dänische, englische und niederländische Version. Aber noch immer keine deutsche .
When I was in France on holiday, I finally bought a French version of "The Hobbit". I currently have a Spanish, French, Danish, English and Dutch version. But still no German one .

Btw, the translation of the first chapter title is a bit weird: "Une fête inattendue". Can French "fête" be used like English "party", i.e. a travelling party? Or has the translater completely missed the point??


JAL

It's not a travelling party in the English, it's a dinner party.

[Io]

שלום לכולם
Sup bitches!

Would anyone care to help me find the lyrics of the following song with nikud or Latinise it for me?

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/victoria- ... yrics.html

[Vijay]

ഇതാ.
[jiˈd̪aː].
Here.

[Io]

Oh boy, do I feel dumb, I only had to see/click on the "transliteration" button.

Thanks a bunch!