Turkmen False Friends – Learn Turkmen Lesson 2
False Friends – Translators Must Beware of Words That Look the Same But Have Different Meanings
Turkmen “ False Friends“refers to pairs of words in two languages that look and/or sound the same or similar but have completely different meanings. This is something both learners and translators need to watch out for. False Friends can cause confusion and misunderstanding when learning or translating from Turkmen to English or from English to Turkmen.
Examples of False Friend Words to Beware of:
- ant – (Turkmen: garynja)
English: ant – a kind of small insect that lives in an organized social group.
Example: Ant is a hardworking insect. (Garynja işeňňir möjekdir)
Turkmen: ant means “oath”. Example: ant içmek – give an oath, promise
Synonym: wada bermek, söz bermek
- at – (Turkmen: -da, -de)
English: at – a preposition that is used to indicate a place or position, specific time, email address, activity.
For example: Let’s meet at 2 o’clock at the hotel.
Turkmen: at (at) – horse, (synonym -bedew), at (a:t) – name, noun (at and a:t are also widely used as phrasal verbs in Turkmen language)
For example:
1) a:t dakmak – a) to name (a newborn), to nickname
- b) not satisfied by something has been done.
2) a:t bermek -awarding the title, giving the rank
3) at salmak-to attack
- bar – (Turkmen: bar)
Bar has many meanings both in English and Turkmen.
English: bar – 1) a place where soft and alcoholic drinks are served; 2) a solid piece of something that is shaped like rectangle, e. g. gold bar, chocolate bar, 3) bar is also used in athletics; 3) bar – standard, e.g. bar exam for lawyers
Turkmen: bar – 1) a place where soft and alcoholic drinks are served, 2) to have, to exist, to be available
- bark – (Turkmen: üýrmek)
English: bark – short, loud sound made by a dog
Turkmen: “bark” is used with “urmak” as a set expression “bark urmak” – 1) to gleam, to shine, to beam, 2) smell nicely, to be fragrant
- bat – (Turkmen: ýarganat)
English: bat – 1) a stick that is used to hit a ball in baseball; 2) an animal that has wings and looks like a mouse
Turkmen: bat – 1) speed, bat almak – to pick up speed, 2) strength/might – bat bilen urmak – to hit/strike smb with one’s all the strength/might
- beg – (Turkmen: dilemek)
English: beg – to ask people for money or food in an emotional way
Turkmen: beg – a title of a (military) leader in old times of Turkmen people. For example: Görogly beg Türkmen, Jygaly beg
- bent – (Turkmen: egirmek)
English: bent – past tense of bend
Turkmen: bent – dam. For example: bent gurmak – to build a dam (across river or stream)
- bet – (Turkmen: jedel)
English: bet – to gamble; to risk (with money)
Turkmen: bet – bad, naughty, mischievous, (colloquial – very good, crazy)
- bit – (Turkmen: az-owlak)
English: bit – a little, a small amount
Turkmen: bit – louse, bitlemek – to get lice
- bog – (Turkmen: batgalyk)
English: bog – an area of soft, wet land
Turkmen: bog (colloquial) – bunch. Synonyms for bog: desse, hoşa. For example: Bir bog ot almak = bir desse ot almak = to pick a bunch of grass
- bug – (Turkmen: (mör)möjek)
English: bug – a) a small insect, 2) to bother
Turkmen: bug – steam
- gala – (Turkmen: gala, dabara)
English: gala – a public party or celebration
Turkmen: gala – fortress, castle
- gap – (Turkmen: boşluk)
English: gap – a space/ a difference/ a missing part between two things or people etc.
Turkmen: gap – container, vessel
- gel – (Turkmen: gel)
English: gel – a thick substance like jelly
Turkmen: 1) gel – a thick substance like jelly. 2) Gel!(imperative) – come! For example. Ertir gel! – Come tomorrow!
- gum – (Turkmen: 1. Sakgyç, 2. diş eti)
English: gum – 1) the flesh surrounds the root of teeth, 2) chewing gum
Turkmen: gum – sand
- ham – (Turkmen: doňuz eti)
English: ham – meat from the leg of a hog. For example: a ham sandwich
Turkmen: ham – 1) pelt, skin, 2) raw, not cooked or partially cooked (food)
- hat – (Turkmen: şlýapa)
English: hat – a covering for the head: cowboy hat, hard hat, fedora hat, etc.
Turkmen: hat – letter, mail
- hut – (Turkmen: çatma, külbe)
English: hut – a small, simple house
Turkmen: hut – exact, particular, precisely, just
- in – (Turkmen: içinde, -da, -de)
English: in – preposition used to indicate location or position within something, time
Turkmen: in – 1) width, 2) a bolt of fabric
- it – (Turkmen: ol)
English: it – a pronoun to refer to object, substance, idea etc.
Turkmen: it – a dog
- jam – (Turkmen: 1. mürepbe, 2.doly, hyryn-dykyn)
English: jam – 1) a sweet food made from fruit: strawberry jam, etc. 2) completely filled: traffic jam
Turkmen: jam – bowl
- jar – (Turkmen: banka)
English: jar – a glass container, e.g. a pickle jar
Turkmen: jar – 1) ravine, gulley 2) announced message
- men – (Turkmen: erkekler, erkek adamlar)
English: men – plural for man
Turkmen: men – I (pronoun)
- nil – (Turkmen: nol)
English: nil – zero
Turkmen: nil – the barrel of a gun, a rifle barrel
- ok – (Turkmen: bolýa(r))
English: OK – okay, expression for agreement, approval
Turkmen: ok – bullet, arrow, 2) axis
- on – (Turkmen: üstünde, -da, -de)
English: on – a preposition to indicate the top of surface of something etc.
Turkmen: on – ten (number)
- sag – (Turkmen: sallanmak)
English: sag – to hang down loosely, drooping
Turkmen: sag – 1) right (direction), 2) healthy
- tap – (Turkmen: 1. kran, 2. ýeňil urgy)
English: tap – a device by which a flow of liquid or gas from a pipe or container can be controlled, 2) to hit something or somebody lightly
Turkmen: tap – 1) state, condition e.g. Gowumy taplar? (colloquial) – How are you? 2) Tap! (imperative) – Find it!
- top – (Turkmen: ýokary)
English: top – the highest part, point, or level of something
Turkmen: top – 1) ball (in sports), 2) cannon, artillery, 3) a pile of
- tug – (Turkmen: dartmak)
English: tug – to pull something hard or suddenly
Turkmen: tug – flag
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