Hello Croatian community!
On the occasion of the European Day of Languages, falling on September 26, why not share our language-learning experiences and stories? : )
Indeed, language learning can be full of surprises and quirky moments! From funny false friends to hilarious translation mistakes, every single one of us has found an unusual word or an idiom that has left us amazed. Language learning gives us a lot of fun stories to share with other learners. It could be about the language itself, a funny encounter, or something unexpected that happened during your learning process.
Have you ever made a translation error that turned into a funny story? What’s the strangest or funniest word you’ve come across in the language you are learning? Feel free to share your experience, and let’s discuss the unexpected joys and challenges of language learning!
When I first started learning Spanish, I was feeling pretty confident—until the day I decided to tell my Spanish-speaking friend how supportive I was of them. We were having a heart-to-heart conversation, and I wanted to express how much I had their back. So I confidently said, "No te preocupes, yo te soporto." I expected them to be touched, but instead, they gave me a strange look. Their expression was somewhere between confusion and mild offense.
I repeated it, thinking maybe they didn’t hear me. "¡De verdad, te soporto mucho!"
Finally, my friend started laughing. “Do you know what soportar means?” they asked, still chuckling.
I shook my head, confused. “To support, right?”
“No,” they said, still laughing. “Soportar means to tolerate or endure someone!”
I had basically been telling my friend, “Don’t worry, I can tolerate you,” which was definitely not the heartfelt message I was going for.
Needless to say, I learned that day that the word for support is apoyar, not soportar. Now, whenever I hear soportar, I can't help but think of all the poor people I unknowingly "tolerated" during my early Spanish days! And I really tolerate lots of language mistakes as they are a clear sign of learning and improving.
So, now it's your turn. Please, tell us about it and we can exchange our funny stories!
Source: OLS
Loreta, OLS Community manager - Croatian