S
Sidjanga
Senior Member
German;southern tendencies
- Sep 22, 2008
- #1
Hi everybody,
The conversation going on in this thread made me curious to know in what other languages you have an equivalent expression that you (may) say in such a situation, and if so, what you say.
In case its meaning isn't clear, I permit myself to quote this beautiful paraphrase by Nun-Translator:
"It means that what you said is wonderful and the listener makes it almost like a prayer so that God will make it come true."
So far, I know/have read:
English: From your mouth to God's ear(s).
Hebrew: מהפה שלך לאלוהים - (from your mouth to God)
(Palestinian) Arabic: "من تمك لباب السما/"من فمك إلى باب السماء (from your mouth to heaven's door.)
Spanish: Dios te oiga! - (may God listen to you/answer your prayer(s))
German: Dein Wort in Gottes Ohr! - (Your Word in God's ear!)
EDIT: And lest you should think the contrary, I'd like to add that the use of this expression does not require that the person who say it be religious (or that is as least the case with the German version).
Example: a friend of yours is about to take an important exam he/she feels very nervous about.
You tell him/her: Oh, don't worry. I have heard this exam has become a lot easier in recent years.
Your friend replies: From your mouth to God's ear(s)! (or, respectively, the German "version" [my personal experience]).
I am looking forward to reading your contributions.
Cheers,
Sigianga
Last edited:
Corsicum
Senior Member
Sophia Antipolis è Capicorsu
Corsu - Français
- Sep 23, 2008
- #2
“May God hear you”
Corsican : Diu ti senti
French : Dieu t’entende
Last edited:
J
jazyk
Senior Member
Brazílie, portugalština
- Sep 23, 2008
- #3
In Portuguese: Deus te ouça.
sabrinita85
Senior Member
Rome, Italy
Italian
- Sep 23, 2008
- #4
Italian: Che Dio ti ascolti.
kusurija
Senior Member
Lithuania, K. city
Lithuania Czech
- Sep 23, 2008
- #5
In
Czech:
Dá-li Bůh... (..if God lets) or
Dej Bože! ([Thou God] let [it]!)
Btw Bodejť/bodeť = Bože dej -ť(= [emphatic] Ti) (see also this thread) Dej is imperative form in 2. pers. sg. used for 3. person here. (remains of ancient gramar).
Bohdá is also relict of ancient use (=Bůh dá).
[Toho bohdá nebude, aby český král z boje utíkal]
In
Lithuanian:
We'd probably say:
Dievas girdi Tavo žodžius... (God hears Your words)
Setwale_Charm
Senior Member
moving around - a Brit who's hardly ever lived in
British English, Russian
- Sep 27, 2008
- #6
I am not sure but, I think, the literal translation in Russian is Твои бы слова да господу в уста.
however, its is rather obsolete.
Last edited by a moderator:
N
nurBahnhof
New Member
English
- Sep 28, 2008
- #7
Yiddish: פֿון דײַן מױל אין גאָטס אױערן (fun dayn moyl in gots oyern)
English: From your lips to God's ears
T
Traduita
Senior Member
Greece, Greek
- Oct 28, 2008
- #8
Greek has it as well "Απ' το στόμα σου και στου Θεού τ'αυτί/ ap'to stoma sou kai stou theou t' afti." Same meaning, same usage. However, i Greek too it is a bit obsolete.
M
Mahaodeh
Senior Member
London, UK
Arabic, PA and IA.
- Oct 28, 2008
- #9
Sigianga said:
(Palestinian) Arabic: "من تمك لباب السما/"من فمك إلى باب السماء (from your mouth to heaven's door.)
I've heard this other dialects, the main variation is the word commonly used to express mouth, which can differ from dialect to another (Halgak, bu'ak...etc.) but the sentence is basically the same.
Sigianga said:
And lest you should think the contrary, I'd like to add that the use of this expression does not require that the person who say it be religious (or that is as least the case with the German version).
Example: a friend of yours is about to take an important exam he/she feels very nervous about.
You tell him/her: Oh, don't worry. I have heard this exam has become a lot easier in recent years.
Your friend replies: From your mouth to God's ear(s)! (or, respectively, the German "version" [my personal experience]).
It's almost the same in Arabic, except that it's used mostly to express that you agree very much with what the person has been hoping for.
Example:
Person A: I hope they cancel the exam.
Person B: from your mouth to heaven's door.
or
Person A: I wish I win the lottery.
Person B: me too, from your mouth to heaven's door.
Last edited:
M
MarcB
Senior Member
US English
- Nov 9, 2008
- #10
In AE it is from your lips to God's ears. Not from your mouth.
H
Hermocrates
Senior Member
Italian & British English (bilingual)
- Nov 26, 2008
- #11
There's a similar expression frequently used in Sardinia :
"Deu (b)ollara" = literally, "May God wish so"
Deu = God (from Latin deus)
(b)ollara = subjunctive from verb "(b)olli" (want/wish)
I noticed this expression is frequently used by people in Sardinia. However, depending on the area of provenience of the speaker, the spelling and pronunciation vary slightly, especially that of the verb.
Rye
mataripis
Senior Member
NCR,Luzon,Pilipinas
Tagalog
- Jul 14, 2011
- #12
1.)Tagalog: Ang pangungusap mo'y may katugunan sa Maykapal./ Dinig ng Maykapal ang mga salita mo. 2.) De sorot pa Dumaget: Totobeg eye a Makedepat de pagsorot yu.
A
Adlu
Member
Albanian
- Sep 11, 2011
- #13
Albanian:
"Fjala jote në vesh të Perëndisë" = "Your word in God's ear"
Fjala = Word
Jote = Your
Në = In
Vesh = Ear
Të Perëndisë = God's
apmoy70
Senior Member
Attica, but of Thessalian origin
Greek
- Sep 11, 2011
- #14
In Greek:
«Απ'το στόμα[1] σου και στου Θεού τ'αφτί[2]»
/apto 'stoma su ce stu θe'u taf'ti/
lit. "from your mouth and to God's ear"
[1]Neuter noun «στόμα» ('stoma); Classical neuter noun «στόμα» ('stŏmă), Aeolic «στύμα» ('stūmă)--> mouth (PIE base *stom-en-, any orifice, cavity or passage of the body).
[2]Neuter noun «αφτί» (af'ti); Byz. «ἀφτίον» (af'tion)--> ear after open transition: «τὰ ὠτία» (tă ō'tīă)--> Class. for the ears > «τ'οὐτία» (t'outīă)--> Med. for the ears > «τ'ἀφτία» (t'af'tia)--> Byz. for the ears. From the Classical neuter noun «οὖς» (ous)--> ear (PIE *ous-, perception).
rusita preciosa
Senior Member
USA (Φιλαδέλφεια)
Russian (Moscow)
- Sep 11, 2011
- #15
Setwale_Charm said:
I am not sure but, I think, the literal translation in Russian is Твои бы слова да господу в уста.
however, its is rather obsolete.
This is incorrect.
The experession is твои бы слова да богу в уши /tvoi by slova da bogu v ushi/ (literally, "your words [should go] into god's ears").
It is not at all obsolete, we say it all the time.
B
bibax
Senior Member
Czechlands
Czech (Prague)
- Sep 11, 2011
- #16
Czech:
Kéž tě Bůh vyslyší!
= May God hear (and subsequently answer/grant) thee!I
itreius
Senior Member
Assembly
- Sep 12, 2011
- #17
BCS
Iz tvojih usta u božje uši. (from - your - mouth - into - god's - ears)
Daj bože. (give - god)
A
AutumnOwl
Senior Member
Finland
Suomi, svenska
- Sep 12, 2011
- #18
Swedish: Från din mun till Guds öra is a direct translation, but it's not a phrase used in Swedish, I got less than 30 hits with Google and most of them referred to the phrase used in other languages (Yiddish, Serbian, Greek).
The only similar phrase in Swedish that I can think of is Om Gud (så) vill, meaning If God so whises/wants.
You must log in or register to reply here.