Vreleksá

polyglot · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 22

if wishes where fishes, we'd live in the sea.
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eldin raigmore · Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 9:04 pm Post subject:

Is that specific to a particular natlang?
The English version, AFAIK, is, "If wishes were horses then beggars would ride."
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achemel · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 556 Location: up for debate

If fishes were wishes we’d live in the sea
Ddamychal: dal biánnunan halani hoghenan, ho saaésut khal-khulyb.
/if fish-pl. be-PRES-3.pl. wish-pl. then live-FUT-1.pl. in-the-sea/

Nomah: Baívuvear norter guíldèlm ţusár se scoendéimhm séi aí shmahót
bav-uv-ear norte-r guíl-dèl-m ţusá-r se scoen-déimh-m séi aí s-mahót
/exist-HYP-PRES3pl. fish-pl. make-PP-(abstract marker) wish-pl. then dwell-FUT1pl.-HYP in the ACC-sea/

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.
Ddamychal: dal hoghenan halani khaldin, ho ta al-lashe nar zeént.
/if wish-pl. be-PRES-3.pl. horse-pl. then even the-impoverished they-DOP ride-FUT-3.pl./
It sounds grammatically better without necessarily implying more than the original English to have “even” in there with ddamychal.

Ra cel: allia maẅdechn nör jalänin daë simia tuachtecn.
/SUBJ-be-PRES wish-pl. instead horse-pl. then ride-COND beggar-pl./

Both of these can’t be translated into Hemnälg without seriously changing the words. There is no word or loanword for “fish,” there are no seas, or horses, and “beggars” would end up being “slaves,” and it's not culturally unacceptable for them to ride anything.

polyglot · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 22

Kiri · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 471 Location: Latvia/Italy

In Latvian we have two such sayings.

If you start your sentence with "I want", then the proper reply is "Gribēt nav kaitīgi" (want.INF be.N harmful.ADV)
If you start your sentence with something along the lines of "If only I had" then there is a saying that goes "Ja tantiņai būtu riteņi, būtu tramvajs" (if lady.DIM.DAT be.SUBJ wheel.NOM.PL, be.SUBJ tramcar.NOM)
It is somewhat implied that the lady is old and don't ask me how this all makes any sense – I honestly don't know Very Happy

A lot of Latvian sayings make no sense, if you try to translate them, though Very Happy