Do you have a different personality when you speak a different language?

Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by sparky on Wednesday August 11, 2010 @07:30PM (#1596586)

Same in Spanish ('usted' and 'tu', respectively).

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by shrikant on Wednesday August 11, 2010 @07:55PM (#1596642)

And in most Indian languages.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by CWuestefeld on Wednesday August 11, 2010 @08:05PM (#1596659)

And French, "tu" (familiar singular) and "vous" (formal singular, or plural).

English used to have "thou", but of course that's long since extinct.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by eipipuz on Thursday August 12, 2010 @01:56AM (#1597347)

Trivia, "thou" was actually the informal pronoun.

On the other hand in Mexican Spanish, "usted" is fading away. It's curious how different cultures get rid of different options.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by hernan7 on Thursday August 12, 2010 @01:29PM (#1598641)

"Usted" is alive and well in Argentinian Spanish. Divided by a common language indeed...

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by antirez on Wednesday August 11, 2010 @09:30PM (#1596845)

In Italian is almost like that: "tu" (familiar) and "voi" (very formal) or "lei" (less formal)

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by mitjak on Wednesday August 11, 2010 @11:51PM (#1597146)

And Russian.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by yread on Thursday August 12, 2010 @04:03AM (#1597526)

And Czech. And Dutch

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by iacvlvs on Thursday August 12, 2010 @05:48AM (#1597660)

And Afrikaans: jy (familiar), u (ever so formal), but u is (or seems to be) falling out of common use.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by gokhan on Thursday August 12, 2010 @09:21AM (#1597987)

And in Turkish. "Sen" ve "Siz".

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by jpablo on Thursday August 12, 2010 @11:12AM (#1598270)

And Spanish, "Tu" vs "Usted" vs "Vos"

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by revorad on Thursday August 12, 2010 @01:02PM (#1598579)

Hindi has three - tu, tum and aap. I explained some of this on my Hindi lessons site - http://hindipedia.com/hindi-video-lesson-04-pronouns.

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by ahoyhere on Thursday August 12, 2010 @06:49AM (#1597745)

The problem with the German version is that "Sie" also means "she" and "they". Usted at least does not mean "she."

So, are you talking about your sister… or are you talking to your superior? (My 2nd most hated thing about German.)

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Re:Do you have a different personality when you speak a diff... by skalpelis on Thursday August 12, 2010 @12:29PM (#1598492)

Italian also has "Lei" which means both she and you (in the formal sense).

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