Many times when I input an English word into an on-line translation dictionary I get a list of more that one word in Czech. Why is this, and can I assume the first word in the response is the best translation for the word? Thanks! 8)
Not every time one word has just one meaning and also the meaning can be slightly diferent from czech translation. also you usualy get some related words which can substitute the first one in certain ways.
I find that it is always best to check out an unfamilar word in reverse through the dictionary, just to make sure that it is the word that you need. I have made quite a few mistakes of this nature and used the wrong word from a long list of options which, thankfully, have usually made people laugh, rather than get annoyed or offended!! I once told someone that we have some geese as pets at home. The first dictionary word for "pet" that I found was "miláček". The friend that I was speaking to looked at me very strangely and found my error very amusing!!!!
I just have been reading the following sentence in a blog: "During World War Two, it was rumored that Nazi soldiers broke into the synagogue, and Rabbi Loew's Golem ripped them apart, limb by limb." I did not understand "limb by limb". This is what I have found in an on-line dictionary: limb = :roll: - rameno - roztrhat na kusy - rozsápat - okraj (slunce apod.) - malý dareba - čertovo kvítko (dareba) - neposeda - osekat větve - hlavní větev - končetina - křídlo - sloupec (jádra transformátoru) - odvětvovat - lem koruny květu - velká větev - základní větev velkého stromu I tried to reorder and elaborate the entry for limb: limb noun - končetina = a projecting paired appendages of an animal body used for movement and grasping, esp. a leg or arm of a human being - rameno (eg. kříže) = an extension, branch (eg. any of the 4 branches or arms of a cross) - rameno spravedlnosti = limb of the law - křídlo = any of the movable feathered or membranous paired appendages by means of which a bird, bat or insect flies (or corresponding part of a nonflying bird or insect :wink: ) - hlavní větev (stromu) = a main branch (of a tree) - velká větev (stromu) = a large branch (of a tree) - základní větev velkého stromu = a large primary branch of a tree - sloupec (jádra transformátoru) = a part of the iron core of a transformer (eg. three-limb transformer) - lem koruny květu = the broad flat part of a petal or sepal :?: (I am not an expert in botany) - okraj (slunce apod.) = the outer edge of the apparent disc of a celestial body (sun etc.) - malý dareba = a mischievous child - čertovo kvítko = ditto - neposeda, nezbeda = ditto verb - roztrhat na kusy = to dismember - rozsápat = ditto - osekat větve (perf.) = to cut off the limbs of a tree - odvětvovat (imp.) = ditto You see, you need a good English-Czech dictionary with explanatory notes, otherwise you will be totally lost. :wink:
roztrhat na kusy is the closest. Limb by limb.... Chtěl bych mu trhat nohy a ruky. That is an excellent example of the many ways something could be interpreted, or misinterpreted.
