# tjuvlyssna (eavesdrop)



## jonquiliser

Working eagerly  and getting a lil' bit bored, so I'll ask all of you how you say the title word (a verb) in your languages. And following the clever example of Outsider I'll leave it to someone to figure out the meaning so also English-speakers can join in. And please, I'm really curious, so...!


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## elpoderoso

With the aid of a Finnish-English online dictionary I came up with ''eavesdrop''


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## DrWatson

elpoderoso, finding this word in a Finnish-English dictionary must've been quite an accomplishment, concerning that *tjuvlyssna* is Swedish 

In Finnish, the corresponding term is *salakuunnella* or *kuunnella salaa *(lit. "to listen in secret")


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## elpoderoso

Wow! That is indeed amazing, could you perhaps break down their meanings  for me?
Does the ''lyssna'' (in the Fin..Swedish version) have any connection with the English ''listen'' or am I completely off the ball?


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## Lemminkäinen

In Norwegian (bokmål), it's *tyvlytte* or *tjuvlytte*. Both literally mean 'thief listen' (like the Swedish version).


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## jonquiliser

elpoderoso, an accomplishment indeed to figure this out in a Finnish-English dictionary!!! Tell us your tricks!  And exactly, lyssna (Swe) is listen in English. I'm sure there's an etymological link. 

Thanks for the contributions so far!


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## Joannes

jonquiliser said:


> lyssna (Swe) is listen in English. I'm sure there's an etymological link.


 
What does the *tjuv* part mean then?

In Dutch we say *afluisteren*. *Luisteren* is 'to listen', so you could literally translate it as *to listen off* in English.


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## Lemminkäinen

Joannes said:


> What does the *tjuv* part mean then?



See my post  It means 'thief'.


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## elpoderoso

I have just discovered that ''Eavesdrop'' comes from someone standing under the eaves of a house to hear what is going on inside, the ''eavesdrop'' being the area below the eaves where the rainwater falls (drops)


Lemminkäinen said:


> In Norwegian (bokmål), it's *tyvlytte* or *tjuvlytte*. Both literally mean 'thief listen' (like the Swedish version).


And in Nynorsk?


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## Lemminkäinen

elpoderoso said:


> And in Nynorsk?



I would think it's *tjuvlytte*, but can't find an entry for that in the dictionary.


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## jonquiliser

elpoderoso said:


> I have just discovered that ''Eavesdrop'' comes from someone standing under the eaves of a house to hear what is going on inside, the ''eavesdrop'' being the area below the eaves where the rainwater falls (drops)



Thanks for this info, I was wondering where the word might have come from, and probably thought "eaves" would have been a distorted version of ears...! Now I know better


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## Outsider

In Portuguese, you have to use a periphrasis, *escutar atrás das portas* or *ouvir atrás das portas* (to listen behind doors).

P.S. These threads would be more fun if we didn't reach for a bilingual dictionary right away.


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## Joannes

Lemminkäinen said:


> See my post  It means 'thief'.


Now why did I miss that? Thanks.


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## jester.

In German we use the verb "lauschen" which could somehow be ethymologically connected with "listen".


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## Lello4ever

In Italian is *origliare* or* ascoltare di nascosto*


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## PABLO DE SOTO

There is no verb for this action in Spanish (it doesn't mean we don't do that).
The most similar expressions are *escuchar a escondidas *or *escuchar de tapadillo*


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## elroy

In Palestinian Arabic, we say بتنسط (_bitnaSSaT_) [3rd person masculine singular present tense form because we don't have infinitives].

The verb بنسط (_bunSoT_) means "to listen," and بتنسط (_bitnaSSaT_) is just a variation that means "to eavesdrop."


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## Anatoli

*Eavesdrop:

Russian:*

Russian verbs usually come in 2 infinitives, which go hand-in-hand - _perfective_ and _imperfective_:
 подслушать - podsl*u*shat' (perfective) [patsl*u*shat']
 подслушивать - podsl*u*shivat' (imperfective)  [patsl*u*shivat']
The stem is "слушать" - "to listen".

*Chinese Mandarin* (traditional characters in brackets)*:

*窃听 (竊聽) qiètīng - eavesdrop; wiretap; bug (similar to #3)
 听墙根 (聽牆根) tīng qiánggēn - 〈coll.〉 eavesdrop; overhear through a wall (qiánggēn - foot of a wall)
 偷听 (偷聽) tōutīng - eavesdrop; bug (this one is interesting: _thief/steal/secretly + listen_)

*Japanese* (Hiragana and Rōmaji in brackets)*:*

立ち聞き (たちぎき - tachigiki)  eavesdrop (noun) (literally: "to listen in standing")
立ち聞きする (たちぎきする - tachigiki suru)  eavesdrop (verb)


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*, the word _subaŭskulti_ can mean either “to listen secretly” (i.e. eavesdrop) or “to tap,” as in “to tap a phone” (install a hidden listening device).  This word would translate literally into English as "sub-listen" or "under-listen."


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## suslik

*In Estonian:* pealt kuulama


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## Maja

In Serbian:

prisluškivati / прислушкивати.


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## dn88

Polish: _"podsłuchiwać"_


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## apmoy70

Greek has two verbs for it, one "Demotic" used in the vernacular, and one "Katharevousian" used in court or for official purposes:

Demotic:
*«Κρυφακούω»* [krifaˈku.o] < ByzGr combinatory *«κρυφο-» krypho-* & apocopic *«κρυφ-» kryph-* < Koine deverbative adj. *«κρύφιος» krúpʰiŏs* --> _concealed_ < Classical v. *«κρύπτω» krúptō* --> _to conceal, hide_ (it probably is Pre-Greek because of the frequent variations in the root-final labial stop) + Classical v. *«ἀκούω» ăkoúō* --> _to hear, obey, be called_ (PIE *keu̯s-/*kous- _to hear_ which is perhaps from PIE *(s)keu- _to notice, observe_ cf Proto-Germanic *hauzjan > Ger. hören, Eng. hear, Dt. horen; the initial *«ἀ-» a-* in the Greek verb is copulative).

Katharevousa:
*«Λαθρακροώμαι»* [laθrakroˈome] < Classical adv. *«λάθρᾳ» lắtʰra̜* --> _secretly_ < Aorist infinitive *«λαθεῖν» lătʰeî̯n*, of Classical v. *«λανθάνω» lăntʰắnō* + Classical deponent v. *«ἀκροάομαι/ἀκροῶμαι» ăkrŏắŏmai̯* (uncontracted)/*ăkrŏômai̯* --> _to harken, obey_ (commonly derived from a univerbation of *«ἄκρος» ắkrŏs* and *«οὖς» oûs* that denoted _the top of the ear_, whence _to prick the ears, be keen to hear_).


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## ilocas2

Czech:

odposlouchávat


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## Gavril

Icelandic:
_*standa á hleri* _or _*hlera* _"eavesdrop"

_standa á hleri _literally means "stand at the shutter". Apparently, "shutter" refers to a type of door found in old Icelandic houses, which went up and down in a frame (like a window) rather than in and out like most doors today. So, "standing at the shutter" could imply listening to whatever was being said on the other side of the door.


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## bearded

Lello4ever said:


> In Italian .. *origliare*


That's correct, I just wish to add (for those who are interested in etymologies) that the verb _origliare _derives from a late Latin verb _*auriclare<auriculare_
from _auricula, _diminutive of _auris _(ear). Originally it means 'to stretch or reach out one's ear'.


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