# Η ζωή είναι ωραία αλλά τα έχει με άλλον



## wonderment

Hello there, 

Almost forgot about this (from an old thread, thanks to jaxlarus). Could you help me with the translation? I'm still learning. Thank you.



jaxlarus said:


> This is how I'd translate your...mottoes:
> *? ??? ????? ???????. ???? ?? ????????? ?????!
> ?????? ?? ????.*
> 
> ?ere's a couple I like myself:
> *? ??? ???' ?????, ???? ?? '??? ?' ?????!*
> 
> Life is beautiful but she's with another guy. (?)
> 
> *???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??????. ?? ????? ????? ??????, ? ??? ???? ????.
> *
> Live as you wish, and let others. (Live and let live?) There are many others, but life is small. (Wouldn't it make more sense to say: the world is small?)
> 
> A collection of lyrics:
> *??? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ???????????, ?? ?? ???????????; ?? ?? ????????????;* (= gain) (Oh, thanks a lot for the one definition! Na'sai kala! )
> 
> We have one life, if we don't enjoy it, what will we understand, what will we gain?
> 
> *?????? ??? ????? ? ???, ?????? ?? ??? ??? ????!*
> 
> Life is what I make of it. (?)
> 
> *?????? ?? ???. ???? ??? ????? ???????? ??.
> *
> Enjoy life. Everyone gets two meters/measures of earth (??)
> 
> ?nd here's one I once read on a wall:
> * ? ??? ????? ???? ?***?: ?? ??? ??? ?******? ?? ?? ?**??!*
> 
> Life is a b**** (rhymes with 'witch' or a 'bee with an itch'). If you don't mess with her, she will mess with you. (or something to that effect)


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## anthodocheio

We can't see the Greek characters here...


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## wonderment

Hi, anthodocheio! Sorry about that--a constant problem at this end. Let's see if this works--here's the original quote:



jaxlarus said:


> This is how I'd translate your...mottoes:
> *Η ζωή είναι σύντομη. Φάτε το επιδόρπιο πρώτο!
> Άδραξε τη μέρα.*
> 
> Ηere's a couple I like myself:
> *Η ΖΩΗ είν' ωράια, αλλά τα 'χει μ' άλλον!
> Ζήσε όπως θες κι άσε τους άλλους. Οι άλλοι είναι πολλοί, η ζωή πολύ λίγη.
> *
> A collection of lyrics:
> *Μια ζωή την έχουμε κι αν δεν την γλεντήσουμε, τι θα καταλάβουμε; Τι θα καζαντίσουμε;* (= gain)
> *Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω!
> Γλέντα τη ζωή. Όλοι δύο μέτρα παίρνουν γη.
> *
> Αnd here's one I once read on a wall:
> * Η ζωή είναι ένας κ***ς: Αν δεν την γ******ς θα σε χ**ει!*



And here's my translation again:

Life is beautiful but she's with another guy. (?)

Live as you wish, and let others. (Live and let live?) There are many others, but life is small. (Wouldn't it make more sense to say: the world is small?)

We have one life, if we don't enjoy it, what will we understand, what will we gain?

Life is what I make of it. (?)

Enjoy life. Everyone gets two meters/measures of earth (??)

Life is a b**** (rhymes with 'witch' or a 'bee with an itch'). If you don't mess with her, she will mess with you. (or something to that effect)


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## anthodocheio

> Η ΖΩΗ είναι ωραία, αλλά τα 'χει μ' άλλον!
> Life is beautiful but she's with another guy. (?)
> 
> Ζήσε όπως θες κι άσε τους άλλους. Οι άλλοι είναι πολλοί, η ζωή πολύ λίγη.
> Live as you wish, and let others. (Live and let live?) There are many others, but life is small. (Wouldn't it make more sense to say: the world is small?)
> 
> A collection of lyrics:
> Μια ζωή την έχουμε κι αν δεν την γλεντήσουμε, τι θα καταλάβουμε; Τι θα καζαντίσουμε; (= gain)
> We have one life, if we don't enjoy it, what will we understand, what will we gain?
> 
> Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω!
> Life is what I make of it. (?)
> 
> Γλέντα τη ζωή. Όλοι δύο μέτρα παίρνουν γη.
> Enjoy life. Everyone gets two meters/measures of earth (??)


 
Do you wish to try again, first?


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## wonderment

Thanks, anthodocheio.   Yes, try, try again...

Ζήσε όπως θες κι άσε τους άλλους. Οι άλλοι είναι πολλοί, η ζωή πολύ λίγη.
Live as you wish and let the others (live as they wish). The others are many, life is very little/short. (?)
Live as you wish and ignore the others. The others are many, life is very short. (?)

I'm unsure about 'asi'--does it mean let others be, or let others go?  Does it mean 'Live and let live' or 'Live life on your own terms and don't worry about what others think'?

Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω! 
Such that is life, such also I do to it. (?)
Such that is life, such also (is the way) I handle it. (?)


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## anthodocheio

Sorry! It seems that we forgot you


wonderment said:


> Thanks, anthodocheio.  Yes, try, try again...
> 
> Ζήσε όπως θες κι άσε τους άλλους. Οι άλλοι είναι πολλοί, η ζωή πολύ λίγη.
> Live as you wish and let the others (live as they wish). The others are many, life is very little/short. (?)
> Live as you wish and ignore the others. The others are many, life is very short. (?) This one it is. It's playing with _many VS little/short_.
> 
> I'm unsure about 'asi'--does it mean let others be, or let others go? Does it mean 'Live and let live' or *'Live life on your own terms and don't worry about what others think'? *This one in bold. Very well wonderment!
> 
> Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω!
> Such that is life, such also I do to it. (?)
> Such that is life, such also (is the way) I handle it. (?) I'm not really sure. My English don't get to that level..
> 
> Τέτοια είναι η ζωή = Life is like this
> Τέτοια (πράγματα) κάνω = Τέτοιου είδους πράγματα κάνω = This kind of things I do
> 
> My Greek's grammar lever is not helping me either... But I feel the two "τέτοια" are not the same part of speech...


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## Kevman

Our anthodocheio is a delicate flower and omitted this one. 
You've almost got the central idea, but the literal translation is _*way*_ more profane, both sexually and scatologically. 


wonderment said:


> * Η ζωή είναι ένας κ***ς: Αν δεν την γ******ς θα σε χ**ει!*
> Life is a b**** (rhymes with 'witch' or a 'bee with an itch'). If you don't mess with her, she will mess with you. (or something to that effect)


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## Vagabond

Kevman said:


> You've almost got the central idea, but the literal translation is _*way*_ more profane, *both sexually and scatologically*.


LOL! I can't stop laughing 

True, so very true...


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## wonderment

Thanks for your help, anthodocheio.


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## anthodocheio

Kevman & Vagabond! Ήρθατε μέχρι εδώ και δε με βοηθήσατε με το "τέτοια".
Also Jaxlarus, where are you?????????

Well, "Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω".

The first one is in singular feminine, while the second is in plural neutral. That's for sure.

For the rest, I present you Jaxlarus, I presume, that soon will came to explain us..
(I hope so...)


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## Vagabond

Oh oops. Sorry, I missed that one 

"Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω" - well, not an easy one to translate, hmm. It means (more or less) "Since life is treating me like this, I'm treating it back the same way", or "Such that is life, such treatment it deserves", or "Such that is life, such is also the way I deal with it".

(Btw, that is wishful thinking, I'm afraid life can kick you around all she wants, and there's nothing you can do about it )


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## wonderment

Thanks, Vagabond.  Anthodocheio, what you wrote earlier made sense to me. As you were unsure earlier:

Such that is life, such also (is the way) I handle it. (?) I'm not really sure. My English don't get to that level...

Such that is life, such also (is the way) I handle it. = "Such that is life, such is also the way I deal with it." = Life is what I make of it.


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## Kevman

Συγνώμη ανθοδοχείε μου, on many of these κι εγώ από σένα μάθαινα. 

It sounds like you're saying it means something like:
 Τέτοια [_ζωή_] που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια [_πράγματα_] κι εγώ της κάνω.

Και τα δύο «τέτοια» είναι δεικτικές αντωνυμίες, αλλά αναφέρονται σε διαφορέτικα πράγματα.  Το «τέτοια [ζωή]» και το «τέτοια [πράγματα]» όμως είναι κάπως σχετισμένα: "However life treats me, I treat it back in kind."  (Sounds a little like the flip side of the αν δεν την γ******ς sentiment. )

Τι νομίζετε παιδιά;


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## anthodocheio

Την άλλη φορά με είχες πει Ανθοδοχούλα και χάρηκα...

I agree with what you said. Of course!


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## jaxlarus

OK, I must admit I dreaded this moment, but here goes...

*Η ΖΩΗ είν' ωράια, αλλά τα 'χει μ' άλλον!
*Life is beautiful, but she's seeing somebody else (or: she's with another guy)!
It only makes sense in Greek, cause *Ζωή *is a feminine proper name (Zoe), the way *Ειρήνη *(Irene / peace) and *Eλευθερία *(= liberty, freedom) are.*

Ζήσε όπως θες κι άσε τους άλλους. Οι άλλοι είναι πολλοί, η ζωή πολύ λίγη.
*Live your life the way you want to and don't mind the others. Others are many, live is too short.
This an actual counsel a friend once gave me. I liked it because of the way *many *(*πολλοί*) and *too *(*πολύ*) sound the same in Greek. Or I should say "in standard Greek", cause a Cypriot would use *πολλοί *for *many *(double consonants are pronounced in Cypriot Greek, so it's easy to distinguish between *πολλοί */ *πολλή *and *πολύ*) and *πολλά *for *very *or *too*.

*Μια ζωή την έχουμε κι αν δεν την γλεντήσουμε, τι θα καταλάβουμε; Τι θα καζαντίσουμε;*
We'll only get one life. If we don't get a kick out of it, what will we make out of it? What will we ever gain?

*Τέτοια που είναι η ζωή, τέτοια κι εγώ της κάνω!
*I treat life the way it treats me!
I pay life back in the same coin!
*
Γλέντα τη ζωή. Όλοι δύο μέτρα παίρνουν γη.
*Enjoy your life (or: have fun)! We'll all end up six feet under!

* Η ζωή είναι ένας κ***ς: Αν δεν την γ******ς θα σε χ**ει!
Verbatim*: Life's an arse: If you don't f**k it, it'll shit (all over) you!
*Loosely*: Life's a bitch: If you don't screw with it, it'll screw you!

 *Do pardon my French!* I hardly ever use this kind of language, frankly, but I guess it was high time somebody cleared things up.

In case you're wondering where I've been... well, I'm sure Vagabond, Anthodocheio and Kevman will be more than glad to explain 

  Cheerio!


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## wonderment

Thank you, jaxlarus, for the sentences in the first place, and for their 'translation' just now. 



jaxlarus said:


> *? ??? ???' ?????, ???? ?? '??? ?' ?????!
> *Life is beautiful, but she's seeing somebody else (or: she's with another guy)!
> It only makes sense in Greek, cause *??? *is a feminine proper name (Zoe), the way *?????? *(Irene / peace) and *E???????? *(= liberty, freedom) are.


*

Actually, it makes sense in English, too, if you think figuratively of life as a woman. It's clever.*


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