# countdown



## Qcumber

Is counting down (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0) natural in your language?
Please don't forget to name the language you'll answer for. Thanks.


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## irene.acler

*Italian*: conto alla rovescia.
It's quite used in Italy.


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## Dr. Quizá

Spanish: Cuenta atrás [~backwards count].

I don't know what do you mean by "natural". It has some uses, sure.


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## Hakro

In *Finnish* we could use the word _lähtölaskenta_, lit. start counting, counting for a start.

In other contexts we would say _laskenta takaperin_, lit. counting backwards, for example from 100 to 90.

Qcumber, please specify what situation do you think for "countdown" or "counting down" (btw, are they exact synonyms?).


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## Stéphane89

In French: *Compte à rebours*


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## jazyk

It's very much used in Portuguese (at least in Brazil). One instance that comes to mind is New Year's Eve.

countdown - contagem regressiva


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## Chazzwozzer

*Turkish:* geri sayım


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## OldAvatar

Romanian:
Numărătoare inversă.


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## Outsider

jazyk said:


> It's very much used in Portuguese (at least in Brazil). One instance that comes to mind is New Year's Eve.
> 
> countdown - contagem regressiva


In Portugal, we say _contagem decrescente_, literally "decreasing count".


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## Qcumber

A common occurrence all over the world is when you watch your microwave oven counting down seconds until the dish is cooked.


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## Flaminius

Japanese:
秒読み (byōyomi)
Literally reading out seconds, this word has a technical use in areas such as astronautics.  Metaphorically, it means the beginning of something is imminent.

カウントダウン (kauntodaun < Eg. countdown)
Just like _byōyomi_, technical use of this word is very frequent.  New year countdown is expressed by this word too.


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## elroy

Arabic: عد تنازلي _(`ad tanaazuli_)


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## Frank06

Hi,



Qcumber said:


> Is counting down (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0) natural in your language?


We don't launch rockets in our backyard every week, but yes, counting down is quite 'natural' here.
In *Dutch* we have:
- verb: aftellen
- noun: de aftelling, het aftellen; de aftelprocedure (technical term); sometimes just English 'countdown'.

Groetjes,

Frank


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## raptor

> please specify what situation do you think for "countdown" or "counting down" (btw, are they exact synonyms?).


 
As far as I know, 'countdown' is a verb and noun, but counting down is only a verb.  A countdown would be for waiting for an important event (rocket launch, new years, microwave cooking dinner ), but counting down is where someone is _doing _it (saying, thinking, etc).

raptor


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## dn88

*Polish:*

_odliczanie_


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## Qcumber

Hakro said:


> Qcumber, please specify what situation do you think for "countdown" or "counting down" (btw, are they exact synonyms?).


Raptor answered you. So I'll only add examples.
NOUN. The countdown began by mistake while they were still repairing a socket. 
VERB. [cameraman to an anchor (journalist) before shooting] You may count down now.


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## chriskardos

In Hungarian:
countdown - visszaszámlálás
and yes it is natural
5 - öt
4 - négy
3 - három 
2 - kettő
1 - egy
0 - nulla


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## Kangy

Dr. Quizá said:


> Spanish: Cuenta atrás [~backwards count].
> 
> I don't know what do you mean by "natural". It has some uses, sure.



Here we say *cuenta regresiva*.


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## OneStroke

Chinese:倒數/倒数 (dàoshǔ) (lit. reverse count)


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## ilocas2

Czech:

verb - odpočítat (perf.), odpočítávat (imperf.)
noun - odpočet, odpočítání, odpočítávání


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Αντίστροφη μέτρηση»
/an'distrofi 'metrisi/ (both fem.)
lit. "reverse count(ing)"
Verb:
«Μετράω/μετρώ αντίστροφα»
/me'trao [uncontracted] an'distrofa/
or
/me'tro [contracted] an'distrofa/
lit. "to count reversely"


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## mataripis

I remember count down in schools. It is done to double check the attendance. And in Tagalog it is called "Bumilang pababa". or Pagbilang pabalik.


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## Encolpius

mataripis said:


> I remember count down in schools. It is done to double check the attendance. And in Tagalog it is called "Bumilang pababa". or Pagbilang pabalik.



 Do you mean, the teacher counts the students and then he starts saying the numbers backwards? Interesting, I haven't heard about that double checking over here.


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## e2-e4 X

Qcumber said:


> Is counting down (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0) natural in your language?
> Please don't forget to name the language you'll answer for. Thanks.


No, unless one launches a rocket (Russian). You would count forwards until you reach the number to stop, if you grind a coffee, for example. The term in use is "обратный отсчёт" ('the reverse from-count', literally).


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