# When in Rome do as the Romans do



## Juan Nadie

I haven't find this subject in this forum (all languages, but if I am wrong, don't hesitate to merge it with the older one, moderators), and I would like to know how do you say it. 
It means, when you are in an environment that is different from your own, it's best to behave or act in a way according to local rules and customs.

So, as far as I know:

English: When in Rome do as romans do.
Spanish: Allá donde fueres, haz como vieres. (wherever you go, do what you see))
Portugues: À terra onde fores ter, faz como vires faze // Em Roma sê romano (In the land where you go, do as you see they do // In Rome be roman)

Thank you.


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## sakvaka

Finnish: _Maassa maan tavalla._ (in a land in its fashion)


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## Grop

The French seems to be _Quand tu seras à Rome, agis comme les Romains_.

However it isn't so familiar to me as the English, and it sounds more like a quote. There may be a better way of expressing this idea.

A search on WR gave me _Il faut hurler avec les loups_, but it sounds a bit aggressive.


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## RaLo18

In Hebrew:

ברומא התנהג כרומאי (_beroma hitnaheg keroma'i_) - in Rome act as a Roman.


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## HUMBERT0

Juan Nadie said:


> Spanish: Allá donde fueres, haz como vieres. (wherever you go, do what you see))
> Portugues: À terra onde fores ter, faz como vires faze


In my country we say it like:
A la tierra que fueres, haz lo que vieres.


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## bibax

Latin: Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more.

Czech: Jsi-li v Římě, chovej se jako Říman.

But more common Czech saying is:

*Chceš-li s vlky žíti, musíš s nimi výti* _(it rhymes)_ = If you want to live with wolves you must howl like them.


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## rusita preciosa

Russian:
с волкaми жить по-волчьи выть [s volkami jit po-volchi vyt] - to live with wolves means to howl like wolves
в чyжoй мoнacтыpь co cвoим устaвoм не ходят [v tchujoy monastyr so svoim ustavom ne hodiat] - do not go to others' monastery with your own charter


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## jazyk

> Portugues: À terra onde fores ter, faz como vires faze


The sentence makes no sense with faze at the end. Maybe there shouldn't be any.


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## Juan Nadie

I missed an *r* at the end of the portugues sentence.

			 				Portugues: À terra onde fores ter, faz como vires fazer


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## Outsider

Yes, that is correct, although curiously I'd never heard that saying. I'm more familiar with the other one you cited.

I adore the Spanish saying:

_Adonde fueres, haz lo que vieres._
Lit. "Wherever you go, do as you see."

Words of wisdom.


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## enoo

Grop said:


> The French seems to be _Quand tu seras à Rome, agis comme les Romains_.
> 
> However it isn't so familiar to me as the English, and it sounds more like a quote. There may be a better way of expressing this idea.
> 
> A search on WR gave me _Il faut hurler avec les loups_, but it sounds a bit aggressive.



Indeed, the usual way to say this is:
French: *À Rome, fais comme les romains. *
(and sometimes "*À Rome, on fait comme les romains.*")


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## la_machy

I, too, adore my spanish words, _'A donde fueres, haz lo que vieres'._


_Saludos_


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## sound shift

Juan Nadie said:


> English: When in Rome do as romans do.


A small correction: the English expression is "When in Rome, do as *the *Romans do."


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## merquiades

I've seen a more literal translation in Spanish

Cuando a Roma fueres, haz lo que vieres.

In French what about
À la guerre comme à la guerre


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## Slawomir

Norwegian -  "en får tute med de ulvene som er ute" or "man tar skikken der man kommer", Polish "kiedy przyjdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać jako one".


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish:*
Ta seden dit man kommer_ - to take the customs (of the place) where you come


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## aruniyan

AutumnOwl said:


> _*Swedish:*
> Ta seden dit man kommer_ - to take the customs (of the place) where you come



a funny one in Tamil,

_Naai vEdam pOttaal, kulaithu thaan aaka vEndum._

literally,

*If you take the role of a Dog, you should do the barking.*


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## ancalimon

Turkish:

Bu deveyi ya güdersin, ya da bu diyardan gidersin.

You either bring this camel to the pasture, or you go away from these lands.


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## apmoy70

bibax said:


> Latin: Si fueris Romae, Romano vivito more


Actually bibax, the exact quote from Ambrosius of Mediolanum was _*Cum* fueris Romæ, Romano vivito more _(_when_ and not _if_)
In Greek: «Όταν είσαι στη Ρώμη, κάνε ό,τι κάνουν οι Ρωμαίοι»
/otan 'ise sti 'romi 'kane 'oti 'kanun i ro'me.i/
lit. "when you are in Rome, do as the Romans do"


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## 南島君

Modern/Old Written/Spoken Chinese: 
*入鄉隨俗* ru4 xiang1 sui2 su2
literally: enter-village/country-follow-custom.
It's  VO VO construction.


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## ThomasK

I don't recognize it in Dutch, certainly not in an expression referring to the _Romeinen_, i.e. the Romans. 

This kind of adaption might be unwelcomed by us having been oppressed by so many in times gone by. We do know howling with the wolves (huilen met  de wolven), or the herd mind (kuddegeest), but there is nothing positive about this kind of way of behaving based on imititation of the majority... ;-)


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## Outsider

That's interesting, as the saying "when in Rome..." is understood more as an invitation to be cosmopolitan, or respect the customs of other peoples, or at least to blend in as a matter of practicality.


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## mataripis

TAGALOG: kung ano ang panuntunan sa gawain nila, gayon din naman ang sundin mo.


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## Chemine

In Russian "В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят" (lit. You shouldn't go to another monastery with your set of rules)


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## ilocas2

Chemine said:


> In Russian "В чужой монастырь со своим уставом не ходят" (lit. You shouldn't go to another monastery with your set of rules)



already posted in exactly the same wording in the post #7


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## 810senior

南島君 said:


> Modern/Old Written/Spoken Chinese:
> *入鄉隨俗* ru4 xiang1 sui2 su2
> literally: enter-village/country-follow-custom.
> It's  VO VO construction.



Similar to Japanese: 郷に入れば郷に従え_gou ni haireba gou ni shitagae_ literally meaning _when you enter into country, you must follow country.
_
P.S.
this expression came from an old Chinese quote: 入郷而従郷.


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## Radioh

"Nhập gia tùy tục"~my translation: enter a house, follow (the house's)customs. I can see it's similar to Chinese and Janpanese.


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## Messquito

南島君 said:


> Modern/Old Written/Spoken Chinese:
> *入鄉隨俗* ru4 xiang1 sui2 su2
> literally: enter-village/country-follow-custom.
> It's  VO VO construction.


In Chinese, we also have these:
入境隨俗 enter+circumstances/region+follow+customs
入境問俗 enter+circumstances/region+inquire/ask+customs
入境 is also used to mean "enter a country/immigration/landing", a term used most in the airport.


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## Kotlas

Slawomir said:


> Polish "kiedy przyjdziesz między wrony, musisz krakać jako one".


lit. "when you come between crows, you must caw as they (do)."

I like this one (I believe it's Kalmyk):
"In the country of the blind, close your eyes; in the country of the lame, walk with a limp."


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## ilocas2

It results from this thread BCS: When in Rome... that in Serbian the best equivalent is _Kad si u Rimu, ponašaj se kao Rimljanin._ (When you are in Rome, act like Roman.) There are some other alternatives.


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## Olaszinhok

Although this proverb is focused on Rome, it is completely different in Italian: _paese che vai usanze che trovi, _something like: you find different customs/habits in each country you visit.


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## franknagy

Hungarian: "Ha Rómában vagy, élj úgy, mint a rómaiak!"


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## ilocas2

Olaszinhok said:


> Although this proverb is focused on Rome, it is completely different in Italian: _paese che vai usanze che trovi, _something like: you find different customs/habits in each country you visit.



Czech: *Jiný kraj, jiný mrav.* - Different region, different manners.


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